PM Browne Calls for Moratorium on Seabed Mining
UNITED NATIONS — Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne on Friday called for a halt to seabed mining until science can prove it will not cause serious harm, urging world leaders to prioritize the protection of oceans that small island nations depend on for survival.
“For islands like mine, the ocean is not scenery. It is the source of food and jobs and the opportunity for new chances of growth and development,” Browne told the U.N. General Assembly. “But it must be protected”.
He pressed for “decisive action against illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, plastics that choke reefs, and pollution that steals mangroves,” warning that these threats undermine both livelihoods and ecosystems.
“As custodians of vast, exclusive economic zones, small islands offer partnership and stewardship,” Browne said. “Let us back robust global plastics and fossil fuel non-proliferation treaties. Expand blue carbon finance for mangroves and seagrass”.
He also called for greater technological cooperation, urging that “maritime domain awareness and the provision of satellite and data sharing services [become] standard support for SIDS”.
“Until independent science proves no serious harm, we support a moratorium on seabed mining,” Browne declared. “No one should mortgage the ocean floor to pay for short-term bills”.
He concluded by insisting that “law must be our guardrail” and linked Antigua and Barbuda’s efforts with Vanuatu’s in seeking international legal clarity on states’ climate obligations, framing the defense of oceans as both an environmental and legal imperative.
