In Greenland, climate change is causing fish populations to decline, invasive species to find new homes, and sea levels to rapidly rise. Between 2001 and 2011, temperatures on the island were higher than they have been in the last thousand years. Glaciers are melting nearly seven times faster than they did 25 years ago, and since 2000, Greenland has lost 5 trillion tons of ice.
As the ice melts, it may reveal large deposits of valuable minerals, like nickel and cobalt, that can be used in batteries for electric vehicles and phones, and they’re catching the attention of investors like Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates.
But United Nations experts say any mining projects must receive the consent of local communities, particularly the Indigenous Inuit, who make up a majority of Greenland’s population. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, José Francisco Calí Tzay, has called on the governments of Greenland and Denmark to develop a mechanism to obtain the free, prior, and informed consent of communities where new mining and tour... Read more
