FIJI/SYDNEY – Friday, 26 September 2025 — In response to Nauru's statement on deep sea mining at the UN General Assembly, where it falsely claimed deep sea minerals were 'essential' for the green energy transition, the following statement can be attributed to Rae Bainteiti, Pacific Political Coordinator at Greenpeace Australia Pacific:
"Nauru is peddling a dangerous fallacy by echoing the greenwashing claims of the deep sea mining industry. If it goes ahead, deep sea mining could destroy our oceans, livelihoods and cultural heritage of millions of people in the Pacific, and have irreversible, permanent effects on the seabed and all life that depends on it. Deep sea mining will not solve the climate crisis.
"A just transition means using the resources and minerals we already have in circulation, not digging, drilling and extracting more. The more we extract, the more we consume. It's a myth that we need to sell our seabed for our future – deep sea mining isn't for our future, it is selling out our future. We must protect the sea and not sell it to the highest bidders.
"We are calling for Pacific Island nations to back a pause or moratorium on deep sea mining until the regulatory body, the International Seabed Authority, finalises a robust, science-backed and enforceable Mining Code. A moratorium or precautionary pause is the only safe, sensible way forward."
—
