Greenland - International analysis

Introduction

Current situation  

    . History

2. Economic sector

    . Economic analysis

   . Pestel

3. Tourism sector

    . Independence Quest

    . Developing infrastructure 

4. Natural Resources

     . Competitiveness

     . Exporting

Introduction

        Greenland faces several problems related to its remoteness, climatic conditions and small population, the country has an atypical economic and social situation and a diversity of cultures that derives directly from its history and its special relationship with Denmark.

In September, President Trump's surprise cancellation in Denmark following Denmark's refusal to sell a constituent country of Greenland to the United States.

        Raised to the forefront are the many issues related to this country, the current strategic issues of 1867, the year in which the United States bought Alaska and also proposes the purchase of Greenland and Iceland, highlighting Greenland's membership of the North American continent. In 1946, Harry Truman proposed a sum of 100 million dollars to qualify as the world's largest aircraft carrier.

Global warming is accelerating the melting of ice. In Greenland, the equivalent of 4.4 million Olympic swimming pools were dumped into the ocean on Thursday, August 1. One of the highest melting rates ever recorded.

The ice is melting faster than ever. This year, the process started earlier than expected in Greenland. While annual melting is expected in the early summer, it began this time in early May, reaching record levels in July-August. A total of 11 billion tonnes of ice were dumped into the ocean on Thursday, August 1. In July alone, the ice cap lost 160 billion tonnes of ice due to surface melting. This represents the equivalent of 64 million Olympic swimming pools.

According to a scenario by a Belgian climatologist, this ice mass should only have melted in the 2070s. The Danish Institute of Meteorology is responsible for the forest fires in Siberia and the heat waves that have hit the whole of Europe.

Annoyed that he could not afford Greenland, Trump postponed his visit to Denmark

We could almost talk about an obsession. For the second evening in a row, Donald Trump spoke about Greenland's potential takeover via his favourite social network, Twitter. He announced that he was finally postponing his visit to Denmark at the beginning of September, after the European country's clear and precise refusal to give up its huge Arctic island to him.

History

With a heat wave that occurred between July 30 and August 3 in Greenland caused a record ice melt on the second largest island in the world. While the magnitude of this melting is still difficult to capture, daily satellite observations highlight the true extent of the phenomenon.

The ice that did not melt was somehow contaminated by dust and sediment deposits, conditions that favour rapid melting. Indeed, this grey ice that forms, darker, absorbs more heat and promotes the development of bacteria and other microorganisms.

The photographs taken by Pierre Markuse, an expert in satellite imagery, attest to the contraction of the polar cap between August 2018 and August 2019. While temperatures in 2018 had already been high, those in 2019 are even higher.

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Greenland was lost by Europe for a few centuries until it was "found" by the English explorer Martin Frobisher in 1578. The first mapping expedition on the island ended in complete failure. Subsequent journeys also failed and brought various diseases, including smallpox, to Greenland. Nevertheless, Denmark gradually began to establish colonies throughout the island in the 18th century.

Despite an impressive number of travellers, no one had fully explored northern Greenland until 1891. This feat was finally achieved by the American explorer Robert Peary. Peary mapped the area for the first time and confirmed that it was actually an island when he discovered it just before the North Pole. Subsequently, the entire territory was mapped for the first time at the beginning of the 20th century.

The work of these early explorers continues to this day, with Greenland now a centre of scientific investigation. Researchers are continuing in line with their heritage and satisfying their curiosity by deepening their knowledge of climate change, the melting of the polar ice caps and even the birth of the universe.

2. Economic

The existence of many natural resources such as precious minerals and a strong argument for Greenland that it is independent after a referendum in 2009 would have allowed it to obtain more autonomy but not the independence that the country would like to obtain but for this it should replace the funds allocated by Denmark of about 600 million dollars annually on a GDP of 2.5 billion dollars including an annual growth of 7.53% of GDP per capita.

This is why the authorities are developing their natural resources but also new businesses such as the sale of fresh water or sand, and why they also easily welcome investors from Australia, China, South Africa and Europe.

Under enhanced autonomy status since 2009 within the Kingdom of Denmark, Greenland has two main external partners: the United States, which has an air base in Thule, and the European Union, which provides €25 million to education programmes to train Greenland's elites for the country's independence. In the event of independence, the geopolitical stakes will be high for this island, which is full of raw materials and attracts another partner: China, which is positioning itself in the region due to the planned opening of the polar routes.

According to initial surveys, Greenland could meet 25% of the world's demand for rare earths.

The country's economy is characterized by a predominance of the public sector (public companies and municipalities) as well as an underdeveloped private sector.Tourism offers some economic potential, but remains rather limited due to short seasons and high costs.

Economic development

Greenland is rich in precious resources: oil, gas, rare earths, uranium, zinc, rubies, gold. But these potentials are slow to turn into commercially viable operations.

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