The quiet charm of Greenland

By: Beatrice E. Rangel - 20/01/2026

President Donald Trump is definitely the best incentive in the world for studying world geography. Months ago, he piqued our interest in Gaza by suggesting it could become the best tourist destination in the Middle East once the region is transformed into a resort city. Now, he's turning our attention to a vast island located between the United States, Canada, and Europe.

And when we looked more closely, we found a territory populated mostly by members of the Inuit nation, sparsely populated, and with near-freezing temperatures most of the time. It is a quasi-pastoral, pristine territory full of beautiful valleys and rolling mountains. Everything in that nation seems idyllic and peaceful. But the president's enthusiasm led us to take stock of the territory's virtues.

The first advantage is clearly geopolitical. Greenland serves as a platform for launching and halting military attacks against the United States, Europe, and Canada. The second is commercial in nature and has more to do with the evolution of planet Earth than with human activity. Our planet is currently undergoing a warming or interglacial period called the Holocene. During this phase, estimated to last at least 10,000 years, the glaciers will melt, opening trade routes that will facilitate faster communication between East and West.

Just as control of the Mediterranean was essential to the power of European and North African nations in ancient times, the Antarctic region is coveted by the United States, Russia, and China. Additionally, the United States operates Space Station Smurf (formerly Thule Air Base) in northwest Greenland. This base is crucial for missile early warning systems, space surveillance, Arctic defense, and control of its maritime routes.

As competition intensifies between great powers — especially between the US, Russia and China — Greenland has become a key piece of NATO's northern defense.

From an economic potential standpoint, Greenland possesses significant untapped resources, including rare earth elements (critical for electronics, green energy, and defense), uranium, iron ore, zinc, and gold. There are also potential offshore oil and gas reserves.

As global supply chains become more politicized, Greenland's resources are seen as a way to: reduce dependence on China for rare earths, secure the supply of critical materials for the energy transition and defense industries, and establish a geopolitical balance in favor of Europe and the United States.

Additionally, looking to the future, the Greenland ice sheet contains approximately 2.9 million cubic kilometers of water. That represents roughly 7 to 10% of the world's total freshwater. If it were to melt completely, it would raise global sea levels by about 7 meters.

In a world where severe periods of freshwater scarcity are predicted, Greenland, along with Tibet, is the world's largest freshwater reservoir. But the true geopolitical impact of the Greenland ice sheet stems from what would happen if it were to melt. Some consequences include: the submersion of megacities (Shanghai, New York, Lagos), massive flooding in entire nations such as Bangladesh and the Maldives, and the disappearance of naval bases, ports, and maritime infrastructure worldwide.

It is these secret charms that attract the attention and interest of President Donald Trump in shy and discreet Greenland.

«The opinions published herein are the sole responsibility of its author».