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Pacific officials preparing for seabed mining negotiations

Thursday, 07 March 2013 11:45 administrator
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For the developing economies of the Pacific the prospect of untold mineral wealth being mined from under the sea is an enticing one.

Already Papua New Guinea has approved the first deep sea mining project in the region, and prospecting surveys have been carried off the coasts of several other countries.

Allied to that officials from around the Pacific will meet in Tonga next week to learn how to get the best deals from companies offering to mine within their exclusive economic zones.

Dr Mike Petterson, the Director of SOPAC, the Applied Geoscience and Technology Division of the Secretariat of the South Pacific Community says the aim is to make sure countries are well prepared to handle negotiations with the big mining companies.

Listen to full interview (8.17 min)

Source: ABC Radio Australia - Link

Speaker: Prof. Mike Petterson, Director, SOPAC Geoscience and Technology (SOPAC), Secretariat of the Pacific Community, SPC.

Last Updated on Thursday, 07 March 2013 12:01  

Newsflash

The unique freshwater challenges facing many small islands in the Pacific are highlighted in a new report released today by the UN Environment Programme and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC).

The report, “Freshwater under Threat – Pacific Islands”, written by David Duncan, Regional Environmental Engineer at SPC SOPAC’s Water and Sanitation Programme, found that the almost total reliance on rain-fed agriculture across all islands puts economies and livelihoods at risk.  Nearly 10% of deaths of children under five in the region are attributable to water related causes; 90% of these deaths, according to the report, can be traced to poor sanitation treatment systems.

The delivery of water supplies and sanitation services in many Pacific countries currently falls well short of Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets. According to the report, access to improved drinking water sources in Fiji and Papua New Guinea (at 40% and 47%, respectively) is about half the global average and it is anticipated that both countries will fall significantly short of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) for improved drinking water access.