The International Seabed Authority (ISA) is the United Nations body that makes rules about the world's ocean floor. It is preparing to continue negotiations that could open the international seabed for mining, including for materials central to the move to green energy.
国际海底管理局是制定世界海底规则的联合国机构。它正准备继续谈判，以开放国际海底采矿，包括开采向绿色能源过渡的核心材料。
The organization will soon need to begin accepting mining permit applications after years of negotiations.
经过多年的谈判，该组织即将开始接受采矿许可证申请。
But environmental activists and some scientists are expressing concerns over the possible effects on animal life and the deep-sea environment.
但环保活动家和一些科学家对动物生态和深海环境可能遭受的影响表示担忧。
What is deep sea mining?
什么是深海采矿？
Deep sea mining involves removing minerals and metals from the ocean's seabed. There are three kinds of deep sea mining.
深海采矿包括从海底开采矿物和金属。深海采矿有三种。
The first involves taking materials known as polymetallic nodules off the ocean floor. The second involves mining seafloor sulphide deposits. And the third involves taking cobalt crusts from rock.
第一种是从海底提取被称为多金属结核的物质。第二个涉及开采海底硫化物矿床。第三个是从岩石中提取钴结壳。
These mined materials contain nickel, rare earth, cobalt and more. Such materials are needed for batteries and are used in developing renewable energy. The materials are also for everyday technology like phones and computers.
开采的材料含有镍、稀土、钴等。这些材料是生产电池所需，并用于开发可再生能源。这些材料也适用于手机和电脑等日常技术。
Companies and governments view these resources as very important as current reserves decline and demand continues to rise.
随着当前储量的下降和需求的持续增长，企业和政府认为这些海底资源非常重要。
What are the current rules for deep sea mining?
目前深海采矿的规定是什么？
Countries control their ocean territory and special economic areas. But the high seas and the international ocean floor are governed by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas. It is considered to be a rule for all states, whether or not they have signed or officially approved it.
各国控制着自己的海洋领土和特殊经济区。但公海和国际洋底受《联合国海洋法公约》管辖。这被认为是所有国家必须遵守的规定，无论它们是否签署或正式批准该公约。
Under the treaty, the seabed and its mineral resources are considered the "common heritage of mankind." The resources must be managed in a way that protects the interests of humanity. The idea is to share economic benefits, support scientific research, and protect ocean environments.
根据该条约，海床及其矿产资源被视为“人类共同遗产”。必须以保护人类利益的方式管理这些资源。其理念是分享经济利益，支持科学研究，保护海洋环境。
Companies interested in deep sea mining are partnering with countries to help them get exploration licenses.
对深海采矿感兴趣的公司正在与各国合作，以帮助它们获得勘探许可证。
More than 30 exploration licenses have been issued so far. Most of these have activity in an area called the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone, which crosses 4.5 million square kilometers between Hawaii and Mexico.
到目前为止，已经颁发了30多个勘探许可证。其中大多数在夏威夷和墨西哥之间穿越450万平方公里区域的克拉里昂-克利珀顿断裂带进行活动。
Why must ISA establish rules now?
为什么国际海底管理局现在必须制定规则？
The U.N. Convention on the Law of the Seas says that the ISA is supposed to complete rules governing deep sea mining by July 2023.
《联合国海洋法公约》指出，国际海底管理局应在2023年7月前完善深海采矿规则。
Countries and private companies can start applying for early, or provisional licenses if the U.N. body fails to approve a set of rules by July 9.
如果该联合国机构未能在7月9日前批准一套规则，国家和私营公司可以提前开始申请临时许可证。
What are the concerns?
顾虑是什么？
Yet environmental activists and scientists are concerned about deep sea mining.
然而，环保活动家和科学家对深海采矿感到担忧。
Only a small part of the deep seabed has been explored and some worry that the environment will be damaged by mining.
只有一小部分深海海底经过勘探，一些人担心采矿会破坏环境。
Engineering and technology used for deep sea mining are still developing.
用于深海采矿的工程和技术仍在发展中。
Some companies are looking to get materials from the seafloor using large pumps. Others are developing artificial intelligence-based technology that would teach deep sea robots how to get materials from the floor. Some are looking to use special machines that could mine materials off the sides of underwater mountains and volcanoes.
一些公司正在寻求使用大型泵从海底获取材料。其他公司正在开发基于人工智能的技术，教会深海机器人如何从海底上获取材料。一些人希望使用特制机器从水下山脉和火山的侧面开采材料。
Damage from mining can include noise and light pollution, as well as possible leaks and spills of fuels and other chemicals used in the mining process.
采矿造成的损害可能包括噪音和光污染，以及采矿过程中使用的燃料和其他化学品可能发生的泄漏。
The full effects on the deep-sea environment remain unclear. But scientists have warned that biodiversity loss is sure to happen and could be irreversible.
采矿对深海环境的全面影响尚不清楚。但科学家们警告说，生物多样性的丧失肯定会发生，而且可能是不可逆转的。
Christopher Kelley is a biologist with research expertise in deep sea ecology.
克里斯托弗·凯利是一位擅长研究深海生态学的生物学家。
"We're constantly finding new stuff and it's a little bit" early "to start mining the deep sea when we don't really understand the biology, the environments... or anything else," he said.
他说：“我们一直在寻找新的东西，当我们尚未真正了解生物学、环境等因素时，开始深海采矿有点早。”
What comes next?
接下来会发生什么？
The ISA's Legal and Technical Commission, which oversees the development of deep sea mining regulations, will meet in early July to discuss the mining rules.
负责监督深海采矿法规制定的国际海底管理局法律和技术委员会将于7月初召开会议讨论采矿规则。
The earliest that mining under ISA rules could begin is in late 2024 or 2025. Applications for mining must be considered and environmental studies need to be carried out.
根据国际海底管理局的规则，采矿最早可能在2024年末或2025年开始。采矿申请必须经过审查，并进行环境研究。
For now, some companies — such as Google, Samsung, BMW and others — have backed the World Wildlife Fund's call to promise to avoid using minerals that have been mined from the planet's oceans.
目前，谷歌、三星、宝马等一些公司支持世界野生动物基金会的呼吁，承诺避免使用从地球海洋中开采的矿物。
More than ten countries—including France, Germany and several Pacific Island nations— have officially called for a ban or pause on deep sea mining, at least until environmental protections are in place.
包括法国、德国和几个太平洋岛国在内的十多个国家已正式呼吁至少在环境保护到位之前禁止或暂停深海采矿。
Other countries, such as Norway, are proposing opening their waters to mining.
挪威等国家提出向采矿业开放其水域。
I'm John Russell.
我是约翰·拉塞尔。
And I'm Ashley Thompson.
我是阿什利·汤普森。(51VOA.COM原创翻译，请勿转载，违者必究！)