Overview:
Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. used his address at the United Nations General Assembly to call for a global moratorium on deep-sea mining, warning that it poses severe risks to biodiversity, fisheries, and climate stability. He stressed that science must guide decisions before exploitation of the seabed begins and highlighted Palau’s role as the first ratifier of the new high seas biodiversity treaty. Whipps also urged stronger climate commitments, reiterating that the 1.5-degree Celsius limit is legally binding and calling for COP31 to be held in the Pacific.
By: Bernadette Carreon
President Surangel Whipps Jr. last week, before the United Nations General Assembly rejected deep-sea mining as a climate solution, warning it could cause catastrophic damage to ocean ecosystems.
“Deep-sea mining has been incorrectly promoted as a silver bullet for the climate crisis,” Whipps said “If we rush forward without understanding the consequences, we risk inflicting irreparable harm.”
Whipps said deep-sea mining poses a lot of risks, including loss of biodiversity, release of stored carbon, damage to the water column, and destruction of fisheries that Pacific communities depend upon for survival.
Whipps said that 38 countries, including Palau, came together at a recent conference to support a moratorium on deep-sea mining activities. “Our message is clear: we must let science guide us before we exploit the deep sea,” he stated.
Nauru’s President David Adeang told the UN last week that deep-sea mining is essential for the global energy transition and warned that “fear and misinformation” should not block access to seabed minerals needed for electric vehicle batteries and green technologies.
Adeang’s UN address directly contradicted calls from 38 nations, including Palau, for a moratorium on mining.
Whipps’ address also celebrated the entry into force of the BBNJ agreement (formally known as the Treaty on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction) in January. Palau was proud to be its first ratifier. Over 60 countries have now joined the historic ocean protection treaty.
However, Palau called for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to have guaranteed seats in BBNJ governance structures, emphasizing that Pacific nations are “big ocean states” despite their small land masses.
The president also reiterated the Pacific region’s position that the 1.5-degree Celsius warming limit is “not aspirational” but legally binding following a recent International Court of Justice advisory opinion.
“The world is at war,” he said, noting that defense spending approaches $3 trillion annually, but what is needed is to combat climate change.
“We need investment not in defense, but for us to combat our greatest threat: climate change.”
Palau again called for COP31 to be held in Australia as a “Pacific COP,” shaped in partnership with Pacific Island nations that face existential threats from rising seas and intensifying storms.