Special Greenland Edition
As Trump threatens to buy Greenland or use military force if he can’t, here’s what commentators have missed about the country.
On Greenland
January 2025
I’ve woken up today to more sabre-rattling from not-yet-President Trump and some alarming reports in the UK press seeming to say that it makes sense that he would want to buy Greenland for its mineral deposits and strategic position in the Arctic.
What alarms me in all this rhetoric, from Trump and also from political commentators in major UK newspapers who should know better, is how they are talking about Greenland as an asset they can strip and own. It’s not. It’s a country inhabited by people, with its own culture and extraordinary nature, and a fragile one at that. It’s a linchpin in our environment, where scientists measure melting ice to see how climate change is progressing because what happens there affects all of us.
With that in mind, I have collated a series of articles here the intangible assets that this approach to Greenland misses. These are the precious things we lose when we talk about this island as a place to be mined, and a pawn in a military game.
Laura
Some key unasked questions
How soon will it be until the Arctic sea ice diminishes to a state where shipping routes are reliable and possible?
In other words, is Trump’s land grab really about shipping? Global shipping networks are changing, but in this report in Nature, year-round navigation is projected for 2100. Currently, with Russian ice breaker ships, they are in use six months of the year.
Is there gold in them there hills?
ThinkTank Europa investigated the potential of Greenland’s raw materials to fuel the need for rare earth minerals in the EU last year and concluded that “the business case for developing the Greenlandic mining sector remains high risk. It is presently more of a political vision, than a mature investment climate.” That’s because the mining industry is undeveloped and will require significant investment to develop infrastructure and combat harsh weather conditions. It’s not an easy win by any means.
Can you even mine Greenland in the first place?
And, as nobody seems to be saying right now, the Greenlandic environment is fragile and largely protected. Ice loss in Greenland affects the entire planet: Nasa says that if Greenland’s entire ice sheet melts, it could raise the sea level by 7 metres. Climate scientists and activists should be marching on the streets and taking us with them at the assumption that mining Greenland – really, doing anything but protecting its fragile, disappearing environment – is an obvious solution to anything.
Stories about Greenland
Going for a song
In Qeqertarsuaq, a natural scientist is monitoring whale song in Disko Bay to determine benchmarks for how loud human-made sound can be before it interferes with marine life. I went to see it, and uncovered a hopeful story about whaling and how our attitudes towards the natural world have changed for the better.
The most beautiful things to see in Greenland
If you’re going to Greenland for the first time, here’s an introduction to what you can see and experience that I wrote for Lonely Planet.
“Nature watching in Greenland is off-the-chart amazing. You could spend all day cruising between icebergs and comparing their shapes and colors – and then there’s the wildlife. To see a sliver of a whale's back slip out of the water while you’re on a boat on the way to another town is sensational.
“The day I saw a polar bear climb a remote coastal cliff and disappear over a ridge remains one of the most memorable days of my life. These sights are framed by seas studded with icebergs, clear blue skies, uninhabited land and dark, jagged mountains, creating the most powerful punch of natural drama I’ve ever seen.”
Greenland’s new airports welcome adventurers
For Conde Nast Traveler, I looked at how the new airports in Greenland welcome adventurers but have fuelled some trepidation in local people as the country becomes more accessible to the wider world.
“It’s a major shift for the world’s least densely populated nation, 80% of which is covered by one of Earth’s two remaining ice sheets. The autonomous Danish territory, called “Kalaallit Nunaat” in Greenlandic, is home to around 56,000 people—around the same population as Bozeman, Montana.”
Using Authentic Intelligence to beat AI
I looked at the value Greenland’s tourism industry places in authentic intelligence in a place like Greenland, where nature is king.
“It highlights something that I’ve found special about Greenland: The intimacy of tourism in this country, where local people share their personal stories with you, and have a deep sense of connection with their local places. It goes beyond the big blockbuster sights, icebergs the size of an island and the whales and birdlife.
“It’s this idea of balance, and an awareness that runs through all things that an extractive form of tourism isn’t right: People and nature need to be in harmony.”
Greenland’s natural medicine
In a story for the BBC, I talked to scientists about the Greenland paradox: with well documented social issues, how is it possible that Greenlanders report such high levels of satisfaction with their lives? According to Dr Naja Steenholdt, it’s simple.
"There is a deep understanding that nature comes before everything," she said. "People would answer: 'Without nature, I would have no family. I wouldn't be able to live my life. I get food and energy from nature.' This was a regular response."
How dried halibut and whale jerky fuelled an adventure in ancestral food
British chef Mike Keen paddled up the coast of Greenland eating only what local people did, and the health benefits led him to question the global food system. I interviewed him for the Guardian’s Seascapes section, where he talked about the positive impact the food of the Arctic had on his body, and his mission to bring the world’s attention to the value of an indigenous diet.
That’s all for now. Here’s hoping that this is just one of those strange Trump obsessions that dies down after a few days when he realises it won’t work out the way he hopes...
Thanks for subscribing to Modern Scandinavian. I’m so happy that you’re here. Laura
Great collection of articles and very timely as we hold our breath… The Mike Keen story I had missed when first published and is really interesting. Thanks, Andy
I love this collection and especially the article about living meaningfully with nature. I'm going to get my students to read some of it and discuss. Thank you