Tuesday, October 02, 2012

Mining Greenland - Good and Bad...

Narsaq on the southern tip of Greenland
There is an interesting tug of war going on in Greenland.  Not played out by actors good and bad, but by the native Greenlanders.
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The icecaps are melting, and waters are warming, so shrimp are moving farther north (than Greenland!?! - yes).  But the retreating ice has exposed some amazing mineral deposits, particularly of "rare earth minerals".
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There will be a bonanza of investment and growth, but also an influx of construction and miners.  Natives worry about such and insular society and what happens.  What happens with wealth and unequal incomes?  What happens with a society built on fishing because dependent on mining and owning?  What happens to the pristine beauty that they believe they own a duty to protect?
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There really isn't any doubt that mining will  move forward, but they aren't thrilled about it.
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Story