President Trump signed an executive order to promote seabed mining in both international and U.S. waters. This action bypasses a long-standing international treaty that most nations have ratified, positioning the U.S. as a leader in this industry.
The move is likely to provoke strong reactions from other countries, many of whom view seabed mining in international waters as unsustainable and damaging to the environment. The executive order challenges the existing international legal framework governing ocean resources and is expected to exacerbate geopolitical tensions.
The order aims to secure access to valuable minerals like nickel, cobalt, and manganese found on the ocean floor. These resources are vital for advanced technologies, and the administration sees the initiative as a way to reduce reliance on China, which currently dominates their supply chains, thereby enhancing U.S. economic and national security.
While the focus is on economic and strategic benefits, the environmental impact of widespread seabed mining remains a significant concern. The executive order directs NOAA to expedite permitting processes, raising questions about potential environmental regulations and their effectiveness.
President Trump has ordered the U.S. government to take a major step toward mining vast tracts of the ocean floor, a move that is opposed by nearly all other nations, which consider international waters off limits to this kind of industrial activity.
The executive order, signed Thursday, would circumvent a decades-old treaty that every major coastal nation except the United States has ratified. It is the latest example of the Trump administration’s willingness to disregard international institutions and is likely to provoke an outcry from America’s rivals and allies alike.
The order “establishes the U.S. as a global leader in seabed mineral exploration and development both within and beyond national jurisdiction,” according to a text released by the White House.
Mr. Trump’s order instructs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to expedite permits for companies to mine in both international and U.S. territorial waters.
Parts of the ocean floor are blanketed by potato-size nodules containing valuable minerals like nickel, cobalt and manganese that are essential to advanced technologies that the United States considers critical to its economic and military security, but whose supply chains are increasingly controlled by China.
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