Trump’s Deep-Sea Mining Order Sparks Global Outrage

President Donald Trump’s recent executive order to promote deep-sea mining in U.S. and international waters has sparked global controversy. The order directs U.S. agencies to fast-track permits for seabed mining operations, using the 1980 Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act. This move bypasses the United Nations’ International Seabed Authority (ISA), which governs mineral extraction in international waters under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, a treaty the U.S. recognizes but has not ratified. Critics argue that the decision undermines international law and poses serious environmental risks.

Environmental groups, including Greenpeace and the Center for Biological Diversity, have strongly opposed the executive order, warning that deep-sea mining could cause irreversible damage to delicate marine ecosystems. In particular, the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the Pacific, rich in polymetallic nodules containing vital minerals like cobalt and nickel, could be devastated by mining activities. These minerals are crucial for manufacturing technologies such as electric vehicle batteries and smartphones, but mining them could disrupt critical habitats and biodiversity in the deep ocean.

The global community has raised concerns about the U.S. bypassing the ISA’s regulatory framework. The ISA has repeatedly emphasized that the deep seabed is considered the “common heritage of humankind,” and individual nations taking unilateral actions could jeopardize collective governance and sustainable management of marine resources. Experts warn that this could set a troubling precedent, encouraging other countries to ignore international regulations and potentially leading to harmful exploitation of the ocean’s resources.