Greenland’s Ice Hides a Climate Solution and Rising Geopolitical Tensions

Quick Summary

• Greenland’s ice sheet, capable of raising global sea levels by 23 feet, is melting rapidly due to climate-driven temperature increases, losing 270 billion tons of water annually between 2002 and 2023.
• Beneath the ice lie rich reserves of rare earth elements essential for clean energy technologies such as EVs, wind turbines, and advanced electronics.
• Greenland’s government is prioritizing mineral exploration to diversify its economy; fishing currently makes up 95% of its exports.
• Mining challenges include extreme Arctic conditions, limited infrastructure, environmental concerns like pollution and ecosystem disruption, and labor shortages due to Greenland’s small population (57,000 with minimal mining experience).
• China dominates the rare earth market globally (70% share) through subsidies and streamlined regulation. Western powers are increasingly wary of this monopoly due to strategic vulnerabilities in technology supply chains.
• Greenland holds around 18% of global reserves for major rare earth elements such as neodymium and dysprosium; it could supply up to 10,000 tons annually by 2030 according to estimates.
• Key mining companies exploring the region include Australia’s Critical Metals Corp. A major legal dispute involves a banned uranium-mining project tied to Chinese investors suing Greenland’s government for $11 billion.

Indian Opinion analysis

the developments surrounding Greenland’s rare earth resources have significant implications for India. As a growing economy with ambitions in renewable energy adoption (EVs) and critical defense systems reliant on these minerals’ technologies-India remains vulnerable due to dependence on China’s near-monopoly over rare earth production. This highlights an prospect for India within international cooperation frameworks targeting option suppliers such as Australia or Denmark-Greenland partnerships.

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