“Nowhere on Earth is safe”: Trump's tariffs hit Antarctic islands, home only to penguins

The barren, uninhabited volcanic islands of Heard Island and McDonald Islands, located near Antarctica, have found themselves embroiled in Donald Trump’s trade war, The Guardian reported.

The US president has imposed a 10 percent tariff on goods from these remote territories, which are primarily known for their glaciers and penguin populations.

Heard Island and McDonald Islands are part of Australia’s external territories and are among the most isolated places on the planet, reachable only by a two-week boat journey from Perth on Australia’s west coast. These islands have been completely uninhabited, with the last known visit by humans occurring nearly a decade ago.

Despite their remoteness, Heard and McDonald Islands were included in a list released by the White House detailing “countries” that would face new trade tariffs. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reacted to the news on Thursday, stating, “Nowhere on Earth is safe.”

The tariff imposition applies not only to these islands but also to other external territories of Australia, which include the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island. Norfolk Island, another external territory with a population of 2,188 people located 1,600 km (1,000 miles) northeast of Sydney, was subjected to a hefty 29 percent tariff, significantly higher than the rate applied to the rest of Australia.

In 2023, Norfolk Island reportedly exported goods worth USD 655,000 to the US, primarily leather footwear, valued at USD 413,000, according to data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity. However, George Plant, the administrator of Norfolk Island, contested these figures, asserting, “There are no known exports from Norfolk Island to the United States and no tariffs or known non-tariff trade barriers on goods coming to Norfolk Island.”

Albanese further commented on the situation, saying, “Norfolk Island has got a 29 percent tariff. I’m not quite sure that Norfolk Island, with respect to it, is a trade competitor with the giant economy of the United States, but that just shows and exemplifies the fact that nowhere on Earth is safe from this.”

The export data for Heard Island and McDonald Islands is even more puzzling. Although the territory has a fishery, it lacks any buildings or human habitation. Surprisingly, World Bank export data indicated that the US imported USD 1.4 million worth of products from these islands in 2022, nearly all classified as “machinery and electrical” imports, although the specific nature of these goods remains unclear.

In the five years leading up to 2022, imports from Heard Island and McDonald Islands varied from USD15,000 to USD325,000 annually.