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Greenland's
parliament has voted to end a decades-long prohibition on mining
for radioactive materials such as uranium, further opening up
the country to investors from Australia to China eager to tap
its vast mineral resources.
Thursday's vote, by 15-14 after a heated debate, also allows the
mining of rare earths minerals used in products from wind
turbines to hybrid cars and smart phones, and which are currently
mostly extracted by China.
"We cannot live with unemployment and cost-of-living increases
while our economy is at a standstill. It is therefore necessary
that we eliminate zero tolerance towards uranium now," Greenland's
prime minister, Aleqa Hammond, was quoted as saying by local newspaper
Sermitsiaq during the debate.
With
sea ice thawing and new Arctic shipping routes opening, Greenland
has emerged from isolation and gained wider geopolitical attention
thanks to its untapped mineral wealth.
Environmental groups have warned that uranium mining in Greenland
could threaten the Arctic region's pristine ecological system.
While
Greenland is self-governing, its former colonial ruler Denmark
still has a say in security and defence policy, and the uranium
decision may need to be approved by the Danish parliament
possibly putting the two nations on a diplomatic collision course.
Greenland's "zero tolerance" policy on mining radioactive
materials is inherited from Denmark, but the island is keen to
develop mining to help pay for welfare and jobs in a country with
a population of about 57,000, mostly Inuits.
Since
Greenland won self-government in 2009, most politicians have aimed
for growing autonomy and eventual independence. Revenue from mining
or oil can help Greenland wean itself off Denmark's annual grant
that accounts for more than half the island's budget.
One rare earth deposit being explored by Australian-owned Greenland
Minerals and Energy could be one of the largest outside China,
which accounts for more than 90% of global production.
It is likely to take some time for mining operations to get under
way.
"I think the Danish government is prepared for the no-tolerance
to be lifted" said Cindy Vestergaard, senior researcher at
the Danish Institute for International Studies.
"After that the Greenlanders and the Danes are going to start
hammering all the legal aspects. We will not be mining on Friday,
nor next year, or 2015."
Separately, the iron ore producer London Mining said on Thursday it had received the go-ahead from the Greenland government for a mine that could produce 15m tonnes a year, paving the way to attract partners for the project.
The Isua project, which will cost an estimated $2.3bn (£1.4bn), has been controversial in Greenland, with fears its construction would attract a flood of Chinese workers into the country.