英検 1級 要約問題 サンプル練習問題 ② The Environmental Promise and Perils of Deep-Sea Mining

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As the global transition toward low-carbon energy accelerates, demand for minerals such as cobalt, nickel, and rare earth elements has surged. These materials are indispensable for manufacturing batteries, wind turbines, and other components essential to renewable energy infrastructure. While most supplies currently come from terrestrial mines, attention has increasingly shifted to mineral deposits located on the ocean floor, particularly in abyssal plains rich in polymetallic nodules. Recent advances in underwater robotics and remote sensing have made large-scale extraction appear technically feasible and commercially viable, prompting governments and private firms to seek exploration licenses and long-term investment.

Advocates argue that seabed mining could diversify supply chains and reduce dependence on politically unstable regions where terrestrial mining has been associated with armed conflict and labor exploitation. They also contend that harvesting minerals from the deep ocean might, under carefully regulated conditions, result in a smaller surface footprint than conventional mining, which often entails deforestation, water contamination, and community displacement. From this standpoint, responsible development of subsea resources could facilitate the clean-energy transition while mitigating some of the social and ecological harms linked to land-based extraction, thereby reconciling environmental objectives with economic pragmatism.

Opponents, however, caution that the deep sea remains one of the least understood ecosystems on the planet. Disturbing fragile habitats that have evolved over millions of years may cause irreversible biodiversity loss, with consequences extending beyond the immediate mining sites. Sediment plumes generated by extraction could spread across vast distances, disrupting marine food webs and potentially affecting fisheries upon which coastal populations depend for income and food security. Critics further note that international regulatory frameworks are still evolving, raising concerns that commercial interests may outpace scientific understanding. They argue that accelerating exploitation in such uncertain conditions risks repeating past environmental miscalculations under a different technological guise.