Trump's Greenland Ambitions: Unpacking Mineral Rights and Resource Potential

Donald Trump has made clear he covets Greenland.

Now he claims to have secured the framework of a future deal, to address defence on the island - a deal that he says includes rights to rare earth minerals.

Greenland is believed to sit on top of large reserves of oil and natural gas.

It is also said to be home to the vast majority of raw materials considered crucial for electronics, green energy and other strategic and military technologies – to which Trump has been pushing to secure America's access.

Overall, 25 of 34 minerals deemed critical raw materials by the European Commission are found in Greenland, including graphite, niobium and titanium, according to the 2023 Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland.

Greenland's strategic importance is not just about defence, Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, said at a Senate hearing last year about the potential acquisition of Greenland, pointing to the island's vast reserves of rare earth elements.

Trump has sometimes downplayed the importance of those resources, pointing to what he claims is rising Russian and Chinese influence in the region to justify his claims that the US has to have the island.

But access to the island's natural resources has loomed large in the background for the administration, which has put the US economy at the centre of its geopolitical vision.

Trump's interest in controlling Greenland is primarily about access to those resources, and blocking China's access, according to Steven Lamy, a professor of international relations at the University of Southern California.

Even before Trump's second term, the US had been tightening its ties with Greenland, including by reopening its consulate in the island's capital, Nuuk, in 2020, responding to Russia and China's expanding military presence in the Arctic.

Since Trump returned to office, his allies have talked up the island's commercial potential, as rising temperatures expand sea routes and opportunities to explore the region's fisheries and other natural resources.

However, critics argue it is not clear why US control would be necessary to access resources and warn that tapping them is easier said than done due to high costs and severe weather.

In summary, Greenland's mineral wealth, geopolitical significance, and the challenges posed in extracting these resources reflect a complex intersection of national interests and economic realities that the Trump administration is keen to navigate.