In 2019, then-President Donald Trump suggested the United States “buy Greenland” — as a matter of national security. Now in office again, Trump has continued to push for acquisition of the island, illustrated by a recent “horrendous” call with Denmark’s Prime Minister just last week on the matter.
Situated along major shipping routes through the Arctic, Greenland occupies a strategic trade and military position as nations, especially Russia, increase their military presence in the region. The potential for significant oil and gas reserves have been identified by the U.S. Geological Survey, but Greenland could also be a source of critical minerals like copper, cobalt, lithium, and rare earth elements, all essential for green energy technologies.
Nearly 90 percent of Greenland’s 56,000-person population are Inuit, and it is a self-governing country within the Kingdom of Denmark — that means they have a control over internal affairs, much like the territory of Puerto Rico has in the United States.
The Kingdom of Denmark began colonizing Greenland in the 1700s. After contact, European diseases killed much of the Inuit population, and over the years, Danish colonizers took over trade to the country, closing ports on the island to all foreign powers. In the 1950s, Danish officials removed Inuit children from their families, and in the 1960s and ’80s, Denmark forced Inuit women to undergo forced sterilization in an effort to decrease the Inuit population.
The United States has also had a history on the island. In 1953, during the Cold War, the U.S. established an anti-artillery unit requiring the Thule tribe, who called the town of Uummannaq home, to be removed from the area with only days’ notice. Around 116 people were forced to leave, and their family homes were eventually burned down.
Mining and oil production have left the island pockmarked with abandoned initiatives. “Pick your place: Where we extracted [we] left a mess,” said Paul Bierman, a professor at the University of Vermont who studies Greenland’s resources. Mining pollution from cryolite and lead-zinc have polluted water sources and high levels of heavy metals have been found in fish, spiders, and lichen. Now, human-induced global warming causes Greenland to lose three swimming pools of freshwater every second. “Climate change is the monster under everyone’s bed,” said Bierman.
But the promise of the transition minerals offers Greenland an opportunity to financially establish itself as independent from Denmark. “We have full control and access over our natural resources, which is not what you see typically for Indigenous people,” said Greenland’s Minister of Minerals Naaja Nathanielsen. Nathanielsen added that Greenland’s recent appearance in world headlines offers an opportunity to leverage the moment and provide residents with their own health care and education system. “These are expensive investments that we don’t necessarily have the means for.”
In an opinion poll from this week, 85 percent of Greenlanders said they don’t want to become part of the United States, and nearly half see Trump’s interest as a threat. Currently, Denmark contributes around $600 million a year to Greenland — more than half of the island’s total budget. But despite that, many are pushing for independence.
That means relying on resource extraction to pay for it. And because of the lack of infrastructure for industry, like roads, the remote nature of the country, and harsh landscape — 80 percent of Greenland is covered in ice — costs are high. It’s estimated that for every one mine on the island, there are nearly 100 other exploratory expeditions. However, as climate change accelerates ice loss, those minerals become easier to access.
“For us, it’s a question about climate justice and taking into account history,” said Eirik Larsen, head of the Sámi Council’s human rights department. The Indigenous Sámi peoples, who also live primarily above the Arctic Circle in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia, say green energy projects are a threat.
Larsen said that when it comes to mining in Indigenous territories, companies and governments need to adhere to international law. “Meaningful participation is when we are actually given the opportunity to give our consent,” said Larsen, “to take part in the process regarding mining in a constructive way.”
Inuit environmental researcher Parnuna Egede Dahl said her PhD research was about whether environmental impact assessments in Greenland were incorporating Indigenous concerns. She found in three instances the concerns raised in community meetings did not make a difference in the final plans of the mines she studied. “I would still like to see improvements in how Greenlandic citizens are engaged and their knowledge used during the impact assessment process. Engagement should go beyond the two public consultation phases,” she said.
In 2021, Greenland’s parliament passed legislation that stopped the Kuannersuit uranium mine after concerns of radioactivity and cancer causing thorium dust were raised. The mine was to exhume one of largest-known uranium deposits in the world for green transition technology and weapons.
The Inuit Circumpolar Council, an organization that represents the almost 200,000 Inuit of Alaska, Greenland, Canada, and Chukotka (or Russia), released a statement this week asking for “mutually respectful cooperation” in discussions involving Greenlandic sovereignty. Even though President Trump’s comments were not named specifically, the statement argues that the geopolitical situation is challenging but deals will be made “the Inuit way.”
“There is no such thing as a better colonizer,” the council said.
