Greenland Parliament Moves to Ban Deep-Sea Mining Through 2029

Greenland’s parliament unanimously adopted a proposal on Thursday urging the government to draft legislation banning deep-sea mining and exploration until at least the end of 2029.

Fisheries serve as a primary economic driver in Greenland, while hunting remains vital to the livelihoods of many local communities.

WWF Greenland praised the measure as an “important step in the right direction,” adding that “there is still relatively limited scientific knowledge about the potential consequences of deep-sea mining for the marine environment.”

Residents of the Danish autonomous territory are cautious about the environmental impact deep-sea mining could have. Still, unexploited mineral deposits believed to lie beneath the Arctic island’s land and seabed are seen by some as a potential springboard to independence from Denmark—a goal supported by a majority of Greenland’s 57,000 inhabitants.

Greenland relies on Danish subsidies for roughly 20 percent of its economy and would require significant investment to sustain itself independently.

Under the proposal, Greenland’s government may extend the moratorium in two-year increments.

“With this decision, Greenland has the opportunity to send a strong signal that the protection of the ocean, nature, and our livelihoods must be taken seriously when faced with new forms of marine resource exploitation,” WWF Greenland said.

The vote followed remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump indicating that oil, gas, and mineral exploitation would soon begin in Greenland, though he did not specifically mention deep-sea mining.

Greenland halted all new oil and gas exploration permits in 2021. No industrial-scale oil or gas drilling has taken place in the territory, where harsh conditions and inadequate infrastructure make operations difficult.

Washington signed a security deal with Greenlandic and Danish leaders in September after Trump threatened to take control of Copenhagen’s strategically important Arctic territory by force.

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