The U.S. government's unauthorized deep-sea mining in international waters is very reckless and irresponsible, said an American maritime environment expert. In April, U.S. President Donald Trump's administration signed an executive order to fast-track the exploration and exploitation of deep-sea mineral resources on the U.S. extended continental shelf and even in the areas beyond the U.S. jurisdiction. John Hocevar, oceans campaign director of Greenpeace USA, an environmental nonprofit organization, said in an interview with the China Central Television on Thursday that the move taken by the United States could cause more damage to the marine environment, which is already facing a multitude of serious threats. "It's very reckless and irresponsible. On top of all the other impacts that we've had on our environment, on our planet, this seems like one that we can choose not to add," Hocevar said. Hocevar warned that the impacts could go beyond the oceans and affect global food security and climate change. "The deep sea is the most pristine ecosystems on the whole planet -- not just the ocean, but anywhere on earth -- and also the least understood. We have the least data, the least understanding of what is there, how these species and even ecosystems are connected, but we know that the ocean is one whole. And so, when we think about impact to the sea floor and the species on the sea floor, it's certainly going to have impacts on other species as well. Some of the whales, for example, are very deep-diving, tuna. So, it's a concern about food security, it's concerned about climate change, because the deep sea is a sink for carbon. And so the deep-sea mining would stir that up," he said. Hocevar noted the risk that other countries would join the United States in reckless deep-sea mining, which would inflict long-term damage to the marine environment. "It would be an uncontrolled experiment in the open ocean. And that seems like a terrible idea. I think the risk is that the U.S. begins almost a new kind of gold rush in the ocean, and we already have all these countries now feeling that they have to get in. One of the things that's unique about the deep sea is that everything is long lived and very slow growing. So damage that occurs in the deep sea can take decades or hundreds or even thousands of years to recover from," Hocevar said. Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority Leticia Carvalho has criticized the U.S. executive order for violating the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. "I do believe that it contravenes international law, even for. If a company does move ahead under this approach, it will not be within the international framework. And so, for me, if I was an investor in a company that was operating under this, I would be very concerned. How will they hold on to the claim that will not be honored internationally? Where would these minerals be processed? How could they sell them? Especially if they try to sell them outside the U.S., there would be a lot of serious limitations and potential litigation facing any company that was operating this way," Hocevar said. Marking the World Oceans Day on June 8, Hocevar called for more international cooperation and less mistakes like the U.S. unilateral deep-sea mining to protect the oceans and the planet at large. "We live on the water planet. Most of the surface of the planet that we live on is ocean. And it would be a mistake to forget that the health of all of us depends on the health of our oceans. This is an industry that we can decide in advance not to pursue. We can protect the ocean from deep-sea mining before we start. And that seems like what we have to do. And I'm confident on this World Oceans Day that we can start moving in the right direction. The future for protecting the oceans for surviving as a species really depends on this kind of international collaboration," he said. According to U.S. media reports, the Trump administration views deep-sea mining as another way to extract rare earth elements. More than one billion metric tons of polymetallic nodules are estimated to be in U.S. waters and filled with manganese, nickel, copper and other critical minerals, said an official from the Trump administration. Extracting them could create 100,000 jobs and potentially boost the U.S. GDP by 300 billion U.S. dollars over 10 years, the official added. The video shows: FILE: Washington D.C., USA - October 2024 1. Various of White House Washington D.C., USA - June 5, 2025 2. SOUNDBITE (English) John Hocevar, oceans campaign director, Greenpeace USA (partially overlaid with shot 3): "It's very reckless and irresponsible. On top of all the other impacts that we've had on our environment, on our planet, this seems like one that we can choose not to add." ++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ FILE: At Sea - June 23, 2024 3. Deep-sea mining vehicle moving in water ++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ 4. Deep-sea mining vehicle operating Washington D.C., USA - June 5, 2025 5. SOUNDBITE (English) John Hocevar, oceans campaign director, Greenpeace USA (ending with shot 6): "The deep sea is the most pristine ecosystems on the whole planet -- not just the ocean, but anywhere on earth -- and also the least understood. We have the least data, the least understanding of what is there, how these species and even ecosystems are connected, but we know that the ocean is one whole. And so, when we think about impact to the sea floor and the species on the sea floor, it's certainly going to have impacts on other species as well. Some of the whales, for example, are very deep-diving, tuna. So, it's a concern about food security, it's concerned about climate change, because the deep sea is a sink for carbon. And so the deep-sea mining would stir that up." FILE: At Sea - June 23, 2024 6. Various of underwater camera footage showing seabed, deep-sea mining vehicle operating Washington D.C., USA - June 5, 2025 7. SOUNDBITE (English) John Hocevar, oceans campaign director, Greenpeace USA (partially overlaid with shot 8): "It would be an uncontrolled experiment in the open ocean. And that seems like a terrible idea. I think the risk is that the U.S. begins almost a new kind of gold rush in the ocean, and we already have all these countries now feeling that they have to get in. One of the things that's unique about the deep sea is that everything is long lived and very slow growing. So damage that occurs in the deep sea can take decades or hundreds or even thousands of years to recover from." ++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ FILE: Washington D.C., USA - March 14, 2020 8. Various of Capitol building, U.S. national flag ++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ FILE: Western Pacific Ocean - September 2024 9. Various of deep-sea environment Washington D.C., USA - June 5, 2025 10. SOUNDBITE (English) John Hocevar, oceans campaign director, Greenpeace USA: "I do believe that it contravenes international law, even for. If a company does move ahead under this approach, it will not be within the international framework. And so, for me, if I was an investor in a company that was operating under this, I would be very concerned. How will they hold on to the claim that will not be honored internationally? Where would these minerals be processed? How could they sell them? Especially if they try to sell them outside the U.S., there would be a lot of serious limitations and potential litigation facing any company that was operating this way." FILE: Western Pacific Ocean - September 2024 11. Various of deep-sea life Washington D.C., USA - June 5, 2025 12. SOUNDBITE (English) John Hocevar, oceans campaign director, Greenpeace USA (partially overlaid with shot 13): "We live on the water planet. Most of the surface of the planet that we live on is ocean. And it would be a mistake to forget that the health of all of us depends on the health of our oceans. This is an industry that we can decide in advance not to pursue. We can protect the ocean from deep-sea mining before we start. And that seems like what we have to do. And I'm confident on this World Oceans Day that we can start moving in the right direction. The future for protecting the oceans for surviving as a species really depends on this kind of international collaboration." ++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ FILE: Western Pacific Ocean - September 2024 13. Various of deep-sea life ++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ 14. Various of deep-sea life [CCTV - No access Chinese mainland]