Billionaires are eyeing Greenland after melting glaciers
Billionaires are eyeing Greenland after melting glaciers. Billionaires including Amazon founder Bezos, financial media giant Bloomberg, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, etc. have all taken a fancy to Greenland's possible rich nickel and cobalt resources, and billionaires are eyeing Greenland after melting glaciers. Billionaires are eyeing Greenland after melting glaciers. 1
According to CNN, the climate crisis is melting Greenland's glaciers at an unprecedented speed, but ironically, the land after melting glaciers is becoming a "gold rush" for American billionaires because it has important minerals that can promote the transformation of green energy.
It is understood that these rich people include Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg, and Bill Gates, the "father of Microsoft". They believe that the mineral resources under the surface of Disko Island and Nu Szvak Peninsula in Greenland can provide power for hundreds of millions of electric vehicles.
Kurt House, CEO of Kobold Metals, a famous exploration company, told CNN: "We are looking for a nickel deposit and a cobalt deposit that can become the largest or second largest in the world (Greenland)."
It is understood that KoBold metals is a privately held company, which uses machine learning and artificial intelligence technology to find raw materials. Its main investors include Breakthrough Energy Ventures. This is a climate and technology investment fund supported by Bill Gates, michael bloomberg and Jeff Bezos.
In April this year, KoBold announced that it will cooperate with Bluejay Mining and invest 15 million US dollars. Later this year, it will start mining minerals that are essential for electric vehicles in western Greenland, including nickel, copper, cobalt and platinum group metals, which are necessary for manufacturing electric vehicles and large batteries for storing renewable energy. Mining exploration work is reported to have started in June. In this regard, Bezos, Bloomberg and Gates did not comment and responded to this matter.
In recent years, many mining companies have targeted Greenland. The picture shows the mining site of Hudson Resources in Greenland.
at present, 3 geologists, geophysicists, pilots, mechanics and other staff have been stationed in the mining sites of KoBold and Bluejay Mining. The staff are collecting soil samples, using drones and helicopters with transmitters to measure underground electromagnetic fields and draw the rock strata below, and analyzing the data through artificial intelligence so as to determine the drilling site as early as next summer.
"The climate change in Greenland is worrying, but overall, it makes exploration and mining in Greenland easier." Bomler Stensgaard, CEO of blue jay Mining, said. This is because the ice-free period of the ocean has been extended, and the mining team can more easily use heavy equipment to transport minerals to the global market.
As a result, climate change presents a unique "embarrassing" situation for Greenland's future. The disappearance of ice has exposed the land that has been buried for thousands to centuries, and now it may be threatened by becoming a metal mine source needed to solve the energy crisis.
Mike Sfraga, chairman of the Arctic Research Council of the United States, commented: "With the intensification of glacier melting, there is no doubt that more land will be used in the future, and some of them may have the potential for mineral development."
According to the data from the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Greenland may be rich in various mineral resources such as coal, copper, gold, rare earth elements and zinc. According to the agency, the Greenland government has conducted many resource assessments on the "whole ice-free area", so the government has realized the potential that "the country can diversify its national economy through mineral exploitation".
"The Government of Greenland supports responsible, sustainable and economically feasible `natural resource development'." Fraga stressed.
However, the disappearing ice layer and rising sea level in Greenland are still very concerned by scientists.
Research shows that the warming speed of the Arctic is 2-3 times that of the global warming. In the 198s, about one-third of the sea ice in the Arctic was perennial ice. Now, the perennial ice in the Arctic Ocean has almost completely disappeared, and it is replaced by annual ice that will be formed and completely melted every year. They will melt more easily in summer, which will aggravate sea level rise and greenhouse effect.
At the same time, the thickness of Arctic sea ice has also changed significantly. In the past, the average ice thickness in the Arctic in summer was 4.88 meters, and by the end of the 2th century it was only about 2.75 meters, a decrease of 43%. Since the 21st century, the shrinking speed of Arctic sea ice has greatly exceeded people's expectations.
Nathan Kurtz, a NASA scientist who studies Arctic sea ice, said in an interview, "Arctic sea ice has been disappearing for decades, and it is expected that it will disappear in 2 to 3 years." Billionaires set their eyes on Greenland after melting glaciers. 2
With global warming, the thick ice layer on Greenland in the Arctic began to melt, exposing the ground. Ironically, Greenland under the climate crisis is welcoming a wave of billionaire investment "treasure hunt" fever.
According to CNN)8's report on the 8th, billionaires including Amazon founder Bezos, financial media giant Bloomberg, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, etc. have taken a fancy to Greenland's rich nickel and cobalt resources, and nickel and cobalt are indispensable and important minerals in key industries of energy revolution such as new energy vehicles and energy storage equipment.
It is reported that a start-up company in California, USA, has been funded by a group of rich people and is cooperating with Bluejay Mining, a British mining giant, to explore mineral resources on the land where ice and snow melt in Greenland.
CNN reported that there are currently 3 geologists, geophysicists, pilots, mechanics and chefs stationed at the exploration site. Workers are collecting soil samples, operating drones with signal transmitters or flying helicopters to detect underground electromagnetic fields and draw rock strata maps. They use artificial intelligence for data analysis so as to accurately locate the mining site as early as next summer.
Stens Gard, CEO of blue jay Mining Company, said: "The consequences and impacts of climate change on Greenland are worrying. But in general, climate change makes exploration and mining in Greenland easier. " He also said that due to the long ice-free period of the ocean caused by climate change, the mining team can more easily transport heavy equipment to Greenland and export metal minerals to the global market.
According to the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Greenland may become a hot spot for mining coal, copper, gold, rare earth elements and zinc. The agency also said that the Greenland Home Rule Government had "evaluated the resources of the whole ice-free land several times and realized the potential of economic diversification through mineral exploitation".
At the same time, the melting of glaciers in Greenland is causing the sea level to rise, which makes scientists very worried. In view of the mineral development of the island, some people are worried that it will cause damage to the environment, while others think that these potential mineral resources will help the transformation of green energy, thus bringing opportunities to deal with climate change. Billionaires are eyeing Greenland after melting glaciers. 3
According to a report by cnn)8 on the 8th, some of the richest people in the world are investing in a large-scale "treasure hunt" on the west coast of Greenland, and they are also equipped with helicopters and signal transmitters.
Under the influence of global warming, Greenland glaciers are melting at an unprecedented rate, which creates opportunities for investors and mining companies looking for key mineral resources that can promote the green energy transformation. The report said that this situation is "ironic."
Screenshot of CNN report
Some American billionaires, including Jeff Bezos, michael bloomberg and Bill Gates, believe that there are enough key mineral resources under the hills and valleys of Disco Island in Greenland and Nu suak Peninsula, which can be used to power hundreds of millions of electric vehicles.
kurt house, CEO of kobold metals, a mineral exploration company, told cnn: "We are looking for a deposit, which will become the largest or second largest nickel deposit and cobalt deposit in the world." The American start-up company is working with British mining giant bluejay mining to find the rare and precious metals necessary for manufacturing electric vehicles and large batteries for storing renewable energy in Greenland.
The representative of Kobold Metals revealed that several billionaires are providing financial support for this California-based mineral exploration company. However, Bezos, Bloomberg and Gates did not respond to cnn's request for comment.
It is reported that 3 geologists, geophysicists, chefs, pilots and mechanics are currently stationed at the exploration site. Workers are collecting soil samples, operating drones with signal transmitters or flying helicopters to detect underground electromagnetic fields and draw rock strata maps. They are using artificial intelligence to analyze the data so as to accurately locate the mining site as early as next summer.
screenshot of CNN report
Stens Stensgaard, CEO of blue jay Mining Company, said: "The consequences and impacts of climate change on Greenland are worrying. But in general, climate change makes exploration and mining in Greenland easier. "
He also said that due to the long ice-free period of the ocean caused by climate change, it is easier for mining teams to import heavy equipment to Greenland and export metal minerals to the global market.
after the glaciers on the land melt, the land buried under the ice for hundreds to thousands of years is exposed, becoming a potential mineral exploration site. Mike flug, chairman of the American Arctic Research Council, said: "As this trend continues in the future, there is no doubt that more land will become accessible, and some of them may have mineral development potential."
According to the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (geus), Greenland may become a hot spot for mining coal, copper, gold, rare earth elements and zinc. The agency also said that the Greenland Home Rule Government had "evaluated the resources of the whole ice-free land several times and realized the potential of economic diversification through mineral exploitation".
At the same time, the melting of glaciers in Greenland is causing the sea level to rise, which is a problem that scientists studying the Arctic are very worried about.
nathan kurtz, an expert on sea ice at NASA, told cnn: "The biggest worry about Arctic sea ice is that it has been melting in the past few decades and is expected to disappear in 2 to 3 years. The Arctic ice sheet, which did not melt in the past year, has now become a seasonal ice sheet. "