Greenland's untapped mineral wealth has moved into the limelight of global politics after US President Donald Trump has offered to buy the Danish territory.
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00:00Greenland may be known for its wealth of natural beauty,
00:04but it also has wealth under the ice and snow.
00:07Many international mining companies have explored land here,
00:10and many have proof there's value under the ground.
00:14But in 2021, the Greenland government banned uranium extraction.
00:19Sven Hardenberg of Greenland Minerals, which has a uranium site ready to mine,
00:24says that's a mistake, that the government revenues from permitting mining
00:29could reach into the billions of euros.
00:32The government has not issued a license for rare earth elements
00:38plus uranium as a by-product.
00:40It's a mature project in the sense that we can start the project going forward right away.
00:45That means that we can hire people in and start building the infrastructure for the mine
00:51and start mining after that.
00:54A 2023 scientific survey showed that 25 of 34 minerals
00:59deemed critical raw materials by the European Union are found in Greenland.
01:05Zinc, gold and even diamonds,
01:08but also lithium for batteries and uranium for nuclear technologies.
01:13With a population of just 56,000 people
01:16and still an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark,
01:19many Greenlanders fear the consequences of approving widespread mining projects.
01:25When you speak to the people of Greenland
01:27about the natural resources that are expected to be here,
01:30there's two main things that come up.
01:32First, they want to make sure that Greenland benefits
01:35from the wealth of those resources being extracted.
01:38And secondly, they have concerns about the ecological impacts of mining.
01:44People like Pitanguak Tisusen, the founder of Friends of Nuuk Fjord,
01:48think the country's nature must be protected above all else.
01:52Everything saw dollar signs, what I say.
01:57Take it easy, let's see.
01:59Big companies want our uranium,
02:02so it will be very bad for our nature.
02:08Donald Trump's declarations that he wants to buy Greenland
02:11only play into the politics here.
02:13And this issue is significant for voters
02:16who are heading into snap elections in March.
02:19MPs know it's a vote-swinging issue.
02:22We know that the biggest party now,
02:24Inuitakatsingit, won last time in the election
02:28because they said, no, we don't want to use them
02:31because they are afraid to pollution,
02:34but also to anything, bombs.
02:39Greenlanders are only set to face ever-increasing pressure
02:42from international players for their natural wealth
02:45and even more so while US President Trump
02:48continues to push to buy the country.