Rushing to Extraction in Earth's Last Untouched Realm: Trump's Space Mining Agenda
Seafloor Mining's Looming Threat
Written by Avery Schuyler Nunn
Photographs by Cristina Mittermeier and Paul Nicklen
Life's Roots Traced to the Abyss
All life on this planet, including us, evolved from the depths of the ocean. In the darkness and pressure of the primal ocean, near hydrothermal vents brimming with minerals, the building blocks of life first came together. Over time, some creatures ventured beyond the waves. Fins became limbs, and gills turned into lungs.
Meanwhile, through the slow and delicate alchemy of the seafloor, massive clusters of cobalt, nickel, copper, and manganese began to form. As millennia rolled by, these nodules grew, averaging just 1-2 millimeters per million years while life flourished, evolved, and branched out on land. Eventually, an upright ape emerged, walked upright, named stars, and sailed across the oceans. This innovative species, once a part of the ocean, now sets its sights on returning to the ocean's cradle, targeting the minerals it needs to drive its technology.
Emboldened by President Donald Trump, mining companies aim to mine thousands of square kilometers of the seafloor, bypassing global decision-making bodies that have protected the oceans for decades.
Trump's Executive Order: A Catalyst?
In April, Trump signed an executive order pushing federal agencies to expedite domestic deep-sea mining, sending shockwaves through the scientific and diplomatic communities. Not a single commercial-scale deep-sea mining operation has ever occurred, but some argue that deep-sea resources could aid the world's urgent demand for critical minerals needed for a greener planet. Yet, others view this as a leapfrog of global consensus and collaborative governance, with unknown environmental costs. With only about 0.001% of the deep sea floor explored, critics claim that decisions to excavate the benthos are premature.
The Ocean's Last Frontier: Who Controls It?
In 1982, global leaders came together in Montego Bay, Jamaica to sign the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). This ambitious document established rules for everything from fishing rights to territorial waters, and, crucially, the governance of the deep seafloor. It recognized that the ocean's vast, mineral-rich abyss beyond national jurisdictions belonged not to any one country but to all of humanity. The seabed, as well as its resources, it declared, is "the common heritage of mankind, the exploration and exploitation of which shall be carried out for the benefit of mankind as a whole, irrespective of the geographical location." To safeguard this shared legacy, UNCLOS created the International Seabed Authority (ISA) and tasked it with regulating mineral-related activities in international waters. The ISA was founded on the same striking principle from UNCLOS: that any exploitation of the deep should be done "for the benefit of mankind as a whole."
To date, 168 parties-including China, Russia, most Pacific Island nations, and all EU member states-have ratified UNCLOS and operate within the ISA framework. The most notable outlier is the U.S., which has signed the treaty but never ratified it.
Under ISA rules, private companies cannot mine the deep sea without the backing of a nation-state sponsor, which holds legal responsibility and enforces environmental compliance. However, nations can give approval for mining in their own territorial waters, roughly 200 nautical miles from shore—the area targeted by Trump's executive order. This could open a market for deep-sea minerals that bypasses the cooperative governance structure long in place.
Potential Ecological Calamity
Dr. Lisa Levin, a biological oceanographer at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, cautions the reckless pursuit of seafloor mining, arguing that the scientific knowledge required for responsible mining simply doesn't exist yet. Furthermore, she states that 33 countries have voiced opposition to deep-sea mining due to its potentially damaging effects on biodiversity.
Research indicates that deep-sea mineral extraction could damage biodiversity up to 25 times more than land mining, with restoration costs potentially twice as high as extraction itself. The ISA and mining companies propose restoration as a mitigation strategy; however, the details are unclear, and current research suggests the likelihood of successful recovery is low.
Deep-sea mining can devastate ecosystems by physically destroying the seafloor and smothering marine life with plumes of sediment, directly harming biodiversity and disrupting carbon cycling. This disruption could have far-reaching consequences, potentially impacting global food security and the effects of climate change.
Back to the Ocean's Cradle: Are We Ready?
Amidst this growing controversy, various environmental organizations and corporations, including Google, BMW, and Volvo, call for a moratorium on deep-sea mining. However, scientists remain wary, stating that more research is needed to understand the deep sea before any decisions about mining are made. With so much at stake, the future of the deep sea hangs in the balance.
- Avery Schuyler Nunn, in an article accompanied by photographs from Cristina Mittermeier and Paul Nicklen, explores the origins of life that traced back to the ocean's depths.
- Over time, life flourished, evolved, and branched out on land while massive clusters of cobalt, nickel, copper, and manganese formed on the seafloor.
- Emboldened by President Donald Trump, mining companies are aiming to mine thousands of square kilometers of the seafloor, potentially bypassing global decision-making bodies that have protected the oceans for decades.
- In April, Trump signed an executive order pushing federal agencies to expedite domestic deep-sea mining, causing shockwaves through the scientific and diplomatic communities.
- Some argue that deep-sea resources could aid the world's urgent demand for critical minerals needed for a greener planet, while others view this as a leapfrog of global consensus and collaborative governance, with unknown environmental costs.
- In 1982, global leaders established the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which recognized the ocean's mineral-rich abyss beyond national jurisdictions as the common heritage of mankind.
- The International Seabed Authority (ISA) was founded to regulate mineral-related activities in international waters, with the goal of any exploitation being done "for the benefit of mankind as a whole."
- Under ISA rules, private companies cannot mine the deep sea without the backing of a nation-state sponsor, but nations can give approval for mining in their own territorial waters, as targeted by Trump's executive order.
- Research indicates that deep-sea mineral extraction could have far-reaching consequences, potentially impacting global food security and the effects of climate change, and environmental organizations call for a moratorium on deep-sea mining, urging more research to understand the deep sea before any decisions about mining are made.
