Mineral riches uncovered by climate change at stake in Greenland election

[phantom power]

COPENHAGEN — Greenland’s underground wealth is at the forefront of the Arctic island’s parliamentary election on Tuesday amid worries over a potential influx of Chinese labor and the environmental consequences of mining.

Once an isolated outpost of human civilization, ice-capped Greenland has grabbed global attention recently for being at the front line of climate change. Scientists are studying the melting of its massive ice sheet, which covers 80 percent of the island, and its impact on raising global sea levels — one of the great unknowns of the climate puzzle.

Meanwhile, miners prepare to dig for iron, rare earths and other metals as warming temperatures make them more accessible.

All major parties in the 31-seat Parliament favor exploiting some of the untapped natural resources as a way to reduce Greenland’s dependence on former colonial master Denmark and pave the way toward full independence.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/mineral-riches-uncovered-by-climate-change-at-stake-in-greenland-election/2013/03/11/ae3e79ae-8a31-11e2-a88e-461ffa2e34e4_story.html

[pscot]

1. I'm going to pour myself a big glass of gin

and go sit in the closet for a while.

[stuntcat]

2. that's my species!

#humanity
We'll extract, explode, sell, burn, use, eat everything we can get til by the end of the century there's nothing but a layer of trash covering this pretty little rock.