Citing environmental concerns, Greenland has committed to drop plans for oil exploration.
The island’s government’s decision to scrap all future oil exploration plans is a win for environmental groups.
In a statement, the Greenland government said it “has decided to cease issuing new licenses for oil and gas exploration,” and that “this step has been taken for the sake of our nature, for the sake of our fisheries, for the sake of our tourism industry, and to focus our business on sustainable potentials.”
The decision comes amid alarming signs of global warming in Greenland. It was reported that average sea levels have risen to 9 inches since 1880, and a quarter of this increase is due to ice melting in Greenland and Antarctica.
“The Greenlandic government believes that the price of oil extraction is too high,” it said in the statement. “This is based upon economic calculations, but considerations of the impact on climate and the environment also play a central role in the decision.”
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