David Attenborough calls for ban on deep sea mining

I was curious how this would work, according to wikipedia:

> There are two predominant forms of mineral extraction being considered for full-scale operations: continuous-line bucket system (CLB) and the hydraulic suction system. The CLB system is the preferred method of nodule collection. It operates much like a conveyor-belt, running from the sea floor to the surface of the ocean where a ship or mining platform extracts the desired minerals, and returns the tailings to the ocean. Hydraulic suction mining lowers a pipe to the seafloor which transfers nodules up to the mining ship. Another pipe from the ship to the seafloor returns the tailings to the area of the mining site.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_sea_mining

My understanding of how undersea vents work is that they're constantly shifting with any given vent only lasting a few years before drying up while new vents are constantly forming. There are a lot of important ecological concerns around this, for instance if processing at sea surface dumps silt back into the water that could cover animals deep in the sea or interfere with krill eaters. But I'm not sure the destruction of the vents themselves is a huge issue provided we aren't too rapacious.

Video interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EclnszfMdyQ

I'm pretty sure that there will be a considered approach with regards to the mining of resources in these almost pristine undersea areas that take into consideration the uniqueness of these ecosystems and that potential profit will be carefully weighted against the damage done by further loss of biodiversity.

Haha, just kidding. The mining companies will probably preemptively poison everything in range just to circumvent such a ban. Our predatory exploitation of the ecosystem knows no boundaries. As long as there's a dollar to be made, we'd cut our own air supply.

Does Attenborough have any credibility when it comes to triaging climate change?