Who governs or controls Greenland?
Greenland is a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark and has been part of the Scandinavian nation for over 600 years. It, nonetheless, has been self-governed since 2009, but Denmark continues to control its foreign relations and defence matters. Its economy depends on the fishing industry and the subsidy it receives from Denmark, which is under $1 billion each year.
Two primary reasons why Donald Trump wants to buy Greenland
No 1. Since his first term in office, the President-elect has expressed interest in acquiring the territory. Greenland is home to a wealth of untapped mineral resources, including coal, zinc, copper, iron ore, diamonds, and oil. Because of the harsh weather conditions, only a small portion of the island has been explored.
Due to global warming and melting ice, it is believed that this wealth could become more accessible, and whoever controls it will get wealthy. More importantly, it has rare earth elements that are needed for telecommunications equipments, like cell phones. Many of the minerals are mostly being supplied by China, which accounts for over 90% of global production, hence other countries, such as the US, are interested in it.
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However, Greenland has banned the extraction of oil and natural gas for environmental reasons. In 2013, it removed a 25-year-old ban on uranium mining since the element is often found mixed with other rare earth metals used for weapons systems.
No 2. Remember, Greenland is a longtime US ally and is home to a large US military base. The US wants to expand its footprint there. The shortest route from Europe to North America runs via this Arctic Island. It is vital for the United States to prevent another major power from establishing a foothold on the island.
Why Greenland matters to the world
Experts say Greenland will be a “key focus point” all through the 21st century because of the impact its melting ice sheets will have on sea levels. If the ice melts, it would reshape coastlines across the globe and potentially shift weather patterns – and this could lead to a environmental disasters. Greenland holds enough ice that if it all melts, the world’s seas would rise by 24 feet. Not to mention, it influences Earth’s climate in many ways, including hurricanes and winter storms.
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According to New York University climate scientist David Holland, Greenland is like an “open refrigerator door for a warming world, and it’s in a region that is warming four times faster than the rest of the globe”.
This is not the first time America has shown interest in Greenland. In 1946, Washington offered Denmark $100 million to buy it in exchange for Alaska. Denmark rejected the offer and said “It is not for sale”.
