Ocean Mining

Outline

Thesis: Ocean mining serves to eliminate and address the problems posed by terrestrial mining; therefore, ocean mining is better than terrestrial mining.

Ocean Mining

1. Arguments in favor of ocean mining
   1. Ocean mining has a higher economic efficiency and more economic prospects than terrestrial mining:
      1. The sea bed hosts more resources than the resources available on land, implying that ocean mining is more viable commercially than terrestrial mining.
      2. . Mineral deposits in ocean beds are more concentrated than terrestrial deposits, which mean that less material is needed to be mined in order to attain an equivalent production rate as with terrestrial mining.
   2. Ocean mining eliminates the disparities of resource distribution, which is the case of terrestrial mining:
      1. Mining in an international area ensures equitable distribution of the accrued economic benefits between the international community and miners.
      2. Ocean mining eliminates the unfairness associated with resource distribution on land, which has played a primary role in breeding some of the existent economic problems.
   3. Ocean mining is less destructive than the traditional land mining in terms of environmental and human impacts:
      1. Worker safety
      2. Ocean mining eliminates environmental problems associated with terrestrial mining
2. Arguments against ocean mining
   1. Environmental impacts
      1. Industrial activities initiated in the ocean such as ocean mining, have the potential of eroding long term economic base in coastal regions and reduce food supply and pollute the environment.

Ocean Mining

Summary

            This paper discusses benefits of both deep ocean mining and terrestrial mining to argue in favor of the possible change from land mining to ocean mining. The fundamental argument is that ocean mining serves to eliminate and address the problems posed by terrestrial mining. The paper maintains that ocean mining eliminates the problems associated with the traditional land mining. The first significant benefit of ocean mining is that it presents huge economic prospects compared to land mining. Currently, there is an increasing demand of metal and other precious minerals. Therefore, ocean mining is a commercially viable alternative to replace land mining. The sea bed hosts more resources than the resources available on land, implying that ocean mining is more viable commercially than terrestrial mining. In addition, oceans cover approximately 70 percent of the earth surface whereas land covers a paltry 30 percent, which implies that sea beds have vast resources that are yet to be exploited. The second benefit of ocean mining is that it eliminates the disparities of resource distribution, which is the case of terrestrial mining. Mining in an international area ensures equitable distribution of the accrued economic benefits between the international community and miners. As a result, expanding investments and technology in deep ocean mining will result in significant benefits for all countries, especially with regard to equitable resource distribution. In addition, ocean mining is less destructive than the traditional land mining in terms of environmental and human impacts. The paper affirms that ocean mining eliminates the problems of terrestrial mining, making a viable alternative to ensure effective extraction of minerals.

Ocean Mining

Introduction

Ocean mining involves the excavation of minerals from sea beds, which is contrary to the traditional terrestrial mining that involves the extraction of minerals on the land surface. A recent global pioneer study about ocean floor mineral deposits reported that the earth is on the brink of an era of ocean mining. Progresses in deep ocean technologies and marine geology have facilitated mining operations to be undertaken for at least two kilometers under water in search of minerals (Drew, 2012). Deep ocean mining presents enormous economic prospects compared to the traditional terrestrial mining. Deep ocean mining is a transformation that has called to mind the potential environmental mining associated with ocean mining. Potential environmental impacts of deep ocean mining are a subject of contention among those advocating and opposing this form of mining (Edt, 2010). Two decades ago, deep ocean mining was not feasible for most mining companies; however, this trend is changing with some mining companies conceding that it is relatively easier to extract minerals down a number of thousand meters under than a few meters of rock, as in the case of terrestrial mining. At present, the deepest undersea mines, the diamond mines found off the coast of southern Africa, are placed under a few minutes of water. Further, economic prospects of ocean mining are evident through the offshore gas and oil industry, which indicate a possibility of the transformation from terrestrial mining towards ocean mining (Kumar, 2011). The gas and oil industry adopted offshore mining in the mid 1940s; currently, approximately 33 percent of global oil is extracted from the sea. This paper argues in favor of deep ocean mining against the terrestrial mining. The paper reviews the comparative benefits of both deep ocean mining and terrestrial mining to argue in favor of the possible change from land mining to ocean mining. The fundamental argument is that ocean mining serves to eliminate and address the problems posed by terrestrial mining.

Ocean Mining

Advocates of ocean mining cite the economic prospects associated with this form of mining when compared with terrestrial mining. It is a fact that mineral resources found on land facing the risk of depletion, which compels the need to devises other alternatives to meet the increasing demand of these metal minerals in the wake of their depletion. Since the 1970s, noteworthy investments have been initiated in research and activities about deep ocean mining with the objective of identifying potential sources of mineral metals. Technology and costs have been considerable barriers in facilitating the exploitation of seabed minerals. However, the recent increase in the demand of metals has led to dramatic increases in the price of such metals. In 2006, the price of metals broke historical record because of the high economic growth in developing countries (Kumar, 2011). This implies that the existing economic conditions for ocean mining are extremely promising than before, and is increasingly becoming favorable because of the technological advancements. A clear indicator is the forefront role played by the private sector in the establishment of marine mineral resources found in the economic zones of Western Pacific. Resources such as natural gas, precious metals and petroleum have evoked the interest of research organizations and mining companies to review the prospects of ocean mining. In the light of these circumstances, it is highly likely that the 21^st century will witness systematic efforts globally to develop the resources found in ocean beds. From this observation, it is evident that the economic prospects of ocean mining are more than the economic prospects of terrestrial mining (Monash Reporter, 2003). The sea bed hosts more resources than the resources available on land, implying that ocean mining is more viable commercially than terrestrial mining. In addition, oceans cover approximately 70 percent of the earth surface whereas land covers a paltry 30 percent, which implies that sea beds have vast resources that are yet to be exploited. Mineral deposits in ocean beds are more concentrated than terrestrial deposits, which mean that less material is needed to be mined in order to attain an equivalent production rate as with terrestrial mining (Twomey, 2012). Further, mineral deposits are placed at the surface, which implies that there is no need to remove enormous amounts of material to reach the ore. All these observations point to the fact that ocean mining has more economic efficiency than land mining.

The second benefit of ocean mining is that it eliminates the disparities of resource distribution, which is the case of terrestrial mining. It is essential to point out that ocean mining takes place in international areas, which implies that economic benefits accrued from ocean mining are distributed among countries allied to that international area (Mineral Policy Institute, 2008). Mining in an international area has three main objectives, which include encouraging and developing seabed resources, safeguarding marine environment, and ensuring equitable distribution of the accrued economic benefits between the international community and miners. Fairness in resource distribution associated with ocean mining draws on the fact that resources found in international ocean beds are a universal heritage of humanity and not subject to appropriation by any country. The 1982 UN Convention of the Law of the Sea points out that all rights in the ocean bed resources are vested in mankind as a whole, and the benefits gained from deep ocean mining must be shared on a non-discretionary manner in order to benefit all mankind (Mining-technology.com, 2008). Further, the UN Convention established an International Seabed Authority as the entity through which state parties shall control and regulate activities in international sea beds. An inference from this observation is that ocean mining will be instrumental in eliminating the unfairness associated with resource distribution on land, which has played a primary role in breeding some of the existent economic problems. For instance, China is rich in metal resources yet the country has adopted economic policies to regulate the importation of precious metals in order to attain strategic advantage. Therefore, expanding investments and technology in deep ocean mining will result in significant benefits for all countries, especially with regard to equitable resource distribution (Sorenzen & Mead, 2012). It is evident that deep ocean mining will play an integral role in eliminating the problems caused by terrestrial mining.

The third benefit of ocean mining is that it is less destructive than the traditional land mining in terms of environmental and human impacts. Contrary to the case of land mining, ocean mining takes place where people do not inhabit and needs minimal production infrastructure that is moveable after completing the mining. Ocean mining also provides higher levels of worker safety because operations are conducted remotely with no one found at the cutting face, which is the case of land mining. Ocean mining eliminates many environmental problems associated with terrestrial mining. For instance, ocean mining does not lead to the formation of acid mine drainage because the alkaline sea water helps in neutralizing acids. In addition, ocean mining does not entail the excavation of waste rock because mineral deposits are found on the sea floor; this implies that there are no permanent structures left behind in the case of ocean mining (Levitt, 2010). Research has also found out that mineral resources in oceans are found in regions that do not support rich aquatic life, commonly referred to as black smokers. This helps in reducing the environmental impact of ocean mining. Since ocean mining takes place remotely, there are little disruptions on human life on land such as resettlements. The inference is that ocean mining is less destructive than land mining and serves to avoid the problems imposed by land mining.

Opponents of ocean mining often cite environmental impacts of this form of mining. Potential environmental impacts include the dispersion of fine sediments, destruction of aquatic habitat and nutrient replacement. Deep ocean mining involves cutting and pumping, which is likely to suspend some sediments in water bodies that could result in problems for water species (Pacific Conference of Churches, 2012). There is a probability that industrial activities initiated in the ocean such as ocean mining, have the potential of eroding long term economic base in coastal regions and reduce food supply and pollute the environment. However, in reality, ocean mining of natural resources in the ocean is a form of social safety for the international community (Spotts, 2009). Further, it is evident that the environmental destructions associated with ocean mining are relatively less than land mining, which makes ocean mining a preferable alternative to ocean land mining.

In conclusion, the paper has provided adequate evidence to conclude that ocean mining eliminates most of the problems caused by land mining. The benefits of ocean mining compared to terrestrial mining include high economic prospect and efficiency, eliminates the problems of unequal resource distribution, and less destruction than land mining. Mineral deposits in sea beds are more concentrated than land deposits, which imply that less material is needed to be mined in order to attain an equivalent production rate as with terrestrial mining. The fact that ocean mining takes place in international water bodies implies that all countries will benefit from such mining operations, which will ensure equitable distribution of the accrued economic benefits between the international community and miners. Further, ocean mining causes less environmental effects and human life disruption than land mining because it is conducted remotely, which helps in eliminating the risks of land mining.

 

References

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