Greenpeace in Jamaica to oppose deep-sea mining

Representatives of the international non-governmental environmental organisation Greenpeace will today stage a protest against deep-sea mining in Jamaica.

The protest, which will take place outside the gates of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) in downtown Kingston, will see representatives of the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) and local civil society groups making their opposition know outside the ISA annual meeting.

The protesters will call on governments to agree on a strong global ocean treaty that would protect the marine environment from industrial exploitation.

Greenpeace’s ship, The Esperanza, sailed to Jamaica from the so-called ‘Lost City’ in the mid-Atlantic that is said to be under threat after the ISA granted an exploration contract in the region.

A release from Greenpeace said: “Scientists warn that deep-sea mining could cause irreversible and inevitable harm to marine life, including extinction of species, and drive the climate crisis by disrupting blue carbon stores in the seabed.”

Greenpeace was founded in 1971 by Irving Stowe and Dorothy Stowe, Canadian and US ex-pat environmental activists. It said its goal is to “ensure the ability of the Earth to nurture life in all its diversity”.