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Greenland holds vast reserves of rare earths that power everything from electric vehicles to military tech. As the world races to loosen China’s grip on critical minerals, this Arctic island is emerging as a new battleground, where extreme conditions, soaring costs, and local resistance stand in the way. Can Greenland become the next global player in the resource race?
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00:00These glowing spots are minerals that contain rare earths.
00:13Right now, they're among the most desired metals on the planet,
00:17and they came from behind this door.
00:21That door closed, and it's been locked, hopefully forever.
00:27This closed mine lies in Greenland,
00:30an island that holds vast deposits of critical raw materials,
00:34and everyone seems to want a peace.
00:36We need Greenland for national security and even international security.
00:41Greenland's significant mineral deposits have the promise of meeting
00:45some of the world's growing demand for these materials.
00:48Rare earth minerals used in nearly all the equipment the US military relies on.
00:53Fighter jets, missiles, tanks, computers, AI chips, drones, electric cars.
00:59Today, almost all of it depends on one country.
01:04China has 99.5% of heavy rare earth processing capabilities.
01:09If we're not able to find a new alternative to the Chinese chokehold that they currently have,
01:15we'll find ourselves at the mercy of China.
01:17I believe Greenland is the best alternative.
01:21But for decades, most mining dreams in Greenland have collapsed,
01:25crushed by brutal weather, impossible logistics and politics.
01:30Today, there is only one fully operating mine on the island,
01:33and it doesn't produce rare earths.
01:36If someone came to me and said,
01:38there's a really good opportunity to build a mine in Greenland,
01:41I would say they're nuts.
01:43We travelled 8,000 miles by plane, boat and ATV to understand what's holding the industry back,
01:51and if Greenland could really become the next big player in the global resource race.
01:56One of the world's largest known deposits of rare earths is locked inside this mountain.
02:10The rock that holds them is mixed with uranium.
02:14And mining one means mining the other.
02:22Tupanek Kleist is a sheep farmer.
02:25Our farm is around 50 to 60 kilometres this way.
02:30And it happens that some of the sheep actually do arrive in this area too.
02:42Tupanek has spent years protesting the opening of this mine.
02:46I'm not a geologist or anything, but you know,
02:51who would like to buy the meat that's been just right beside them,
02:56a big mine that contains uranium?
02:59I wouldn't.
03:02In 2021, the government banned all uranium mining,
03:06which effectively halted the development of this mine.
03:11The samples that were extracted now sit in a warehouse just down the hill.
03:15The commissioners find a little bit of a Understanding
03:19if they don't have any wine.
03:20We do not have any wine.
03:21Yes, we do not have any wine.
03:23This is a deep wine.
03:25Once we have some wine.
03:27It has a small one-point 넣.
03:28We can't use it to find it to find it.
03:30I can use it to find it to be a little less.
03:31How can we use it to find it?
03:32And, you know,
03:35I can use it to find it to be a little better.
03:36I can drive it to a little bit more.
03:40It's a great building that you can avoid it.
03:43Rare earths are a group of 17 metals,
03:4417 metals that modern technology depends on. They're used to make powerful magnets,
03:49found in electronics, clean energy systems and military equipment.
03:55They're not actually rare, but they are hard to extract and process,
04:01because they're usually mixed with other minerals.
04:16Tupanik and her husband have lived on this farm with their two children since 2013.
04:25About 80% of Greenland is covered in ice, but in the south,
04:29a milder climate makes agriculture possible.
04:34The main income of this farm is the sheep, and we have approximately 700 mother sheep.
04:44So it's a quite big farm. It's been our living by generations.
04:50During the summer months, the sheep graze throughout the mountains and valleys.
04:55Now this region is becoming a focal point for mining,
04:58as companies across the world seek permits to explore for minerals.
05:03And the company that holds the rights to the mine close to Tupanik's farm
05:07is suing the government for 11.5 billion dollars. It says the mine can safely operate.
05:13Today we live peacefully in our farm.
05:28But if the mine opens,
05:30that could result that our seeps, or the area of the farm actually, will be polluted.
05:38And we will decide to close this farm. We're not going to risk anything.
05:44Greenland has more than 1,200 identified mineral sites, from copper to gold and iron.
05:58And companies have tried to extract them before.
06:00The island's minerals have drawn mining ventures for decades.
06:05Up until the 1980s, this giant open pit was a major source of cryolite,
06:10a mineral the US depended on to build fighter planes.
06:14But mining projects here have come and gone,
06:16and many were beaten back by the harsh arctic conditions.
06:22And the almost total lack of infrastructure.
06:26Today there is only one mine that fully operates year round.
06:29And the only way to get there is by helicopter or boat.
06:35The boat departs from the capital city Nuuk,
06:37travelling 170 miles through the winding fjords for 8 hours.
06:46The boat departs from the capital city Nuuk.
06:50Bent Olsvi Jensen is the managing director of Lumina.
06:54At the moment, we have the only fully operative mine in Greenland.
07:00And it has taken a long time.
07:04The mine is totally isolated.
07:07There's no infrastructure supporting us.
07:16Here Lumina extracts anorthosite, a rock used in paints, glass fibres and construction materials.
07:28The deposit is most likely the largest known anorthosite deposit in the world.
07:38The mining company began looking for minerals here in 2008.
07:42Between construction, financing and permits, it took 11 years to become operational.
07:54I've been working here for almost seven years now.
07:58I've been a part of building up the place here, infrastructure and everything.
08:05It's roads, it's camp, it's the harbour.
08:12That was nothing here.
08:17Normally we blast around 10 000 tons at the time.
08:25We have a very good crew now, a good core.
08:29It's not everybody can work in a remote site like this.
08:42The mine depends on a small workforce that lives at this camp for month-long rotations.
08:57I'm the chef in the mine, in Lumina mine.
09:00I like it, yes.
09:02Yeah, I love to be out here.
09:08We have 25 people out here, eating night and day.
09:15The breakfast is from 6.30.
09:17I'm finished with everything at 6.15.
09:25If you are away from your family, the only place where you can relax is in the dining hall.
09:31We are many, many different kinds of people.
09:42We have a lot to talk about.
09:45So, we are like a little family up here.
09:54Half a year in the mine and half a year at home.
09:57And when I'm home, I'm full, I'm daddy on full time.
10:02Then my wife is having her day off.
10:05What are you doing?
10:06How are you doing?
10:07How are you doing?
10:07How are you doing?
10:08How are you doing?
10:09How are you doing?
10:10How are you doing?
10:11Hi, my friend.
10:12How are you doing?
10:13How are you doing?
10:14How are you doing?
10:15Did you have a good time?
10:16Yeah.
10:16Oh, that was good.
10:17I've been doing a long time.
10:21What are you doing?
10:22Have you doing?
10:22Yeah, practically.
10:24The first two days are difficult.
10:28We see each other in FaceTime two, three times a day, at least.
10:35Isolation is a challenge, not just for the people who work here, but for the operation itself.
10:44My name is Jan Nielsen.
10:45I'm from Nuuk.
10:47I've been working here at the mine for a year and a half.
10:52When something breaks, operations grind to a halt.
10:59The plant won't be running for the next couple of hours.
11:03We need to fix this first.
11:05We work seven days a week, 12 hours a day.
11:08It's a job.
11:10I don't know whether I love it, but I like it.
11:14We got spare parts here on the side, but this conveyor we don't have.
11:17So we need to repair and then order a new one.
11:22We're out in the middle of nowhere, so it's not just to go in the convenience store.
11:26We have to be prepared for what if, because if we have a breakdown of a critical piece of equipment,
11:32we come to a stop and then we just sit there.
11:35And what would you say to someone considering opening a mine in Greenland?
11:47James Kiernan is the honorary chairman of Lumina's largest shareholder.
12:04This was his first time visiting the mine.
12:08I needed to visit the mine to understand the situation, to fully appreciate the logistical
12:17issues that are quite apparent when you are at the mine site.
12:21For years the mine has been operating at a loss, but James believes it is finally close to breaking even.
12:28We made an 85 million dollar bet, so I guess I have to be confident.
12:32If Lumina can turn a profit in one of the toughest environments on earth,
12:37it could show foreign investors that Greenland is worth the risk.
12:43It is extremely important that we get a proof of concept,
12:47so that the investors that have put money into this can see that there is a return.
12:54In 2025, Lumina secured a new exploration license to branch out in search of more valuable materials.
13:01We have had 10 years of operating experience in Greenland.
13:05Now we can do further expeditions for other minerals, and those minerals would be rare earths.
13:16It's no secret to anyone in this room that the U.S. faces a severe level of vulnerability
13:21in its access to minerals that underpin national, economic and energy security.
13:26So the question is what should the U.S. do? We are absolutely operating on the back foot today.
13:31Grace Lynn Bascaran is a mining economist who advises U.S. policy makers on critical minerals.
13:39So demand for rare earths is going to go up and we don't have a lot of capabilities here in the U.S.
13:45So geologically, we don't have everything that we need to meet our own consumption.
13:51Today, much of the world's rare earth supply comes from China.
13:55That dominance gives Beijing significant leverage over key supply chains the West depends upon.
14:00China produces about 60% of the world's rare earths.
14:05They process about 90% of the world's rare earths.
14:08We were okay with it until they started weaponizing it.
14:12China is reportedly tightening its grip on critical minerals it supplies to Western defense companies.
14:18A global power grab for the supply chains around the world.
14:23So here's a fighter jet and here are all the minerals that I need to produce a fighter jet.
14:27There are 50 minerals that I need to produce that.
14:30A disruption to any of these supply chains becomes a crucial vulnerability.
14:34Right now, if we don't take corrective action, the situation is dire.
14:44We are in an existential crisis right now.
14:47Drew Horne used to work for the White House during the first Trump administration.
14:52Now he is CEO of Greenmet, a private company that connects investors with mineral projects in Greenland.
14:58All right, Drew, how are you?
14:59It's been pretty wild here in Washington.
15:02Drew, I'm expecting at some point in time you're going to just have to jump to talk to the president or something like that.
15:09Yeah, I think Greenland is truly the land of opportunity.
15:14It's a geological paradise.
15:17We think that it's going to be one of the key areas of rare earth and critical minerals development
15:22in the near future.
15:23You know, we're looking at literally trillions of dollars worth of resources.
15:29We just have tons of investment that it's going to build it up in the next few years.
15:32Well, we've heard President Trump talk about Greenland, but until you came along, Drew,
15:37I didn't actually know that much about it.
15:39When I'm there in Greenland and I'm looking at these massive, beautiful mountains,
15:43I see endless potential of rare earths and other critical minerals that are essential for
15:48humanity's technology advancement.
15:50Right there is just a piece that was readily available right there on the beach.
15:55This rock comes from Tanbury's, a mining site in southern Greenland where Drew is helping
16:00attract U.S. investors.
16:01We do believe it is one of the most valuable heavy rare earth deposits on the globe.
16:08Our goal is that we would have extraction and exportation of at least some of those materials
16:13in 12 to 18 months.
16:21But in Greenland, it can take more than a decade to open a mine.
16:24That's partly because the government enforces strict environmental rules
16:28and requires clear benefits for local communities before approving projects.
16:32On a global level, it takes 16 years to develop a mine, right from the first idea to the actual mine.
16:43In this 16 years on average span, you spend money, you don't make a lot of money.
16:49Greenland's government has only been responsible for the island's subsoil since 2010.
16:54Before then, Greenland's resources were controlled by Denmark.
16:59Denmark colonised Greenland in 1721, imposing its language, schools and culture on the island.
17:06Over the past 50 years, Greenlandic people have gained significant autonomy.
17:12Today, around 90% of Greenland's population is Inuit.
17:15But the island remains financially dependent on Copenhagen.
17:21Denmark provides Greenland with about 700 million dollars a year,
17:25more than half of the island's public budget.
17:31Now, another power wants to take over the island.
17:34And I also have a message tonight for the incredible people of Greenland.
17:40We strongly support your right to determine your own future.
17:43And if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America.
17:47We need Greenland for national security and even international security.
17:52And we're working with everybody involved to try and get it.
17:55We will make you rich and together.
17:57We will take Greenland to heights like you have never thought possible before.
18:02Trump is a businessman.
18:05He sees the resources of making money at Greenland. Of course he does.
18:09We don't appreciate being talked about as a commodity,
18:12as something you can buy or sell or acquire or take.
18:16That is, of course, offensive to all people.
18:18Can you assure the world that you are not going to use military or economic coercion?
18:24You're talking about Panama and Greenland. No, I can't assure you on either of those two.
18:28The White House is explicitly putting the threat of military action against a NATO ally
18:34on the table in the case of Greenland.
18:36We're not going to have Russia or China occupy Greenland.
18:40So we're going to be doing something with Greenland either the nice way or the more difficult way.
18:46Trump has said his interest in Greenland is mostly driven by its strategic Arctic location.
18:50The threat of US military intervention has been a wake-up call for Greenland.
19:00But with no army of its own, the island relies on the Danish military for its defence.
19:04The Danish defence has the task to defend the Kingdom of Denmark in order to defend Greenland.
19:15In June 2025, the head of military operations in Nuuk was already holding town halls to address
19:21concerns about the increasing Danish army presence on the island.
19:24When he says, we will start the Greenland one way or another, if not by deal, then by military.
19:38So you can not go away with the mashing system.
19:42Well, we have plans to help Greenland, but we have no concrete plans against the USA.
19:52It's an alliance that says we're working together.
19:55If things change and there's no other way,
19:59or from the police side,
20:02I really focus on it.
20:06People living in Greenland, we're worried about that.
20:09The day after tomorrow we could be invaded by the US.
20:13And he wants us to be a US citizen
20:15and telling about the Greenland people,
20:17they love the US very much.
20:20No, we don't. We don't love the USA.
20:23Greenlanders overwhelmingly say they don't want their island
20:26to become part of the United States.
20:29Our country is not for sale.
20:35After months of rising tensions,
20:37Trump said in January he reached a framework
20:39for a deal with NATO over the future of Greenland.
20:42People thought I would use force.
20:44I don't have to use force. I don't want to use force.
20:46I won't use force.
20:47For most people in Greenland,
20:49the question isn't who should control the island,
20:51but how to become fully independent.
20:53But without Danish subsidies,
20:55the economy would need a new backbone.
20:58And mining could be it.
21:00The mining industry is just coming.
21:03I don't think it's necessary a bad thing.
21:05As long as they can preserve as much of the nature and the land,
21:09and we can earn some money and they can earn some money,
21:12I think it's a win-win.
21:16You still want to do business with the U.S.
21:17It makes a lot of sense.
21:18We have the minerals. America needs it.
21:19We still want to do business with the U.S.
21:20It makes a lot of sense.
21:21We have the minerals. America needs it.
21:25Kupanuk Oersen, a mining engineer turned influencer,
21:26uses her platform to amplify Inuit voices.
21:30win-win. We still want to do business with the US. It makes a lot of sense. We
21:39have the minerals. America needs it. Kupanuk Ulsan, a mining engineer turned
21:50influencer, uses her platform to amplify Inuit voices. When you come here you're
21:58not coming to a Western country, you're coming to an Inuit country. If they want
22:06to do any mining activities, they need to do it in business with us directly and
22:11they need to do it following our requirements.
22:28We still need to be able to hunt. We still need to be able to fish near the
22:38mines. What we appreciate the most in life as Greenlanders is being one with the
22:45nature. Every gold rush starts with big promises. In Greenland the real question
22:53is how fast mining can happen. And who stands to gain? I believe there's, you
22:59know, multiple trillions of dollars that can be developed here if it's done the
23:02right way. I think there's a beautiful future for everybody to win here. And if
23:07anyone questions my, you know, ability to deliver that, I would say please let me
23:12prove it to you.
23:14Greenland is not going to give us the rare earths that we need to compete with
23:22China in the next two years. It's not a shovel ready project. Is it a good long
23:26term bet? Absolutely.
23:29Mining needs to develop organically with the population, with the politicians, so it
23:35will happen slowly. It will be one mine at a time.
23:41For us having a hundred mines in operation is not necessarily a success or the
23:48ambition. But the existence of let's say three to five mines at any given time, that
23:56would be of big importance for us. So for us a little also goes a long way.
24:02Extracting mineral wealth here is a long game. And as global powers eye Greenland's
24:08resources, Inuit face mounting pressure to keep control of their riches and protect
24:13their land.
24:15I'm a very patriotic person. I put a lot of pride in our language, our culture, our nature,
24:37our norms, our myths, our religion, our way of living as a Greenlandic person.
24:44As a Greenlandic person.
24:51An Inuit is a person that has the respect for nature, the respect of the animals. I'm not
25:07against all mining, but I'm against mining that's not for the benefit of Greenland in the long
25:16term.
25:17That's very important.
25:18That's very important.
25:24I'm against.
25:26To stink.
25:27I'm against.
25:28To dream.
25:29Of what you're doing.
25:30If you're living in a world.
25:32To be in a world where you're living in a world.
25:34And you're looking at.
25:35I've made a world that have been a world that has always been a world that have
25:37even if you can make it.
25:38To work with you to leave.
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