Greenland
Greenland moves to formalize Arctic-apartheid system in gemstone exploration
(True North Gems Apartheid press release via PRWeb, 5 March 2010) -- Nuuk, Greenland - Niels Madsen, a small scale mining activist and one of the founders of
the 16th August Union, a Greenlandic association of small scale miners,
has issued a call to the international community to block the Greenland
Bureau of Minerals and Petroleum’s (BMP) continuing attempt to
disenfranchise Greenlanders from their mineral resources. The BMP has recently revoked communal ownership of the land and its
resources, which were formerly guaranteed under Article 32 of the
Greenlandic Constitution. On March 8th, Greenland’s Manager of the BMP,
Jorn Skov Nielsen will present in Toronto to the Prospectors and
Developers Association of Canada http://www.pdac.ca/ with the clear aim of offering
Greenland’s vast mineral wealth to large-scale mining companies. “Any company that collaborates with the BMP is not only in violation of the UN Declaration of Indigenous Rights,” said Madsen, “they are also supporting what has clearly become an apartheid system.” True North Gems, Inc., (TNG), a junior Canadian mining company prospecting for ruby on Greenland since 2004 was recently granted rights to an enormous exploration license near the village of Fiskenaesset. On Tuesday 9 March 2010, TNG is scheduled to give a 20 minute presentation to the Canadian diamond community. Until the documentation of valuable gem deposits in Greenland, Inuits were allowed to gather, polish and sell gem material. Once exceptionally valuable ruby was documented by TNG, the BMP issued completely new mining laws. “Once an applications is filed to mine, the BMP delays or outright refuses to issue licenses,” said Madsen. “We also want to benefit from the ruby we already collected and legally own and pay fair taxes, but at present that is not possible.” “Even though True North Gems is very unpopular in our country, we respect large scale mining. But we cannot tolerate being thrown out of the many big exploration areas which will soon be covering the entire land which is our commons,” said Madsen, who gathered four thousand signatures in support of Inuit small scale mining rights for ruby on Greenland. ... “The BMP is guilty of marginalizing the Inuit from their own wealth and inheritance,” said Valerio. “Not only do their new small-scale mining laws discredit the BMP in the eyes of the international gemstone community, they also humiliate and discriminate against very people they claim to represent.” [See the protest web site.]
Posted 8 March 2010; 1:55:00 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Economic issues, Greenland, March10, Oil, gas, non-renewable resources, Resource Issues, Social Issues
Robert Petersen awarded honourary doctorate
(Sermitsiaq, 26 February 2010) -- Greenland's first and only professor of Greenlandic is also the first honorary doctorate at Ilisimatusarfik. On Friday he was awarded the very first in the university's history. Honorary doctorates are awarded to people who have performed significant and extensive research at the international level and have done a great deal of research and research training at their university. "It is with great pleasure that Ilisimatusarfik awards honorary degree to the University's first rector, Professor Robert Petersen," said Rector Tine Pars while giving the award. Robert Petersen has,, through the years been a highly productive researcher in both anthropology and linguistics, with publications in English, Danish and Greenlandic. He enjoys considerable recognition internationally as a specialist not only in Greenlandic conditions, but also in the Inuit in general. "His importance in Greenland as founder of the University of Greenland, as researcher, teacher and facilitator can not be overstated," says the technical committee behind the nomination. The Committee consists of Professor Louis-Jacques Dorais of Université Laval in Quebec in Canada, Associate Professor Ole Marquardt, Ilisimatusarfik and Associate Professor Birgitte Jacobsen, Ilisimatusarfik. The medal, commissioned by Ilisimatusarfik, that honours the degree is made of 14 carat Greenlandic gold and is crafted by Palle Møller from Jewelry Workshop.
Posted 26 February 2010; 7:42:32 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Education and Civil Society, February10, Greenland, People, Prizes, awards and recognitions
New research: Forbears of today’s Inuit sought trade
(Nunatsiaq News, 25 February 2010) -- The direct ancestors of today’s eastern Arctic Inuit may have come looking for iron. A new theory by a Canadian archaeologist argues that the ancestors of modern Canadian Inuit traveled rapidly from Alaska to Greenland, in search of iron for tools and trade. Ruin Island, between Ellesmere Island and Greenland, may be the earliest Inuit settlement outside Alaska, Robert McGhee, former curator of the Canadian Museum of Civilization’s Arctic archeology department, says in an essay. “The Ruin Island complex would not appear to be the product of a slow Inuit expansion from the Western Arctic, but of a purposeful expedition across approximately 4,000 kilometres of Arctic geography that had no previous Inuit occupation,” McGhee said in his essay, “When and why did the Inuit move to the Eastern Arctic?” Ruin Island lies near Cape York in Greenland, where an iron meteor fell from the sky sometime in the past. The region was also frequented by Norse hunters, and many Norse-style iron tools were among the artifacts uncovered at Ruin Island. McGhee asserts that rumours of the iron at Cape York and-or the potential for Norse trade reached the ancestors of today’s Inuit in Alaska through the Dorset people, or Tuniit, who inhabited the eastern Arctic at the time. Also, McGhee said Ruin Island’s Inuit artifacts have more in common with the societies of the western or northwestern Alaskan coast than with the northern coast. Citing earlier research. McGhee said the people of that region were involved in trading metal between Asia and North America, so rumours of eastern iron could have acted as a magnet, drawing Inuit explorers and settlers east. Robert McGhee's paper was published in the book The Northern World AD 900-1400: The Dynamics of Climate, Economy, and Politics in Hemisphere Perspective (Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 2009).
Posted 26 February 2010; 6:20:12 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Canada, Circumpolar History, February10, Greenland, Nunavut
The green, green grass of Greenland
(Sermitsiaq, 10 February 2010) -- Southern Greenland is looking unseasonably green after an unprecedentedly warm January. A month of warm winds and a series of rain storms has southern Greenland thinking spring, even thought the calendar still reads February. The temperature in Narsaq on Tuesday was 14 C, and despite overcast skies, a sure sign of spring – green grass is already visible.
Posted 21 February 2010; 12:58:24 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Climate Change and Weather, Environment and Landscape, February10, Greenland, North Atlantic
Emigration damaging Greenland’s hopes for independence
(IceSave, 21 February 2010) -- The Greenlandic finance minister Palle Christiansen has declared the steady exodus of manpower from the country as the biggest hurdle facing Greenland’s ongoing quest for independence. While acknowledging that other factors have hindered short-term prospects, Christiansen suggested that emigration trends would seriously undermine long-term hopes for the autonomous country. According to figures published in Sermitsiaq, 2008 saw 638 people depart the country on a permanent basis. This is consistent with the record level reached in 2006, when 644 out of a total population of around 50,000 emigrated abroad. Christiansen expressed a desire to instigate a range of measures designed to lure Greenlanders back home, predominantly those young people who leave to study in Denmark. At present, a mere half return home at the conclusion of their education but student groups have confirmed that the prospect of greater autonomy has resulted in a forecasted increase in returns. Employment inside Greenland remains the biggest hurdle to repatriation. Christiansen has also identified housing as an additional barrier, but hopes to address the issue by constructing several new estates. Greenlandic Students Association in Denmark head, Anne Berit Nielsen, has claimed that childcare and family issues also compounded the reluctance to return for many Greenlandic youths. Herself a medical student, Nielsen said simply that “there are just a lot more opportunities in the Danish health service.” Nielsen advised against adopting the proposals of her homeland’s lawmakers to make émigrés repay education subsidies. Christiansen empathised with those students in Denmark but hoped future decisions would be encouraged by a sense of national identity. “If you’re settling down in Denmark, you can’t be a part of building our country. To them, I say: I hear what you are saying but you need to come home and help us.”
Posted 21 February 2010; 11:19:13 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, February10, Greenland, North Atlantic, Social Issues
Canada to close ports to Faroes, Greenland vessels
(CBC News, 14 February 2010) -- Canada is going to close its ports to vessels from the Faroe Islands and Greenland on Monday because of shrimp overfishing, federal Fisheries Minister Gail Shea said Sunday. The Faroes and Greenland have refused to abide by quotas set by the North Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO), which sets catch limits for each member. "We have acted in good faith for several years to try to resolve this issue, to no avail," Shea said in a news release. Canada originally closed its ports to vessels from the Faroes and Greenland in December 2004, but reopened them in March 2008 as a sign of good faith. Now, however, the minister has followed up on a warning issued Jan. 26, when she said the ports would be closed unless the Faroes and Greenland withdrew an objection to the NAFO shrimp quota in NAFO area 3L, in the north Atlantic east of St. John's beyond Canada's 200-mile limit. Denmark, which acts on behalf of the Faroes and Greenland in international matters, unilaterally set a 3L shrimp quota of 3,101 tonnes, almost 10 times greater than their NAFO quota of 334 tonnes. "Their continued overfishing is unacceptable," Shea said on Jan. 26. The minister said Sunday she would be willing to meet her counterparts from the Faroes and Greenland to resolve the issue "at their earliest convenience." Both the Faroe Islands and Greenland are self-governing overseas administrative divisions of Denmark.
Posted 14 February 2010; 1:57:14 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Autonomy, Sovereignty and Politics, Canada, Faeroes Islands, February10, Greenland, International, North America, North Atlantic
Greenland MPs call for end to Danish political involvement
(Sermitsiaq via IceNews, 3 February 2010) -- The Danish parliament’s elected representatives for Greenland have declared that they are ready to begin negotiations aimed at discontinuing the semi-autonomous country’s involvement in Danish domestic politics. “This is a process we need to get started,” said Greenland MP Sofia Rossen. “This was something I said during the last election”. Rossen has not suggested a date for any withdrawal but claimed it would not happen until Greenland has been afforded full responsibility for the administration of its own domestic affairs. Sermitsiaq reports that the question of independence for both the Faroe Islands and Greenland is regularly debated in the Danish parliament, where the overseas territories are represented. Danish parliamentarians frequently question the fact that either region can use its elected representatives to determine the outcome of a close national election; while the territories themselves claim to be hamstrung by adhering to Danish political values which impinge on their national identities. Greenland has been under home-rule from Denmark since 1979, with more competencies being transferred to the local government in 2008. The present scenario sees the Danish Royal Government oversee Greenland’s foreign affairs, financial policy and security; with a DKK 3.4 billion (USD 633 million) subsidy each year: roughly DKK 60,000 (USD 11,300) per Greenlander per annum.
Posted 5 February 2010; 11:36:16 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, February10, Greenland, North Atlantic
Greenland powerless to prevent EU sealskin ban
(IceNews, 29 January 2010) -- Greenland has once again been left without an international voice due to its membership of the Danish Kingdom, with the self-ruling administration unable to formally complain against the newly approved European Union ban on seal-product imports to the World Trade Organisation. Greenland’s international affairs are still governed by Denmark and accordingly, as a member of the EU, Denmark is powerless to argue against EU rules at the WTO, because it is an EU member state, says the Greenland Foreign Ministry’s Christian Wennicke in a report by Sermitsiaq. Not being an individual member of the EU means that Greenland now finds a repeat of the situation experienced during the recent whaling debate, where the self-rule state’s favourable policy towards expansion is subservient to Denmark’s agreement to the hard line approach issued by Brussels in relation to whaling. The seal-product ban is set to take effect this August while both the Norwegian and Canadian governments have already lodged complaints last November with the World Trade Organisation over the EU proposal. No decision is expected to be made in relation to the complaints in the next two years. The EU seal import ban can be partially circumvented through a stipulation allowing natively produced goods to be imported; but the Greenland administration argues that the ban will still impact negatively on all seal-related products, irrespective of origin.
Posted 30 January 2010; 11:14:50 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Economic issues, Europe, Greenland, International, January10
Greenland financial independence predicted by 2015
(IceNews, 22 January 2010) -- Mineral and oil income is expected, within five years, to surpass the current handouts from Copenhagen that Greenland lives off. Negating the need for the DKK 3 billion (USD 580 million) handout means that national financial independence may be just a few short years away, according to forecasts from the leader of the Raw Materials Directorate in Greenland in a report by Sermitsiaq. The Danish state provides an annual block grant to the country but according to Jorn Skov Nielsen, the planned oil drilling tests across four sites this summer could see new capital flowing by 2015. Although the veracity of claims to Greenland’s purported oil-reserves remain unproven, the Raw Materials Directorate has predicted that a single oil strike could fetch an annual DKK 10 billion (USD 1.9 billion). Under the new rules which assist the transition to self-rule, Greenland will split profits from any natural resources after the initial DKK 75 million (USD 14.5 million) which would remain in Greenland. The block grant will be discontinued should a level of DKK 7 billion (USD 1.3 billion) be surpassed. “If we start earning a lot of money on minerals, we’ll need to save a lot of it in order to ensure that we can use them once the block grant disappears,” said Nielsen, who expects up to six new mines to generate mineral wealth in excess of the block grant. While oil would create maximum revenue, additional jobs would be created in the mining sector with a miner-training school already being established in Greenland. “Right now, there are 90 people working with mining in Greenland,” Nielsen said. “Within seven years there were will be 1,500 new tax paying positions”.
Posted 22 January 2010; 10:41:41 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Autonomy, Sovereignty and Politics, Circumpolar News, Economic issues, Greenland, January10, North Atlantic
Pictures: Various views of the Arctic
(Claire O'Neill/The Picture Show - NPR, 15 January 2010) -- Olaf Otto Becker goes out of his way to make a photograph. He'll travel up to 10 hours carrying his weight in equipment to find the right location — then maybe even wait a few more hours for the right light. He's also using a large format film camera, which is pretty much the furthest thing from convenient. His photos of Greenland accompany Celine Clanet's series from Norway, currently at Blue Sky Gallery in Portland, Ore. While Becker, who was trained as a painter, is interested in making visual documentation of a changing environment, Clanet is interested in people: her project documents Sami — people indigenous to Maze, a small Norwegian village above the Arctic Circle with a population of about 350.
Posted 15 January 2010; 11:57:02 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Arts and Artists, Circumpolar News, Greenland, January10, Norway, Photography
(David Holthouse/Alaska Dispatch, 8 January 2010) -- Vester Eyland, a small island off the west coast of Greenland, near the mouth of Disko Bay, has long been known for producing some of the best sea kayakers in the world. "The island draws big waves, so it's not easy to paddle and hunt, compared to other places off the coast of the main country, where the water is calm and flat," says famed sea kayaker Maligiaq Johnsen Padilla (pronounced muh-LIG-ee-ahk YOON-sen pa-DEE-uh), 27, whose mother's ancestors are from Vester Eyland. Padilla grew up in Sisimiut, a town on the edge of the Arctic Circle, just south of Disko Bay. He learned to subsistence hunt and sea kayak from his Vester Eyland relatives, for whom knowing how to right, or "roll" a capsized kayak is more survival skill than sport. They hunt in seas where the wind and waves batter kayaks like unruly children slapping at bathtub toys. Padilla's great-grandfather was killed near Vester Eyland in 1929 when a harpooned seal yanked his kayak with enough force in rough water to snap his spine. Though he still hunts for seals, fish and Auks (diving birds related to sea puffins), Padilla is better known outside the Sisimiut area for his prowess in world-class sea kayaking competitions. He's the only person in history to win the Greenland National Kayaking Championships four times, beginning in 1998 at the age of 16, when he became the youngest Greenland kayak champion ever. Last month, Padilla traveled to Alaska to participate in Generation I, a touring series of workshops, demonstrations and community discussions in Northwest Alaska that took place Dec. 28 through Jan. 8 in Kotzebue, Kiana and Selawik. (Here's a slideshow from the event.) Generation I — a play on "I" representing both personal identity and Inuit culture — was inspired by a recent "Hope and Resilience in Suicide Prevention" seminar, in Nuuk, Greenland, that was organized and funded by the Inuit Circumpolar Conference [now Council] in conjunction with the government of Greenland. Suicides among Inuit, and especially Inuit youth, in both Alaska and Greenland are tragically high. But in Greenland, they're decreasing. The "Hope and Resilience" seminar attributed the positive shift in large part to three factors: affirming the self-worth of Inuit teenagers, promoting a deeper sense of Inupiat cultural identity, and putting youths in contact with positive role models. [See the YouTube video]
Posted 10 January 2010; 11:19:40 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Alaska, Circumpolar cooperation, Circumpolar News, Greenland, Health and wellness, International, January10, People, Social Issues, United States, Youth
Education part of explanation for falling population
(Sermitsiaq, 5 January 2010) -- The country’s population is declining, but statisticians expect most of those who leave Greenland will return someday – not just older, but also wiser. Greenland’s high emigration rate is due mostly to the large number of young people attending post-secondary schools in Denmark, according to Statistics Greenland. “What we can see is that a third of emigrants name education as the reason,” said Lars Petersen of Statistics Greenland. He pointed out that concern about a brain drain were over exaggerated. “Normally they come back within five years.” The statistics show that Greenland waves good-bye to far more people each year than it welcomes as new residents. The trend has accelerated during the past decade, and has seen the largest numbers emigrants in the 15-25 year-old bracket. “If we look at the group emigrants who were born in Greenland, we can see that much of the net population loss is due to people leaving to study,” Petersen said. In 2008, the net emigration amongst native Greenlanders was 653, the highest level in ten years. In addition to being young, most were women. Statistics Greenland figures also show that the population as a whole fell for the fourth year in a row last year. On 1 January 2005, there were 56,969 people living in Greenland. On 1 January 2010, there were 56,194.
Posted 9 January 2010; 10:36:07 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Communities, Education and Civil Society, Greenland, January10, North Atlantic, Social Issues
Education part of explanation for falling population
(Sermitsiaq, 5 January 2010) -- The country’s population is declining, but statisticians expect most of those who leave Greenland will return someday – not just older, but also wise. Greenland’s high emigration rate is due mostly to the large number of young people attending post-secondary schools in Denmark, according to Statistics Greenland. “What we can see is that a third of emigrants name education as the reason,” said Lars Petersen of Statistics Greenland. He pointed out that concern about a brain drain were over exaggerated. “Normally they come back within five years.” The statistics show that Greenland waves good-bye to far more people each year than it welcomes as new residents. The trend has accelerated during the past decade, and has seen the largest numbers emigrants in the 15-25 year-old bracket. “If we look at the group emigrants who were born in Greenland, we can see that much of the net population loss is due to people leaving to study,” Petersen said. In 2008, the net emigration amongst native Greenlanders was 653, the highest level in ten years. In addition to being young, most were women. Statistics Greenland figures also show that the population as a whole fell for the fourth year in a row last year. On 1 January 2005, there were 56,969 people living in Greenland. On 1 January 2010, there were 56,194.
Posted 8 January 2010; 8:02:28 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Education and Civil Society, Greenland, January10, North Atlantic, Social Issues
Looking for a few good lawyers
(Jørgen Chemnitz/Sermitsiaq, 30 December 2009) -- When Thomas Trier assumes his new position as judge and head of the Court of Greenland tomorrow, he will be the first to head the legal body established as part of the increasing autonomy granted the country this summer as part of the Self-Rule Act. The court will have 40 employees, including another judge and four legal aides. But Trier has expressed his disappointment over the lack of qualified Greenlandic candidates for the aide positions. “It’s due to the fact that there aren’t a lot of Greenlandic lawyers,” he said. “This is an important social institution, and lawyers themselves, as well as the administration, need to encourage people to study law.” He suggested expanding the legal studies programme at the University of Greenland. Currently law students must take at least some of their courses in Denmark. “Something needs to happen,” Trier said. “The need is enormous, and we need to remember that the judiciary is the third pillar of the separation of powers.” Taking over responsibility for the judiciary is hoped to lead to an increased professionalism amongst the country’s legal professionals. All judges and public defenders are to be hired full-time, and will receive additional training. ... In addition to personnel issues, one of the basic issues facing the new court is office space, especially for circuit courts. “The courthouse in Qaqortoq is too small to house two judges, so it’s a real logistical challenge, and I don’t think a new structure will be in place until 2012. We need to build, we need to procure funds, and there are personnel that need to relocate – as well as those who can’t relocate. We need to cover all our bases.” As the new court finds its feet in the coming weeks, circuit court judges will also be preparing for qualifying exams. “The exams are in March, and hopefully they will nominated by June. Then they need to be approved, so I hope we can have them in place by July. At that point the circuit courts should be operating full-time."
Posted 31 December 2009; 10:52:35 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, December09, Governance, Greenland, Laws and legal, Social Issues
Greenland faces crucial decision on its future
(IceNews, 28 December 2009) -- The Premier of Greenland, Kuupik Kleist, has claimed that his country is at a crossroads with decisions to be made in the determining of the future of the state. The Premier made the assertion at an administration-sponsored exhibition as reported in Sermitsiaq. Kleist declared that the challenge Greenland faces is one of creating economic independence to best meet climate change challenges while still endeavouring to protect the sustainable use of its abundance of natural resources. Kleist said the problem meant the country was “facing one of the most important decisions in its modern history,” during an address at the Copenhagen expo ‘In the Eye of Climate Change’. “We are now at a crossroads and it is vital that we preserve our unique culture while we at the same time create a modern, sustainable society,” said Kleist. Greenland has sought to establish a sign-on agreement from the Danish government that would seek its own climate treaty which would thereby allow the nation’s developing economy special consideration. A proposal was recently put forward by the self-ruling Greenland administration to reduce CO2 emissions by five percent over the next decade, although petroleum and mining industries would be excluded from this target. Kleist welcomed the probability of a binding agreement being reached at COP15 in terms of the reduction of Greenhouse gas emissions. “But we also need an agreement which recognises that the countries of the world have a common, but differentiated, responsibility to curb global warming,” he added. In the end, however, the world’s nations failed to reach a binding agreement in Copenhagen.
Posted 29 December 2009; 12:15:41 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Autonomy, Sovereignty and Politics, Circumpolar News, Climate change response, December09, Greenland, North Atlantic
(Inge S. Rasmussen/Sermitsiaq News, 11 December 2009) -- The biggest challenge facing Greenland as it seeks to carve out its economic independence is to meet the challenge of climate change while at the same time making sustainable use of its natural resources, Premier Kuupik Kleist underscored on Friday. In his opening address to the “In the Eye of Climate Change” expo in Copenhagen on Friday, Kleist said Greenland was “facing one of the most important decisions in its modern history”. “We are now at a crossroads and it is vital that we preserve our unique culture while we at the same time create a modern, sustainable society.” Greenland has lobbied the Danish government to be permitted to sign on to a post-Kyoto climate treaty under its own name so that special consideration could be taken for the developing nature of its economy. Recently, the Self-Rule administration put forth a proposal to cut its carbon dioxide emissions 5 percent by 2020, but those reductions would exclude emissions from the mining and petroleum industries. Kleist added that he hoped the on-going UN climate summit in Copenhagen would end with a binding agreement to reduce Greenhouse gas emissions. “But we also need an agreement which recognises that the countries of the world have a common, but differentiated, responsibility to curb global warming.” Kleist’s speech is available in English.
Posted 13 December 2009; 1:03:27 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Autonomy, Sovereignty and Politics, Circumpolar News, Climate change response, December09, Greenland, North Atlantic
Gender impact of climate change: Survival harder for Inuit hunters in Greenland
(Nordic Council News, 7 December 2009) -- In the run-up to the UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen, the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Nordic Region in Focus co-hosted a panel discussion on how climate change affects women and men in different ways, and forces them to make changes in their ways of life. Norwegian journalist and author Åsne Seierstad chaired the event. The Council of Ministers in Copenhagen also inaugurated an exhibition about how men in the north and women in the south are affected by climate change. Malin Jennings is the founder of the Arctic ICCE (Indigenous Climate Change Ethnographies). For years, she has followed the lives of the small Inuit communities in Greenland. In these societies, the men were hunters while the women took care of the animals, made food from the meat and sewed garments from the hides. But the warmer climate has made hunting more difficult. "The ice freezes later and is thinner than before," Jennings explains. "The men can't hunt on ice thinner than six centimetres.
Posted 11 December 2009; 1:10:17 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Climate Change and Weather, Climate change response, December09, Economic issues, Greenland, Nordic Region, Women, Children and Families
Iceland could rent doctors and nurses to Greenland
(IceNews, 8 December 2009) -- Thorvaldur Ingvarsson, Medical Manager at Iceland’s Akureyri Hospital, said at a meeting with Greenlandic counterparts and the country’s Minister for Health that Iceland should send doctors to Greenland. One in every four medical positions in Greenland is currently unmanned, RUV reports. This situation means that Iceland should look very carefully at sending medical staff to work for set temporary periods in Greenland, Ingvarsson said. The Greenlandic health minister and an entourage have been in Iceland for the last few days being introduced to the Icelandic healthcare system; both in Reykjavik and Akureyri. Thorvaldur Ingvarsson says that Iceland’s health service could be very useful to Greenland. The assistance could come in the form of staff exchanges between the two countries or the “rental” of Icelandic staff to Greenland. It is also thought that serious medical procedures on Greenlanders could halve in cost if performed in Iceland instead of in Denmark.
Posted 9 December 2009; 10:12:44 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, December09, Greenland, Health and wellness, Iceland, International
Gallery: Showcase: Black and Very White
(Miki Meek/Blogs.New York Times, 7 December 2009) -- He’s trekked through glacial storms, fallen through rifts and awakened on ice that’s drifted out to sea. But Ragnar Axelsson just keeps coming back. For 25 years, he has been traveling to small Inuit villages in Greenland’s most remote regions, documenting hunting traditions that are 4,000 years old. Mr. Axelsson, 51, lives in Reykjavik. He has been a staff
photographer at the newspaper Morgunbladid since 1976. He will be
publishing “The Last Days of the Arctic,” about the effects of climate change on Greenland’s Inuit, in November 2010. A documentary about Mr. Axelsson’s life and overall work will be released at the same time. Mr. Axelsson has also documented vanishing lifestyles in the Faroe Islands and Iceland. These have been published, along with some of his Greenland work, in the stunning book “Faces of the North.” [See also, RAX Gallery at rax.is.]
Posted 7 December 2009; 2:54:33 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Arts and Artists, Books, Blogs and Publications, Circumpolar News, Greenland, North Atlantic, People, Photography
Greenlandic patients to be treated in Iceland
(IcelandReview News, 4 December 2009) -- Greenlandic authorities are hoping that around 80 patients can be sent from Greenland to hospitals in Iceland for treatment every year. Greenland’s Minister of Health Agathe Fintain is currently in Iceland with a Greenlandic delegation to discuss this proposal. One or two patients from Greenland are already being treated at hospitals in Iceland and Fintain is keen on expanding this cooperation. Currently, Greenlandic patients are being treated in Denmark, ruv.is reports. Patients in need of intensive care would be the first to arrive, mostly premature babies and heart and kidney patients. Next, people requiring specialized operations would come; the waiting list for knee and hip surgeries, for example, is long in Greenland. According to the Greenlandic state radio, it costs around ISK 10 million (USD 82,000, EUR 54,000) per year to transport patients to Denmark. That cost could be reduced by half if they were treated in Iceland instead. Fintain met with her Icelandic counterpart Álfheidur Ingadóttir yesterday morning and will also meet representatives of the Landspítali national hospital in Reykjavík and FSA, the hospital in
Posted 6 December 2009; 12:18:41 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, December09, Economic issues, Greenland, Health and wellness, Iceland, Social Issues
In Greenland, warming fuels dream of hidden wealth
(Karl Ritter/AP via GoogleNews, 27 November 2009) -- TASIILAQ, Greenland - Gert Ignatiussen returns to this fjord-front Inuit town with the spoils of his hunting trip. Six seals, all killed with a single shot to the head. With nimble handwork, his wife Bartholine cuts them up on the porch of their wood-frame home, saving the best meat for dinner. Ignatiussen throws leftover chunks of flesh and intestines to the yelping sled dogs fettered on a dusty slope below the house. The blood-drenched scene offers a glimpse into Greenland's past—a time not long ago when seal hunting meant survival to nomadic Inuit tribes in one of the most hostile climates on Earth. Inside, Ingatiussen, 54, shows what he believes is Greenland's future: A collection of mineral-rich rocks that he has stashed away in a drawer if he ever needs money. Global warming is melting the fringes of the frozen world where Greenland's Inuits have hunted seal, whale and polar bear for generations. It's thawing the permafrost on which their homes are built. It's disrupting Arctic wildlife and fish stocks, and making hunting trips more dangerous by thinning the ice that supports their dog sleds. But all is not doom and gloom. The retreating ice could uncover potential oil and mineral resources which, if successfully tapped, could dramatically change the fortunes of this semiautonomous Danish territory of 57,000 people. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates there are more than 18 billion barrels of oil and gas beneath the Arctic waters between Greenland and Canada, and 31 billion barrels off Greenland's east coast. North Sea resources of the same magnitude have made Norway one of Europe's richest countries. Even if only a small part becomes recoverable as the Arctic sea ice retreats, it would be enough for a major boost in living standards for Greenland's tiny population. "If we find those kind of quantities of oil and gas and the prices remain at current levels, then Greenland would be a very wealthy country, no doubt," said Joern Skov Nielsen, the director of Greenland's Bureau of Minerals and Petroleum.
Posted 28 November 2009; 12:08:04 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Climate Change and Weather, Greenland, November09, Oil, gas, non-renewable resources, Social Issues
Good reviews for historical comic book
(Noah Mølgaard/Sermitsiaq, 17 November 2009) -- Reviewers and readers alike are praising Greenlandic comic book The First Steps, a dramatisation of the nation's prehistory. Author and illustrator Nuka Godtfredsen was on hand to sign copies of the book during the weekend at Denmark's largest book exposition. The book, which depicts the life of the first people to settle Greenland over 4,000 years ago, has been published in Greenland and Danish. An English version and a translation to Inuit dialect Inuktitut are also on the way. The 67 people buying signed copies of the book during the three-day fair spent time discussing the positive reviews of the comic book that had appeared in the Danish press. Godtfredsen said a sequel titled Ukaliatsiaq, the name of its main character, is already in the works.
Posted 18 November 2009; 3:29:15 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Books, Blogs and Publications, Circumpolar History, Circumpolar News, Greenland / Denmark, North Atlantic, November09
(Kurt Kristensen/News from Greenland, Sermitsiaq.gl, 16 November 2009, (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/5lL8ha6eX)) -- The town of Qaanaaq, settled just 54 years ago, is sinking. Built on soft ground in a dried up riverbed in 1953, climate change has caused the ground to shift, causing major damage to many homes and homes. Among the problems seen by Kim Fritze, a carpenter with 18 years of experience, are houses literally coming apart at the seams. When that happens, he said, pipes separate, windows and doors begin to bind, and some buildings, like the village hall, begin sinking. The damage, however, is more than structural. Health officials report an increase in the number of lung illnesses amongst children, something they say is caused by mildew, which grows easily in the draughty homes. Part of the problem, according to Fritze, is that building foundations are dug only 120 centimetres deep, instead of the recommended 170. In colder times, that was sufficient, but with the permafrost melting, homes, particularly those people have built themselves during the past decade or so, are ripping apart. [WebCite transparent URL]
Posted 17 November 2009; 9:50:56 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Climate Change and Weather, Communities, Greenland / Denmark, November09, Transportation, Infrastructure and Construction
Conference investigates high male youth suicide rates
(IceNews, 15 November 2009) -- An international conference held in Nuuk has sought to understand why so many young men in the circumpolar region take their own lives. Despite declining overall rates in recent years, in Greenland and in other Arctic territories, around two-thirds of all suicides are performed by young males aged 15-25. Siku News reports that the statistics have seen Maliina Abelsen, Greenland’s social minister, call for additional research into the lives of young men. “We need to find out more about how our boys are doing,” said Abelsen, Greenland’s representative at the conference on teen suicide. “Why is it, for example, girls who finish their educations?” she asked. One suggestion for the high suicide rate has been the social taboos which limit young males displaying emotion according to feedback from teens in Alaska, Nunavut, Greenland and the Norwegian Saami. Young people attending the conference also implied that parental intervention into personal problems could be better managed. The role of the indigenous Arctic male has also changed as society has developed, with the traditional hunter gatherer figure no longer seen as an essential in modern development. Greenland will continue with its push on prevention efforts even though rates have fallen. Fifty-eight Greenlanders committed suicide in 2006, a figure which dropped to 38 in 2007 and to 35 last year with further declines predicted for 2009, although authorities point out that this does not mean that the curve is necessarily broken. “I hope it continues. But we have to wait some years before we can speak of a trend,” said Office of Prevention spokesperson Jette Eistrup, adding that forecasting was difficult to do based on small numbers.
Posted 16 November 2009; 7:47:23 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Conferences, meetings, and gatherings, Greenland / Denmark, Health and wellness, North Atlantic, November09, Social Issues
Kleist: Our common but differentiated responsibilities
(Countercurrents.org, 3 November 2009) -- Greenland is moving along a development path calling for new industries to be introduced to increase our economic independence. Like other countries at the bridge of industrial development, Greenland will travel to Copenhagen to draft a new agreement that will reduce emissions while at the same time taking into account the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities of countries and OCTs [overseas countries and territories]. ... We all inhabit the same globe, and we all must make an effort to curb climate change now. Reducing global emissions of greenhouse gasses and leaving a green planet for future generations is one of the biggest challenges faced by world leaders today. But while facing the challenges of global warming we must also see that countries at the bridge of industrial development find room to meet the needs and aspirations of their populations bringing them at level with people in the industrialised countries. In December 2009 the world meets in Copenhagen to draft a new agreement that hopefully will lead to a reduction in global emissions of greenhouse gasses, while at the same time taking into account the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.
Posted 9 November 2009; 2:57:38 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Climate Change and Weather, Economic and Commerce Issues, Greenland / Denmark, International, November09, Tourism / Perspectives
Air crew lost in Cold War memorialized
(Dave Wax and Taren Reed/First Coast News, 6 November 2009) -- NAS JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- It took more than 47 years, but an air crew lost during the Cold War is finally being honored. A dedication ceremony was held Friday morning for the crew aboard a P-2V patrol aircraft that disappeared in 1962. On January 12, 1962, the crew aboard the P-2V, part of Patrol and Reconnaissance Squadron Five (VP-5), disappeared while flying over Greenland on a routine Cold War mission. Crews searched for about a week in increasingly harsh conditions, but never found any sign of wreckage, so they assumed the plane and crew had been lost at sea. In 1966, a team of British geologists found the crash remains on a glacier in Greenland, and a new recovery effort for the crew was launched. The glacier—Kronborg—is very remote, and the environment is quite harsh, so the recovery effort launched in 1966 wasn't concluded until 2004. Heritage Park at NAS Jax has a P-2V on display, because the VP-5 was attached to NAS Jax in the 1960s. Beginning in September, a team of Mad Foxes from VP-5 repainted the aircraft to mirror that of LA-9, the tail number of the lost P-2V from 1962. "It really gives the squadron and entire VP community a chance to honor our fallen comrades and pay tribute to their Cold War service and sacrifice," says Lt. Cmdr. Robert Huntington, maintenance officer for the Mad Foxes. "On a more personal level, it gives us a chance to say thank you to the surviving families and to let them know their loved ones will not be forgotten." Surviving family members of the crew were on hand for the dedication, along with many people who never gave up the effort to get the crew back home, decades later.
Posted 9 November 2009; 12:53:13 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar History, Circumpolar News, Greenland / Denmark, November09, Prizes, awards and recognitions, United States
Concern over media's poor Greenlandic language skills
(Sermitsiaq, 3 November 2009) -- The media's inability to communicate clearly in Greenlandic risks making national news unavailable for large swaths of the population. News stories in Greenlandic are typically translated from Danish, but the quality of the language is too poor for them to be understandable, according to Arnaq Grove, an expert in Inuit languages with the Institute for Eskimology. Grove was concerned that Greenlanders unable to speak Danish would not be able to follow along with developments. "You get tired of news that is written poorly, and then you just stop paying attention," she said. "Quite often, you need to be able to understand Danish if you want to make sense of the news in Greenlandic."
Posted 6 November 2009; 4:18:54 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Communications and media, Greenland / Denmark, Indigenous Issues, North Atlantic, November09, Social Issues
(Sermitsiaq, 31 October 2009) -- Increased EU collaboration with Greenland must be based on relationship of common understanding, Premier Kuupik Kleist announced while taking part in meetings with union representatives in Brussels. "If the EU is ready to listen to Greenland’s point of view, then Greenland can be the EU’s window on the Arctic," Kleist said. The EU is in the midst of formulating an Arctic policy. As a Danish territory, Greenland was a member of the former European Community, but withdrew in 1985. But it still retains ties, and the country would make a natural partner. However, the EU has irked Greenland by passing regulations that affect two of Greenland’s most important economic activities. First, the union passed an import ban on sealskins earlier this year. The regulation made an exception for products originating from native cultures like Greenland’s Inuit, but many feel the ban gives the impression that all seal hunting was unacceptable. Then, in October, the EU moved to eliminate tariffs on certain types of seafood, including coldwater prawns. Greenland was already exempt from paying the tariff, but fishermen are concerned that they will be exposed to new competition. The EU is also opposed to Greenland’s wishes to expand its whale hunt, but Reinhard Preibe, of the EU’s office for maritime affairs, said the union was ready to discuss the issues.
Posted 2 November 2009; 10:31:07 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Autonomy, Sovereignty and Politics, Circumpolar News, Europe, Greenland / Denmark, October09
(Mads Dollerup-Scheibel/Sermitsiaq, 29 October 2009) -- Starting next month, the first bottles of Greenland spring water will start rolling of the production line the west coast town of Qeqertarsuaq. Greenland Springwater is currently putting the final touches on its tapping equipment and expects that 150,000 bottles of water from Lyngmark Spring will be shipped to retailers in Greenland and abroad in the coming months. Many of the bottles turned out in the start-up production phase have been distributed to the town's school and senior citizens' home. Once production officially gets underway, some 60,000 bottles of the initial production run will be sold in Greenland. The remaining bottles will be shipped to Switzerland and France. Greenland Springwater will also be sold on the German market, but because of laws there banning the sale of water in plastic bottles the company will ship water to Aalborg, Denmark, where it will be bottled in glass bottles and shipped south. After the 150,000 bottles have been filled, the factory intends to shut down for the winter while it works out the final details of distribution. It plans to open again permanently in the spring with an expanded staff.
Posted 1 November 2009; 11:29:12 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Economic and Commerce Issues, Greenland / Denmark, Resource Issues
Canada, Nunavut and Greenland sign polar bear pact
(ENS, 30 October 2009) -- KANGERLUUSUAQ, Greenland - A polar bear conservation and management agreement between Greenland, Canada and Nunavut was signed today at Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. The pact caps months of work by all three parties to protect bears in hunting areas shared by the Canadian territory of Nunavut and Greenland, including Baffin Bay and Kane Basin. Canada is inhabited by 15,500 of the estimated 25,000 polar bears in global polar regions. Of the 13 polar bear subpopulations in Canada, those in the Kane Basin and Baffin Bay are shared exclusively between Nunavut and Greenland. Canada's Environment Minister Jim Prentice, Nunavut's Minister of the Environment Daniel Shewchuk, and Greenland's Minister of Fisheries, Hunting and Agriculture Ane Hansen put their names to the Memorandum of Understanding aimed at ensuring the protection of these shared polar bear populations. The MOU proposes the creation of a Canada-Greenland joint commission that would recommend a combined total allowable harvest, and a fair division of the shared harvest. The joint commission also would be used to coordinate science, traditional knowledge, management and outreach activities. Environment Minister Prentice said, "The Government of Canada is committed to working collaboratively to protect one of Canada's true natural, and national, symbols." Prentice called the polar bear "an iconic animal, whose rare and rugged beauty stands as a stark reminder that Canada is one of the world's true Nordic nations." Earlier this year, Prentice hosted a National Roundtable on polar bears with the territories, the provinces, wildlife management boards and others who have a polar bear management and conservation role. At the meeting, the need to form an agreement on managing shared polar bear subpopulations was identified as a high priority. "The Memorandum of Understanding will help ensure conservation and sustainable management of Kane Basin and Baffin Bay polar bear populations into the future," Prentice said today.
Posted 1 November 2009; 8:34:13 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Canada, Circumpolar cooperation, Circumpolar News, Greenland / Denmark, October09
Greenland, Canada commit to polar bear protection
(RedOrbit, 31 October 2009) -- Canada and Greenland are taking steps to protect populations of polar bears that live between the two countries, officials announced on Friday. Canada's Environment Minister Jim Prentice announced this during a conference call after he signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) along with Greenland's Minister of Fisheries, Hunting and Agriculture, Ane Hansen and Prentice's Nunavut territory representative Daniel Shewchuk. The deal suggests the writing of a partnered committee that would advocate a total yearly number of polar bears to be harvested and an equal separation of the hunt. Hunting polar bears has been illegal since 1973, but the Arctic's indigenous peoples do not follow this ban due to reverence of their traditions, regardless of scientists' oppositions over how the pelts have been separated. The committee will also align science, conventional information and outreach programs. "The government of Canada is committed to working collaboratively to protect one of Canada's true natural, and national, symbols. An iconic animal, whose rare and rugged beauty stands as a stark reminder that Canada is one of the world's true Nordic nations," Prentice stated. Hansen emphasized that it was "important that traditional knowledge is used together with science" in the development, as Shewchuk noted that the MOU "will help us make the wisest possible management decisions for our polar bear populations."
Posted 1 November 2009; 5:39:47 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Canada, Circumpolar cooperation, Circumpolar News, Conservation and Wildlife, Flora and Fauna, Greenland / Denmark, International, October09, Resource Issues
Canada, Greenland to sign polar-bear agreement
(CBC News, 28 October 2009) -- A much-anticipated polar bear conservation agreement between Greenland, Canada and Nunavut will be signed Friday. Federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice is travelling to Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, to sign the agreement, which involves the Canadian and Greenland governments as well as the Nunavut territorial government. All three parties have been working for months on a conservation agreement that covers hunting areas shared by Nunavut and Greenland, including Baffin Bay and Kane Basin. Polar-bear hunting in those two areas by Inuit from Nunavut and Greenland has caused international controversy in recent years, with biologists arguing that the combined level of hunting is not sustainable. Greenland has cut its polar-bear hunting quota in Baffin Bay to 68 bears a year, and Nunavut officials are under pressure to follow suit. Hunters in Nunavut can currently take up to 108 polar bears in Baffin Bay, but the territorial government wants to slash that to 64, introduce a new reduced quota or impose a complete moratorium on polar-bear hunting in the area. But Inuit who hunt polar bears in Baffin Bay have said the polar-bear population is actually rising, not decreasing. Friday's agreement is expected to pave the way for joint decisions on the size of the hunt and prompt new bear studies in the affected regions.
Posted 30 October 2009; 7:43:02 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Canada, Circumpolar cooperation, Circumpolar News, Conservation and Wildlife, Flora and Fauna, Greenland / Denmark, International, Nunavut / Canada, October09
Greenland Premier on the climate challenge
(Nordic Council News, 28 October 2009) -- "The Arctic isn't just all ice, polar bears and glaciers. People live there too. And they need development opportunities. The issue of a new global climate agreement concerns us all, and it should be based on the principles of mutual respect for each other's circumstances, social and developmental justice and the willingness to take global responsibility," Kleist told the conference. He also stressed that it is much easier to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from a high starting point than from a low one. "I hope therefore that a new climate agreement will allow less developed countries to establish new industries, despite the higher emissions they will cause, and that the rest of the world will help them to do so on a sustainable basis," he added. Kleist is a member of the Nordic Council Left-wing Socialist and Green Group (VSG).
Posted 28 October 2009; 10:06:16 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Greenland / Denmark, International, Nordic Region, October09, Resource Issues
Remote villages in Greenland under threat
(IceNews, 26 October 2009) -- The future of Greenland’s remote settlements has come under scrutiny after the Democratic Party’s Palle Chritiansen questioned the feasibility of villages with fewer than 100 residents. Sermitsiaq reports that Christiansen’s query has raised a difficult question for authorities, more so given his own change of direction as to whether the government can justify ongoing financial support to remote towns. In his new role as Finance Minister Christiansen has voiced his support of the government policy of providing assistance to the settlements, contradicting earlier claims in the lead up to the election that relocation to larger towns should be implemented for villages of fewer than 100 people. Christiansen and his Democratic colleagues were invited to join a coalition government after the socialist IA party swept to victory in the spring elections. Seemingly forced to adhere to government policy since obtaining seats in the cabinet, Christiansen’s personal views are still that smaller villages should be effectively eliminated with the financial subsidies provided to them better spent elsewhere. “At a time when we’re building up an increasingly autonomous country, we can’t afford to have taboos,” he told reporters recently. “Self-rule has its price, and we need to look at the way we live.” A study has been initiated to determine the potential for development in regional Greenland, with the findings being used to assist the government to make what Christiansen calls “realistic decisions”. “This will be a tool to help ensure that we make the most of the potential sources of development there are out there,” he claimed. However, the author of a study on living standards in Arctic areas, Birger Poppel, warned against making any premature conclusions over the viability of smaller settlements. Poppel suggested that existing evidence pointed to similar levels of public funding for villages as that for towns and cities. According to Poppel the real difference is in how the resources are spent.
Posted 26 October 2009; 11:33:19 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Communities, Greenland / Denmark, October09, Social Issues
Remote settlements facing uncertain future
(Sermitsiaq, 14 October 2009) -- Do small settlements with under 100 residents have a place in Greenland’s future? The question is one brought up by Palle Christiansen of the Democrat Party. The answer, however, is proving a difficult one, and Christiansen’s own change of heart on the issue is indicative of the whether an autonomous Greenland can afford to support the remote villages. Now serving in the cabinet as the finance minister, Christiansen says he agrees with the government’s policy to continue supporting the settlements, but during this spring’s election campaign, he wrote on his blog that residents in villages with less than 100 people should be relocated to other towns. The Democrats were invited into the government after the socialist IA party stormed to power in the election. But while having seats in the cabinet has the Christiansen and the Democrats toeing the official line, his personal sentiment remains that villages should be eliminated and the subsidies that keep them alive spent elsewhere. ‘At a time when we’re building up an increasingly autonomous country, we can’t afford to have taboos,’ he told Danish daily Information recently. ‘Self-rule has its price, and we need to look at the way we live.’ The government has initiated a study of the potential for development in each of Greenland’s regions. Its results, according to Christiansen, will be used to help make ‘realistic decisions’. ‘This will be a tool to help ensure that we make the most of the potential sources of development there are out there,’ he said.
Posted 20 October 2009; 3:35:55 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Greenland / Denmark, October09
Concerns increase over Greenland’s high suicide rate
(A.Rienstra/Icenews, 18 October 2009) -- Increasing concerns are being expressed within Greenland, the country with the highest suicide rate in the world. The rate in Greenland is 24 times that of the United States. Most at risk are the young, as in many countries it is the teenage and young adult population that are most likely to kill themselves. In bus stations and on school walls posters encourage the young to call the suicide hotline: “The call is free. No one is alone. Don’t be alone with your dark thoughts. Call.” While males tend to dominate statistics, a survey from 2008 showed alarmingly that one in four of all young women had attempted to take her life as reported by Siku News. Danish analysis has revealed that the trend towards suicide has been a recent one in Greenland. Up until the mid-twentieth century most Greenlanders existed as they had done for thousands of years. The society was very much a hunter-gatherer community centred on small hamlets along the rugged coastline. Statistics from the early part of the century indicate Greenland was amongst the lowest in world suicide rates. However, 1970 was a watershed year when the suicide rate began to rise, a trend that has continued to this day. By the end of the 1980s several towns reported suicide as the leading cause of death in young adults. According to Peter Bjerregaard, a researcher at Denmark’s National Institute of Public Health, nearly all suicides from 1970 were from people born after 1950. That year represented a landmark social change for Greenland as it launched its transformation into a welfare state backed by Danish resettlement and modern aid. The move to bring Greenland into the future seems to have brought one of the developed world’s most tragic causes of death with it. The high suicide rate has also been attributed to most deaths being from shooting or hanging, with up to 90 percent of suicides committed in this highly efficient fashion.
Posted 19 October 2009; 2:26:06 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Communities, Greenland / Denmark, Health and wellness, October09, Social Issues
(Joshua Kucera/The Atlantic, November 2009) -- Aqqaluk Lynge has a recurring nightmare: “When I’m lying awake at night, I pray we don’t find oil.” That anxiety puts Lynge, the president of Greenland’s chapter of the Inuit Circumpolar Council, a group representing indigenous people from Greenland, Canada, Alaska, and Russia, in the distinct minority of his 58,000 fellow islanders, most of whom hope that a huge oil find will ensure the success of Greenland’s independence from Denmark. Roughly 76 percent of the voters in a referendum last year wanted greater self-rule; on June 21 of this year, they got it. But as part of that self-rule deal, Denmark will end up reducing its annual subsidy to Greenland—about $11,000 per person, representing about 60 percent of the island’s budget. Hence the high hopes for oil revenue. Some estimates, including those of the U.S. Geological Survey, suggest Greenland’s coastal waters could hold anywhere from 16 billion to 47 billion barrels of oil, or 800,000 barrels for every man, woman, and child. That would mean a staggering leap in income for Greenlanders, who until two generations ago were mostly subsistence hunters and fishermen. With such massive potential oil reserves, Greenland is poised to achieve a geopolitical importance it hasn’t had since the invention of Risk. “We don’t want Greenland to be up for grabs,” worries Lynge. But oil has yet to actually be discovered, much less to flow, which is why Jens Frederiksen, the leader of Greenland’s Democratic Party, spearheaded the “no” campaign during last year’s referendum on self-governance. He says the government has too many pressing social needs—abysmal education levels, a crumbling public-housing stock, and massive rates of alcoholism—to reduce the Danish subsidy, especially since, even if oil is found, any revenue won’t start coming in for 15 or 20 years. Then there’s the fear that Greenland could become the Nigeria of the Arctic, another victim of the so-called resource curse, in which oil wealth triggers a downward spiral toward dysfunctional dictatorship. But judging from the offerings at the Greenland Expo, a trade fair held on the eve of Self-Governance Day, risking the curse may be an independent Greenland’s best hope for a viable future.
Posted 13 October 2009; 10:13:55 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Economic and Commerce Issues, Greenland / Denmark, October09, Oil, gas, non-renewable resources, Resource Issues
Greenland rejects new national currency
(IceNews, 13 October 2009) -- Greenland will continue to use the Danish krone as its currency after the ruling government declined to adopt the National Bank’s new printed notes. Speaking in the latest parliamentary session Juliane Henningsen, political spokeswoman for the Innuit Ataqatigiit Party has said that the government will introduce a proposal to clarify its position on the currency debate. Henningsen claimed that the decision was made based on what was determined to be the most useful for the country, suggesting that the National Bank’s new notes were essentially for decoration, SIKUnews reports. Henningsen added that given the notes are not able to be used outside of Greenland, they will only present difficulty. In 2008 a proposal by the then government made it possible for Greenland to begin producing its own banknotes, a move which was welcomed by the previous premier Hans Enoksen. However, since that time the release of the new currency has been repeatedly delayed and the new banknotes complete with iconic Greenlandic imagery will not be seen until 2011 at the earliest. Parliamentary debate on the issue was limited as the autumn session opened. The Greenland debating mandate states that only 30 minutes is allowed for members to discuss any proposals put forward by spokespersons, and that each question and answer may not be greater than two minutes. However, Tuesday’s session saw Henningsen remain on the platform for over two hours as the debate continued.
Posted 13 October 2009; 11:18:41 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Economic and Commerce Issues, Greenland / Denmark, October09
Greenland government rentals to get more expensive
(A. Rienstra/IceNews, 10 October 2009) -- Kuupik Kleist, the Prime Minister of Greenland, has supported a move to increase rental prices by up to 50 percent on some government-owned properties. Kleist advised the Greenland parliament in an open debate session that the failure of the previous government to reassess rental prices for the previous two years, which it is supposed to do every year, had obligated the incumbent leaders to adjust prices accordingly. The increases will mainly apply to housing that is utilised by senior civil servants, which has been lying at below market rates. The prime minister claimed that it was appropriate that “well-paid public servants paid rents comparable with those paid by regular renters.” It is envisaged that the homes would be renovated using the additional income generated by the rent rise. Currently there is no scope within the existing budget to perform renovations on the properties but the forecasted additional charges would enable improvements in key areas such as insulation. Jens B Frederiksen, the Housing Minister also added that it was a long-term goal of the government to enable people to purchase their own homes where possible. “This gives people renting single family homes and duplexes a unique opportunity to consider whether they want to take part in the “rent to own” programme,” Frederiksen claimed, adding also that prices for government owned properties would still remain lower than those of privately-owned apartments, even with the raised rental charges.
Posted 11 October 2009; 4:08:27 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Communities, Economic and Commerce Issues, Greenland / Denmark, North Atlantic
Per capita booze consumption drops in Greenland
(Sermitsiaq via Siku Circumpolar News, 8 October 2009) -- Alcohol consumption in Greenland has been more than halved over the past 20 years from 22 litres of alcohol per person to 10.55 litres, reports Sermitsiaq. A new study shows that alcohol consumption has been more than halved in Greenland over the last 20 years. Greenlanders now consume an average of 10.55 litres of alcohol per year, compared to 22 litres according to figures from 1988. The new figures showed a consistent drop in consumption year by year and the latest numbers are better than those of Denmark. "Greenland was especially noted during the Nordic alcohol and drug seminar, which took place on Åland in August, because its alcohol consumption continues to decline," said the department of health and prevention’s Line Dalentoft on Sermersooq council’s website. Figures in the study were measured according to the import of beer, wine and spirits distributed to each citizen from babies to the elderly, measured as pure alcohol. At the Nordic seminar it was pointed out that Danes now consume more alcohol than Greenlanders. The other Nordic countries praised the Greenlandic authorities for their alcohol policies, which have reduced consumption.
Posted 8 October 2009; 2:01:47 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Communities, Greenland / Denmark, North Atlantic, October09, Research / Reports, Social Issues
(Jørgen Chemnitz/News from Greenland, 21 September 2009 (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/5jxWLERHd)) -- When school pupils from Greenland are sent to boarding school in Denmark, they are welcomed at Copenhagen Airport by Greenlandic staff to ensure they are on the right track. But it was a completely different scenario for two pupils from Ittoqqortoormiit in Eastern Greenland on their way to a boarding school in Qasigiannguit in Disko Bay on the southeastern coast. Nathalia Brønlund and Emil Arqe had to fend for themselves, even though their trip was much more complex than a trip to Denmark. They left their hometown last Wednesday, embarking on six stages of air and sea travel in Greenland – a serious logistical challenge. And it went wrong. The trip was supposed to take four days, but lasted eight. Sermitsiaq has spoken with Rasmus Andersen, the principal of Villads Villadsen School in Qasigiannguit. ... The plan was for the two pupils to be flown by helicopter from Ittoqqortoormiit to Nerlerit Inaat and continue from there with Air Iceland south to Reykjavik, before going to a hotel in Keflavik which they had to arrange themselves. They were to spend two nights in Keflavik, then travel to Nuuk and stay for a night at the Seamen's Home. The next day they were to continue to Aasiaat and stay there for a night before catching the Disko Line to Qasigiannguit. But the plan didn’t work. The plane from Iceland to Nuuk turned back one hour before landing due to bad weather and returned to Iceland. That caused the whole itinerary to fall like a house of cards. Anderson said it was unfortunate the two pupils had been stuck in Iceland. ...
Posted 21 September 2009; 10:32:02 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Education and Civil Society, Greenland / Denmark, North Atlantic, Youth
Air Greenland dashes plan for Iqaluit-Nuuk route
(CBC News, 17 September 2009) -- Citing tough financial times, Air Greenland says it won't be establishing a direct air link between Iqaluit and Nuuk, Greenland, next year. An Air Greenland spokesman told CBC News Thursday that the airline's board of directors has asked staff to come up with a corporate savings plan, meaning it will not be launching any new international routes in 2010. The news disappointed Iqaluit resident Kenn Harper, who has been working for years to revive a direct link between Greenland and Nunavut. "There is a lot of interest in this route. It's a shame that these two parts of the northern world and the Inuit world, that have so much in common, can't connect," Harper said Thursday morning. "We have to just keep trying to help this connection to eventually materialize." Air Greenland is not dropping the idea altogether: The spokesman said the airline hopes to establish the Iqaluit-Nuuk route in 2011 if its financial situation improves.
Posted 18 September 2009; 2:28:14 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Canada, Circumpolar News, Economic and Commerce Issues, Greenland / Denmark, International, Nunavut / Canada, Transportation, Infrastructure and Construction
(Sermitsiaq, 14 September 2009) -- Does the semi-autonomous Greenland have an official policy for other indigenous peoples and what is the Greenlandic national identity and self-understanding as a people in an autonomous Greenland? And will international recognition of Greenlanders influence their self-understanding as an indigenous people? These were some of the topics taken up during a one-day seminar on indigenous rights at the University of Greenland as part of the Bolivian-Greenlandic cultural exchange. A number of speakers from Bolivia and Greenland spoke on indigenous rights, political, socio-economic and business conditions, as well as culture and history based on respective Bolivian, Latin American and Greenlandic Arctic experiences. ... The seminar was organized by Taseralik, Sisimiut Cultural Centre in collaboration with the Danish Embassy in La Paz and the Danish Centre for Culture and Development, which has also sponsored the Bolivian Days in Greenland event. The University of Greenland co-sponsored the seminar.
Posted 15 September 2009; 11:50:25 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Conferences, meetings, and gatherings, Education and Civil Society, Greenland / Denmark, Indigenous Issues, International, North Atlantic, Social Issues
Newspapers lose postage grants
(Mads Dollerup-Scheibel/Sermitsiaq.gl. News from Greenland: Newsletter, 7 September 2009, (Archived by WebCite®)) -- From the beginning of next year it will cost significantly more to send newspapers around Greenland. Post Greenland has informed the country’s oldest newspaper Atuagagdliutit and Sermitisiaq that the special discount on newspaper postage on newspapers, which today represents a value of between 1.5 and 1.7 million, will cease. The national post office is justifying the decision by saying it isn’t fair to other customers that newspapers get a discount on delivery. ‘We are fully aware that getting rid of the subsidy causes problems for the newspapers. But Post Greenalnd has to earn money, just like other businesses. And we don’t think our other customers should have to pay for the transport of newspapers,’ Post Greenland director Per Svendsen said. He also referred to the fact that newspapers were transported by courier and postage today did not cover the actual costs to of the consignments. The reduced newspaper postage rate has existed for over 25 years and has according to the post office remained steady since 1993. Post Greenland parent company Tele Post announced it record profits last year at 105 million kroner before tax, with Post Greenland accounting for 8.4 million of that. The postal service has for years been under pressure as electronic communication cuts into the number of letters, postcards and invoices sent. It has lobbied the self-rule government for an increase of general postage rates from next year.
Posted 7 September 2009; 12:46:41 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Communications and media, Economic and Commerce Issues, Education and Civil Society, Greenland / Denmark, North Atlantic
(The Copenhagen Post via Jyllands-Posten, 4 September 2009) -- In its annual threat assessment, published this week, the Danish Defence Intelligence Agency concluded that ‘there is a risk of minor clashes and diplomatic crises between the coastal states of the Arctic, because significant strategic and particularly energy policy interests collide’. The types of confrontation it said could arise consisted of military harassment by militaries or civilian exploitation of natural resources in the disputed areas. In addition to Denmark, which is responsible for Greenland’s defence and foreign affairs, the four other states considered to be ‘Arctic powers’ include the United States, Russia, Canada, and Norway. Receding polar ice could bring competing territorial claims to a head in the coming years as shipping lanes open and access to presumed natural resource wealth improves. ‘The Russians have begun increasingly to fly over Danish airspace. It looks like provocation, and it is a constant source of irritation; it is also outrageously expensive for the military,’ said Søren Espersen, foreign policy spokesman for the Danish People’s Party. He called on Danish diplomats to make it clear to Russia that Denmark would ‘stand firm’ in the Arctic.
Posted 4 September 2009; 10:18:18 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Autonomy, Sovereignty and Politics, Circumpolar News, Greenland / Denmark, International, North Atlantic
Greenland glaciers melting at shocking speed
(RedOrbit, 3 September 2009) -- Greenland's glaciers are dumping ice into the Atlantic Ocean at an alarming rate, according to a statement by the environmental group Greenpeace on Wednesday. Increasingly warm temperatures have caused glaciers to melt over time and shed masses of ice that eventually slip into fjords and the sea. Greenland's Helheim glacier, which is four miles wide and almost one mile thick, moves approximately 25 yards a day, Greenpeace said in a statement. The group said that is double the speed as when its Arctic Sunrise vessel last took a trip to Greenland in 2005. Another major glacier in Greenland, Kangerdlugssuaq, is moving even faster. It has been observed moving around 38 yards every day or about 8.5 miles each year, Greenpeace said. "Kangerdlugssuaq Glacier is probably the world's fastest moving glacier," said Dr. Gordon Hamilton, from the University of Maine's Climate Change Institute. Hamilton is taking part in this year's Greenpeace excursion, which is now examining the glaciers north and east of the Danish territory.
Posted 4 September 2009; 9:49:53 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Climate Change and Weather, Environment and Landscape, Greenland / Denmark, North Atlantic
Danish defence chief visits Canada's Arctic, Ottawa silent on trip
(Murray Brewster/The Canadian Press, 31 August 2009) -- OTTAWA - Canada's chief of defence staff met quietly with his Danish counterpart to strengthen military co-operation in the Arctic just days after the Conservative government mounted a solo display of military prowess in the Far North. The unannounced discussions between Gen. Walter Natynczyk and Admiral Tim Sloth Jorgensen took place over several days last week, and were only made public in a Danish news release. Ottawa has been silent on the visit, which included a stop at Canada's most northern military outpost, Canadian Forces Station Alert. "As the ice melts, it will change shipping routes - probably resulting in a rise in ship traffic," said the Danish military release. "This has led Arctic nations to examine the potential for closer co-operation in the region. Both Denmark and Canada have made moves in that direction." A spokeswoman for Natynczyk played down the issue, saying discussions among military leaders are nothing unusual and don't garner much interest or attention by the media. "They've met in the past," said Maj. Cindy Tessier. "The CDS (chief of defence staff) has so many counterparts. There was no intent not to be public with this." A northern expert says the trip marked the first time a senior foreign military figure had visited Canada's Arctic.
Posted 1 September 2009; 12:13:32 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar cooperation, Circumpolar News, Greenland / Denmark, International
Air Greenland still interested in Nunavut route
(Siku Circumpolar News, 29 August 2009) -- Air Greenland now wants meet with Nunavut officials in September, as the airline continues working on re-establishing regular direct flights between Iqaluit and Nuuk, CBC News reports. A meeting was originally scheduled to take place in July, but Air Greenland postponed due to labour dispute with some of its workers. Officials from the airline hope to meet with Nunavut Premier Eva Aariak, territorial government officials and Inuit land-claims organizations in Iqaluit on Sept. 22, spokesman Christian Keldsen told CBC News. "What's going to bear this route is actually opening up some of the agreements between Nunavut and Greenland," Keldsen said Friday. "There are lots of different kinds of agreements between these two regions, which have been more or less dormant for a while due to the fact there's been a limited connection between these regions." Keldsen said his officials have been working with Iqaluit resident Kenn Harper to set up the day of meetings. The airline is not seeking government subsidies, Keldsen added, but rather it wants commitments from both the Nunavut and Greenland governments that they'll actually purchase seats and use the route for trips such as political and cultural exchanges. Nunavut and Greenland share Inuit populations and are separated only by the Davis Strait, a distance of about 825 kilometres. However, travelling between the capitals, Iqaluit and Nuuk, currently takes two or three days, as passengers must connect through various North American cities and Copenhagen, Denmark, to get there. A direct flight between the two cities would take about two hours.
Posted 31 August 2009; 12:06:33 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Economic and Commerce Issues, Greenland / Denmark, International, North America, North Atlantic, Nunavut / Canada, Transportation, Infrastructure and Construction
She'll recommend that Obama sees Greenland
Just three weeks after she arrived in her new hometown, Copenhagen, Laurie S. Fulton traveled to Nuuk. As a reason for the early visit, the newly appointed U.S. ambassador says that because of her Danish roots, she has always felt connected to Denmark and has been acquainted with Greenland since childhood. And it is not inconceivable that the U.S. president also will visit Greenland. "Now that I've been here, I will recommend it to him. It would be fantastic," says Laurie S. Fulton to Sermitsiaq. As a representative in Denmark of Barack Obama's government, she stresses that Greenland is central to the U.S., not least because of its role in climate change. "We are aware of Greenland because of climate change," says Laurie S. Fulton.
Posted 28 August 2009; 2:19:01 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Greenland / Denmark, International, North Atlantic
Greenland ‘too small’ for independence
(Sermitsiaq, 26 August 2009) -- Greenland’s population is too small for the country to become an independent state, according to a British economics professor. Drawing a parallel between Greenland and another former Danish colony, Iceland, Professor Anne Sibert, of Birkbeck University said small countries were too vulnerable to succeed in a global economy, reports public broadcaster KNR. Sibert, a member of the political committee of the Icelandic Central Bank, saw the country’s economic meltdown firsthand. And in a recent article published by online social science magazine Voxeu, she argues that Greenland, if it becomes independent, could face a similar collapse. Greenland was recently granted self-rule, increasing its autonomy from the Danish state. It is a status many see as a precursor to full independence, but Sibert’s advice to Greenland was to remain a part of the Kingdom of Denmark. ‘If an independent Greenland suffered severe economic trouble, it wouldn’t have the protection of a larger country.’ ‘Greenland's population is approximately one fifth of Iceland’s, so it is not possible to obtain the number of people and the expertise needed to run the administrative units as a state must have,’ she said, pointing out that Small nations are also vulnerable to a number of other areas. ‘The cost of running a state is more expensive per person, the fewer people there are. Moreover, small countries face greater fluctuations in both consumption and production, and base their economies on fewer industries.’ She added that people in a small country were more likely to rely on personal relationships, which ‘could lead to nepotism and corruption’.
Posted 27 August 2009; 4:29:24 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Greenland / Denmark
(Siku Circumpolar News, 27 August 2009) -- Two of the major players in Greenland’s tourism industry are looking to Germans to stop the country’s tourism slump, Sermitsiaq reports. Greenland is experiencing a steep decline in the number of tourists that leading experts predict will continue next year. The situation has Bjarne Eklund, chairman of tourism and business organisation GTE, calling for a plan to increase the number of visitors starting next year. Eklund has met with the head of Air Greenland and representatives from the two organisation are now working together to save the 2010 season. "Quite generally, we will focus more on the German market, and we will double the amount we planned to spend on an initiative in Denmark," Eklund said. GTE and Air Greenland expect to be able to present a new online campaign targeted at the German market in Copenhagen during the West Nordic Travel Mart travel expo in mid-September. The strategy is likely to include information visits for German travel agents. Air Greenland and GTE have yet to determine how much money will be spent on the campaign, but the two companies have announced they will contribute most of the funding for it. They indicated, however, that other companies in the tourism industry will also be asked to chip in, Sermitsiaq says.
Posted 27 August 2009; 3:40:01 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Economic and Commerce Issues, Greenland / Denmark, Tourism / Perspectives
Greenland may opt out of climate change deal?
(Siku Circumpolar News, 26 August 2009) -- Greenland's prime minister Kuupik Kleist repeated his warning that Greenland may decide not to enter a climate change deal when he spoke to the Nuuk Climate Days conference this week. Greenland upholds its right not to strike a deal on climate change, Kleist said. Kleist’s declaration sets the tone for a "heated" autumn of negotiations between Greenland and Denmark about carbon dioxide quotas leading up to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this December, says Sermitsiaq. On Tuesday, Kleist made it clear that any climate deal had to consider developing countries and their industrial development. "Greenland is a young society which needs investment at all levels," Kleist said in his welcoming address to the 160 researchers and participants in the climate convention Nuuk Climate Days. His speech indicated that Greenland would support a global climate deal but not at any price. "Greenland stands by its right to abstain from a deal if the deal imposes economic sanctions on developing countries like Greenland, which are trying to strengthen their people and society," Kleist said.
Posted 26 August 2009; 4:08:43 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Autonomy, Sovereignty and Politics, Circumpolar News, Climate Change and Weather, Economic and Commerce Issues, Greenland / Denmark, International, North Atlantic
Promising gold discovery in South Greenland
(Kurt Kristensen/SermitsiaqNews from Greenland [24 August 2009]. Sermitsiaq.gl. 2009-08-24. URL:http://sermitsiaq.gl/rss/en_newsletter.jsp. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/5jGu67JwM) -- It looks as if a mini gold rush is on the cards as the precious mineral is found in the south. Mineral research company NunaMinerals has spent up to 40 million kroner digging for gold this year. The company spent five of those millions drilling for gold in Greenland. It searched five different locations from late June to early August in South Greenland and in at least two of the wells, gold was visible to the naked eye, according to director Ole Christiansen. Most of the drilling took place in the Kirkespirdalen valley by Greenland's most southern town Nanortalik. NunaMinerals has applied for two new concessions. One 27sq km application entitled "Qassersuaq" would see drilling take place on the island of Qilanngarsuit, 35km south of Nuuk. The National Geological Surveys for Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) last year identified gold on the island and NunaMinerals has been swift with the concession application. Qilanngarsuit is part of the geological belt that is part of NunaMiner's gold province in Nuup Kangerlua (Nuuk Fjord).
Posted 24 August 2009; 10:06:32 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Expeditions, exploration, and field trips, Greenland / Denmark, Oil, gas, non-renewable resources, Resource Issues
(Siku Circumpolar News, 20 August 2009) -- Denmark's prime minister won't apologize for an "experiment" involving Greenlandic children in the 1950s, Sermitsiaq reports. PM Lars Løkke Rasmussen described an experiment in which children were removed from their parents and indoctrinated with Danish values as "unfortunate." In 1951, a group of Greenlandic children were taken from their homes to be ‘re-educated’ in Denmark. They were to return home as a new "elite" of Danish-minded Greenlanders. But, most of them ended up in orphanages and being put up for adoption. Many of them developed social problems and some died young. Rasmussen’s comments come after the Greenlandic member of the Danish parliament, Juliane Henningsen, directly asked him if he would apologize for the controversial experiment in the 1950s. Henningsen also asked if Denmark intended to pay compensation to the victims. "Both the Greenlandic society and the relationship between Greenland and Denmark have been through a profound and positive development in the period from the 1950s until today. But there are also events that we have to admit have been unfortunate. The Greenlandic children’s stay in Denmark belongs to that category," Løkke Rasmussen said.
Posted 20 August 2009; 12:19:29 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar History, Circumpolar News, Communities, Greenland / Denmark, Indigenous Issues
Thule clean-up solution wanted
(Sermitsiaq, 16 August 2009) -- Troels Lund Poulsen, the Danish environment minister, is demanding that Greenland’s self-rule government clean up waste from the American Thule Air Base before the end of the year. The process of solving the problem had been underway for a long time and there is now a political will to find a solution, Poulsen said in a press release. The statement included a demand that Greenland come up with a proposal for the clean-up before the end of the year. The problem would then be handled politically in Denmark. The waste is located on the Dundas peninsula near the base. In 2002, Denmark and the US agreed that the area should be handed back to Greenland. When the US handed it back, environmental research was only half completed. Denmark was therefore left with the problem when in 2003; significant environmental damage was discovered in the peninsula. The pollution stems from activities at Thule Air Base in the 1950s and 60s. Sea cucumbers full of lead and snails that change gender are among the effects that have been discovered.
Posted 19 August 2009; 10:25:59 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Contaminants and Pollution, Environment and Landscape, Greenland / Denmark, International
Foster care numbers up in Greenland
(Siku Circumpolar News, 18 August 2009) -- An increasing number of children in Greenland are being removed from their homes to live in foster care, Sermitsiaq reports. About 6 per cent of all children and youth in Greenland are today living outside their home. This is a significant increase on earlier figures from before 1992, when 4.3 per cent of all children aged up to 17 years old were placed outside their home. The current figure is based on a 2006 project conducted by the National Research Centre for Well-being, KNR reports. The project also involved Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland. Greenland has six times as many children per capita living without their birth parents as number two on the list, Denmark. The increase may be caused by several factors but may be linked to a bigger focus on social problems, KNR said.
Posted 18 August 2009; 11:48:22 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Communities, Greenland / Denmark, North Atlantic, Social Issues, Women, Children and Families
(Sermatsiaq News, 10 August 2009) -- Juliane Henningsen (IA) has, in a parliamentary question, asked the Danish government to apologise for a 1950s experiment involving Greenlandic children. She has also urged the Danish state to compensate the children, who in 1951 were forcibly removed from their families in Greenland and taken to Denmark to be educated as a ‘Danish-minded’ Greenlandic elite. ‘The children had no contact with their families, weren’t allowed to speak Greenlandic and were totally cut off from their own society. These children were robbed of their culture, language and identity,’ Henningsen’s question reads. ‘The experiment scarred these children’s souls. It has affected the children, their families and Greenlandic society as a whole. I am therefore asking on behalf of these people the prime minister if he intends to issue an official apology and offer compensation for their loss and suffering,’ Henningsen asks in the parliamentary question.
Posted 12 August 2009; 2:22:36 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar History, Circumpolar News, Conferences, meetings, and gatherings, Greenland / Denmark, North Atlantic
Seal product ban will hurt Great Greenland
(Siku Circumpolar News, 30 July 2009) -- The exemptions allowing Greenland limited seal product trade for Inuit in the European Union should be exploited, some industry and political sources say. Despite the general negative reaction to an imminent seal product trade ban in the EU, special exemptions for Inuit communities have created the potential for Greenland to exploit what will in effect be a monopoly of the market in Europe. "The original suggestion was a total ban, but with the Inuit exception we have access to a market that nobody else does, which in affect creates a monopoly,’" said Lida Skifte Lennert, head of Greenland’s representation in Brussels. "Now it is up to us to take advantage of that situation." But the marketing campaign that would be required to exploit the potential European market may face a difficult task due to the lack of awareness that there is an Inuit exception to the ban, Sermitsiaq says. Great Greenland's managing director Henrik Estrup said the problem is that the consumer cannot not differentiate between Inuit seal skin and other skins. "Initially it seems like we have a trade advantage but there are very few consumers aware of the Inuit exception."
Posted 30 July 2009; 12:12:56 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Communities, Conservation and Wildlife, Cultural Matters, Economic and Commerce Issues, Europe, Greenland / Denmark, International
(Reuters, 28 July 2009) -- Reuters features Inside Greenland, a gallery of interesting images from photographer Bob Strong.
Posted 30 July 2009; 12:00:44 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Conservation and Wildlife, Flora and Fauna, Greenland / Denmark, Internet Resources, Movies, video and TV, North Atlantic
British explorer completes record-breaking Arctic adventure
(Telegraph, 29 July 2009) -- Adrian Hayes, a former Gurkha officer, used wind to power his kite-skis as he made the 2,200-mile trek in just 67 days, beating the previous record of 1,400 miles held by British explorer Alex Hibbert. Mr Hayes, 49, and his Canadian team-mates Derek Crowe and Devon McDiarmid also became the only three men in history to vertically cross Greenland. Completing the journey unsupported meant Mr Hayes and his team received no food drops and made no visits to towns and settlements en route. While on the gruelling journey Mr Hayes carried out monitoring studies for scientists for use in ongoing research into the melting polar ice caps. He said of the trip, which ended in the early hours of Sunday morning: "It's been a really difficult and challenging expedition, particularly mentally. "Every aspect of the trip was sustainable. We lived, ate and slept in an area of 7ft by 2ft in our tents. We lived off three litres of water per day and relied on both solar and wind power, with nothing going to waste. "We had no resupplies of any kind for two months and no doctor on call, yet, we've ended this trip completely healthy. "Sustainability isn't about going back to living in caves but being responsible, smarter and sensible."
Posted 29 July 2009; 9:38:28 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Expeditions, exploration, and field trips, Greenland / Denmark
Homelessness is nationwide problem
(Kurt Kristensen/News from Greenland, 27 July 2009. Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/5iaNf2dAj) -- A new report has been published by the Department of Family and Health, ‘Homelessness in Greenland’. It estimates the scale of homelessness across the country, though no exact definitive figures have been provided. The report indicates that about 514 people are regarded as homeless in the capital Nuuk. This number is the equivalent of 1 percent of Greenland’s population. The report has already drawn criticism from politicians at home, with Astrid Fleischer Rex, chairman for Sermersooq Council’s welfare committee and member for Demokraatit on the parliamentary family committee, saying that the report could not be used for anything. Rex’s criticism was based on the report’s analysis that the small town of Upernavik, on the mid-western coast, had the highest number of homeless young people nationally. ‘But that is due to the fact that the many children from small settlements who live with family in Upernavik whilst at school are included in the statistic; a group that I can not accept as being homeless,’ Rex said. Despite her scepticism of the new report, Rex remained committed to finding a solution to the country’s problem of homelessness. ... According to the report there are two distinct groups of homeless people found in Greenland, each of similar size. The first group is the ‘houseless homeless’, those who have no roof over their heads but are otherwise fully functioning members of society with connections to the employment market. This group consists primarily of hunters and fishermen who manage to get by, but who due to their self-employed status do not have access to accommodation provided by an employer. While this group tend to find a solution to their predicament in one way or another, they nevertheless run the risk of falling through the social safety net. The solution for this group is quite simply housing. But in the larger towns this is easier said than done. Greater social and personal difficulties are a feature for the second group of homeless, meaning that their problems go beyond housing, unemployment and material poverty. This group are not able to overcome difficulties which include misuse, trauma and psychological problems just because they are offered a solution to their housing needs. In fact, a large percentage of this second group are homeless as a result of rent arrears and complaints from neighbours in their previous accommodation. What is required here is a not a single solution, but a combined effort including help from both social work and health authorities, as well as education and employment. While men represent the largest group of homeless in the country, notably within the 31-60 age bracket, there are also families and children represented.
Posted 27 July 2009; 4:11:34 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Communities, Greenland / Denmark, Health and wellness, North Atlantic, Social Issues
(Sermitsiaq, 25 July 2009) -- The first of two annual provision shipments to the town of Illoqqortoormiut [on the east coast of Greenland, just north of 70°N.] arrived packed to only half its normal capacity. "It is the first time that so few provisions have arrived with the ship," explained shop manager Jørgen Danielsen. "We only have half of what we received last year." The arrival of the first ship of the year is an important event for the small settlements that do not have sea access all year round, making the unusual arrival of a half-empty ship all the more disappointing for the residents of one of Greenland’s most isolated communities. The ship normally carries the supplies needed to support the community for an entire year. Danielsen said the shortage could be attributed to there being no building materials included in the cargo. Building work in the small community had come to a standstill following the council amalgamations that took place in January, he said. A dramatic proportion of the population has left the settlement since January. The population is now 450, which represents a drop of 50 people in the last year.
Posted 27 July 2009; 10:58:04 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Communities, Economic and Commerce Issues, Greenland / Denmark, North Atlantic, Social Issues
Strike called off at last minute
(Sermitsiaq, 22 July 2009) -- A last-minute compromise has been reached by Air Greenland and cabin crew union ACU, averting the ACU strike that was scheduled to take place today. The agreement between the airline and the union came literally one minute before the deadline, at 8pm local time. The deal struck between the two parties remains private, and will now be sent to an ACU member ballot, with a result expected on 11 August. Christian Keldsen, sales and marketing director for Air Greenland, said the last minute result was good for both the airline and its customers. ‘We are extremely glad on behalf of our customers who are now able to travel,’ said Keldsen. ‘It is a relief to have an interim period of peace and quiet.’ However, when asked what he thought the outcome would be of the ACU ballot, Keldsen had no comment.
Posted 24 July 2009; 1:59:51 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Economic and Commerce Issues, Greenland / Denmark, North Atlantic, Transportation, Infrastructure and Construction
Rural flight ends in city plight
(Kurt Kristensen/Sermitsiaq, 23 July 2009) -- The bright lights and attractions of the capital work like a magnet for the residents of small settlements and stations dotted across the country, with many making the decision to move to Nuuk to take advantage of its swimming pool and cinema facilities. However, it is a choice that officials are warning against. ‘Problems tend to follow a move to the capital, with many risking falling through the social safety net,’ said Astrid Fleischer Rex, mayor of Sermersooq council, which incorporates the capital Nuuk. Government help is available to those who fall on hard times, but social help legislation from 2006 stipulates that in order to receive aid one must first have a permanent address and be listed on the electoral register. Unfortunately, many of those who experience problems after moving to the capital become homeless, meaning that they are not able to take advantage of social aid. The extent of the problem in not currently documented.
Posted 24 July 2009; 1:50:55 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Communities, Greenland / Denmark, North Atlantic, Social Issues
Yukoners reach northern tip of Greenland
(Tom Patrick/Yukon News, 20 July 2009) -- Last week, Yukoners Devon McDiarmid, 34, and Derek Crowe, 34, as well as British adventurer Adrian Hayes, 44, became only the second group of kite-skiers to reach the northern tip of Greenland starting from the base of the island. From the tip to their final destination, Qaanaq, it’s all new territory. “We’re going back down (partway) to save on the pick-up cost,” McDiarmid said before leaving for the trip. As of Friday, the adventurers were down to their last 405 kilometres of their 3,500-kilometre trip. However, the winds must co-operate to keep that distance from growing. “And we’re going everything but in straight line the past week,” wrote Hayes on Wednesday. “With the wind continuing to blow in our faces, that ‘distance to go’ will probably end up at well over 800 kilometres. “Today we again ended up further away from our finish point, Qaanaq, than our location this morning.” As of day 62 of a trip they hoped to finish in 65, the adventure seekers have been struggling with food supplies for about a month. ... Those interested can follow their progress and learn more about their trip at http://www.greenlandquest.com
Posted 20 July 2009; 2:33:13 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Expeditions, exploration, and field trips, Greenland / Denmark, Sports and Games
Google helps to locate "lost" Norse farm
(Kurt Kristensen/News from Greenland, 20 July 2009) -- Artefacts from Greenland’s Viking past are being collected and preserved on a new online database after being discovered with the help of Google Earth. The discovery of a Norse farm in southern Greenland will be surveyed over the summer by archaeologist and museum leader Ole Guldager. Norse archaeology is far from a finished business in Greenland, as evidenced by the discovery of a previously unknown settlement near the town of Narsarsuaq, close to the area where Erik the Red founded his farm Brattahlið back in 968, establishing the first Norse settlement of Greenland. The exact location of the settlement, on the Qassiarsuk side of the Tunulliarfik Fjord, was discovered after Guldager spotted what appeared to be the outline of a large farm when researching aerial photography using Google Earth. Following the summer survey of the site, Guldager will send a report to the Greenland National Museum and Archive. Guldager reports that there are more sites of significance waiting to be surveyed that have come to light as a result of the Google Earth site, which allows researchers to search for clues in the landscape. [Sermitsiaq.gl. News from Greenland [20 July 2009]. Sermitsiaq.gl. 2009-07-20. URL:http://sermitsiaq.gl/rss/en_newsletter.jsp. Accessed: 2009-07-20. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/5iPiJwMPb)]
Posted 20 July 2009; 10:54:03 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Greenland / Denmark, North Atlantic, Research / Reports
Hunting and fishing proves a popular study option
(Sermitsiaq, 15 July 2009) -- A new school has been established in Uummannaq, in north-western Greenland [at 70°40'24.35"N., 52° 7'41.59"W], with the aim of ensuring a viable future for hunters and fishermen in an increasingly industrialised and commercial world. The course will serve to ensure the continued supply of hunting and fishing produce for the home market, combining both traditional and modern techniques and knowledge to best equip those working in the two areas to secure a living. Prior to the establishment of the higher education institute for hunting and fishing, the skills needed in the two areas were traditionally passed down from father to son, but this is no longer sufficient. David Olsen, the school rector, pointed out that hunters and fishermen who hope to make a living in today's climate, need to have an understanding of the rules and methods concerning hunting, as well as preservation principles, which are increasingly important. The students will also be educated in exactly what species are profitable or unprofitable to hunt or fish, as well as teaching them how to use and look after equipment and boats. The course lasts two years and combines both classroom-based teaching and practical placements, with the possibility of continuing their studies after the course has ended with further teaching in tourism, product development and domestic industries, lasting between six and twelve months. Over 31 students have applied for the course, which sets admission criteria of a completed secondary education and good grades in both reading and mathematics. Unfortunately, only 15 students will be accepted on the course.
Posted 17 July 2009; 3:38:57 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Education and Civil Society, Greenland / Denmark, Indigenous Issues, North Atlantic, Social Issues
(The Economist, 16 July 2009)** -- Nuuk, Greenland - THE crowds in Nuuk, Greenland’s pretty coastal capital, marked the devolution of more powers from Denmark, on midsummer’s day, with cheers, processions and flags. The town thronged with men in white anoraks and women in kalaallisuut, an outfit of sealskin boots and trousers set off with a beaded top. Even a dusting of summer snow failed to chill the mood. The newly elected prime minister of Greenland, Kuupik Kleist, who represents an Inuit-dominated party, promised that his country would act as an “equal partner” with Denmark, the old colonial power. The Danish prime minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, responded with a pledge that Greenland could claim full independence whenever it chooses. A more cordial separation is hard to imagine. As in other parts of the Arctic, the indigenous people of Greenland are flexing their political muscles. In Greenland the Inuit, or part Inuit, account for nearly 90% of the total population of 57,000 or so, and they have been asserting ever-greater independence from Copenhagen, some 3,500km (2,175 miles) away. In similar fashion the Inuit of Canada won some powers of home rule over much of the country’s Arctic Archipelago when the new territory of Nunavut was set up a decade ago. In northern Norway and Sweden (and to a lesser extent in Finland and Russia) the Sami people have claimed autonomous powers; 50,000-odd in Norway even have their own parliament. Within the Russian Federation two northern indigenous peoples, the Komi and Sakha (Yakuts) have, at least in theory, their “own” autonomous republics, though what powers that gives them in practice depends on the ebb and flow of politics elsewhere in Russia. But if the indigenous peoples have a good chance of asserting real economic and political power anywhere, then it is probably the Arctic. The polar peoples are still relatively numerous; few outsiders have been able to adapt to the beautiful but harsh physical environment. And most of the countries where they live happen to be democracies. The sense of pride in Greenland is palpable. Greenlandic has become the official language. Embassies will soon be replacing consulates in Nuuk. “It’s our land, our language, we have to do things ourselves,” explains a local woman.
Posted 17 July 2009; 11:07:57 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Greenland / Denmark, Indigenous Issues, International
Greenland considers selling its glaciers for fancy water
(IceNews, 15 July 2009) -- Canadians will soon be drinking water that originated in Greenland now that the government has granted permission to a Canadian company to pursue a plan to fish for ice from its glaciers. Iceberg Canada Corporation will soon begin exploring ways to harvest ice from the Qoqqup Sermia glacier near Narsaq and the Narsap Sermia glacier near Nuuk; and if the government likes their proposal they will get the green light.The company will then process the pure glacial ice into drinking water for Canadians with an urge to drink something exotic. Iceberg Canada Corporation already produces fancy drinking water made from icebergs off the Newfoundland coast, but wants to get closer to original sources by tapping into Greenland’s glaciers. Sermitsiaq reports the arrangement between the new Greenlandic government and the Canadian water company is only for 18 months. After that period, the Department of Trade will consider whether to extend the deal or not. Iceberg Canada Corporation is one of only four businesses planning to export ice and water from Greenland. But the Department of Trade told Sermitsiaq it has received two new applications to harvest glacial ice and spring water from Greenland. “We are now inviting the companies here to show them around. We have begun creating information resources for the interested companies, detailing the rules for setting up business, paying taxes and wages, etc. The information could be used by potential investors in both this and other fields,” said Ms. Jensen, who works in the Department of Trade.
Posted 16 July 2009; 1:10:02 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Economic and Commerce Issues, Greenland / Denmark, North Atlantic
(The Copenhagen Post, 15 July 2009) -- Parliament’s plans to build up the military's presence in the Arctic will provoke an arms race in the region, worries former military commander The military is ready to begin a military build up in Greenland that will see the creation of an Arctic task force and an Arctic command. The efforts will strengthen Denmark's military presence in the region at the same time as Canada and Russia have also announced that they will adjust their national defence strategies to adapt to more traffic, more mining and more potential conflicts in the Arctic. Parliament’s recently adopted defence budget for 2010 to 2014 concludes that increasing activity in the Arctic will transform the region's strategic importance and eventually lead to more challenges for the military. In order to meet those challenges, an arctic task force drawing on elements from all branches of the military capable of operating in the Arctic will be set up from the existing defence capabilities. The plan also calls for the possible use of fighter jets for occasional tasks related to monitoring and assertion of sovereignty in and around Greenland, as well as for a study into whether the US Air Force’s Thule Air Base could play a larger role in defence tasks in and around Greenland, in cooperation with other partner countries. Axel Fiedler, former head of the Greenland Command, warned however against an ‘unnecessary militarisation’. ‘Why start talking about fighters to Greenland? There is no threat whatsoever towards Greenland and no one denies the sovereignty of Greenland’ he said. In addition to Denmark’s on-going border dispute with Canada, the two countries, along with Russia, Norway and the US are currently in the process of staking their territorial claims in the Arctic with the UN. The process will see the Arctic Ocean divided up amongst the five Arctic powers, and Fiedler believes that the defence bill could provide Canada with new arguments for continuing its arms build up in the Arctic, just as politicians in Russia can use it to demand that the Russian military become more visible in the region. Fiedler urged Greenland’s self-rule government to protest against the plans, but Premier Kupik Kleist backs the proposal’s plans to improve efforts to prevent environmental and shipping disasters.
Posted 15 July 2009; 4:22:13 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Arctic Ocean, Autonomy, Sovereignty and Politics, Circumpolar News, Greenland / Denmark, International
Arctic glacier to lose Manhattan-sized 'tongue'
(Catherine Brahic/New Scientist, 14 July 2009) -- The biggest glacier in the Arctic is on the verge of losing a chunk of ice the size of Manhattan. A group of scientists and climate change activists who are closely monitoring the Petermann glacier's ice tongue believe the rapid flow of ice is in part due to warm ocean currents moving up along the coast of Greenland, fuelled by global warming. During the summer of last year, Jason Box of Ohio State University in Columbus noticed a huge crack in the glacier's floating ice tongue, which acts as a conveyor belt, pushing the glacier's ice through a fjord and out to sea. The crack extended almost completely from one side of the fjord to the other, 16 kilometres away. This prompted Box and colleagues to return this year on the Arctic Sunrise, a Greenpeace vessel. The researchers are equipped with an arsenal of cameras and sensors, which they have been setting up on surrounding cliffs as well as on the ice itself. Stitched together, the pictures they are taking will provide a blow-by-blow animation of the event. "We're looking on a minute by minute basis at what it's doing, how it's moving in relation to the rest of the glacier, and looking for that critical point where it fractures and breaks off," says Alun Hubbard, a glaciologist at the University Of Wales, UK. The team believes this will happen within weeks. Only yesterday, a 3-square-kilometre chunk broke away. There are now more than 10 cracks in the ice, some 500 metres wide. The researchers expect the ice tongue to break up within the coming weeks. When this happens, an island of ice the size of Manhattan, spanning 100 km2 holding 5 billion tonnes of ice, will break free and drift out to sea.
Posted 15 July 2009; 3:37:35 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Climate Change and Weather, Environment and Landscape, Greenland / Denmark, North Atlantic, Research / Reports
High levels of toxic chemical dumped off Greenland
(The Copenhagen Post via Jyllands-Posten, 10 July 2009) -- A toxic substance was found to be on building material that has been dumped in the sea off the coast of Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, and a new report recommends the immediate removal of the material from the waters. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) were commonly found in paints, cements and sealants, until they were banned in the 1970s after having entered the food chain due to being dumped in water, causing toxic health effects in humans and animals. Earlier this spring, two large housing blocks were torn down in Nuuk and the rubble dumped in the sea as part of a plan to create a foundation for a new harbour area. However, when PCB was found in a third housing block, consultancy firm Cowi was asked to investigate the possibility of PCB being in rubble already dumped in the sea. The Cowi report will be published later today, but the department head of the Greenland Environmental Protection Agency (APA) has said that the results are not good. ‘There’s a lot of PCB in [the rubble] and the paint is regarded as especially dangerous waste,’ said department head Tina Petersen to Ingeniøren trade journal. Petersen confirmed that the report found PCB levels of 330-1030 milligrams per kilo in the paint. But finding out which parts of the rubble need to be removed from the sea will prove problematic for the authorities. The PCB has penetrated one to two centimetres into the concrete and with parts of the rubble being crushed during the demolition, it will be likely that all the material must be removed from the ocean. Petersen said they are now looking at the costs involved in removing the material and working out if it will eventually be disposed of properly in Greenland or Denmark.
Posted 13 July 2009; 2:14:51 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Contaminants and Pollution, Environment and Landscape, Greenland / Denmark, Health and wellness
National organisation planned for artists
(Kurt Kristensen/News from Greenland by Semitsiaq, 6 July 2009) -- Musician Alex Andersen has taken on the six-month assignment to organise those working in the arts in Greenland under a unified cultural umbrella organisation. Andersen is optimistic about the project, based on facilitating cooperation between artists working in Greenland, which hopes to bring together the many individual organisations that currently work independently of each other. The impetus for the project came during a meeting in Nuuk’s cultural house, Katuaq, last December. The cultural seminar, attended by seven independent cultural organisations, also secured political backing for the development of an umbrella organisation, with then-Premier Hans Enoksen pointing to the strong cultural identity that Greenland as a people needed to cultivate in connection with the introduction of self-rule. Following the success of the culture summit, also attended by then-Culture Minister Tommy Marø, was a government pledge of financial funding for a project to develop an umbrella organisation encompassing as many of the county’s independent arts organisations as possible. The resulting award of 250,000 Danish kroner has enabled Andersen, who created national music organisation INNK, to be engaged on a short-term contract to oversee the setting up of the organisation due to be in place by January 2010. [Sermitsiaq.gl. News from Greenland: Newsletter, monday, July 06-2009. Sermitsiaq.gl. 2009-07-12. URL:http://sermitsiaq.gl/rss/en_newsletter.jsp. Accessed: 2009-07-12. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/5iDwGmwTF)]
Posted 12 July 2009; 5:04:48 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Arts and Artists, Circumpolar News, Cultural Matters, Education and Civil Society, Greenland / Denmark, North Atlantic
Mineral may make milk allergy a thing of the past
(Sermitsiaq, 9 July 2009) -- People with milk allergies now have hope of being able to drink milk in the future. Microbiologists Peter Stougaard and Marianne Schmidt from Denmark’s University of Copenhagen have found a mineral in Ikka Fjord in southern Greenland which can be added to milk to remove the lactose which many cannot tolerate. The mineral is found throughout southern Greenland, but specifically in Ikka Fjord. According to the journal Polar Front, the two scientists have developed and patented a new enzyme that can break down lactose. The enzyme is isolated from bacteria which live inside the Ikka Fjord mineral deposits, writes public broadcaster knr.gl. Stougaard also said he and his colleagues have carried out preliminary chemical studies on sea cucumbers from the deposits in Ikka Fjord which suggest the organisms may contain a cancer-inhibiting substance that could be utilised by the pharmaceutical industry.
Posted 12 July 2009; 4:54:03 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Greenland / Denmark, Health and wellness, North Atlantic
Global warming impacting Greenlanders' daily lives
(Slim Allagui/AFP, 9 July 2009) -- NUUK - From his trawler that motors along the Nuuk fjord, fisherman Johannes Heilmann has watched helplessly in recent years as climate change takes its toll on Greenland. Global warming is occurring twice as fast in the Arctic as in the rest of the world. Heilmann, in his 60s with a craggy, rugged face from years of work in the outdoors, says he and his colleagues can no longer take their dogsleds out to the edge of the ice floes to fish because the ice isn't thick enough to carry the weight. And yet the freezing waters with large chunks of ice are too difficult to navigate in their small fishing boats, making fishing near impossible. "We can't use the sleds any more, the ice isn't thick enough," laments Heilmann, saying he now has to rely on bird hunting, and sometimes seal hunting, while waiting for the summer months to go fishing. At Ilulissat, more than 200 kilometres (125 miles) north of the Arctic Circle, Emil Osterman tells local daily Sermitsiaq how "in 1968, when I was 13, we went fishing in December in the fjord and the ice was several metres thick." Now, more than 40 years on, the ice at the very same location at the same time of year "is only 30 centimetres thick." ... Moeller says he is "worried" about the changes, but admits that he doesn't think about it every day. "I don't know if it's warmer than before, since winter after all lasts until May here," he says. But at the new Arctic research centre in Nuuk, director Soeren Rysgaard has no doubts that climate change is having an impact. "It's very visible in the Arctic." Fishermen who pull up fewer fish in their nets or who can no longer fish in certain areas because the ice is too thin are those most affected right now, he says. But the speaker of the local parliament, Josef Motzfeldt, notes that global warming has also brought "some good." A growing number of tourists have come to Greenland to see how climate change is causing the North Atlantic island's enormous glaciers to melt, and new species never before found in Greenland are turning up, such as sea urchins and squid.
Posted 9 July 2009; 1:34:46 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Climate Change and Weather, Communities, Greenland / Denmark, Social Issues
Celebrating the Self-Government Day
21 June 2009 is the Self-Government Day and National Day of Greenland. On this webpage you find the programme for the Self-Government Day, read the speeches and get information about the Self-Government.
Posted 21 June 2009; 11:03:57 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Greenland / Denmark, North Atlantic
Self-rule introduced in Greenland
(BBC News, 21 June 2009) -- The Arctic island of Greenland is assuming self-rule, in the latest step towards independence from Denmark. The move follows a referendum on greater autonomy in November. It will see Greenland take a greater share of revenues from its natural resources. The local government is taking control of the police and the courts. Greenlandic—or Kalaallisut—becomes the official language. Denmark has the final say in defence and foreign-policy matters. Copenhagen has ruled Greenland for three centuries. It granted the territory limited sovereignty in 1979. But the new self-rule system takes the Arctic island and its 57,000 inhabitants closer to independence. Greenlanders—most of whom are native Inuit—will be treated as a separate people under international law. Much of the oil, gas, gold and diamonds the island holds has been inaccessible because of the Arctic ice covering most of the land mass. But US experts believe it will become easier to exploit the island's mineral wealth as global warming melts the ice sheets. Independence advocates hope the expected increase in revenues from minerals will help fund a final breakaway from Copenhagen. But analysts say any push for independence is likely to be put on the backburner by Greenland's new leftist government. Newly elected Prime Minister Kuupik Kleist has vowed to concentrate on tackling big social problems, such as alcoholism, domestic violence and a high suicide rate. Greenland currently relies heavily on subsidies from the Danish government—which provide 30% of its GDP.
Posted 21 June 2009; 3:06:27 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Autonomy, Sovereignty and Politics, Circumpolar News, Greenland / Denmark, Indigenous Issues, North Atlantic, Rights and entitlements
Greenland ice sheet melting faster than expected; Larger contributor to sea-level rise than thought
(University of Alaska Fairbanks press release via Science Daily, 13 July 2009) -- The Greenland ice sheet is melting faster than expected, according to a new study led by a University of Alaska Fairbanks researcher and published in the journal Hydrological Processes. Study results indicate that the ice sheet may be responsible for nearly 25 percent of global sea rise in the past 13 years. The study also shows that seas now are rising by more than 3 millimeters a year--more than 50 percent faster than the average for the 20th century. UAF researcher Sebastian H. Mernild and colleagues from the United States, United Kingdom and Denmark discovered that from 1995 to 2007, overall precipitation on the ice sheet decreased while surface ablation—the combination of evaporation, melting and calving of the ice sheet—increased. According to Mernild’s new data, since 1995 the ice sheet lost an average of 265 cubic kilometers per year, which has contributed to about 0.7 millimeters per year in global sea level rise. These figures do not include thermal expansion--the expansion of the ice volume in response to heat--so the contribution could be up to twice that. Ref: DOI: 10.1002/hyp.7354
Posted 15 June 2009; 11:46:12 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Conservation and Wildlife, Environment and Landscape, Greenland / Denmark, North Atlantic, Research / Reports
New coalition government announced
(Sermitsiaq, 10 June 2009) -- Four women and five men have been announced as members of the new IA, Demokraatit, and KP coalition government. The government consists of nine ministries, as opposed to the previous eight, after the Family and Health Ministry was split into separate ministries. A new Interior Ministry has also been created. Kuupik Kleist, who, as expected, will serve as premier, also incorporated foreign affairs into his portfolio. Previously, the Foreign Affairs and Finance Ministries were headed by the same minister. Following the publication of the new government coalition’s political agenda for 2009-2013, Kleist said that the values on which it was based were applicable not only for the coalition parties, but for the entire nation.
Posted 11 June 2009; 11:07:52 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Autonomy, Sovereignty and Politics, Circumpolar News, Greenland / Denmark, North Atlantic
Greenland wakes up to first power shift in 30 years
(News from Greenland Newsletter, 8 June 2009) -- Following the national elections last week, Siumut, the leading party in Greenland since 1979, have lost their majority and look like they will be left out in the cold by their former opposition parties. If out-going Premier Hans Enoksen hoped to ride the wave of national feeling surrounding the imminent introduction of self-rule on 21 June by calling for a national election at short notice, he made a strategic mistake. The election saw the social democratic Siumut securing 26.5 percent of the votes, losing its 30-year power-hold on Greenlandic politics. Socialist IA—s 43.7 percent of the vote was the largest of any party. The leader of IA, Kuupik Kleist, has vowed that while the party is under his leadership there can be no possibility of working with Siumut in parliament, a position shared by Demokraatit. This leaves Siumut without the possibility of forming a bloc large enough to match IA, as the party’s former coalition partner Atassut have only 10.9 percent of the vote. Siumut also suffered another loss, in the form of grand old man of Greenlandic politics, Jonathan Motzfeldt, failing to be elected to parliament. He secured only 91 votes, leaving him outside of the sphere of political influence for the first time since 1971.
Posted 8 June 2009; 10:42:26 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Autonomy, Sovereignty and Politics, Circumpolar News, Communities, Greenland / Denmark, North Atlantic
Giant iceberg potential Arctic shipping hazard
(Randy Boswell/Canwest News Service, 7 June 2009)—A billion-tonne iceberg that calved from a northern Greenland glacier last summer has drifted 2,000 kilometres into Canadian waters and is now stalking the southern coast of Baffin Island—a potential shipping hazard that federal scientists are closely tracking by satellite and with a beacon placed directly on the frozen mass. But experts monitoring the Petermann Ice Island—named for the glacier it split from last July—say they're bracing for the birth of a monster berg five times bigger that could break away from the same High Arctic source this summer. If that colossal chunk of ice and snow remains whole after it heaves clear of Greenland's ancient Petermann Glacier, it would form a floating monolith about the size of B.C.'s Saltspring Island—greater in area than New Brunswick's Grand Manan or Ontario's Wolfe Island, the largest of the Thousand Islands. Officials with the Canadian Ice Service, the branch of Environment Canada that monitors ice conditions on the country's navigable waterways, is sharing data with a team of U.S. scientists to ensure an early warning when the glacier calves again.
Posted 7 June 2009; 5:17:39 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Canada, Circumpolar News, Climate Change and Weather, Greenland / Denmark, Natural disasters and other problems
Air Greenland augments AS350 fleet and steps up tourism drive
(Business Air News, 5 June 2009) -- Air Greenland is bringing an AS350 B+ into service, customised with its brand and livery, and is taking steps to boost its charter operations to combat the global economic downturn. Christian Keldsen, director sales and marketing, says: "We have been expanding our charter fleet over the past couple of years as the demand here has been related to exploration, oiling and mining in Greenland." Despite the world recession, Air Greenland expects its home market to be more or less stable, although it anticipates a drop in the country's incoming tourism. Keldsen says: "Charter activities will most likely decline late 2009/early 2010 as a result of the low crude oil prices and the worldwide recession. The need to look for metals and minerals usually declines during downturns, partly due to a fall in building activities and the scarcity of financing." However Keldsen adds: "We are looking into doing more charter on our jet fleet operating out of Copenhagen. Also we are investing heavily in tourism within Greenland in order to grow this segment for the benefit of traffic on our flights." The company selects aircraft that are suited to the Greenlandic conditions and the available facilities which feature many short runways and a variety of heliports. "The fleet of turboprops is getting older and it is difficult to get spare parts," Keldsen says. "To date the AS350 B+ is still among the best suited mix of aircraft for our conditions."
Posted 5 June 2009; 9:59:17 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Economic and Commerce Issues, Greenland / Denmark
Left-wing opposition wins Greenland election
(AP via New York Times, 3 June 2009) -- COPENHAGEN - A left-wing opposition party won Greenland's parliamentary election and was set to oust the long-governing Social Democrats as the ice-capped island prepares for more autonomy from Denmark, official results showed Wednesday. The next government will be the first to lead the semiautonomous Danish territory under an expanded home rule agreement that takes effect later this month. With all districts counted, the left-wing Inuit Ataqatigiit party, or IA, won nearly 44 percent of the vote, doubling its support from the last election four years ago, the election commission said. The governing Siumut party, in power since 1979, got just over 26 percent, apparently punished by voters in Tuesday's election for a series of corruption scandals. With 14 seats, the IA still needs support from smaller parties to have a majority in the 31-member assembly. "Greenland deserves this," IA leader Kuupik Kleist told celebrating supporters in Nuuk, Greenland's capital. He didn't say which parties he would approach for coalition building but ruled out Premier Hans Enoksen's Siumut party. Enoksen called the snap election after Greenlanders decided in a November referendum to loosen ties with Denmark, which has controlled the giant island since the 18th century. The new arrangement, which takes effect on June 21, will make Greenlandic, an Inuit tongue, the official language and gradually shift control over the local police force, courts and the coast guard to Greenland's government. The plan also sets out new rules for splitting potential oil revenue with Denmark—a key issue in a region where new natural resources could be exposed by melting sea ice and glaciers. Talks with Denmark on implementing the program are set to begin later this month. Copenhagen, whose subsidies account for two-thirds of the island's economy, will still control defense and foreign policy and Danish figurehead monarch Queen Margrethe remains the head of state. More than 70 percent of the 40,000 eligible voters turned out for the election, which was dominated by allegations of nepotism and misuse of public funds.
Posted 3 June 2009; 1:24:59 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Autonomy, Sovereignty and Politics, Circumpolar News, Greenland / Denmark, North Atlantic
Arctic politicians in Ilulissat
(Sermitsiaq, 27 May 2009) -- Arctic parliamentarians discuss Arctic issues. Juliane Henningsen participated as a representative of the Folketing, with landsting President Ruth Heilmann and Per Rosing Petersen. Greenland autonomy, the forthcoming elections and education, are all on the agenda, says Juliane Henningsen. The meeting began yesterday and lasts until Friday. The parliamentarians will also visit Sermermiut and the village Oqaasut. The Arctic Parliamentarians represent Denmark/Greenland, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Canada, USA, Finland and Russia.
Posted 27 May 2009; 11:40:05 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar cooperation, Circumpolar News, Conferences, meetings, and gatherings, Greenland / Denmark, International
Greenland opposition and coalition parties consider political partnership
(Jens Møller/Sermitsiaq.gl's News from Greenland newsletter, 25 May 2009) -- Atassut’s parliamentary candidates Steen Lynge and Ove Thomassen made it clear this week that their party is ready to co-operate with parties other than Premier Hans Enoksen’s Siumut party. ‘We are open to cooperation with parties other than Siumut, but it has to be for the entire election period,’ Lynge said during a voter meeting in Copenhagen. This means that Kuupik Kleist, leader of Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA), stands a realistic chance of becoming the first premier of Greenland under self rule, if his party performs as well as some political commentators are predicting. Kleist’s welcome of Atassut’s overture indicated he would seek the premier’s office. ‘We want to make an agreement that can last four years, and if the voters back us we are ready to take the responsibility,’ he said. During the meeting it became more evident that the two main opposition parties, IA and Demokraati, together with Atassut, had come closer together politically on children and youth issues, nepotism and political economic responsibility—some of the election’s main issues. Palle Christiansen Demokraati pointed out that his party appeared to have many things in common with Atassut, but that it remained to be seen if this would continue to be the case after the election. However, Demokraati appeared to have come around to the possibility of Kleist being the new premier.
Posted 25 May 2009; 2:49:44 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Greenland / Denmark, North Atlantic
Greenlanders flock to the Internet
(IceNews, 24 May 2009) -- Greenlanders are hooking up to the Internet in droves since the Greenland Connect sea cable was connected to the island on 24 March. Within the first month of its operation, Internet use jumped 25 percent. Sermitsiaq reports Tele Greenland’s new ADSL Premium service is particularly popular, luring hundreds of customers with its faster speed and larger capacity for downloading at a single set rate. In anticipation of a big increase in their Internet customers, Tele Greenland has already approached the government and asked it to lower rates by 35 million kroner. If the government agrees to help make Internet access more affordable, the lower rates will take effect on 1 June. Tele Greenland wants to use 30 million kroner to reduce its rate per megabyte, and the remaining five million kroner to reduce installation and subscription prices. Greenland currently has 12,300 Internet users, a small number in most countries. But the rapid increase in Internet use is causing Greenland’s postal service, Tele Post, to lose out. SIKUnews reports that between 2001 and 2008 the sale of postage stamps fell by up to 38 percent and the overall amount of post delivered dropped by the same percentage. The decline in traditional postal services is slowly eroding Tele Post’s profitability, suggesting that one day Greenland’s snail mail may be forced into extinction. But for now, the island is enjoying its new connectivity to the World Wide Web.
Posted 24 May 2009; 12:48:32 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Greenland / Denmark, Internet Resources, North Atlantic, Transportation, Infrastructure and Construction
Climate agreement could cost self rule success
(Inge S. Rasmussen/Semitsiaq, 20 May 2009) -- If Greenland reduces its carbon dioxide output in line with the West the country will never achieve economic self sufficiency, warns Greenland Employer Association. The forthcoming substitute for the Kyoto treaty for the reduction of greenhouse gases will be decisive for the economic future of Greenland, prompting the Greenland Employers Association (GA) to urge voters to support those political parties who back increased carbon dioxide emissions to facilitate economic growth. According to GA, failure to do so will mean waving goodbye to any dreams of the country supporting itself from incomes derived from future oil and mineral industries, because the cost of purchasing the extra carbon dioxide quotas would cost billions of kroner. ‘We need to secure development for Greenland,’ said Henrik Leth, GA director. ‘We cannot simply sit back and watch as Greenland is turned into an open air museum because we can not develop our oil and mineral industries.’
Posted 23 May 2009; 4:38:59 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Autonomy, Sovereignty and Politics, Circumpolar News, Climate Change and Weather, Communities, Greenland / Denmark, International, Social Issues
Magazine project for students by their peers
(Hanne Broberg/Sermitsiaq, News from Greenland, 18 May 2009) -- Students from Mid-Greenland High School (GU) in Nuuk have produced a new youth magazine, Voila, aimed at their peers and which deals with youth culture and issues in Greenlandic. Sex, STDs, leaving home and studying abroad are just some of the themes covered in a new magazine by and for young Greenlanders. The magazine is the result of over half a year's worth of hard work for the high school students who, using only four hours a week on the project, have been planning the publication from conception to publication as part of their studies in Greenlandic. Margrethe Thårup Knudsen, the teacher behind the project, said that the students have done the hard work themselves. 'They have done everything, from sourcing advertising to layout and content prioritisation,' said Knudsen. 'They have been their own sparring partners, with a large degree of agreement on the final product from the outset.' The magazine is aimed at students between the ages of 15-18, and the students from GU have already received a certain amount of feedback concerning the first publication. It seems that the target audience are pleased with the magazine on the whole, praising its content and the fact that it is published in Greenlandic, rather than Danish or English. However, one criticism concerned the layout.
Posted 18 May 2009; 11:17:27 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Education and Civil Society, Greenland / Denmark, Indigenous Issues, Youth
New course in hunting and fishing both popular and a necessity
(Mariia Simonsen/Sermitsiaq, News from Greenland, 18 May 2009) -- The majority of the 30 young students who have applied to begin a new two-year course in hunting and fishing are from small towns and settlements such as Nanortalik, Tasiilaq, Illoqqortoormiut and Qaanaaq. The two-year course will be a combination of classroom based learning and practical workplace based learning with specially selected hunters and fishermen. Those already working and earning a livelihood form these industries can also take advantage of the courses based in the town of Uummannaq in northwestern Greenland. They will be offered an extension course of up to a year in length in the area of hunting and nature leadership, biological assistant work and tourism. Over and above the necessary practical elements of the course, it will also offer the young students an essential insight and understanding of law, economy and development relevant to hunting and fishing. There will also be teaching in nature, biology and marine studies as well as the use and maintenance of industry tools.
Posted 18 May 2009; 10:36:55 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Cultural Matters, Education and Civil Society, Fisheries, Greenland, Indigenous Issues
Norway, Denmark: Concern over EU seal product ban
(IceNews, 15 May 2009) -- The European Parliament has passed a measure banning the import of all products made from seals into its 27 member countries. Special exceptions are allowed for products exported from traditional Inuit hunters in Greenland and Canada. Denmark and Canada have been leading the call against the ban on seal products, but the motion was easily passed by a large majority of the EU Parliament. This means the ban will be in effect by the end of the year. Canada and Denmark expected this result, and also knew there would be a special exception for the Inuit so that their traditional ways of life could continue in Greenland and Canada. But even with the special clause, the Copenhagen Post reports many Danish MEPs are concerned the ban will hurt the economic livelihood of villages along Greenland’s coast. “There are some settlements that consist of between 10-20 people along the northern coast who depend on seal hunting,” said Christian Rovsing, MEP for the Danish Conservative party. “How can we expect them to survive economically if we rob them of their means to do so?” Animal rights activists ran an effective, well-publicised campaign against culling seals for the market. Almost as much clamour has been made by people in Norway, Denmark, Canada and Greenland, who see the ban as an end to the seal product industries in their countries. Norway has suggested it will now take the case to the World Trade Organisation, and Canada is preparing to bring it up at a top-level meeting between its government and the EU in Prague.
Posted 15 May 2009; 1:12:08 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Conservation and Wildlife, Economic and Commerce Issues, Europe, Greenland / Denmark, Nordic Region, North Atlantic
Greenlandic newspaper Atuagagdliutit - Grønlandsposten opens new website
(Olafur Olafsson/IceNews, 12 May 2009) -- The Greenlandic newspaper Atuagagdliutit - Grønlandsposten has gone live with its new website, AG.gl, which has been in development over recent months in co-operation with Nordic eMarketing. The website is set up using the DaCoda content management system, and is specially designed for Greenlandic conditions; for example the fact that all items on the site must appear in both Greenlandic and Danish. Atuagagdliutit, which was established in 1861, is among the world’s oldest newspapers still in publication. Nordic eMarketing was enlisted to help create the new website in a time when online news distribution is becoming almost essential for traditional newspapers. Greenland’s switch to home government, the country’s full-independence movement and climate change are just three reasons that reliable daily news distribution in Greenland has never been more popular or important. For geographical reasons, printed newspapers are only distributed once or twice a week and must be sent to villages and settlements all along the Greenlandic coast. Greenland has a coast some 39,330 km long, which is nearly the same as the straight line distance around the earth’s equator!
Posted 12 May 2009; 1:01:43 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Communications and media, Communities, Greenland / Denmark, North Atlantic
Scandinavian royal heirs to study climate change in Greenland
(Earth Times, 11 May 2009) -- Copenhagen - Danish Crown Prince Frederik, Norway's Crown Prince Haakon, and Swedish Crown Princess Victoria are due to visit Greenland at the end of May to study the effects of climate change on the world's largest island. The May 27 to June 1 visit to Greenland was aimed at helping raise awareness about climate change and global warming, and the three were to be briefed by researchers, the Danish palace said Monday. Higher temperatures are increasing the runoff from the ice sheets of Greenland, thereby contributing to raising sea levels, scientists have said. Denmark in December is to host a United Nations conference where delegates hope to reach an international climate change agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol. The three Scandinavian royals in June 2008 conducted a similar visit to the Arctic archipelago Svalbard, off northern Norway. That trip aimed at highlighting the International Polar Year.
Posted 11 May 2009; 9:55:05 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Climate Change and Weather, Greenland / Denmark
Greenland lands its first native whale in 37 years
(Thorleifur Petursson/IceNews, 9 May 2009) -- It’s been 37 years coming, but a Greenlandic bowhead whale has been hunted and caught near the town of Qeqertarsuaq, thus finally filling its special quota to catch a single whale. In 1973, the historic Greenland whaling town was granted permission to hunt a single whale in commemoration of the town’s 200th anniversary. It took nearly four decades, but Qeqertarsuaq whalers finally hauled in a bowhead whale that weighed 40 tonnes and measured 14 metres long. SIKUnews reports the bowhead will be processed and distributed to the local community on 21 June to celebrate the start of Greenland’s self-rule. Qeqertarsuaq is an historic whaling town that specialised in the hunting of the Greenlandic whale during the 1800s and 1900s. However, in 1932, all Bowhead whales were officially listed as protected species. Greenland does, however, hunt other species of whale. Last year, the International Whaling Commission granted Greenland its first bowhead whaling quota since 1932. They can hunt two bowhead whales per year from 2008 to 2012. Since no bowheads were caught in 2008, the quota tally carried over into 2009. Therefore, four whales may be caught this year. Since the Greenland government pays for the expenses of whale hunting, the first two whales that are caught must go to the government for research purposes. Biologists will receive the bones, eyes and sample tissues to study. But the meat and blubber will go to the citizens of Qeqertarsuaq to honour Greenland’s self rule.
Posted 10 May 2009; 2:05:41 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Communities, Fisheries, Greenland, North Atlantic, Resource Issues
Eastern Arctic bowhead whales no longer threatened: federal committee
(CBC News, 6 May 2009) -- The number of bowhead whales in Canada's eastern Arctic is growing again, meaning the species should no longer be listed as threatened, according to a scientific committee that advises the federal government on species at risk. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) is recommending that the bowhead's listing be downgraded from a threatened species to a species of special concern. The federal committee's decision came late last week after members met in St. Andrews, N.B., to assess 27 different wildlife species across Canada. Listing a species as of special concern is the least serious designation under the federal Species at Risk Act. While a species of special concern is not considered to be endangered or threatened, its numbers are still sensitive to human activity or natural events. Long a staple of Inuit culture, the Eastern Arctic bowhead became severely depleted by centuries of commercial whaling, starting in the 1500s. Bowhead whales first came under protection in the 1930s. Using scientific research and traditional Inuit knowledge, COSEWIC determined that bowhead populations have been "steadily increasing in recent decades," according to a news release issued by the committee. "Although the increased abundance is encouraging, the species faces an uncertain future in a rapidly changing Arctic climate," the release said. The committee noted that eastern Arctic bowhead now shares the same status with the western Arctic bowhead. COSEWIC can determine a species as being of special concern, threatened, endangered or extinct. A species can also be classified as extirpated, meaning it can no longer be found in the wild.
Posted 6 May 2009; 10:29:42 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Canada, Circumpolar News, Conservation and Wildlife, Flora and Fauna, Greenland / Denmark, Nunavut / Canada, Research / Reports
On the hunt for a TV chef for Greenland food show
(Sermitsiaq, 5 May 2009) -- On 5 May six chefs will be competing for the role of TV chef on a new six part television series about travel and food in Greenland. The selection of a television chef will take place at the Danish embassy in London tomorrow, with the lucky winner able to look forward to a comprehensive journey taking them to all over the country on a hunt for raw ingredients to use in their recipes that will be created for the viewing public. The first programme will be filmed in southern Greenland, later to be presented at the MIP-TV Film Festival at Cannes in November. More on this
Posted 4 May 2009; 12:34:32 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Arts and Artists, Circumpolar News, Communities, Greenland / Denmark, Tourism / Perspectives
New chair: Denmark is the new chair of the Arctic world
(Jesper Hansen/Arctic Council News, 30 April 2009) -- The Kingdom of Denmark, which includes the Faroe Islands and Greenland, has taken over the Chairmanship in the Arctic Council. Wednesday, the Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Per Stig Møller took the chairmanship after Norway. Mr. Møller highlighted the Arctic Council's role in securing a sustainable development in the Arctic Region: "A primary objective of our chairmanship is to secure a strong platform for the Arctic Council. In the present dynamics of a changing Arctic we must safeguard continued sustainable development in this region. A forward looking approach in the Arctic will have to rest upon the political framework of the Arctic Council. Not least as a result of climate change the world's attention is directed to the Arctic region, and the possibilities it presents. It this new setting it will be of major importance for the Arctic Council to safeguard the inherent cultural, economic and political rights of the peoples and the Nations in the Arctic. The human dimension remains at the core of Arctic Council work. Developments in the Arctic—for good or for bad—directly influence life and living conditions for the Arctic populations. During our chairmanship we will continue to work together to develop tools for a better future for the peoples of the Arctic. Human health will be a priority issue in this respect." The Role as SAO Chair is given to Ambassador Lars Møller. See also the Danish Chairmanship Programme by using the link on this page. See The Danish Chairmanship Programme and The Danish Foreign Minister's speech
Posted 1 May 2009; 11:06:18 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar cooperation, Circumpolar News, Greenland / Denmark, International
First Greenlandic whale caught in nearly 40 years
(Semitsiaq, 30 April 2009) -- The first Greenlandic whale has been caught after Greenland received its first quota last year since total protection of the species began in 1932. For the first time in 37 years a Greenlandic whale has been hunted in Qeqertarsuaq, Greenland, after it received special permission to hunt just one in 1973 as part of the town’s 200 year anniversary. The latest whale will be processed and its meat and blubber handed out as gifts to members of the community on 21 June to celebrate the introduction of self-rule to Greenland, currently a home rule country within the greater Kingdom of Denmark. Qeqertarsuaq was historically a whale hunting town, specialising in the hunting of the Greenlandic whale, in the 1800s and 1900s. The recent whale haul weighed in at 40 tonnes and was more than 14 metres in length. Greenland recently received a quota from the International Whaling Commission for two Greenlandic whales per year for the period 2008-2012, with allowances being made to carry quotas forward from one year to the next. As no whales were hunted in 2008, the quota for this year is four. The first two whales caught are the property of the government, including the bones, which has decided that biologists will receive sample tissues, whalebones and eyes for research purposes. The government have also covered the expenses involved in hunting the whale, according to Amalie Jessen, head of the department for hunting and fishing.
Posted 1 May 2009; 10:48:20 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Communities, Cultural Matters, Greenland / Denmark, North Atlantic, Resource Issues
Internet consumption grows by 25 percent
(Sermitsiaq, 30 April 2009) -- People have literally taken the new, fast internet connection to themselves after the Greenland Connect submarine cables came into operation on 24 March. In just over a month, the total consumption of the internet grew by 25 percent. 670 new customers have signed up for the telecommunications company's new ADSL Premium subscription package where customers have the opportunity to exploit the higher speeds and to download large amounts of data at a fixed price.
Posted 30 April 2009; 2:43:56 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar News, Communications and media, Greenland / Denmark, North Atlantic
Arctic Council will put focus on people and health
(Inge S. Rasmussen/Sermitsiaq, 28 April 2009) -- The Kingdom of Denmark, which also incorporates Greenland and the Faroe Islands, takes up its chairmanship of the Arctic Council today, headed by Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Møller. The two year period of the chairmanship will be used to focus on the consequences of climate change for the people of the countries around the North Pole. 'We will concentrate on what climate change will mean for biodiversity and how living conditions will be affected for the people of the Arctic,' said Per Stig Møller. Møller pointed out that global warming would have an impact on health conditions in the Arctic. 'It will result in new illnesses and new types of animal life. Those changes will create challenges for health conditions, not just for humans but for the animals as well,' said Møller. The foreign minister also made it clear that Greenland had a vital role to play in the chairmanship of the council, and would be involved in Danish climate policies on all levels. 'Greenland will be used much more. It is there after all that the affects of climate change can be seen most of all,' said Møller. The results of the Ilulissat declaration will also be taken into account during the kingdom's chairmanship, according to Møller. The Ilulissat declaration is a political declaration regarding the future of the Arctic, undersigned by the five Arctic coastal states: Canada, Russia, Norway, Denmark/Greenland and the US. The declaration obliges the Arctic coastal states to strengthen cooperation to ensure the preservation of a peaceful Arctic. Møller sees the future of the Arctic Council as one of growing influence, where countries listen to what the council has to say and its advice. Not least, because US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton looks set to take the council more seriously than previous politicians have.
Posted 29 April 2009; 10:59:53 AM. Permalink
Tagged: Circumpolar cooperation, Circumpolar News, Greenland / Denmark, International
Premier’s minister disagrees on date for Greenland independence
(Af Hanne Broberg/Sermitsiaq, 24 April 2009) -- Leading Siumut party members have voiced differing views of when Greenland should gain independence. Finance Minister Per Berthelsen, of leading government party Siumut, has voiced his disagreement with the Premier, Siumut colleague Hans Enoksen, regarding the preferred date for independence. Enoksen has stated that he hopes Greenland will be able to achieve full independence from Denmark by 2012. However, Berthelsen thinks that independence is at least a generation away for the people of Greenland. Berthelsen pointed out that there was no obligatory party line concerning independence. It is up to individual ministers and MPs to form their own opinion on the issue.
Posted 28 April 2009; 11:24:24 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Autonomy, Sovereignty and Politics, Circumpolar News, Greenland / Denmark, North Atlantic
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