Seabed Mining: One of the Worst Human Ideas Ever. Mark Dobson Dr. Heidi Douglass Jack Douglass-Dobson Evey Douglass-Dobson From Raglan, NZ April 2014
Mark Dobson PMP • Husband and Father of 2 Children • Jack and Evangeline • Certified Project Manager 10 years • Preparation of business cases • Graduate Diploma in Environmental Planning University of Waikato 2012 • Strength of business case
Business Case • Benefits for New Zealand Citizens • Taxation $54m pa • Government spend $71m pa • Loss $17m??? • 200 jobs off-shore and on-shore • Non-benefits • TTR 90% foreign owned • Primary and secondary industry • Production is offshore • Expenses
Cost • Potential cost • Precautionary approach • Risk versus revenue • Assumption not validated is a risk • Environmental cost over 20 years • Maui Dolphin close to extinction • Whales and Dolphins • Local Destruction of ecosystem • Regional disruption of ecosystem • Risk of oil spills from their fuel. • Risk of sand holding ship breaking apart. • Light and sound pollution • Scientists can not predict all the costs. We have just their guesses. • Costs
Cost • International reputation • Tourism • Clean green image • Incremental costs keep adding up • What comes next? • Future generations?
Dr. Heidi Douglass, Raglan, NZ • I am here to oppose the seabed mining application of TTR. • I am not opposed to every seabed mining application. • I could make one exception…
Who am I and why do I care?
Now I live in New Zealand Lorenzen Bay,RAGLAN • Creatures I only saw in tanks in Boston swim near me in the sea here: Sting Rays, Orcas, KingFish etc… • I can watch the Orca while sitting on the sofa in my living room. • You have a precious resource here on the West Coast of New Zealand. It is pristine compared to the sea where I grew up. You must stop taking it for granted and fight to protect it . What you have is rare now a days. Don’t allow seabed mining in your pristine environment.
Human Arrogance • Seabed Mining requires basic assumptions: • Human needs are paramount. • Human life is valuable, but the life of the sea is not. • The sea, and its life, is nothing more than a resource to use up. • Destruction of a precious resource shared in common is ok. WRONG . This is an example of a “tragedy of the commons.”
The Sea & It’s Creatures are Precious Humans are Arrogant “The animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours, they move finished and complete, gifted with extension of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren; they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendor and travail of the earth.” Quote from― Henry Beston, 1928 The Outermost House: A Year of Life On The Great Beach of Cape Cod
Seabed Mining is a Short-sighted, Arrogant, Human Mistake • If we stay on this path, where we allow humans to destroy all the animal life and use up all of our resources, New Zealand will go from being a beautiful wild place to this: • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfGMYdalClU
Jack Douglass-Dobson, age 13, Raglan, NZ. This is what I think of Seabed Mining on our Wild & Beautiful West Coast : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RijB8wnJCN0 INSANE!
Seabed Mining where the Maui’s Dolphins live is INSANE! • I am not the only one that thinks so in my town of Raglan. • In 2012, TTR came to Raglan to meet at the Marae. • With less than 24 hours notice, 200 people turned up to march peacefully in protest and to line the bridge while the TTR car passed. Messages of protest were shown to TTR as children of Raglan escorted the car through the crowd. • Watch for a minute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUo_D6TZs-o
I am here to speak up for the Creatures of the Sea! I hate public speaking. I don’t want to have to be here, but someone needs to say “STOP”! • Seabed Mining off our Wild & Beautiful West Coast of New Zealand is Dumb. • There will be nothing good about it for New Zealand. • Destruction of a wild beautiful place is Insane. • Want metal? Mine the 1,000 landfills in NZ.
The only dolphin in NZ with a rounded fin. We saved the Kiwi Bird. Why won’t we save the Maui’s?
Seabed Mining is Insane! Maui’s Dolphin’s Neighborhood • NZ rarest dolphin. On the verge of extinction. • DOC says it is “critically endangered”. Only 55 left. No higher rating of risk for extinction. • “Like the Kiwi, the Maui’s dolphin is an important part of NZ’s natural heritage. I f we don’t act now this endemic dolphin will be lost forever.” ONLY FOUND HERE! • Smallest dolphins in the world. They use ecolocation. The mining sounds will hurt them. They won’t be able to find their way. • The seabed mining will kill all of their food and the plume will suffocate them. • We have an obligation to speak up for them.
The Maui’s will be driven to extinction from Seabed Mining. Only 55 left.
Please stop this insane idea! We need to do everything within our powers to protect and save the last, few remaining Maui’s dolphins. Thank you for listening to me.
Evey Douglass-Dobson, age 12 • Seabed Mining is not good for New Zealand in any way, shape or form. Watch this…. • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHPaFKw _oLQ
The South Taranaki Bight is an important feeding ground for Blue Whales. Blue Whales HATE seabed mining: the racket, the destruction & the pollution.
Evey Douglass-Dobson, age 12 Focus on The Blue Whales
Evey reads her notes here.
The problem is….
• “At the beginning of the 20th century, baleen whales were the major vertebrate group in the Southern Ocean in biomass terms, but hunting during the last century, when over two million large whales were slaughtered, probably reduced their biomass to one- tenth or less .” • They have suffered enough! Don’t let seabed mining be allowed anywhere near our country and our blue whales. It is my responsibility and yours to protect them.
According to the New Zealand Department of Conservation • “Aside from the value that we attach to a particular species, it is also valuable in itself. International law accepts that all biodiversity has an intrinsic value. Being large marine mammals, whales occupy a special place in marine ecosystems. Many species of whales have unique characteristics. “
Whales & Me • I am a mammal and so are Blue Whales. • I live in a loyal family group and so do they. • Parent Whales will defend their babies just like my Mom & Dad would defend me. Whale babies stay with their parents for at least 10 years. • Blue whales sing songs and so do I. • Whales stay together when one if them is sick, even if it puts them all at risk. • That is love just like my family loves me. • We need to love them back and protect their home.
Seabed Mining is TOTALLY Dumb! • We need the seabed as it is so it can continue to feed all of the creatures that live in the sea and the fish that we humans like to eat. • It horrifies me to think of all the life that will be murdered by the sea bed mining. • Sea life and sea creatures ground up 270 days each year for 20 years. That feels like GENOCIDE to me. • No amount of $ makes that ok. • If it is allowed to happen, I won’t feel happy any more when I walk along the beach. I will feel sick and I will cry knowing it is happening in the waters that wash upon my feet. • DON’T ALLOW IT! HERE, THERE OR ANYWHERE!
Thank you for listening to us and for taking action to stop seabed mining in New Zealand by foreign owned TTR.
I say … “Nothing is Worth Risking Our Precious Ocean”
The End
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