▶ Your Answer :
In this set of materials, the reading passage states that deep-sea mining near volcanic vents can be alternative resources, whereas the lecture casts doubt on it.
To begin with, the text claims that there are many extractable metal deposits under the deep sea. There are hundreds of mineral-rich vent fields discovered like manganese found near volcanic vents and large amount of lucrative metals in the South Pacific. The professor, however, disagrees with this point insisting that we do not have enough technology to extract those metals under the deep sea. Since the metals found under the sea will not be pure, we would have to separate them and pull out to the surface to get to the consumers. Unfortunately, with the technology we have right now, this is impossible.
Moreover, the writing suggests that mining resources will not destroy the environment. If the minors extract at a distance of two kilometers, the action will not affect the environment which will placate environmentalists who are worried about hurting the environment. But the listening contends this point by declaring that there would be materials scattered in the water. Since two kilometers is not a far distance, and with the ocean currents, the byproducts will contaminate the water.
Lastly, the author describes that deep-sea mining will be conducted under international law. Many of the world's volcanic vents are in international waters which will justify the mining by the International Seabed Authority established in 1994. The speaker on the other hand refutes this point. She says that water conducted under the international law is far off the shore. In addition to this, volcanic vents are in territorial water which is up to individual nation whether deep-sea mining is acceptable or not.
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