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Critical minerals such as cobalt, nickel, copper, and manganese are found in small, potato-sized nodules resting on the seafloor.
In a significant move, U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a broad executive order aimed at revitalizing the contentious practice of deep-sea mining. This initiative is positioned as a strategic response to lessen China’s overwhelming control over critical mineral supply chains.
The administration is working to expedite the extraction of vital minerals, including nickel and copper, from both national and international waters. In his executive order, Trump declared, “The United States has a core national security and economic interest in maintaining leadership in deep-sea science and technology and seabed mineral resources.”
This unilateral action aims to “counter China’s growing influence over seabed mineral resources,” bolster alliances with other nations, and ensure that U.S. companies are adequately positioned to engage in responsible seabed development.
However, critics argue that the order contradicts global regulatory efforts. It instructs the Trump administration to speed up the permit process under the Deep Seabed Hard Minerals Act of 1980, along with establishing a framework for issuing permits along the U.S. outer continental shelf and expediting review processes for mining permits in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
Understanding Deep-Sea Mining
Deep-sea mining encompasses the use of heavy machinery to extract minerals and metals from the seabed where they accumulate in nodules. The applications for these minerals are diverse, ranging from electric vehicle batteries to components for renewable energy sources like wind turbines and solar panels.
Proponents of deep-sea mining claim it has the potential to become a profitable enterprise, thereby reducing heavy reliance on traditional land-based mining practices. However, scientists express caution, emphasizing the unpredictable environmental ramifications of this practice. Various environmental advocacy groups argue that such mining threatens ecosystem integrity and could lead to the extinction of numerous species.
Activists, including those from Greenpeace, are calling for a global moratorium on deep-sea mining. “We condemn this administration’s attempt to launch this destructive industry on the high seas in the Pacific by bypassing the United Nations process,” said Greenpeace USA’s Arlo Hemphill. He characterized the order as an affront to global cooperation and a disregard for the concerns of countries and populations worldwide opposed to deep-sea mining.
The International Seabed Authority (ISA), a relatively obscure U.N. agency overseeing deep-sea mining activities, has been striving to clarify the regulations around this industry before any mining occurs. The ISA is currently deliberating on standards aimed at regulating the exploitation of polymetallic nodules and other resources located on the ocean floor.
Negotiators are pushing to finalize these regulatory frameworks by the end of 2025, raising concerns from critics about the timing of Trump’s executive order.
This organization operates under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), a treaty that the U.S. has yet to ratify. The ISA is tasked with balancing the exploitation of seabed resources with conservation efforts over an area that accounts for roughly 54% of the world’s oceans. Last year, ISA Secretary-General Leticia Carvalho indicated to CNBC that reaching a regulatory consensus among member states by the designated deadline is still plausible.
Shifts in International Alliances
The convergence of private sector interests with the U.S. administration’s policy could heighten global geopolitical tensions surrounding critical minerals and the governance of international waters, analysts from Eurasia Group noted in a recent report.
They warned that the U.S.’s decision to bypass established U.N. protocols may result in unforeseen alliances emerging among other nations poised to oppose such actions.
The Metals Company, a deep-sea mining exploration firm based in Canada, has faced backlash from over 40 countries, among them China, Russia, and the U.K. For instance, Norway, which had previously explored the possibility of seabed mining within its territorial waters, has shifted its stance to align with nations like China, India, and Poland, historically in favor of expediting mining approvals, to counter the moves made by the U.S., specialists from Eurasia Group observed.
The primary concern revolves around the U.S. attempting to expedite its mining ambitions while overlooking previously established agreements regarding deep-sea mining governance.
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