Donald Trump wants to deduce the depths of the ocean of critical minerals everywhere in rechargeable batteries, signing Executive order On Thursday, to try to expedite mining inside the United States and international waters.
It is a noisy step that critics say can create an unknown chaos of marine life and coastal economies, which bark international agreements. The talks to develop mining bases in the depths of the seas continues through the International Sea Foundation (ISA), which is a process that is absent from the first 2023 deadline She continued to start commercial mining in the depths of the seas.
“A dangerous precedent”
“Rapid mining in the depths of the seas by overcoming the global organizational processes of ISA science will determine a dangerous precedent and will be a violation of customary international law,” said Denkan Curie, the legal advisor to the deep seas preservation coalition, which called for the endowment to stop cleaning in the depths of the seas.
ISA was established by the 1982 United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea. More than 160 countries have believed the agreement, but the United States did not do so. Imprisoning the agreement, the executive order signed by the federal agencies directs to the process of issuing licenses for companies that seek to recover minerals “in areas outside the national judicial jurisdiction,” according to 1980 difficult mineral resources law at the bottom of the deep sea. The regional jurisdiction of the country extends almost only 200 nautical miles From the beach.
The executive thing says that the Trump administration wants to work with the industry “to counter China’s growing influence on mineral resources at the sea floor.” However, there is no country that I have not yet Deep The depths reach about 656 feet (200 meters) in international waters. There were already efforts for Explore Parts of the bottom of the ocean rich in nickel, copper, cobalt, iron and manganese required for rechargeable batteries, and China is The leading refinery in many critical metals.
China responded on Friday: BBC mentioned Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Jiakon said that Trump’s move “violates international law and harms the total interests of the international community.”
Metal Company Declare In March, the Canadian company had “already met with officials at the White House” and Plan to apply for permits Under the current American mining code to start extracting minerals from the high seas.
California -based company Request impossible minerals The Trump administration earlier this month to remove mining lease contracts for the regions off the American coast, which will be among the United States -controlled water. Trump’s executive order is also directed by the Minister of Interior to accelerate the process of renting mining areas inside American waters.
Companies that seek to exploit mineral resources abroad will argue that they will cause less damage to mining on the ground. Their opponents claim that there is still little research even to understand the extent of the spread of mining traces in the depths of the seas on marine ecosystems and the people who depend on them. Recent studies have warned of The damage “irreversible” And loud voice The noise that affects the life of the seaAnd one A controversial study It raises questions about whether the depths of the seas can be an important source of “”Dark oxygen“For the world.
more than 30 countries -In that, Palau, Fiji, Costa Rica, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, New Zealand, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom-called for a ban or a stopping depth of the seas until international rules are set to reduce possible damage.
“The damage caused by deep mining in the sea is not limited to the ocean bottom: it will affect the entire watercoule, from top to bottom, and from everyone and everything depends on,” said Jeff Wattars, Vice President for Foreign Affairs in the Non -profit ocean governorate.
