Deep-sea mining - 6 Minute English

Hello. This is a 6

minute

English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil. And I'm Sam. Here at Six Minute English, we often discuss new inventions and ideas that scientists come up with to fight climate change: technologies like geoengineering that could reduce global warming by reflecting sunlight back into space. These ideas are often controversial because scientists disagree about whether the technology is possible and whether, in some cases, it could do more harm than good. In this program we will learn about a new idea to collect pieces of precious metals, called nodules, from the ocean floor. The idea, known as

deep

-sea

mining

, could provide metals such as copper, nickel and cobalt needed for green technology used in electric car batteries and other renewable energy.

But could

deep

sea

mining

also harm delicate ocean ecosystems? Soon we'll hear from two experts and learn some new vocabulary, but first I have a question for you, Sam. Mammals such as dolphins and whales represent a small amount of all marine biodiversity - the thousands of animal species that live in the sea. Even all the different types of fish combined represent less than 3% of all living things in the ocean. So, according to recent estimates by UNESCO oceanographers, how many different marine species make their home in the ocean? Is it: a) 70,000? b) 170,000? c) 700,000? I guess there are around 170,000 animal species living in the sea.

Okay, Sam, I'll reveal the answer to you at the end of the show. Some scientists support deep-sea mining because it could provide the raw materials, especially metals, needed to power electric cars. Among them is Bramley Murton, professor of marine biology at the National Oceanographic Center in Southampton. Here he describes the problem to the BBC World Service's Science in Action programme. As with so many things in life, there is a real paradox or enigma. The capacity of the global network by 2050 will have to increase three times. Electric car ownership will increase by a factor of 25. Solar and wind generation will grow by a factor of a hundred.

All of these things that we need to do to decarbonize are going to require raw materials and metals in particular. So, as a society we face this conundrum. We need to decarbonize. Professor Murton describes the situation in two words. First of all, he calls it a riddle, a very difficult problem to solve. He also calls it a paradox: a situation that seems impossible because it contains two opposing ideas. Deep-sea mining could harm the ocean, but, paradoxically, it could provide rare metals needed to decarbonize the planet. The crux of the problem is that, in the future, green activities such as driving electric cars and using solar energy will increase a hundredfold.

If something increases by a factor of a given number, it is multiplied that same number of times. But another marine biologist, Helen Scales, is not convinced. Here she explains her doubts to the BBC World Service's Science in Action. My concern right now is that deep sea mining and deep sea nodules in particular are being seen as a silver bullet to solving the climate crisis, and in such a way that, in my opinion, we can rely on life to be carrier. practically as usual. My concern is that it is really opening a door to something much more than those tests;

I think it's leading down a pretty slippery slope toward getting permission for deep sea mining to open up on a commercial scale. Helen is concerned that deep sea mining is being seen as a silver bullet to the climate crisis – a simple, instant solution to a complicated problem. She believes the tests allowed to assess the difficulty of underwater mining could open the door to large-scale mining that would damage fragile marine ecosystems beyond repair. If you open the door to something, you allow something new to begin or make it possible. Helen believes that starting deep sea mining leads to a slippery slope: a situation or habit that is difficult to stop and is likely to get worse and worse.

And that could mean the end of thousands of species of marine animals and plants. Yes, our oceans need protection just as much as our land and skies, which reminds me of my question, Sam. Yes, you asked how many different marine species live in the ocean and I guessed it was b) 170,000. I'm afraid that was the wrong answer! It is estimated that there are around 700,000 marine species, of which only about 226,000 have been identified so far. Well, let's recap the vocabulary we have learned in the program, starting with the riddle, a problem that is very difficult to solve.

A paradox describes a situation that seems impossible because it contains two opposing ideas. If something grows by a factor of ten, it is multiplied tenfold. The term miracle solution means a simple solution to a complicated problem, often a solution that doesn't actually exist. A slippery slope is a situation or course of action that is difficult to stop and is likely to get worse and worse. And finally, the idiom open the door to something means to allow something new to begin or to make it possible. Once again, we were out of six

minute

s. Goodbye for now! Bye bye!