A rare earth mining project in Greenland has reignited dreams of the autonomous arctic territory’s full independence from Denmark, but environmentalists fear that large-scale mining could harm the remote island’s pristine landscape.
The planned project has also wreaked political havoc.
On Tuesday, Greenland’s parliament voted in favor of new elections at an as-yet undecided date in the spring, after a junior party quit the coalition government over disagreement about the mine.
Greenland, which obtained ownership of its mineral reserves when it gained self-rule in 2009, has long harbored hopes that the riches believed to be buried in the ground would help it cut