Global Warming May Lead Greenland to Independence

As the melting Greenland ice sheet uncovers new mineral riches, the island’s hopes for independence from Denmark grow, reports The New York Times. Greenland’s 56,000 residents have had limited home rule since 1978, but full independence has stayed out of reach, as Greenland depends on Danish subsidies for more than 40 percent of its GDP. But new discoveries of lead and zinc in the wake of retreating glaciers, along with estimates that Greenland’s northeastern waters could yield 31 billion barrels of oil and gas and its western waters even more, have sparked hope in both countries that independence may soon be financially feasible. Greenlanders will vote on a referendum in November that would give Greenland the first $16 million of oil and mineral profits, with the rest split evenly with Denmark until the yearly subsidies are canceled out, removing the only remaining barrier to independence.