Futures

Greenland’s Melting Ice Sheet and the Potential for Sand Extraction, from (20221117.)

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Summary

Greenland’s melting ice sheet is creating an unexpected flow of wealth potential through the extraction of sand. A recent study found that the majority of Greenlandic adults are in favor of extracting and exporting sand if the projects are under their country’s control. This support for sand mining contrasts with opposition to other mining projects. The melting ice sheet is producing significant amounts of sediment, which could meet the growing global demand for sand. However, there are uncertainties regarding the environmental impact, including increased shipping traffic and the introduction of nonnative species. Greenland’s potential for sand extraction could offer economic independence from Denmark, but it must be done with better conditions and environmental protection.

Keywords

• Greenland
• melting ice sheet
• extracting
• sand
• sediment
• global commodity
• economic independence
• climate change
• mining projects
• environmental impact

Themes

• Economic adaptation to climate change
• Greenlandic support for sand extraction
• Environmental impact of mining projects

Signals

Signal	Change	10y horizon	Driving force
Greenland’s Melting Ice Sheet	Extracting and exporting sand from melting ice sheet	Greenland’s economic independence from Denmark	Economic adaptation to climate change
Greenlanders in favor of sand extraction	Change in public attitude towards mining projects	Increased support for economic independence	Potential economic benefits for Greenland

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