Already during his first term, Donald Trump proposed to the government in Copenhagen to buy Greenland, which has been part of the Kingdom of Denmark for three centuries. However, after Trump made a promise during the presidential campaign to annex the icy territory of the island, his attitude became even more aggressive. He even stated that he could not rule out the use of force to achieve his goals of control over Greenland.
Why does Trump want Greenland so much?
The official reason for Trump’s desire to take control of the island is national security. But there is another reason why the island may be a tempting prospect for Washington.
Politico reminds that, according to the assessment of the US Geological Survey, Greenland “contains approximately 31,400 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMBOE) of crude oil” and other fuel products, including approximately 148 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. According to climate activists, these gigantic oil and gas reserves should never have seen the light of day.
Trump wants to increase fossil fuel extraction
In 2021, Greenland introduced a moratorium on oil and gas exploitation. The restrictions came into force after the socialist, pro-independence Inuit Ataqatigiit party took power. According to its activists, the climate crisis should be taken seriously.
Meanwhile, Trump promised that as soon as he takes office, he will release American energy. As part of his election promises, he declared the unfreezing of new natural gas projects suspended by the Biden administration. He also intends to consistently withdraw from US commitments regarding climate change.
That’s why environmental activists fear that Greenland in Trump’s hands may mean lifting the ban on oil and gas drillingwhich will lead to more greenhouse gas emissions.
According to Kirtana Chandrasekaran, an activist with Friends of the Earth, increasing production in Greenland would be a very bad example for global climate leadership and could be used as an excuse by climate change skeptics in Europe and beyond.
Is Greenland just the beginning?
Mike Waltz, congressman and Trump’s new national security adviser, said in an interview on Fox News that Washington’s plans concern not only Greenland, but the entire Arctic.
“We have Russia, which is trying to become the king of the Arctic with over 60 icebreakers, some of which are nuclear powered…We have two and one just went up in flames,” Waltz said. In the same interview, Mike Waltz also drew attention to China, which is also building a fleet of icebreakers that will be used to sail through Arctic routes freed by the melting ice.