US President Donald Trump issued an executive order in 2025 to expedite the issuance of deep-sea mining permits for American companies, a highly controversial move. The directive, released by the White House, effectively circumvents the internationally recognized United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), reigniting debates about unilateralism, environmental risks, and the future of ocean governance.
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Adopted in 1982, UNCLOS serves as the legal framework for international maritime law. It governs navigation rights, biodiversity, and the extraction of resources from the world’s waters. Most importantly, it established the International Seabed Authority (ISA), a body that oversees mineral exploration in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
However, the United States, despite its role in drafting UNCLOS, has never formally ratified the treaty. Trump’s executive order builds on this legal ambiguity by calling on federal agencies to accelerate exploration and exploitation of minerals on the ocean floor, especially in the resource-rich Pacific Ocean.
Critics say the decision undermines international cooperation and threatens fragile marine ecosystems in the so-called “Blue Pacific.” This deep-sea area is home to vast untapped deposits of nickel, cobalt, copper, and rare earth elements—all essential for renewable energy technologies, electric vehicles, and military hardware.
Marine scientists warn that large-scale industrial mining could irreversibly damage some of Earth’s least studied and most fragile ecosystems. Sediment plumes, habitat destruction, and biodiversity loss are among the main problems.
The executive order puts the United States at odds with global environmental norms and raises urgent questions: Should commercial interests trump planetary governance? Can the framework of global governance remain intact in the face of economic nationalism?
As deep-sea mining approaches reality, the world stands at a legal, ethical, and environmental crossroads.
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