The time has come for Portugal’s defender the deep sea | Opinion
Portugal must join the global movement of countries, companies and organizations that defend ocean conservation and do not want to put our common heritage at risk. Fiji, Samoa and Palau announce on the first day of the UN Oceans Conference moratoriums on deep sea mining in their waters, also launching an Alliance Against Deep Sea Mining. Industrial and technological giants such as BMW, Google, AB Volvo, Samsung, Volkswagen, Renault, Scania, Philip, Microsoft and Northvolt have already made public that they will not use their minerals from the seabed in the processes produced. Banks such as Credit Suisse and ABN Amro also announce that they will not finance this activity that UNEP [Programa das Nações Unidas para o Ambiente] Already declared to be incompatible with your Principles for Financing the Sustainable Blue Economy. French President Emmanuel Macron called on June 30, in the middle of the Oceans Conference, for a moratorium on deep sea mining.
In response to these developments, and given the persistence of the Portuguese Government on the matter, an ANP
WWF created a “Deep Sea Mining Moratorium”, subscribed by Sciaena and more than 30 organizations – and certainly by thousands of citizens. Portuguese society, aware of the important role in the economic environment and well-being of the government of all of us, as well as the comprehensive and clearly defined environmental, social and environmental risks that this activity can be demonstrated in order to guarantee the protection of the environment and avoid the loss of biodiversity safeguard coastal communities and human health. The Government should also internationally advocate a moratorium on this activity in international waters.
Deep sea mining is aimed at extracting minerals such as cobalt, necessity and economic from the bottom, with gigantic and very powerful machines operating in very adverse and risky sea conditions (high depth and great pressure), locally destroying large ecosystems and disturbing others thousands of kilometers around.
Allow the Portuguese seabed, as rich in biodiversity and unique ecosystems as the hydrothermal vents of the Azores, are the target of this destructive activity goes against the commitments made by the Portuguese government in June during the UN Ocean Conference, held in Lisbon from the 27th to the 1st of the Conference, regarding the conservation of biodiversity and the role of the ocean in regulating to do climate.
At this point there are many unknowns to address and much to be done in marine science, policy and industrial innovation before any mining activity is deeply allowed. They also point to what can impact mining on and other economic activities, adding as priceless all the people who depend on the sea. In addition, it can operate the cycles of carbon and nutrients from the oceans, weakening the role the ocean plays in the important mitigation and adaptation to climate changes.
Recognition of user acknowledgments can make reconnaissance activity significantly significant, the Portuguese Government owes acknowledgment of recognition of activity, declaration in the face of a moratorium and upholding the same for all activities as they will allow the activity to be proven . such pristine and valuable environments are a step backwards rather than a step forward towards a sustainable, balanced and equitable future.
The authors write according to the new orthographic agreement