[ad_1]
The Danish government has clearly expressed disappointment for President Trump: Greenland is not for sale.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that Trump had repeatedly expressed interest in buying the semi-autonomous Danish territory and that he had encouraged his aides to consider this possibility. On Friday, officials from Greenland and Denmark rejected the idea, saying Greenland was open to trade but could not be bought.
Trump would have developed the idea in part about an interest in Greenland's vast natural resources – an abundance of mineral, oil and aquatic resources, not to mention its breathtaking natural landscapes. The strategic location of Greenland in the North Atlantic Ocean is also supposed to appeal to the interests of national security.
But these days, the island is perhaps best known as one of the most important symbols of climate change. Home to the second largest ice cap in the world, rapidly rising temperatures and rising rates of melting are regularly the headlines of the press and cause growing concern among climatologists.
Trump has openly criticized traditional climate science. And he has spent much of his time dismantling various Obama-era climate policies, ranging from the clean-up plan to the withdrawal of the United States from the Paris climate agreement.
But any party interested in Greenland's natural resources would almost certainly be unable to ignore the island's continued response to global warming. Some of the largest economic opportunities in Greenland, from mining to fishing, are all subject to the influence of the thaw landscape.
It is safe to say that climate change in Greenland is an inescapable issue from all points of view, including – and perhaps even above all – businesses. When it was finally sold, any potential buyer would soon find himself taken into account by the front lines of global warming and its consequences for all aspects of life on the island.
As a leader in Greenland, and not just as an observer, Trump could have learned some lessons about climate. Here are some of the most important ones:
Minerals and cast iron
Anyone interested in the natural wealth of Greenland would be obliged to take note of the rapid disappearance of its ice. As the ice cap melts and retreats, access to the island's stocks of zinc, copper, iron, uranium, and some rare earth minerals is increasing, prompting more and more discussion the economic future of the territory.
In 2013, the Greenland Parliament overturned the decades-old ban on uranium mines, opening up the possibility of expanding major mining projects on the island. Australian mining company Greenland Minerals Ltd. is already considering creating a large uranium and rare earth ore mine in a mountain called Kvanefjeld, near the town of Narsaq in southern Greenland.
At the same time, experts have also suggested that Greenland could become a major exporter of sand as the global sand shortage continues. Melting ice causes large amounts of sediment on the coast, where it can be easily collected.
But the opportunities come at a huge cost.
The vast ice cover of Greenland is undoubtedly its main feature, covering approximately 650,000 of the island's 810,000 square miles. In total, it contains enough ice to raise the sea level by more than 20 feet.
Recent research suggests that the icecap is melting at its fastest rate for centuries, if not thousands of years – and that melting seems to be accelerating (ClimateWire, December 6, 2018). Since 2002, Greenland has lost an average of 270 billion tonnes of ice a year.
Part of this loss comes from crumbling glaciers that dump pieces of ice into the ocean. But scientists believe that a majority of this phenomenon is due to the melting that occurs directly on the surface of the ice cap, causing the spill of liquid water into the sea.
This summer was a major warning of the ice cap's vulnerability to rising temperatures. A strong heat wave in the Arctic caused one of the strongest melting phenomena in Greenland at the end of July. Scientists estimate that the icecap has already lost about 250 billion tonnes of ice this year, largely due to the intense melting of the surface this summer.
Scientists warn that heat waves are becoming more and more intense and more and more frequent, which means that this type of extreme melting event is likely to occur more often in years to come. This means that the contribution of the ice sheet to sea level rise around the world could increase significantly over the next few years.
Ice in the ocean
Recent studies have suggested that waters off the coast of Greenland could also be potential for oil production. It remains controversial, with strong opposition from environmental groups citing the impacts of drilling. Nevertheless, some companies have already planned or started exploratory drilling in the region.
Experts pointed out that the conditions for offshore oil exploration remained difficult in the icy waters of Greenland. A 2014 report from the Brookings Institution suggested that commercial oil production in Greenland could still be done in decades, largely because of treacherous waters, minimal sunshine in winter and costs of water. high extraction.
But it's something to watch for in all of Greenland's economic opportunities. And it is also an industry that can be affected in various ways by the progression of climate change.
The decrease of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean should generally facilitate drilling. On the other hand, the increasing ice loss of Greenland glaciers could complicate things. As glaciers open up more and more icebergs in the ocean, large pieces of floating ice can be dangerous for ships and oil operations.
According to the International Coast Guard Ice Patrol Program, the years 2014 to 2017 have all been characterized by "extreme" iceberg conditions in the North Atlantic, most of them being from Greenland.
Melting at the surface may be the main cause of ice loss in Greenland, but its ocean-side glaciers, which discharge large chunks of ice into the sea as they melt and retreat, further in addition to worries. In recent years, research has begun to suggest that changes in the flow of warm ocean waters could help to melt glaciers, accelerating their retreat.
According to a mapping project conducted in 2017, the number of ice in Greenland could be considerably more influenced by the melting of the ocean than expected.
Land and sea warming
Rising temperatures are contributing to significant changes in the Arctic ecosystem, with implications for the Greenland hunting and fishing industries.
Fishing is of particular importance. The Greenland government estimates that industry accounts for about 85% of the country's exports and employs more than one-fifth of the workforce.
Warming waters are expected to affect the fisheries of the region in different ways. Some species that were previously rare in icy waters, such as mackerel, already appear to be increasing. On the other hand, scientists have predicted that other types of captures, such as shrimp, could begin to decline.
Although noticeably less important for the national economy, hunting also helps to meet the needs of many households on the island. He is also affected by the evolution of the landscape.
Melting ice can make access to certain hunting grounds, traditionally accessible mainly by dogsledding or snowmobiling, more and more difficult. And declining sea ice could be a growing problem for the seal hunt.
Overall, if Trump's interest in Greenland was primarily tied to its considerable natural resources, it would be almost impossible to ignore or deny the influence of climate change. The effects of global warming are manifest in every aspect of the island's life and economy, and its natural landscape is one of the most changing places on the planet.
On the other hand, these are all the lessons that Trump may have already learned at home in the United States. Thawing permafrost and melting glaciers in Alaska, forest fires in California, rapid erosion in Louisiana, extreme floods in the Midwest, the destructive power of hurricanes on the coast all affect life. daily US residents and the national economy.
If these problems have not already taught the president something about climate change, it is possible that even the purchase of Greenland did not do the basics, after all.
Reproduced from Climatewire with the permission of E & E News. E & E provides daily coverage of critical news on energy and the environment on www.eenews.net.
[ad_2]
Source link