Greenland Lubber

“What happens in Greenland doesn’t stay in Greenland. Turns out, the fate of the world’s largest island has outsize importance for billions of people on the planet. That’s because of the one thing that Greenland is quickly losing: ice … As the Arctic warms, potential new trading routes open up, as well as access to mineral riches, including those that are vital for clean energy technologies useful for slowing climate change. In short, climate change makes the Arctic more accessible and more of a strategic target for world powers, a fact not lost on President Trump.” NYT (Gift Article): Why Greenland Matters for a Warming World.

+ Of course, for Denmark and Greenland, the climate threat is being exacerbated by climate change’s chief accomplice. And he’s being taken literally and seriously. Denmark’s Army Chief Says He’s Ready to Defend Greenland. Meanwhile, “Sweden’s prime minister said today that his country would also be sending soldiers to Greenland.”

+ Nothing attracts Trump like the combination of climate change-induced disasters and the prospect of antagonizing an ally. So he’s insisting that America must own Greenland. Predictably, that set up for a tense meeting among regional representatives visiting DC today. Here’s the latest from The Guardian: ‘Our perspectives continue to differ,’ say Danish and Greenlandic ministers after US meeting. (It’s endlessly sad to see America’s leaders treating our longtime allies almost as badly as it treats our own citizens.)