[Text/Observer Network Qi Qian] US President Trump insists on mining the seabed at the risk of offending the world just to counter China.

According to the White House website, on April 24 local time, Trump signed an executive order aimed at "developing critical minerals and resources in US offshore areas" to restore America's leading position in deep-sea seabed mineral resources and counter China's influence in this field.

The New York Times and The Washington Post reported that the executive order would allow mining companies to obtain authorization for seabed mining, undermining global efforts to restrict deep-sea mining. This move has been met with unanimous opposition and condemnation from almost all countries, including US allies, as well as relevant international organizations. Scholars have warned that this will severely disrupt deep-sea ecosystems and cause extremely dangerous environmental chain reactions.

American scholars also warned that this move would backfire. If Trump insists on destroying global rules, "China will defeat us."

After years of lobbying by businesses, Trump signed it.

The White House stated that this executive order "establishes the United States' global leadership in the exploration and development of seabed minerals within and beyond national jurisdiction." Trump instructed relevant departments such as the Department of Commerce, the Interior Department, and the Energy Department to conduct seabed surveys, attract private sector investment, and instructed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to expedite the issuance of seabed mining licenses to enterprises.

According to the text released by the White House, some parts of the US offshore seabed are covered with potato-sized polymetallic nodules containing key minerals such as nickel, cobalt, and manganese.

Screenshot of the White House press release.

A senior government official of the White House said: "We expect these minerals to be used for defense, resources, infrastructure, and energy purposes... We hope the United States will take the lead over China in the field of seabed resources."

The report said that this executive order may pave the way for some large mining companies, such as the Metals Company, to quickly obtain mining permits. Earlier this March, this Canadian-based company disclosed that it would apply for permission to mine in international waters through its American subsidiary. The company has invested more than $500 million in exploration work.

It is expected that the company will soon obtain a mining permit. At that time, they will invest heavily in developing seabed mining technology, including ships equipped with giant claws that can reach the seabed, as well as autonomous vehicles connected to giant vacuum cleaners that can clean the seabed.

Previously, the US disclosed that the company had lobbied in Washington for many years to obtain a mining permit, spending $680,000 since 2021.

It is worth noting that Trump's latest executive order will bypass an international treaty that has existed for decades.

According to the 1994 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, countries have exclusive economic rights over waters within 200 nautical miles of their coasts, but international waters are governed by the International Seabed Authority (ISA). Since the convention came into effect, US representatives have attended meetings, giving the impression that the US intends to comply with the treaty. However, the US Senate has never formally ratified the treaty.

Experts warn: unlikely to weaken China's dominant position, will backfire

"This is the latest example of the Trump administration ignoring international rules, which may provoke strong protests from US competitors and allies," The New York Times pointed out. Many countries look forward to seabed mining becoming a reality, but there is a general consensus that economic interests should not outweigh environmental risks. Seabed mining may damage fisheries and ocean food chains or affect the key role oceans play in absorbing carbon dioxide.

Reuters previously analyzed that now China controls the manufacturing and processing of critical minerals, and part of the reason the Trump administration gave the green light to mining companies may be to break away from dependence on this area in China, but doing so may exacerbate tensions between the US and other countries hoping to develop deep-sea resources, which believe the power to issue licenses should be held by an international organization.

ISA was established in 1994 to regulate seabed resource extraction in international waters and protect marine environments. According to regulations, deep-sea mining cannot begin until ISA issues a mining license. This means that if there is no legislation, mining companies cannot start deep-sea mining.

The Washington Post mentioned that currently, such seabed mining activities are prohibited. The EU, Russia, China, and 167 other countries are trying to reach an agreement on how to regulate such activities. However, the US has not yet ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and therefore has no voting rights.

Rare earth metals are a collective term for 17 metal elements, known as the "flavor enhancer of industry," widely used in various products in the defense, healthcare, and technology sectors. Over the past 30 years, China has always maintained dominance in rare earth mining and refining. As one of the countermeasures against US escalating tariffs, China restricted exports of several rare earth minerals, increasing the risk of US industries facing rare earth shortages.

According to estimates by the US Geological Survey, the nodules in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the eastern Pacific contain more nickel, cobalt, and manganese than the total land reserves. This area, located in the high seas between Mexico and Hawaii, covers an area about half the size of the continental United States.

The Clarion-Clipperton zone in the eastern Pacific that Trump is targeting, map by The New York Times.

However, given that traditional mining has led to oversupply of nickel and cobalt, some analysts question the urgency of deep-sea mining, and it is unlikely to weaken China's dominant position in the rare earth sector. In addition, electric vehicle battery manufacturers are turning to battery designs relying on other elements.

Douglas McCauley, director of the Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory at the University of California, Santa Barbara, said that Trump's move represents a huge historical regression and will backfire. He said, "If we choose not to abide by established global rules, China will defeat us."

"US actions may endanger the entire ecosystem"

More importantly, countries are hesitant about seabed mining largely due to insufficient seabed research.

Many scientists point out that the mined seabed takes a long time to recover. A study published last month in the academic journal Nature showed that ecological recovery in a remote Pacific region west of Mexico has not occurred since deep-sea mining trials were conducted there in 1979, and is unlikely to recover for several decades or even longer.

Scientists also warned that humans know very little about the role of polymetallic nodules in marine ecosystems. These nodules, millions of years old, are hosts to slow-growing life forms that cannot be found elsewhere. For example, the Clarion-Clipperton Zone contains many rare deep-sea species living in polymetallic nodules.

Polymetallic nodules are habitats for some rare marine species, NOAA.

Matthew Gianni, co-founder of the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, said: "We believe that approximately half of the species in the region depend on nodules for development." Gianni noted that the proposed mining methods by enterprises will fundamentally destroy these ecosystems, and the sediment plumes generated by mining may spread to wider areas, further suffocating other regions' ecosystems.

Lisa Levin, a marine biologist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, warned that disrupting deep-sea ecosystems could produce far-reaching chain reactions. She said: "Ecosystems are crucial in global cycles, making the ocean fertile, nurturing fish and shellfish, and providing food for humans. All these ecosystems are interconnected, and if one system is disrupted, the consequences will be difficult to predict."

Levin pointed out that the biggest consequence may be losing entire ecosystems before scientists have a chance to understand marine ecosystems. She said this would mean losing opportunities for discoveries that could lead to unexpected findings, such as developing new drugs and gaining insights into the essence of life on Earth or the formation of life on other planets.

The Greenpeace International once criticized this as a slap in the face of international cooperation and an insult to multilateralism.

For issuing deep-sea mining licenses bypassing international institutions, Secretary-General Leticia Kawalejo of ISA expressed "serious concern" at a meeting on March 28. Kawalejo warned that "all exploration and mining activities must be under the control of ISA," and that "any unilateral action will constitute a violation of international law and directly undermine the basic principles of multilateralism, peaceful use of the ocean, and collective governance frameworks."

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