Greenland stops oil and gas exploration, climate costs ‘too high’

Greenland’s natural resources minister Naaja Nathanielsen said the environment and climatic impacts of further oil and gas extraction had been assessed as being “too high” when weighed against potential financial gains, and was therefore being stopped. 

And, not issuing further exploration licenses was a “natural step,” because Greenland took the “climate crisis seriously,” according to the vast Arctic island’s Cabinet led by Prime Minister Mute Agede.

“The future does not lie in oil. The future belongs to renewable energy, and in that respect we have much more to gain,” the cabinet said, stressing sustainable farming of its natural resources such as fisheries stemming from Inuit traditions.

Energy minister Kalistat Lund said Greenland was experiencing “the consequences of climate change in our country every day” and took ” climate change seriously.”

Its parliament, the Naalakkersuisut, was working to attract new investments “for the large hydropower potential that we cannot exploit ourselves,” Lund said.

“This step has been taken for the sake of our nature, for the sake of our fisheries, for the sake of our tourism industry, and to focus our business on sustainable potentials,” added Nathanielsen.

Natural resources minister Naaja Nathanielsen said the step was made based on ‘climate considerations, environmental considerations and economic common sense’

For the climate, but also down to scant scope for profit

However, the report also noted that the exploration work done in recent years suggested low profitability on most of the identified oil and gas reserves, with some even likely to cost more to extract than it would be worth.

Oil and gas exploration since the 1970s involved Shell, Chevron, ExxonMobil and Eni but drilling came up largely dry — despite US Geological Survey and Danish estimates of oil along Greenland’s west coast and gas off its east coast.

Greenland has issued four existing hydrcarbon licenses to two small companies, it cannot annul these as long as the companies continue operations at the sites. 

“My understanding is that the [exploration] licenses that are left have very limited potential, Greenpeace Nordic’s general secretary told the weekly Danish tech-magazine Ingenioeren.

Arctic melting attributed to climate warning has also focused speculators on Greenland’s minerals, despite its current 85% ice sheet cover, anticipating that extraction might become easier with time. 

But since April’s snap elections and a change in government, with Agede’s Inuit Ataqatigiit party taking power after a campaign with a heavy focus on natural resource policies, political bids to limit such activities have started to pick up pace.

Currently drafted in is parliament is a bill to ban in the future “preliminary investigation, exploration and extraction of uranium.”

Vast island with partial independence from Denmark

Greenland, populated by just 57,000 people, mainly around the capital Nuuk, has long sought more independence from Denmark.

The world’s largest island spans 2,166,086 square kilometers (836,330 square miles), slightly larger than Saudi Arabia or Mexico or Indonesia.

• This is Greenland: the world’s largest island

  Record holder

  Greenland holds a number of world records. It is the world’s largest island, the least densely populated territory on Earth, and home to the only permanent ice sheet outside Antarctica. Most of its 56,000 residents are Inuit, descendants of those who migrated there from what is now Canada in the 13th century.

• This is Greenland: the world’s largest island

  Home rule

  Greenland was granted home rule by Denmark in 1979. In 2008, Greenlanders voted in favor of an act that granted their government even more power. Before being a Danish territory, Greenland has also been under the Norwegian crown, and was even briefly claimed by Portuguese explorers in 1499.

• This is Greenland: the world’s largest island

  The North Pole

  Seen here in the capital, Nuuk, where about one third of Greenlanders live, is “Santa’s mailbox.” Thousands of letters addressed to St.Nicolas were delivered here every around Christmas each year. Some volunteers even sent handwritten responses to as many children as they could, until the mailbox was forced to close in 2018.

• This is Greenland: the world’s largest island

  Melting ice

  Greenlanders were among the first to feel the affects of climate change, both from rising sea levels and melting arctic ice. Recently, scientists recorded a massive ice melt on the island that hadn’t been predicted to occur until 2070. If the all of Greenland’s ice disappears, sea levels will rise 23 feet, destroying massive amounts of coastal areas worldwide.

• This is Greenland: the world’s largest island

  The mighty muskox

  A sign in Greenland warns travels to be aware of passing muskoxen, famous for the intense odor sometimes by males. They are native only to Greenland, northern Canada, and Alaska. After centuries of declining populations due to overhunting, muskoxen have recently been making a comeback due to new hunting restrictions.

• This is Greenland: the world’s largest island

  Tens of thousands of seals killed annually

  Much of Greenland’s economy is dependent on fishing. One controversial form of fishing that is still allowed is seal hunting, often done by shooting seals that are sitting on ice sheets. Although it is widely accepted that the killing of seals could lead to extinction and other disasters for the ecosystem, some rural Greelanders entirely depend on hunting seals for their livelihood.

• This is Greenland: the world’s largest island

  Alternative transportation

  In some parts of Greenland, there are no roads, and locals must use dog sleds to get from village to village or to the sea. Snowmobiles must be important and are too expensive for many villagers.

  Author: Elizabeth Schumacher

Nuuk gained self-rule in 2009, including sovereignty over mineral resources, with Denmark retaining control over currency, foreign relations and defense. 

The island is still financially supported by Denmark, and natural resources exploration was seen by some in Greenland as a potential path to more complete independence.

Rare earths Greenland’s most abundant resource?

China too pursued stakes in exploration, including the Kvanefjeld uranium and rare earth deposit on Greenland’s southern edge — via an Australian company, Greenland Minerals, backed by the Chinese group Shenghe.

Rare earths, a group of 17 metals, are necessary to make high-tech devices such as smart phones, flat screen displays, electric cars and weapons.

• Critical raw materials: Toxic, rare and irreplaceable

  Antimony: The pharaoh’s eyeliner

  Antimony is a gray metalloid, which is often used to harden other metals. The origin of its name is disputed. One speculation claims it derives from “anti” and “monos,” which collectively mean “a metal not found alone”. Antimony often occurs as a compound. In ancient Egypt and ancient India, it was powdered and used as medicine or compressed into sticks for use as cosmetics — especially eyeliner.

• Critical raw materials: Toxic, rare and irreplaceable

  Baryte: The ‘heavy’ crystal

  Baryte, which means “heavy” in Greek, is a barium sulfate, commonly found in lead-zinc veins in limestone. Its crystals, which often grow in sand and contain grains of sand within their structure, form into clusters known as baryte roses. Baryte can be clear, or can shimmer in hues of yellow, red, green or pale blue.

• Critical raw materials: Toxic, rare and irreplaceable

  Bismuth: The rainbow metal

  The incredible staircase-like shapes that characterize bismuth are the result of the outside growing faster than the inside. Another unusual feature of this brittle crystalline metal is that it is denser in liquid form than in a solid state. When it freezes, bismuth — just like water — expands. It is used in fire detectors and extinguishers, as well as in cosmetics and paints.

• Critical raw materials: Toxic, rare and irreplaceable

  Cobalt: The goblin ore

  Cobalt takes its name from subterranean German goblins known as “Kobolde.” Centuries ago, German miners inhaled toxic fumes released from rocks while extracting ores during the melting process. When they fell sick, they blamed it on goblins. In 1960 cobalt caused a series of deaths when breweries in Quebec added it to their beer to help ensure a good foam. Nearly 50 people died from heart failure.

• Critical raw materials: Toxic, rare and irreplaceable

  Fluorspar: The colorless flux

  Fluorspar is a colorless, transparent mineral that often contains impurities and hydrocarbons, and which can change color and glow when exposed to ultraviolet light. It is frequently used to lower the melting point of metals during processing. Fluorspar occurs as a compound with lead and silver ores, as well as alone in limestone.

• Critical raw materials: Toxic, rare and irreplaceable

  Gallium: The liquid metal

  Gallium melts at just 29 degrees Celsius (84 degrees Fahrenheit), making it the only metal to melt when held in a human hand. By contrast, it doesn’t start to boil until it reaches the unusually high temperature of 2,204 degrees Celsius. Gallium is generally produced as a byproduct of bauxite and is used for semiconductors. When added to other metals, gallium causes them to become brittle.

• Critical raw materials: Toxic, rare and irreplaceable

  Lithium: The prime matter

  Lithium is the lightest metal of all and the least dense solid element. If it weren’t reacting with water, it would float on its surface. Lithium is one of the three elements — besides hydrogen and helium — to form during the Big Bang. Current theories suggest there should be three times more lithium in the universe today than is actually the case. It is not known where the rest of it went.

• Critical raw materials: Toxic, rare and irreplaceable

  Niobium: The tear of the goddess

  When added to steel, niobium creates an outstanding structural strength, even though it only represents 0.1% of the alloy. It is used in jet engines, superconducting magnets and MRI machines. Niobium is named after the Greek goddess of tears, Niobe, daughter of mythological King Tantalus, whose name was later given to the metal tantalum. Niobium and tantalum are always found together in nature.

• Critical raw materials: Toxic, rare and irreplaceable

  Tungsten: The wolf’s foam

  In 1546, scientist Georgius Agricola wrote about German Ore Mountain miners who, during the melting process, reported a black and “hairy” metal that reduced their tin yield like a “wolf devours a sheep.” Foam appeared on the surface, binding to their tin inseparably. The miners named the metal wolffram, meaning wolf’s foam. The name was later dropped for the Swedish alternative: tungsten.

  Author: Michel Penke

Greenland Minerals, after three successful rejections, got formal approval from Greenland’s previous government last year. However, on winning April’s vote, Prime Minister Mute Agede said his party would do everything it could to halt the project.

ipj/msh (AP, dpa, Reuters)

Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/greenland-stops-oil-and-gas-exploration-climate-costs-too-high/a-58294024?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf