Posted on 04/07/2021 12:21:37 PM PDT by BenLurkin
Voters in Greenland have given an opposition party its first-ever chance to form a government after a campaign that sought to define the limits of development on the Arctic island.
The Inuit Ataqatigiit party won 37% of the vote, compared with 29% for the ruling social-democratic Siumut party, according to official results reported by Reuters. The vote totals should allow Inuit Ataqatigiit to grab 12 seats in the 31-member unicameral legislature, known as the Inatsisartut, meaning it will likely need to form a coalition with support from one of the smaller parties.
At the center of Tuesday's election was the fate of a rare-earth and uranium mining project in the country's south that has pitted those favoring more aggressive development against others who want more safeguards to protect the island's fragile Arctic environment.
Inuit Ataqatigiit, or "Community of the People," had campaigned against the Kvanefjeld project, which was granted preliminary approval under Prime Minister Kim Kielsen's Siumut party government.
Greenland, about three times the size of Texas, is the world's largest noncontinental island with a population of about 56,000. In 1979, it became self-governing within the Kingdom of Denmark, which maintains control over the island's foreign, monetary and defense policies.
In recent years, its vast untapped mineral resources have attracted the attention of international companies hoping to tap into the growing market for rare-earth elements — a group of 17 similar metals often found in the same deposit. They are used as components in everything from smartphones to electric cars and weapons. Those deposits have become more accessible in recent years due to glacial melting caused by climate change.
Among other rare-earth metals, the Kvanefjeld project aims to tap into deposits of neodymium, an element used to create miniature permanent magnets that have become vital to a number of high-tech industries. The Australian company that runs the mine also wants to extract uranium. The project's largest investor is a Chinese company.
Following Tuesday's election results, Inuit Ataqatigiit leader Mute Egede was asked by broadcaster DR about the fate of Kvanefjeld.
"The people have spoken," Egede said. "It won't happen."
Major mining project takes centre stage in Greenland vote: April 6, 2021 -- #Greenland #Kuannersuit Greenland’s next parliament will decide the future of a deeply controversial mine on Kuannersuit -- one of the largest rare earths deposits in the world… https://t.co/kelbSTZCAG pic.twitter.com/hW0RiCo8mB
— Graphic News (@GNgraphicnews) April 6, 2021
Like many Greenlanders, Inuit Ataqatigiit does not oppose mining but also has a strong environmental focus. Most of the island's residents say they want eventual independence from Denmark. Some see the potential from exploiting Greenland's rich ore deposits as the key to creating economic clout to go it alone.
"It's not that Greenlanders don't want mining, but they don't want dirty mining," Mikaa Mered, a lecturer on Arctic affairs at HEC business school in Paris, was quoted by Reuters as saying.
"Greenlanders are sending a strong message that for them it's not worth sacrificing the environment to achieve independence and economic development," he said.
In 2019, then-President Donald Trump offered to buy Greenland from Denmark, comparing such a purchase to "a large real estate deal."
However, the idea was rebuffed both in Greenland and in the Danish capital, Copenhagen.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said emphatically that "Greenland is not for sale."
Stupid virtue signaling even then.
That’s great news.
Other way around. The US wanted Greenland as a strategic Cold War base. We made an offer to the Danes... they said ‘no’.
Other way around. The U.S. offered Denmark $100 million for Greenland in 1946 and Denmark said 'no'.
As they develop their resources, Greenland’s people could become among the wealthiest in the world. With only 56,000 people and unknown amounts of mineral wealth under all that ice, they could be sitting on a gold mine, figuratively speaking. The per capita wealth could be a staggering amount.
Fifteen years ago China was attempting to corner the rare earth market - they were in Africa too... all the while we were debating the merits of 50 genders... Now we've got that idiot Biden talking up electric cars that will make us dependent on China for cell phone materials AND electric car batteries. I mean this is all so stupid.
We do not need China or Greenland. We just need the environmentalists to let the Mountain Pass CA mine to go back full speed. An somehow get rid of its Chinese “investors”.
Stupid Obama let that mine go bankrupt and let the Chinese buy it for pennies.
Yeah, they could become the wealthiest in the world.
But they might be wide enough to realize that if you play with a turd, you get crap on your fingers.
It’s a tale as old as Faust.
They are probably happier in the long run to keep international bankers, the good old USA, and certainly Red China out. You might as well invite in Goldman-Sachs.
You may have less cash, but you’ll be way happier in the long run. That is the lesson of the last several decades.
Better to subsist as they do. Never thought I would think that, but this globalist crap has to stop somewhere.
“With only 56,000 people and unknown amounts of mineral wealth under all that ice, they could be sitting on a gold mine, figuratively speaking. The per capita wealth could be a staggering amount.”
Because all voters know that they will take that wealth and divide it by 56,000. You know, just like how everyone in Alaska is fabulously wealthy.
A smart Greenlander would know they would get their areas trashed, lots of foreign workers, lots of annoying infrastructure along with it’s problems, and the profits would flow to Red China or Wall Street.
For your average Greenlander, it probably would be a net loss.
Call me a cynic, but China will not go away. The US will accept and cheer defeat. China will subvert and buy off as many people as they need to in order to win - for China.
Not cynical. China will not just go away. As you suggest, they will use the subversion route, just as they have elsewhere, from Africa to the Biden crime family.
“The Inuit Ataqatigiit party won 37% “
How many CCP supplied dollars does it take to sway a Greenland election? (The CCP enjoys China’s advantage in rare earth metals, and would obviously not like to see it dissipated, by Greenland or anywhere else.)
Their land... Their decision...
IMHO, they made the best decision...
Just look around the world... Why would they want to participate in all those problems?
We'll never know. They seem more interested in keeping their environment pristine than in mining the mineral wealth they have.
And just where do all the watermelons expect to conjure the rare earth minerals for their green new world order?
They’ll have to work hard to buy off Greenlanders. These aren’t stupid Africans with a corruption point at teh very top.
Somehow you’ll have to convince the average Greenland voter that they will -personally- benefit in a huge way.
And it’ll have to be huge enough to convince them that it’s worth losing their independence, and way of life outside the globalists. Tough sell. But you’re correct, they will keep trying.
And not far away they watched Iceland and it’s struggles against the bankers. I’m thinking they will be very cautious.
I'm shocked, shocked I tell you... what's next - the witch Hillary selling uranium rights to Russians?
With 56K inhabitants (less than the number of seats in a college football stadium,) The Greenies might vary well find themselves
overwhelmed by a Division of Chinese tourists.
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