Mining the Pacific – future proofing or fool's gold?

People living in the Pacific nation are divided on whether to push ahead with deep-sea mining for polymetallic nodules.

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The "rock" she is holding may well determine the future of this Pacific nation.

It is what scientists call a polymetallic nodule, created over millennia as minerals accumulate on the seabed.

Packed full of cobalt, nickel and manganese, these ancient formations are now valuable: the metals go into batteries that power modern life, from electric cars to mobile phones.

They have become a source of friction in the low-lying Pacific Islands, which are among the nations most vulnerable to climate change.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c17d04ljzxko

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