Congressman Ed Málaga of Peru will be making history on June 17th, when he introduces a bill that would call for the first deep-seabed mining moratorium in Latin America. This is a critical step toward protecting the health of the ocean. It was cowritten by Sustainable Ocean Alliance Peru and SOA's Youth Policy Advisory Council, and is supported by The Oxygen Project, ecOceánica, AIDA, and Deep Sea Conservation Coalition.
Congressman Málaga will also be hosting a public ocean hearing on June 17th, with some of the country’s top environmental experts and leaders. Daniel Cáceres Bartra, Regional Representative for SOA in Latin America, applauds the lawmaker for working to shine a light on this important issue.
“If deep-seabed mining is permitted to take place, it will cause incalculable damage to the already fragile ocean ecosystem,” Cáceres Bartra explains. “No economic gain can possibly justify it, and we need more world leaders like Congressman Málaga to stand up to the mining industry and protect the last untouched ecosystems of our planet.”
RELATED | Click here to sign SOA’s campaign against deep-seabed mining
SOA and many other global organizations are fighting to create a moratorium on deep-seabed mining for at least 10 years, in line with the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. We are unwavering in our belief that deep-seabed mining is an unjustified threat to the health of our ocean – and the present and future generations that depend on it. Few stand to profit from this mining, but many will be impacted.
This summer, countries will gather at the International Seabed Authority’s 27th session. While the ISA rushes to create regulations for the exploitation of deep-sea minerals, Peru’s leadership shows the world that a moratorium is a valid policy option that is rooted in the human right to a clean, healthy, sustainable environment and the precautionary principle. With only one year left to slow the ISA’s rush to create regulations for deep-sea mineral exploitation, the call to Defend the Deep is gaining more momentum than ever.
Follow SOA Peru for updates on this issue.
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