Trump's Deep Sea Minerals Order: A Grave Risk for the Ocean

The race for seabed riches is being driven in part by China's dominance of the global critical minerals trade.

- David Fogarty

US President Donald Trump has been called many things. But a pirate? For now, that might be a stretch. But like all pirates, he has his eyes on a potentially rich prize — in this case, vast stores of critical minerals in the deep ocean that he says are vital for the US economy.

On April 24, he signed an executive order with the aim of "unleashing America's offshore critical minerals and resources". This would be done through accelerating US approvals for mining critical minerals in seabed deposits in national and international waters.

Trouble is his unilateral action would bypass a decades-long United Nations process backed by more than 160 nations that has prevented commercial seabed mining until a clear set of regulations has been agreed by the international community.

"I think what we're creating here is a very dangerous precedent that does truly subvert international law," said Professor Douglas McCauley, an oceans scientist at the University of California Santa Barbara.

Mr. Trump doesn't want to wait. His order cites the need to secure stable supplies and comes after China, which dominates global trade in an array of vital minerals, recently imposed export curbs.

The executive order opens up a new front in Mr. Trump's America First policy that has upended global trade, diplomacy and foreign aid. He has shown no love for the environment and rubbishes evidence of climate change. But zero-sum competition is something he understands and drives him. Trouble is this time the target is not some choice New York City property but deep sea resources that are the common heritage of mankind.

In extending US mining interests' reach to the very depths of international waters, Mr. Trump is moving fast to break things in multiple ways.

"It's fair to say that this is an endorsement for the US becoming the first pirate miner in the high seas," Prof. McCauley told The Straits Times.