Article content An exploration camp set up by Greenland Minerals on a proposed rare earth mine near Narsaq, July 21, 2012. Photo by Postmedia News archives
Their supermagnetic, superconductive properties are used in everything from iPhones and solar panels to hybrid cars and weapons systems. Yet while they are key to a high-tech, low-carbon world, extracting them can be an environmentally-hazardous process a point not lost on Greenland’s residents, some of whom are sceptical of promises from the Australian firm behind the project, Greenland Minerals, that strict anti-pollution measures will be enforced.
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“The mine will destroy everything,” said Jens Davidsen, a fisherman in Narsaq who can see the Kvanefjeld mountain top from his kitchen window. “We are afraid dust from the mine will hurt our fishing grounds and drinking water.”
Groenland : des élections législatives sur fond de projet minier controversé en Arctique
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Codiciada por las potencias, la isla más grande del mundo va a las urnas para definir su futuro económico y político
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Arctic mining takes centre stage in Greenland election
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04/04/2021 - 04:02 Mineral-rich Nuuk is keen to attract foreign investment Emil Helms Ritzau Scanpix/AFP 4 min
Nuuk (AFP)
Greenland votes Tuesday in legislative elections largely seen as a referendum on a controversial mining project that would help diversify the Arctic island s economy as it plans for a future altered by global warming.
The autonomous Danish territory obtained ownership of its vast mineral reserves in 2009 when its self-rule powers were widened.
Those resources, its geopolitical relevance and easier access due to melting sea ice have made Greenland increasingly attractive to the world s superpowers in recent years. Donald Trump, when he was US president, even offered to buy the island in 2019.