紐時賞析／跟上日本、紐西蘭...挪威逐步開放海底採礦 環保人士強烈反對

挪威逐步開放海底採礦，此舉惹惱環保人士。挪威示意圖，圖片來源／Ingimage。

Norway Moves to Allow Seabed Mining Exploration

挪威逐步開放海底採礦 惹惱環保人士

The Norwegian parliament voted Tuesday to authorize opening parts of the Norwegian Sea to seabed mining exploration, a move that reflects rising international demand for the metals needed to build batteries for electric vehicles worldwide.

挪威國會週二投票決定，授權開放挪威海的部分水域進行海底採礦勘探，此舉反映出全世界對於製造電動車用電池所需的金屬，需求不斷增長。

The decision clears the way for prospectors to look for seabed deposits between Norway and Greenland, mostly north of the Arctic Circle, in areas under Norway’s national jurisdiction.

這個決定爲探礦者在挪威與格陵蘭之間，大部分位於北極圈以北，挪威國家管轄範圍的區域內尋找海底礦牀，鋪平了道路。

Proposals for mining exploration in both international waters and coastal areas like those off Norway have encountered stiff opposition from environmentalists who say that not enough is known about the life at the bottom of sea to authorize mining.

在公海跟挪威外海等沿海區域兩處進行採礦勘探的提案，遇到環保人士的強烈反對，表示人類對於海底生命的認識還不足以授權採礦。

Initially, the work in Norway will involve collecting information about the amount of metals in the seabed and what harm large-scale mining might cause to aquatic life.

一開始，挪威的工作將涉及蒐集有關海底金屬量的資訊，以及大規模採礦可能對水中生物帶來什麼樣危害。

The parliament would have to consider the plan again before industrial-scale seabed mining would be allowed to start.

在批准工業規模（大規模）的海底採礦開始前，挪威國會將再次考慮該計劃。

Norway joins a growing list of nations — including Japan, New Zealand, Namibia and the Cook Islands in the South Pacific — that in recent years have either considered or taken steps toward seabed mining.

愈來愈多國家，包括日本、紐西蘭、納米比亞與南太平洋的庫克羣島，已經在最近幾年考慮或採取有助於海底採礦的措施。挪威是最新加入者。

Separately, a United Nations-affiliated agency known as the International Seabed Authority is drafting regulations that could eventually allow seabed mining in international waters in parts of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans.

另外，聯合國轄下機構「國際海底管理局」正在起草規章，最終可能允許在部分太平洋、印度洋與大西洋的國際海域進行海底採礦。

The authority has spent a decade trying to finalize rules for international waters. While that debate continues, nations can decide on their own whether to authorize mining in the coastal areas they control.

海底管理局花了十年，試着讓管理公海採礦的規章定案。辯論仍在持續，但各國可以自行決定，要不要授權在領海的沿海區域採礦。

Some academics, scientists and environmental groups in Norway have challenged the plan.

挪威一些學者、科學家與環團對該計劃提出挑戰。

“The ocean is vitally important for our survival on this planet,” said Kaya Lønne Fjærtoft , a marine biologist from Norway with the World Wildlife Foundation. “Risking ocean health is gambling our future.”

挪威的「世界自然基金會」海洋生物學家菲亞爾托夫特說，「海洋對我們在這個星球的生存極其重要，讓海洋的健康冒風險，就是在賭我們的未來」。

Environmentalists also say that battery chemistry is rapidly changing, and carmakers soon might not need some of the metals Norway is targeting.

環保人士也說，電池材料正在快速演變，挪威準備開採的金屬，有部分可能汽車製造商很快就用不到。

文／Eric Lipton 譯／周辰陽