President Donald Trump has appointed Louisiana governor Jeff Landry as US special envoy to Greenland, rekindling a dispute with Denmark. Landry called it a volunteer role and posted that he aims to help make Greenland part of the United States. Denmark said it will summon the US ambassador to explain the move, while the White House framed Greenland as essential to US security. The announcement was made on 21 December 2025.

Greenland’s prime minister, Jens‑Frederik Nielsen, responded that “Greenland belongs to Greenlanders” and that the island will decide its own future, a line echoed in a joint statement with Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen. The EU signalled full solidarity with Denmark and Greenland and urged respect for territorial integrity under international law.

Context matters. Greenland has governed most domestic affairs since 1979 and gained further autonomy in 2009; Denmark retains responsibility for defence and foreign policy. The population stood at about 56,700 in October 2025, and a January Verian poll found 85% of Greenlanders oppose joining the US, even as a majority support eventual independence.

The climate stakes are immediate. Arctic winter sea ice hit a record‑low maximum in March 2025, and the region has seen a sustained decline across seasons. As the ice thins, shipping has increased: the number of unique ships entering the Polar Code area rose 37% between 2013 and 2023, and distance sailed more than doubled. The IMO’s ban on heavy fuel oil in Arctic waters took effect in July 2024, though waivers mean full coverage is delayed until 2029.

What new routes could mean is contested. A 2025 Nature Communications study projects that wider use of the Arctic Sea Route could raise global shipping emissions by around 8% by 2100 without stronger policy, despite shorter voyages. At the same time, major container lines remain cautious: the Northern Sea Route handled only a few million tonnes of transit cargo in 2024 versus more than a billion via Suez in 2023.

Mineral access is the other driver. Geological surveys highlight significant potential in Greenland for rare earths, graphite, titanium, niobium and zinc-materials central to clean energy supply chains. In December, Greenland granted a 30‑year exploitation licence for the high‑grade Amitsoq graphite project, backed by the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act. At the same time, a 2021 law bans mining from deposits with uranium above 100 ppm, stalling the giant Kvanefjeld rare earths project and triggering litigation.

For communities, the principle is clear: consent first. The UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues this year reiterated that projects on Indigenous lands require free, prior and informed consent-including the right to say no. The Inuit Circumpolar Council has warned that the energy transition must not repeat extractive harms of the past. Greenland’s leaders are signalling that any partnerships-US, EU or otherwise-must respect that baseline.

Security considerations are real and longstanding. The US has operated in northwest Greenland for decades; Thule Air Base was renamed Pituffik Space Base in 2023. In March 2025, US Vice‑President JD Vance visited the base and criticised Denmark for underinvesting in Greenland, prompting a public rebuke from Copenhagen over the “tone”. The base’s role in missile warning keeps Greenland in strategic focus, regardless of who sits in the Oval Office.

What will keep the Arctic livable is not rhetoric but rules. Near‑term steps for shipping are straightforward: cut black carbon by moving ships in Arctic waters from residual fuels to distillates now, tighten the HFO ban by limiting waivers, measure and report black carbon as standard, and advance an Arctic Emission Control Area alongside speed limits to reduce noise and strike risks. Evidence suggests fuel switching alone could cut black carbon by 50–80%, with filters delivering deeper cuts.

On minerals, the test is whether investment strengthens Greenland’s society as well as supply chains. The EU’s new office in Nuuk and education and green‑growth programmes offer a template: skills first, clear environmental standards, and value‑added processing where feasible. Tie licences to transparent revenue sharing, tailings safety, water stewardship and FPIC, and publish mine‑by‑mine carbon plans. That is how a graphite licence or a future rare‑earths project can support both livelihoods and climate goals.

What to watch next: Denmark’s summons of the US ambassador and any follow‑up from Washington; whether EU partners move faster on Arctic shipping safeguards; and the pace of mining approvals under Greenland’s uranium law. Also keep an eye on the 2026 sea‑ice cycle and fresh PAME traffic data; both will shape how many ships venture north next summer.

This story starts with a diplomatic row but ends with choices. Melting ice is exposing new routes and rocks, yet neither must be a free‑for‑all. With science‑based shipping rules, community‑led mineral development and firm respect for sovereignty, Arctic cooperation can cut risk, protect wildlife and keep benefits local-while the climate work continues.