Trump Tariffs Hit Antarctic Islands Inhabited by Zero Humans and Many Penguins

image via WIRED

April 2, 2025, 11:39 PM

• •President Donald Trump announced the US was imposing reciprocal tariffs on the Heard and McDonald Islands, a small collection of Antarctic islands that are not inhabited by humans.
• •The islands are known for their populations of penguins and seabirds, and can only be reached by sea.
• •The Australian Antarctic Division manages the islands, preserving the environment and conducting research on the large wildlife population, as well as climate change’s impact on Heard and McDonald’s permanent glaciers.

President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that the US was imposing reciprocal tariffs on the Heard and McDonald Islands, a collection of Antarctic islands that are not inhabited by humans. The islands are managed by Australia, which also claims Norfolk Island and a number of other island territories. The tariffs were imposed as part of a global trade war aimed at asserting US dominance.

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