Cook Islands delays seabed mining decision, extends exploration to 2032

Cook Islands delays seabed mining decision, extends exploration to 2032

The country will extend seabed minerals exploration for a further five years, pushing the decision on whether to mine its polymetallic nodules-rich seafloor to at least 2032.

Growing local opposition to seabed mining decision has forced Cook Islands delay, says Greenpeace

Asia Pacific Report Greenpeace has heralded the Cook Islands delay on a decision over whether seabed mining can go ahead until at least 2032 as “evidence of the growing opposition” to the destructive industry in the Pacific. Greenpeace Aotearoa campaigner Juressa Lee said the decision was “a win for the moana and the Pacific Peoples” and communities fighting against this emerging threat that would risk their way of life. Resistance to seabed min…