Passage A
The transition to a low-carbon economy requires unprecedented quantities of critical minerals like cobalt, nickel, and manganese, which are essential for manufacturing electric vehicle batteries and renewable energy systems. Land-based mining of these resources is increasingly fraught with geopolitical tensions, human rights concerns, and severe local ecological destruction. Fortunately, the abyssal plains of the deep ocean offer an alternative. Vast fields of polymetallic nodules lying thousands of meters below the surface contain rich deposits of these vital metals. While critics raise alarms about the potential disruption to benthic ecosystems, we cannot ignore the carbon-saving imperative of the green transition. The deep sea provides a concentrated, politically stable source of materials that could drastically reduce our reliance on terrestrial fossil fuels. Furthermore, modern marine engineering allows for highly targeted extraction methods that minimize sediment plumes and protect the water column. With robust oversight from international regulatory bodies like the International Seabed Authority, we can establish strict environmental protocols. Responsible deep-sea mining represents a necessary compromise—a calculated trade-off that secures the resources needed to combat global climate change while actively managing localized marine risks.
Passage B
Advocates of deep-sea mining often frame the seabed as a pristine treasury of metals waiting to be harvested for the sake of the planet's climate. However, this utilitarian view ignores the profound ecological risks of introducing heavy industrial machinery to one of Earth's least understood and most fragile environments. Benthic ecosystems, operating in near-freezing temperatures and absolute darkness, host unique species that are highly specialized and extremely slow-growing. The physical disruption caused by mining vehicles scraping the ocean floor will destroy these habitats, creating vast underwater dust storms—sediment plumes—that can drift for miles, choking filter-feeding organisms and disrupting the marine food web. The argument that regulatory frameworks can guarantee 'responsible' mining is wishful thinking; our scientific understanding of deep-sea biodiversity is so rudimentary that we cannot accurately measure, let alone mitigate, the long-term impacts of such disruption. Seeking to solve terrestrial ecological crises by strip-mining the seabed is a dangerous continuation of the same short-sighted exploitation that caused climate change in the first place. We must prioritize recycling, battery innovation, and circular economic models rather than rushing into an ecological frontier where damage is irreversible.
Based on the passages, which of the following statements best describes the primary difference in how the authors of Passage A and Passage B view the potential environmental impact of deep-sea mining?
- AThe author of Passage A argues that deep-sea mining will cause no ecological damage to benthic zones, while the author of Passage B believes that it is the primary driver of global climate change.
- BThe author of Passage A focuses on the human rights abuses associated with deep-sea mining, while the author of Passage B focuses on the economic benefits of terrestrial mining.
- The author of Passage A views the environmental impact as a manageable risk that is justified by the broader goals of the green energy transition, whereas the author of Passage B views it as an irreversible threat to an ecosystem we do not fully understand.Answer
- DBoth authors agree that current marine engineering technologies are advanced enough to prevent long-term damage to the marine food web.