Short Sited and Half Blind, page-35

With mining, there is always going to be some sacrifice to the environment, but mature countries deal with it.

For example, I once read a statistic that the amount of iron ore that Australia has exported to China would cover the land size of Tasmania one metre deep.

An obvious solution for both ETM and Tanbreez to progress would be for the citizens of Narsaq, who are opposed to the mines going ahead, to be bought out. They could sell their properties for 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 times their worth and move to another area. Narsaq would then become a mining town to house the imported labour need at the mines.

Mining companies in Australia have often set up townships from scratch to service mines, but by buying the established township of Narsaq they would be getting off with a head start. It would be a win-win situation for everybody. The younger population is deserting the town anyway because there's no future in staying without new jobs and investment. It'll be a ghost town in a decade or so on current trends.

The other issue of the block grant to me seems a non-issue.

Sure profits from mining would be offset against the grant, but Greenland can hardly expect to pocket super-profits from mining while still getting their free hand-out from Denmark.

I thought they wanted independence? Are they too thick to understand that 50% of nothing is nothing - whereas 50% of something is something.

What parent would let their middle-aged children stay at home rent-free while they live off the rent from an investment property that they've bought?

Over time mining royalties will overtake and replace the block grant, which I think would make the Danes very happy. Colonialism is an anachronism, and I'm sure the Danes will celebrate the day that Greenland finally leaves home.