Global Courant 2023-04-20 20:28:36
Video duration 49 minutes 25 seconds
101 East explores how the Pacific Ocean could be the first frontier of deep-sea mining.
Resource companies and island nations scour the Pacific Ocean for vast untapped minerals.
Trillions of rocks found on the seabed contain metals that could power electric cars and green energy.
The Cook Islands government believes that deep-sea mining can help fight climate change and end the country’s economic dependence on tourism.
But environmentalists say extracting minerals from 5,000 meters (16,400 feet) below the ocean’s surface could be catastrophic to fragile marine ecosystems that the scientific world knows little about.
With deep-sea mining likely to start in 2024, 101 East is exploring how it could affect the world’s largest ocean.
This documentary is produced in association with SBS Australia and supported by the Sean Dorney Grant for Pacific Journalism through the Walkley Public Fund.
