Greed vs sanity

Shocker -- the first-ever deep ocean mine is licensed to go ahead. It's a horrific new threat to our already dying oceans. But it's struggling to raise money and worldwide condemnation could end the project and kill the whole insane idea of deep sea mining. Sign the petition! [Sign now] Dear friends, A Canadian mining company has a license for an insane idea that could become a planetary disaster: the world's first deep sea mine. We all know how toxic mines can devastate land-based ecosystems -- imagine corporations unleashed to dig up the ocean floor for minerals, far from any scrutiny. It's the last thing our dying oceans need! The good news is the company is having trouble raising funds. Let's drop an ocean of condemnation on this project, scare any further investors away, and make sure this horrific new threat to our environment dies quickly. Click to sign the petition, which will be publicised and sent to every potential investor: [ Of course, the site chosen for the mine is right next to one of the world's ocean treasures, a rich ecosystem off the coast of Papua New Guinea that has everything from teeming coral reefs to sperm whales. It's a sign of what's to come if we don't stop this monstrous emerging industry. The mining company has never operated at this scale, and is already in financial trouble. The project is risky. If we make it even more hazardous by showing the significant economic uncertainties, we might actually stop the mine, and make sure the industry gets a cautionary tale about messing with our oceans! Across the planet, we're in a battle to maintain a sane balance between humans and the natural world, a balance that is necessary for sustainable development, and that scientists tell us is necessary for our own survival, as well as countless other species. It's greed vs sanity -- let's make sure the right one wins: [ Scientists who study ecosystems talk about how remarkably interdependent they are. We humans are enormously dependent for our survival on small creatures like plankton, or larger ones like sea urchins. We often think of humans as a virus, predatory on our ecosystem. But Avaaz is a movement for people who seek to be protectors and stewards of our natural world, to eventually live in harmony with it. From that perspective, this campaign is part of our role in our ecosystem, as guardians protecting and serving the wondrous planet that is our home. We on the Avaaz team are so grateful to play this role with all of us in this magical movement. With hope, Ricken, Nell, Christoph, Lisa, Luis, Risalat and the rest of the Avaaz team MORE INFORMATION: Deep Sea Mining: An Invisible Land Grab (National Geographic) [ Nautilus Minerals continues to consider alternative financing (Reuters) [ The Ocean Could Be the New Gold Rush (National Geographic) [ Tiny sea creatures are saving us from hell on earth. So why are we endangering them? (Grist) [ Avaaz is a 44-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people shape global decision-making. ("Avaaz" means "voice" or "song" in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 18 countries on 6 continents and operates in 17 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz's biggest campaigns [here], or follow us on [Facebook] or [Twitter]. You became a member of the Avaaz movement and started receiving these emails when you signed "Join Avaaz!" on 2016-03-01 using the email address {EMAIL}. To ensure that Avaaz messages reach your inbox, please add avaaz@avaaz.org to your address book. To change your email address, language settings, or other personal information, [contact us], or simply [go here to unsubscribe]. To contact Avaaz, please do not reply to this email. Instead, write to us at [www.avaaz.org/en/contact] or call us at +1-888-922-8229 (US).