By Nelson Manneh
Environmental watchdog Greenpeace has condemned a recent decision by the United States government to unilaterally advance deep-sea mining operations outside the regulatory framework of the United Nations, describing the move as a direct threat to multilateralism and global marine protection efforts.
In a strongly worded statement released on Monday, Greenpeace denounced the Executive Order signed by the U.S. administration, which instructs the Department of Commerce to accelerate the issuance of exploration and extraction permits under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (DSHMRA). The order effectively sidelines the International Seabed Authority (ISA), the UN body mandated to govern deep-sea mining in international waters.
“This rogue action is politically reckless and violates the spirit of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” said Arlo Hemphill, project lead for Greenpeace USA’s campaign to halt deep-sea mining. “It’s an insult to multilateralism and a slap in the face to countries and millions of people across the world who oppose this dangerous industry.”
The move comes as The Metals Company, a private entity involved in deep-sea mineral extraction, declared its intention to collaborate with the U.S. government independently of the ISA. The company is targeting the Clarion Clipperton Zone, a mineral-rich area in the Pacific Ocean that lies outside national jurisdictions and is considered part of the “common heritage of humankind.”
The international community has responded with outrage. Critics argue that the U.S. is abandoning its traditional leadership in maritime governance and ignoring longstanding benefits derived from its alignment with UNCLOS — the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea — despite never formally ratifying the treaty.
“This is a clear sign that the U.S. will no longer be a global leader on protecting the oceans,” Hemphill added. “The executive order may embolden other corporations or governments to act similarly, potentially setting off an unregulated race to exploit the ocean floor.”
Greenpeace warned that deep-sea mining poses significant environmental risks, including destruction of delicate marine ecosystems, contamination of water columns, disruption of fisheries, and irreversible damage to biodiversity — impacts that would disproportionately affect nations in the Global South, especially coastal communities in Africa.
Many African countries located near projected mining zones in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, particularly in Western and Southern Africa, face heightened ecological threats. “The damage from mining in these zones could devastate local economies and marine food systems,” the environment watchdog warned.
