Seabed mining may destroy our livelihood

I have been following the development of seabed mining, the latest form of mining, in our country by Nautilus Minerals.
Papua New Guineans should be rightly concerned as we do not know what impacts it will have on our environment and the people living in the area.
The coastal communities of New Ireland, New Britain, Manus, Bou­gainville and the PNG mainland will be affected one way or another once Nautilus begins extraction and disposing waste.
It could mean losing our depen­dence on the sea for our livelihood if the effects are detrimental.
From a human welfare and environmental perspective, we can ex­pect this project to create problems in the following areas:
l    Health and safety issues caused by toxic chemicals used in the extraction process and from the disposal of waste materials into the sea, which may lead to unknown chemical reactions when they come into contact with natural existing chemicals of the sea;
l    Negative effects on onshore and offshore environment caused by the depletion of naturally occurring life-sustaining organisms;
l    Depletion of marine life and fish species that have sustained the livelihood and economies of coastal communities for generations;
l    Pollution of seas and rivers by toxic chemicals spread by sea movement to other areas; and
l    Negative health effects on people consuming fish or other marine products contaminated by chemicals used in the mining process.
These are not the only concerns caused by seabed mining.
It has widespread effects in other areas of our lives too.
The question that we need to ask our government is whose interests is it serving and who are they protecting when they allowed a foreign company with no experience in undersea mining to come and ex­ploit our sea.
If this government is a people’s government, it should stand firm in protecting the well-being of our people.
Many people are contemplating taking court action against the go­vernment and Nautilus Minerals.
This could lead to a class action instigated by PNG communities against the parties of this project.
I, for one, would support this move and I am sure other concerned citizens will as well.
We must stop this form of mining activity and similar operations in the future.
We must all take a proactive approach to stop this type of activity from destroying our environment so we can continue to enjoy a life of na­tural beauty, fresh air, pristine waters and a green environment.

Jimmy L
Lae