Greenland takes a step towards banning deep-sea mining

Greenland’s parliament on Thursday unanimously adopted a proposal asking the government to draft legislation banning deep-sea mining and exploration until at least the end of 2029.

Fisheries are the driver of Greenland’s economy, while hunting plays a crucial role for livelihoods in many local communities.

WWF Greenland hailed the move as an “important step in the right direction”, adding: “There is still relatively limited scientific knowledge about the potential consequences of deep-sea mining for the marine environment.”

Inhabitants of the Danish autonomous territory are wary of the consequences that deep-sea mining could have on the environment.

But the unexploited minerals believed to lie under the vast Arctic island’s ground and seabed — which could play a crucial role in many new tech and defence industries — are also seen as a potential springboard to the territory’s independence from Denmark, a goal backed by a majority of the island’s 57,000 inhabitants.

Greenland has long received subsidies from the Danish government that account for about 20% of its economy, and it would need massive investment to survive on its own.

Under the proposal adopted Thursday, Greenland’s government can extend the moratorium in two-year increments.

“With this decision, Greenland has the opportunity to send a strong signal that the protection of the ocean, nature, and our livelihoods must be taken seriously when we are faced with new forms of exploiting marine resources,” the WWF said.

Thursday’s vote came a day after US President Donald Trump said oil, gas and mineral exploitation was about to begin in Greenland, though he did not specifically mention deep-sea mining.

Greenland halted all new oil and gas exploration permits in 2021.

There has been no industrial-scale oil or gas drilling in the territory, where harsh conditions and poor infrastructure make operations challenging.

Washington in September signed a security deal with the leaders of Greenland and Denmark after Trump threatened to take Copenhagen’s strategically important Arctic territory by force.