Climate change sees Greenland thaw into a global hotspot

As the climate warms, its mineral resources and position in the Arctic render Donald Trump’s bid not so wacky.

Greenland’s capital of Nuuk. As the climate warms the Arctic is fast becoming a strategic focal point for great power politics. Picture: Supplied

Donald Trump’s plan to buy the island was mocked but as the climate warms, its mineral resources and position in the Arctic put it at the heart of world affairs.

On a Friday evening in central Nuuk, those with spare krone to blow gather in Caffe Pascucci to wind down after work in Greenland’s capital and bask in the late summer sunshine.

At one table, several men called Jens are setting the world to rights over large glasses of Leffe Brune. One of them, Jens Vecht, an IT consultant, looks up at the cafe’s TV screen to see CNN running a story on Greenland. “This is just so damn weird,” he said, shaking his head.

It has been a pretty weird week all around for Greenlanders, who number just 56,000 but occupy the world’s largest island (if you count Australia as a continent). About 18,000 live in Nuuk. The revelation that President Donald Trump wanted to buy their vast homeland blindsided the entire population.

The response was bewilderment, amusement and anger. “We’re not a shop,” said Vecht. “You can’t just buy us. How would you feel if someone tried to buy Britain? It was crazy.”

His friend Jens Hansen added: “This is the 21st century. It sounded so old-fashioned, like he’s living in the past.

“Still, it’s a great commercial,” he grinned. “I’m not sure anyone knew where Greenland was before this.”

The Greenland saga began with a story in The Wall Street Journal revealing that the president was seriously considering trying to buy the country, which is still a part of the kingdom of Denmark.

At first most people laughed, but things quickly escalated as Trump himself tweeted his interest and then began a diplomatic spat with the Danes over the issue, cancelling his planned state visit in September and calling their new prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, “nasty” for rebuffing his interest.

Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 20, 2019

In the usually closed world of Denmark-Greenland relations, it was as though a bomb had gone off. “This is a complete game-changer made by one tweet,” said Rear Admiral Nils Wang, former head of the Danish navy.

“Denmark and the Greenlanders are in shock. But it is also a unique opportunity — for the first time in decades the Danes and the Greenlanders have a chance to talk about some of their issues. This could make the Danes realise there is something special about Greenland, and begin to cherish it.”

Relations have often been strained. Along with the Faroe Islands, Greenland is an autonomous region of the kingdom of Denmark. Since 2009, Greenlanders have run their own affairs, but Denmark retains control over security and foreign policy, and provides an annual subsidy of about $735 million.

Most Greenlanders (88 per cent) are of Inuit origin and want total independence from Denmark, but they also tend to be pragmatic about how realistic this is in the short term. Many are frustrated, though, by what they perceive as a haughty attitude in Copenhagen and a reluctance to invest properly in Greenland.

“Hopefully this whole Trump thing makes the Danes wake up and show Greenland some respect,” said Hanna Jensen, 52, an English teacher in Nuuk. “A lot of Danes think everyone here is just a drunk Inuit. But now that America wants to buy us, maybe they can see there is much of value here.”

Aleqa Hammond, the fiery former premier of Greenland, goes further. “Denmark is nothing compared to Greenland now,” she said. “The US is going to Denmark because it wants to talk about Greenland. This is a chance for Greenland to establish its rights. We should have a seat at the table.”

Greenland’s economy still relies heavily on fishing but, as climate change causes its huge ice pack to retreat, the potential for extracting and exporting valuable minerals increases. There is particular interest in the mining of vital rare-earth materials — used to make high-performance magnets and electronics — an industry dominated by China.

With more infrastructure investment, Greenland could also benefit from the tourist boom that has boosted Iceland in recent years. At present, there are no roads between Greenland’s towns, which are mostly dotted along the southwest coast, so islanders and tourists must fly or take a boat to move around.

“The tourism potential is enormous,” said Hammond. “More and more cruise ships are coming. People are coming here because they want to see the ice cap melting directly across from their hotel room.”

Greenlanders also hope that increased prosperity can be used to address some of the country’s social problems. Greenland has the highest suicide rate in the world, 83 per 100,000, more than twice the rate of the second placed country, Lithuania. Child abuse and domestic violence are common, and alcoholism is rife, something immediately apparent when walking through Nuuk’s town centre.

They are also fearful of climate change. In just a few unseasonably hot days at the beginning of August, Greenland experienced what NASA called a “major melting event”, with some 55bn tons of ice slipping away. The effects of this are apparent in the Nuup Kangerlua, the large fjord surrounding Nuuk, where small icebergs are still floating slowly out to sea.

“We experience climate change more than anyone,” said Vecht. “We do worry about it, more for the next generations than for ours. But we are — how do you guys say it? — we are eskimos, we are adaptable. So we will adapt.”

Climate change is also one of the reasons Greenland finds itself at the centre of world affairs. Because for all the grandstanding, there is serious purpose behind Trump’s interest.

As shipping lanes open up and conditions warm, the Arctic is fast becoming a strategic focal point for great power politics. Russia has enormous resources and military presence along its extensive Arctic coastline, while China is eyeing a new “Polar Silk Road” over the North Pole.

The Chinese have a strong foothold in Iceland and are pushing investments in Greenland, too, so in recent months American security hawks have pressed the president to secure the huge island, where they already have the vital Thule air base, as their sphere of influence.

“Trump’s approach may be wacky but it does send a serious message to Russia and China — don’t mess with us on Greenland,” said Wang.

Yet separating the strategy from the show business is becoming increasingly difficult. Even by his own standards, Trump has been eccentric in recent days. He has referred to himself as “the chosen one” in an interview about China, retweeted someone describing him as the “King of Israel” and questioned whether Jerome Powell, the man he appointed as chairman of the Federal Reserve central bank, is a bigger danger to America than the Chinese president, Xi Jinping.

It is no surprise the Greenlanders are sceptical about their would-be American overlords. “We don’t mind America, we watch their movies and wear their clothes,” said Jens Hansen. “But they don’t know anything about Greenland. President Trump should come here and get to know us.”

Do they worry about being caught up in a global power struggle? “We’re only small, but I think we’ll be OK,” said Vecht.

Above him, on the wall of Caffe Pascucci, there is a large mural on the wall that reads: “Peace of mind in an unstable world”. This, more than anything, seems to be what the Greenlanders seek.

The Times