In a new environmental controversy due to a decision by the Executive Branch, the United States will push for mineral extraction on a large scale on the ocean floor.
President Donald Trump signed an order to start this activity even in international waters. This is despite the warnings from environmental organizations.
Trump’s new controversy: mineral extraction in international waters
This firm decision represents a challenge to the International Seabed Authority (ISA), an organization affiliated with the United Nations (UN) that has jurisdiction over the seabed in international waters.
However, this is related to agreements that Washington never ratified. The United States is not even a member of the ISA.
The U.S. will push for mineral extraction from the ocean floor.
Trump’s executive order requires the Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick, to expedite the review of applications and the issuance of permits for mineral exploration and extraction, beyond U.S. jurisdiction.
In this regard, it instructs the Secretary of the Interior, Doug Burgum, to do the same with territorial waters. Additionally, it tasks the Department of Commerce with preparing a report on the feasibility of a resource-sharing mechanism for the seabed resources.
Following the execution of the order, reactions and criticisms defending these spaces began to emerge.
Details
The extraction mainly targets polymetallic nodules on the ocean floor. These nodules are rich in minerals such as manganese, nickel, cobalt, and copper.
They also contain rare earth elements, highly in demand for the manufacturing of batteries for electric vehicles, solar panels, smartphones, and computers.
According to statements gathered by the news agency AFP, a senior U.S. official stated that the Trump administration believes deep-sea mining could create 100,000 jobs.
Furthermore, it would increase the GDP by $300 billion and allow for the extraction of one billion tons of material within a 10-year period.
“We want the United States to lead in this area ahead of China,” he stated.
NGOs’ Reaction
NGOs, environmental advocates, and ocean defenders also condemned the Republican President’s executive order.
Jeff Watters, Vice President of the NGO Ocean Conservancy, warned in a statement that the U.S. government is thereby opening the door for other countries to also “engage in mining in international waters,” something that would have negative consequences for the oceans.
Mining in the seabed.
No commercial mining project has ever been carried out on the ocean floor. However, countries like Japan and the Cook Islands have already granted exploration permits in their exclusive economic zones.Â
The Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DSCC for its acronym in English) made a call to governments worldwide.
“We urge them to join the growing movement in favor of a moratorium, following a unilateral action by the U.S. government that fundamentally undermines multilateral cooperation and the United Nations,” they expressed.
“They must act now to protect the future of the ocean by supporting equitable ocean governance, based on science and responsibility, instead of corporate industrial exploitation,” the coalition affirmed.
Furthermore, they described the measure as “rogue action” that bypasses the International Seabed Authority.
In the same vein, Greenpeace International characterized Trump’s decision in a statement as politically “highly controversial”. They also pointed out that the executive order breaks the long-standing tradition of the United States being a good-faith actor in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
