A rare earth mining project in Greenland has reignited dreams of the autonomous Arctic territory’s full independence from Denmark one day, but environmentalists fear 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 favour of holding 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 harboured hopes that the riches believed to be buried in the ground will help it cut its financial umbilical cord to Copenhagen one day.