Group Discossion with Clare, Alek and Anja

GROUP DISCUSSION:

Why are minerals important?

Answer: Some minerals can contain proteins, used in daily life; for example, buildings, spice up food, kitchen items, glass, jewelry, clothes, tablets, etc.

What minerals are found in the world’s oceans?

Answer; Oil, salt, potassium, Magnesium, sand and gravel, limestone and gypsum, phosphorites, placer gold, tin, titanium, water.

Who should have the right to receive them or the profits?

Answer: The landlocked countries should get a share, poor countries/developing also should get some from wealthy. Wealthy coastal nations should get most profits, but also share with poor/ landlocked/developing. Everyone should have the right to own a little bit of the profits because the ocean doesn’t belong to anyone.

What are the problems with mining in the ocean?

Answer: It’s very expensive to get to the bottom and extract the mineral deposits. Landlocked countries can’t get to the ocean and only the wealthy coastal countries have enough money to get to the bottom. Mining can ruin the environment sometimes. The reclamation act should be valid for ocean mining too. Spilling (toxic, oil) from boats is also a problem.

Who owns the oceans minerals?

Answer: It’s everybody’s property and it goes to anyone who gets there and takes it out first. On the coast of a country then that country has the right to get it but should share with landlocked countries.

What are the rights?

Answer: Law sea treaty states that ocean mineral deposits are property of all people and must share with all nations. Some people think that because of the treaty the wealthy coastal Nations should share their technology and profits.

Do you agree with that?

Answer: We agree with that as long as the wealthy coastal nations should share all profits/technology/money with landlocked/developing nations. We think that 200 miles (EEZ’s) are good as long as they share. Trading but the developing countries get more.

Proposal: We propose that wealthy coastal nations should share/trade profits with landlocked/developing countries because the profits are everyone’s and some people don’t have the money to get the minerals. WE agree that all minerals are everyone’s property and that anyone who gets some of the profits should share or trade at least a little bit.