By Daniel 
Why Trump Has His Eyes on Greenland (and Climate Change Plays a Big Role)
On Thursday, Second Lady Usha Vance is heading to Greenland with a U.S. delegation. Officially, the White House says the visit is all about celebrating Greenlandic culture checking out historical sites, learning about local heritage, and even attending a big dogsled race. But there’s a bigger story here.
Greenland’s leaders aren’t exactly thrilled about the visit, especially since the Trump administration has been making moves to gain influence in the region. During a speech to Congress earlier this month, Trump said Greenland’s future should be up to its people then immediately added, “We need it really for international world security, and I think we’re going to get it one way or the other.”
Climate Change Is Changing Greenland’s Future
Greenland is an autonomous territory under Denmark, but it’s facing major changes thanks to climate change. Rising temperatures are melting its massive ice sheet at an alarming rate, which is not only affecting local ecosystems but also opening up new economic and strategic opportunities.
On paper, that might sound like good news for the U.S. Greenland has a ton of untapped natural resources, like oil, natural gas, and rare minerals used in electronics and electric vehicles. But experts warn that actually getting to those resources is far from easy.
A Resource Boom? Not So Fast
There’s a reason why Greenland’s resources remain largely untouched. The country has a tiny population (under 60,000 people) and barely any roads. Plus, a lot of the land is covered in permafrost, making construction difficult. Asa Rennermalm, a professor at Rutgers, points out that it’s tough to build infrastructure on such unstable ground.
Despite hopes for a “gold rush” in minerals, Greenland has put environmental concerns first. In 2021, its parliament banned oil and gas exploration and also stopped uranium mining.
Interestingly, melting ice could provide another unexpected benefit—fueling hydropower for artificial intelligence data centers. Some U.S. officials have floated the idea of using Greenland’s melting ice to power AI-driven tech.
A New Trade Route in the Making?
Another big reason for Trump’s interest in Greenland is its strategic location. As Arctic ice melts, it’s opening up new shipping routes ones that could provide an alternative to the Panama Canal, which has been struggling with low water levels due to climate change.
Trump’s former national security adviser Robert O’Brien has called Greenland “strategically very important,” not just because of its location between the U.S., Russia, and China, but also as a potential key player in future global trade.
China and Russia are already taking advantage of these shifting routes, launching an Arctic shipping corridor in 2023. That same year, 80 voyages reached Chinese ports through these new pathways. Trump recently told NATO leaders that the U.S. needs to keep a close eye on who’s cruising around the Arctic.
The Bigger Climate Problem
While the Trump administration is focused on Greenland’s potential economic and military benefits, experts warn that the real issue here is the accelerating pace of climate change.
The Arctic is warming three to four times faster than the rest of the world. Last year alone, Greenland’s ice sheet lost an estimated 660,000 gallons of fresh water per second.
And while some believe melting ice will make resource extraction easier, University of Vermont professor Paul Bierman says that’s a huge misconception. He warns that ice melt can cause massive landslides, which could wipe out mining operations or destroy key infrastructure in an instant.
Then there’s the even bigger problem: If Greenland’s ice sheet completely melts, global sea levels would rise by about 23 feet. That would put coastal cities around the world Miami, New York, Mumbai, even Trump’s own Mar-a-Lago underwater.
Bierman believes the economic losses from rising sea levels will be in the trillions, completely overshadowing any potential gains from mining or new trade routes. But addressing that kind of crisis doesn’t fit into a short-term political agenda.
The Bottom Line
Trump and his administration see Greenland as a valuable asset whether for its location, natural resources, or future trade routes. But experts warn that focusing on these short-term gains ignores the real crisis: climate change is reshaping the Arctic in ways that could have catastrophic consequences for the entire world.