Deep-sea mining is unregulated. Some want to forge ahead anyway

Deep-sea mining is unregulated. Some want to forge ahead anyway

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  • Episode
      1688
  • Published
      Aug 10, 2025
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Episode
1688 of 1771
Duration
12min
Language
English
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Category
Non-fiction

The Trump administration announced this past week that it has entered talks with the Cook Islands to research and develop seabed mineral resources.

The Polynesian archipelago is one of only a handful of countries worldwide that has begun permitting this type of exploration, called deep-sea mining.

Deep-sea mining is not regulated. There's no blueprint for how to do it safely, or responsibly. Which is why, for the last decade, the UN's International Seabed Authority has worked to draw up regulations.

But President Trump — and one Canadian company — have posed a question: Why wait?

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