VOA慢速英语--中国可能成为第一个开采深海矿物的国家

China is likely to become the first country in the world to start mining minerals from the ocean floor.

The head of the International Seabed Authority, or ISA, said that will happen if international rules for exploitation are approved next year.

Minerals on the floor of the ocean, such as nickle, copper¹ and manganese can be used in smart phones, electric car batteries and many other devices.

The ISA has already signed 30 agreements with governments, research organizations and businesses to explore the bottom of the ocean, also called the seabed. China has signed five such agreements.

The ISA was established to supervise seabed resources under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The group hopes to have rules for seabed exploitation by July 2020.

"I do believe that China could easily be among the first (to start exploitation)," said Michael Lodge². He is the ISA general-secretary who visited China recently.

"The demand for minerals is...increasing, there is no doubt about the market," he added.

There is also interest from European countries including Belgium, Britain, Germany, and Poland and from the Middle East as well.

However, no country has yet shown that deep sea mining can be cost effective. Some independent, non-governmental organizations have questioned whether it would be possible to reach a deal on exploitation rules by next year.

"I think, it's pretty good. I think the...draft is largely complete," Lodge said. He was answering questions about the possibility the rules will really be in place by next July.

One of the issues remaining to be decided³ is the amount of money that will be paid to the ISA for subsea mineral exploitation outside of national waters.

Lodge explained that the ISA, which is based in Jamaica, wants to receive four to six percent of the value of the minerals at the moment they are removed from the sea.

If the rules are approved, it could take about two to three years for countries to get permits to start seabed mining under draft rules now in place, Lodge said.

Canada's Nautilus Minerals had tried to mine seabeds for copper and gold in the national waters off Papua New Guinea, but it ran out of money. It asked for protection from its creditors⁴ earlier this year.

This has not stopped other companies, such as Global Sea Mineral Resources (GSR), part of the Belgian group DEME, and Canada's DeepGreen, from continuing tests and research.

In July, Greenpeace called for an immediate⁵ moratorium⁶ on deep sea mining to learn more about how it may effect sea ecosystems⁸, but the ISA has rejected a moratorium.

Words in This Story

exploitation – n. the act of getting value from something

battery – n. a device that is placed inside a machine (such as a clock, toy, or car) to supply it with electricity

draft – n. not the final version

moratorium – n. a time when a particular activity is not allowed

ecosystem⁷ - n. everything that exists in a particular environment

1 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。

2 lodge   

v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆

参考例句：

• Is there anywhere that I can lodge in the village tonight?村里有我今晚过夜的地方吗？
• I shall lodge at the inn for two nights.我要在这家小店住两个晚上。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 creditors   

n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They agreed to repay their creditors over a period of three years. 他们同意3年内向债主还清欠款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Creditors could obtain a writ for the arrest of their debtors. 债权人可以获得逮捕债务人的令状。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

6 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。

7 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

8 ecosystems   

n.生态系统( ecosystem的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There are highly sensitive and delicately balanced ecosystems in the forest. 森林里有高度敏感、灵敏平衡的各种生态系统。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Madagascar's ecosystems range from rainforest to semi-desert. 马达加斯加生态系统类型多样，从雨林到半荒漠等不一而足。 来自辞典例句