Cook Islands deep sea mining poll sparks controversy
An online opinion poll on deep sea mining has been criticised by the government regulator responsible for overseeing seabed minerals activities in the Cook Islands as “fundamentally flawed”.
Te Puna Vai Marama (TPVM), the Cook Islands Centre for Research, a joint venture between USP Cook Islands and the Cook Islands government, launched a poll this week on surveymonkey.com. It asks residents about their knowledge of and support for deep seabed mining exploration and deep seabed industrial scale mining in the Cook Islands.
However, Alex Herman, the Cook Islands Seabed Minerals Authority commissioner, says it is deeply concerning that the underlying assumptions of the poll, and some of the questions posed “are fundamentally flawed”.
“This undermines the validity of the results from the poll,” Herman added.
Professor Heather Worth of Te Puna Vai Marama stated that they disagree with the Seabed Minerals Authority’s assertion that the Seabed Mining Poll is flawed.
“This poll has been carried out in a number of countries in Europe as well as the UK. We have adapted it slightly for a Cook Islands audience,” Professor Worth said.
“The poll is not about regulatory issues. It is about whether or not Cook Islands people support the exploration of the seabed for mining purposes and whether or not they support mining the seabed itself.
“We understand that this is a fraught topic. Frankly, we have no idea which way this poll will go. But there have been claims made that Cook Islanders support both exploration and mining and there is no good evidence either way. As social scientists and researchers we are concerned to find out where people stand.”
According to Seabed Minerals Authority’s Herman, “some of the deficiencies” of TPVM Poll include that:
“It misses an entire regulatory process of evaluating environmental impacts before any harvesting (or mining) activities can be considered, as well as the governance arrangements in place.
“Most of the statements advanced both ‘for’ and ‘against’ deep seabed mining within the Poll are factually misleading for the respondents. To be fair and accurate they need to be rewritten and properly qualified.
“It is almost impossible to answer the ‘for’ and ‘against’ questions if it is not clear that any decision in the future will only be subject to a suitable environmental impact assessment.
“It misleadingly frames economic considerations as the only reasons ‘for’ development, and environmental and cultural considerations as the only reasons ‘against’ development.”
Herman says it is important to reiterate that the Cook Islands government has not yet decided whether it will support harvesting (or mining).
“It is premature to do so, as we do not currently have enough data and information to make a science-based decision. Until such time, only exploration activities are allowed,” she said.
“Exploration research is critical in generating the science needed to make informed decisions about seabed minerals development.”
Cook Islands is in the third year of a five-year exploration phase to determine the feasibility of deep-sea mining for polymetallic nodules. Three companies have been granted licence and access to the nation’s waters to see if mining is a viable option.
Professor Worth said: “The Cook Islands contains minerals that lie at the bottom of the ocean within our Exclusive Economic Zone. If harvested, these minerals can be used to make renewable energy infrastructure, such as turbines, cars and other electronic devices.”
“At the same time, the deep sea is the last untouched ecosystem on our planet, about which we still know very little. Marine scientists warn that industrial scale deep-seabed mining could disrupt biodiversity at the bottom of our oceans and have far- reaching harmful effects.
“So there are arguments for and against deep-seabed mining exploration and full scale commercial seabed mining.
“In short, we are seeking Cook Islands residents’ views on whether they support seabed exploration and seabed mining.”
The opinion polls are available in both English and Cook Islands Maori versions. Each poll takes approximately five minutes to complete.
You can access the English survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DV9HKD6
The Maori survey can be found here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DVY3N5X