Report Urges Halt to Deep-Sea Metal Mining
2020-06-02
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1Scientists are urging a temporary halt to deep-sea metal mining.
2They warn in a report that it could cause severe, damaging effects on Pacific Ocean areas.
3The recently-released report examined more than 250 published studies on deep-sea mining.
4The research was examined by the Deep Sea Mining Campaign - a collection of not-for-profit organizations.
5Environmental group MiningWatch Canada also cooperated on the study.
6The report centers on mining activities related to small metallic particles, called nodules, found on the seabed.
7The material can contain different metals, such as copper, cobalt, nickel and manganese.
8Increasing demand for these metals has led to a rise in deep-sea mining operations.
9The metals are commonly used in battery manufacturing and other technology products.
10The Deep Sea Mining Campaign says the metallic nodules have drawn intense interest by companies and investors because the Pacific Ocean covers about 30 percent of Earth's surface.
11However, the scientists warn that mining for these nodules would cause "irreversible damage" to "an ocean already under pressure."
12The operations would affect areas across the South Pacific, including the nations of Kiribati, the Cook Islands, Nauru, Tonga and Papua New Guinea.
13The report notes that "a moratorium is the only responsible way to move forward" until certain conditions surrounding deep-sea mining can be met.
14The scientists are calling for additional study to fully understand the environmental, social and economic risks.
15Andrew Chin was the report's lead researcher.
16He 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.
17He added that the operations could put people at risk who depend on the ocean and its continued health.
18Helen Rosenbaum is with the Deep Sea Mining Campaign.
19She said the research showed damage will result from the removal of the nodules themselves, which unsettles sediment.
20In addition, waste will be released into the ocean from the mining process.
21"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.
22The 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.
23Eighteen of the licenses cover the area known as the Clarion Clipperton Zone.
24This area stretches about 4.5 million square kilometers from Kiribati to Mexico.
25A 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.
26It seeks to mine metallic nodules to be used in power systems for electric vehicles.
27DeepGreen Chief Executive Officer Gerard Barron defended the company's plans in reaction to the report.
28He said deep-sea mining offers the best alternative to surface mining, which has a long history of pollution and destroying forests and wildlife.
29"I think it was a bias, 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.
30He added that the demand for deep-sea mining will keep rising as electric vehicle manufacturing increases in the future.
31"The argument should be what has the lowest impact from an environmental and a societal perspective," Barron said.
32He noted that the Clarion Clipperton Zone contained "enough nickel and cobalt to electrify a billion electric vehicles."
33I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Scientists 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. 2The 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. 3The report centers on mining activities related to small metallic particles, called nodules, found on the seabed. The material can contain different metals, such as copper, cobalt, nickel and manganese. 4Increasing 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. 5The Deep Sea Mining Campaign says the metallic nodules have drawn intense interest by companies and investors because the Pacific Ocean covers about 30 percent of Earth's surface. 6However, 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. 7The report notes that "a moratorium 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 fully understand the environmental, social and economic risks. 8Andrew 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. 9Helen 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 sediment. In addition, waste will be released into the ocean from the mining process. 10"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. 11The 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. 12Eighteen of the licenses cover the area known as the Clarion Clipperton Zone. This area stretches about 4.5 million square kilometers from Kiribati to Mexico. 13A 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. 14DeepGreen 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. 15"I think it was a bias, 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. 16He added that the demand for deep-sea mining will keep rising as electric vehicle manufacturing increases in the future. 17"The argument should be what has the lowest impact from an environmental and a societal perspective," Barron said. He noted that the Clarion Clipperton Zone contained "enough nickel and cobalt to electrify a billion electric vehicles." 18I'm Bryan Lynn. 19Luke Hunt reported this story for VOA News. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for Learning English, with additional information coming from the Deep Sea Mining Campaign. Hai Do was the editor. 20We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. 21________________________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23battery - n. an object that provides electricity for things 24irreversible - adj. not able to be undone or changed 25moratorium - n. the stopping of an activity for a certain period of time 26sediment - n. a solid substance that forms a layer at the bottom of a liquid 27food chain - n. a series of living things that are linked because each groups of things eats the groups below it in the chain 28alternative - n. another way of doing something 29bias - n. the action of supporting or opposing a particular person or thing in an unfair way, because of permitting personal opinions to influence your judgment 30impact - n. a powerful effect something has on a particular person or situation 31perspective - n. a particular way of considering something