Mining in Icy Worlds

Abstract

As the global economy transitions from fossil fuels to renewable energy, the search for ‘critical minerals’ is expanding into the remotest and most extreme environments on Earth, including the icy polar regions at the ends of the earth. This essay discusses how Greenland and Antarctica are at the forefront of geopolitical discussions about resource utilization, environmental conservation and sustainability in an era of rapid climate change. Greenland, a self-governing territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, sees mining as necessary for economic development, while Antarctica is governed by an international treaty system that currently prohibits mining. A changing climate and shifting geopolitical pressures could force an amendment to the Antarctic Treaty in the not-so-distant future. The essay considers how these two polar regions could shape the future economics and geopolitics of global mineral resources as we move towards a carbon-neutral future.