Trump’s deep-sea mining plan flouts international law | Letter

Environmentalists and legal experts are raising concerns over former U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to lease vast areas of the Pacific Ocean seabed for deep-sea mining, warning that the plan violates international law despite its potential economic benefits.

The initiative, which could cover millions of hectares, has drawn sharp criticism from Pacific island nations and environmental groups over the risk of irreversible ecological damage to fragile marine ecosystems. Critics argue that the move disregards established global frameworks designed to protect ocean health and govern resource extraction.

Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which has been ratified by 171 countries and the European Union, deep-sea mining cannot proceed until two key conditions are met: an international environmental assessment framework must be adopted, and a system for equitably sharing economic benefits must be established. Neither requirement has been fulfilled by the International Seabed Authority, the UN body responsible for overseeing such activities.

While the U.S. has not formally ratified UNCLOS, it has adhered to its provisions since 1982, including compliance with its rules and procedures. Legal analysts contend that Trump’s plan directly conflicts with these obligations, potentially setting a dangerous precedent for unchecked exploitation of the deep sea.

Calls for international condemnation of the proposal are growing, with some governments and advocates urging a unified response to prevent what they describe as a reckless and unlawful expansion of industrial activity into one of Earth’s last pristine environments.