In today’s issue:

  • A massive oil reserve may lie beneath the Weddell Sea, but the 1959 Antarctic Treaty currently bans drilling.
  • History shows treaties can change, as seen with the Paris Accord and past resource-driven policy shifts.
  • Political and economic pressure could push world leaders to rethink restrictions, despite legal and environmental challenges.

You’ve probably never heard of the Weddell Sea. And up until recently, I hadn’t given it much thought either. After all, it’s an icy expanse at the edge of Antarctica, a place more associated with penguins and polar explorers than oil rigs and energy booms.

But my colleague John Butler has been digging into something remarkable.

A government report suggests that buried beneath these frozen waters could be the largest oil reserve the world has ever seen. Bigger than anything in Saudi Arabia. Bigger than all of Russia’s oil fields combined. The kind of discovery that, if tapped, could reshape the global energy markets – and undoubtedly make early investors a fortune.

There’s at least one catch, however. The 1959 Antarctic Treaty effectively locks up the region, banning oil drilling and any other kind of commercial exploitation. It’s been in place for over six decades, designed to keep Antarctica pristine and free from geopolitical squabbles.

But what if that were about to change?

John believes that Donald Trump could be on the verge of rewriting the rulebook. We all know Trump has a track record of tearing up treaties and agreements he deems unfavourable. Could this be next on his list?

It’s perhaps not as far-fetched as it sounds. Trump has long pushed for energy dominance, advocating for increased drilling, pipeline expansion and the rollback of environmental regulations. If there’s a way to legally unlock a £33 trillion oil jackpot, it’s likely to be explored – though whether it can realistically be done is another matter entirely.

And it’s not just Trump. Argentina’s new libertarian president, Javier Milei, is also keen to shake things up. His country has long claimed the Falkland Islands (and the surrounding seas) as its own. Could a deal be struck between Washington, Buenos Aires and London to start tapping into this potential goldmine?

After all, it wouldn’t be the first time a long-standing international agreement has been scrapped or rewritten in the pursuit of resources or strategic advantage.

Take the Paris Climate Accord, for example. When Trump first took office in 2017, he promptly pulled the US out of the agreement, arguing that it unfairly penalised American businesses while allowing other nations, particularly China, to continue polluting.

Although Joe Biden reversed it during his presidency, Trump, shortly after his second inauguration, signed an executive order to withdraw the US from the agreement for a second time.

Similar moves have happened before Trump’s time, often when economic or strategic interests were at stake.

For example, the OPEC oil embargo of 1973 led several Western nations to rethink their energy policies. The US government responded by creating the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and exploring new drilling sites, including previously restricted areas.

The embargo also led to a push for energy independence, which decades later resulted in the fracking boom that transformed America into the world’s top oil producer.

Another example is the Scramble for Africa in the late 19th century, when European powers systematically violated prior agreements with indigenous rulers and between themselves in the pursuit of natural resources, including oil, gold and diamonds. Treaties that had been signed with local leaders were often disregarded or reinterpreted when they stood in the way of colonial expansion.

And then there’s Russia’s handling of Arctic oil and gas reserves. Despite various international agreements designed to limit claims in the Arctic, Russia has unilaterally expanded its presence, arguing that its continental shelf extends far beyond current boundaries. Moscow has invested heavily in Arctic oil exploration, despite objections from other nations and environmental groups.

Certainly, in today’s volatile world, it’s not hard to imagine a scenario where world leaders find a “loophole” in the Antarctic Treaty.

Britain could certainly use a financial windfall. So could Argentina, whose economy is in dire straits. And Trump? Well, securing American involvement in the world’s largest untapped oil reserve could be the legacy-defining deal of his presidency – though whether such an effort would be successful, given the legal and environmental roadblocks, is certainly debatable.

So, while the Antarctic Treaty remains in place for now, history tells us that treaties can be rewritten, new deals can be struck, and what seems impossible today can quickly become reality – whether for better or worse.

John has spent months investigating this story, speaking to insiders and poring over government documents. What he’s uncovered is eye-opening. But there’s only so much I can reveal here.

If you want to know why John believes the biggest oil boom in history is about to begin – and, more importantly, how investors can position themselves to potentially profit – you need to see his full investigation.

Click here to read John Butler’s full report on the Weddell Sea oil discovery.

Until next time,

James Allen
Contributing editor, Fortune & Freedom