Report Urges Halt to Deep-Sea Metal Mining

 

Scientists are urging a temporary halt to deep-sea metal mining. They warn in a report that it could cause severe, damaging effects on Pacific Ocean areas.

The recently-released report examined more than 250 published studies on deep-sea mining. The research was examined by the Deep Sea Mining Campaign – a collection of not-for-profit organizations. Environmental group MiningWatch Canada also cooperated on the study.

The report centers on mining activities related to small metallic¹ particles, called nodules, found on the seabed. The material can contain different metals, such as copper², cobalt, nickel and manganese.

Increasing demand for these metals has led to a rise in deep-sea mining operations. The metals are commonly used in battery manufacturing and other technology products.

The Deep Sea Mining Campaign says the metallic nodules have drawn³ intense interest by companies and investors⁴ because the Pacific Ocean covers about 30 percent of Earth's surface.

However, the scientists warn that mining for these nodules would cause "irreversible damage" to "an ocean already under pressure." The operations would affect areas across the South Pacific, including the nations of Kiribati, the Cook Islands, Nauru, Tonga and Papua New Guinea.

The report notes that "a moratorium⁵ is the only responsible way to move forward" until certain conditions surrounding deep-sea mining can be met. The scientists are calling for additional study to fully⁶ understand the environmental, social and economic risks.

Andrew Chin was the report's lead researcher. He said in a statement that nodule mining will likely result in the loss of sea life and cause damage to deep sea beds for thousands of years. He added that the operations could put people at risk who depend on the ocean and its continued health.

Helen Rosenbaum is with the Deep Sea Mining Campaign. She said the research showed damage will result from the removal of the nodules themselves, which unsettles sediment⁷. In addition, waste will be released into the ocean from the mining process.

"At this point we don't know what's going to be in that sediment, what kind of heavy metals might be there, how bio-available they are... how readily they might be taken up in the food chain," Rosenbaum said.

The International Seabed Authority, an intergovernmental organization based in Kingston, Jamaica, has approved about 30 deep sea exploration requests, 25 of them in the Pacific Ocean.

Eighteen of the licenses⁸ cover the area known as the Clarion⁹ Clipperton Zone. This area stretches about 4.5 million square kilometers from Kiribati to Mexico.

A company planning to be one of the first to carry out mining operations in the area is Canada's DeepGreen, which aims to begin by 2024. It seeks to mine metallic nodules to be used in power systems for electric vehicles.

DeepGreen Chief Executive Officer Gerard Barron defended the company's plans in reaction to the report. He said deep-sea mining offers the best alternative to surface mining, which has a long history of pollution and destroying forests and wildlife.

"I think it was a bias¹⁰, narrow view, which doesn't address any the issues, by a group of people that have their hearts set on trying to stop the progress of this industry," Barron said.

He added that the demand for deep-sea mining will keep rising as electric vehicle manufacturing increases in the future.

"The argument should be what has the lowest impact from an environmental and a societal perspective," Barron said. He noted¹¹ that the Clarion Clipperton Zone contained "enough nickel and cobalt to electrify¹² a billion electric vehicles."

I'm Bryan Lynn.

Words in This Story

battery – n. an object that provides electricity for things

irreversible – adj. not able to be undone¹³ or changed

moratorium – n. the stopping of an activity for a certain period of time

sediment – n. a solid substance that forms a layer at the bottom of a liquid

food chain – n. a series of living things that are linked because each groups of things eats the groups below it in the chain

alternative – n. another way of doing something

bias – n. the action of supporting or opposing a particular person or thing in an unfair way, because of permitting personal opinions to influence your judgment¹⁴

impact – n. a powerful effect something has on a particular person or situation

perspective – n. a particular way of considering something

1 metallic   

adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的

参考例句：

• A sharp metallic note coming from the outside frightened me.外面传来尖锐铿锵的声音吓了我一跳。
• He picked up a metallic ring last night.昨夜他捡了一个金属戒指。

2 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

3 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

4 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

5 moratorium   

n.(行动、活动的)暂停(期)，延期偿付

参考例句：

• The government has called for a moratorium on weapons testing.政府已要求暂停武器试验。
• We recommended a moratorium on two particular kinds of experiments.我们建议暂禁两种特殊的实验。

6 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

7 sediment   

n.沉淀，沉渣，沉积(物)

参考例句：

• The sediment settled and the water was clear.杂质沉淀后，水变清了。
• Sediment begins to choke the channel's opening.沉积物开始淤塞河道口。

8 licenses   

n.执照( license的名词复数 )v.批准，许可，颁发执照( license的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Drivers have ten days' grace to renew their licenses. 驾驶员更换执照有10天的宽限期。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Jewish firms couldn't get import or export licenses or raw materials. 犹太人的企业得不到进出口许可证或原料。 来自辞典例句

9 clarion   

n.尖音小号声；尖音小号

参考例句：

• Clarion calls to liberation had been mocked when we stood by.当我们袖手旁观的时候，自由解放的号角声遭到了嘲弄。
• To all the people present,his speech is a clarion call.对所有在场的人而言，他的演讲都是动人的号召。

10 bias   

n.偏见，偏心，偏袒；vt.使有偏见

参考例句：

• They are accusing the teacher of political bias in his marking.他们在指控那名教师打分数有政治偏见。
• He had a bias toward the plan.他对这项计划有偏见。

11 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

12 electrify   

v.使充电；使电气化；使触电；使震惊；使兴奋

参考例句：

• The country is now making effort to electrify and informationize manufacture.国家正在致力于制造业的电气化和信息化。
• He needs money to electrify his surface lines.他需要钱把他的地面线路电气化。

13 undone   

a.未做完的，未完成的

参考例句：

• He left nothing undone that needed attention.所有需要注意的事他都注意到了。

14 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。