WWF Greenland calls the proposed resolution to ban deep-sea mining an important step.
Inatsisartut has Thursday adopted a motion to order Naalakkersuisut to draft legislation to ban deep-sea mining.
This appears from Inatsisartut’s website.
All members present voted in favor of the proposal.
Inatsisartut proposes that the ban applies until 31 December 2029 with the possibility of extension for two years at a time.
In a reply note during the consideration of the proposed resolution, it was stated that Naalakkersuisut agrees with the considerations.
Naalakkersuisut wrote here that if the proposal was adopted, the government would present a bill on a temporary ban on deep-sea mining at the spring session of parliament in 2027.
The WWF’s branch in Greenland calls the proposal “an important step in the right direction”, writes the AFP news agency.
– With this decision, Greenland has the opportunity to send a strong signal that protection of the sea, nature and Greenlanders’ livelihoods must be taken seriously when we are faced with new forms of exploitation of marine resources, it reads.
The vote comes a day after US President Donald Trump said that exploration for oil, gas and minerals was being launched in Greenland.
Subsequently, it was heard from Greenland that this is not the case.
The president made no mention of deep sea mining.
Fishing drives Greenland’s economy, and hunting plays a crucial role in Greenlanders’ local communities.
According to WWF Greenland, deep-sea mining can damage the ocean’s ecosystems and biodiversity.
Greenland suspended all new permits for oil and gas exploration in 2021, writes AFP.
According to the news agency, industrial oil drilling or gas extraction has never been carried out in Greenland, where harsh climatic conditions and poor infrastructure make the work challenging.
RITZAU
