Greenland’s massive cap of ice, containing enough fresh water to raise sea levels by 23 feet, is in serious trouble. Between 2002 and 2023, Greenland lost 270 billion tons of frozen water each year as winter snowfall failed to compensate for ever-fiercer summer temperatures — enough to raise the oceans by. As a result, the 836,000-square-mile island’s ice sheet is a significant driver of sea level rise, which is now at an eighth of an inch a year.
But underneath all that melting ice is something the whole world wants: the rare earth elements that make modern society — and the clean energy revolution — possible. That could soon turn Greenland, which has a population size similar to that of Casper, Wyoming, into a mining mecca.
Greenland’s dominant industry has long been fishing, but its government is now looking to diversify its economy. While the island has opened up a handful of mines, like for gold and rubies, its built and natural environment makes drilling a nightmare — freezing conditions on remote sites without railways or highways for acc... Read more
