Greenland Hopes to Change Economy with Moon Rock
2021-10-29
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1The mineral-rich island of Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, has a large amount of an ancient rock known as anorthosite.
2Anorthosite is similar to the rock that astronauts collected from the moon in the early years of American space exploration.
3Scientists believe anorthosite is nearly as old as Earth itself.
4Anorthocite is found in southwestern Greenland.
5And it has mining companies excited about making money.
6The rock contains compounds that can be used to make fiberglass and aluminum.
7People who support taking the minerals out of the ground note that the money earned may help Greenland reach its long-term goal of independence from Denmark.
8But a conflict might be coming.
9Naaja Nathanielsen is Greenland's mineral resources minister.
10She said, "Not all money is worth earning."
11She added that Greenland is willing to make fast decisions when it comes to protecting the environment.
12The island's new government campaigned on a platform of environmental responsibility.
13It recently banned future oil and gas drilling.
14The government may begin a new ban on mining for uranium.
15A ban on uranium mining in Greenland was lifted eight years ago.
16A new ban would halt development of one of the world's largest rare-earth deposits.
17The metal deposit area is called Kuannersuit in Greenlandic and Kvanefjeld in Danish.
18Its operator was in the process of securing a permit to mine there.
19The metal deposit was an important issue in the elections held earlier this year.
20Greenlanders worry that uranium mining could cause environmental problems.
21The head of the company that holds the mining rights in the area called the concerns "exaggerated," or greater than they need to be.
22John Mair of Greenland Minerals told the Reuters news agency that uranium "is a political issue which is being driven by exaggerated and misleading claims."
23If the mine remains operational, the government estimates it could bring in $233 million each year for Greenland.
24Currently, the island's 57,000 people mostly depend on money from fishing and the financial support it gets from Denmark.
25But Denmark would reduce the amount of money it sends to Greenland based on future earnings from mining.
26Some Greenlanders believe the mining should stop until the island is independent from Denmark.
27Pele Broberg is Greenland's minister for business and trade.
28He told Reuters, "Under the current agreement, large-scale mineral extraction makes no sense."
29He added, "Why would we do that while we're subject to another country?"
30But some people in Greenland support mining.
31"We have to find other ways to make money. We can't just live off fishing," said Johannes Hansen.
32He is a local firefighter and carpenter.
33His town of nearly 160 people is about 50 minutes by boat from a planned anorthosite mine.
34Greenland Anorthosite Mining is a company developing the mine.
35It has a plan to process 120 metric tons of anorthosite for possible buyers in the fiberglass industry.
36Anorthosite is a more environmentally friendly choice than some other materials, including kaolin.
37A spokesperson for Greenland Anorthosite Mining said anorthosite melts at a lower temperature than kaolin.
38And it produces less waste and greenhouse gases.
39The company says it hopes to have an exploration permit by the end of 2022.
40The bigger aim is for anorthosite to be used instead of bauxite to produce aluminum.
41Aluminum is one of the minerals important to reducing greenhouse gases.
42It can make vehicles lighter and is fully recyclable.
43Anorthosite also fits in with European Union plans to use different mineral sources.
44Asuncion Aranda leads an EU-funded research project into anorthosite.
45She said more research is needed to cut costs and reduce harmful effects to the environment.
46"We don't know yet if our process will be competitive from the start compared with the established production method," she said.
47Aranda added that "...if all goes well ..." we could see the first marketable production in eight to 10 years.
48While the EU is looking at uses for anorthosite here on Earth, the American space agency NASA has other ideas.
49NASA has been using anorthosite from a smaller Greenland mine already in production.
50That mine is operated by a Canadian-based company called Hudson Resources.
51The company is testing equipment that could be used for mining on the moon and even establishing communities there.
52A scientist at NASA's Johnson Space Center is John Gruener.
53He said the anorthosite deposits found in Greenland and other places on Earth are not exactly like what is found on the moon.
54But they are close.
55Greuner said, "If we are really going to live off the land at the south pole of the moon...we will have to learn how to deal with anorthosite."
56I'm Anna Mateo. And I'm Dan Friedell.
1The mineral-rich island of Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, has a large amount of an ancient rock known as anorthosite. Anorthosite is similar to the rock that astronauts collected from the moon in the early years of American space exploration. Scientists believe anorthosite is nearly as old as Earth itself. 2Anorthocite is found in southwestern Greenland. And it has mining companies excited about making money. The rock contains compounds that can be used to make fiberglass and aluminum. 3People who support taking the minerals out of the ground note that the money earned may help Greenland reach its long-term goal of independence from Denmark. 4But a conflict might be coming. 5Naaja Nathanielsen is Greenland's mineral resources minister. She said, "Not all money is worth earning." She added that Greenland is willing to make fast decisions when it comes to protecting the environment. 6The island's new government campaigned on a platform of environmental responsibility. It recently banned future oil and gas drilling. The government may begin a new ban on mining for uranium. A ban on uranium mining in Greenland was lifted eight years ago. 7Effect of a ban 8A new ban would halt development of one of the world's largest rare-earth deposits. The metal deposit area is called Kuannersuit in Greenlandic and Kvanefjeld in Danish. Its operator was in the process of securing a permit to mine there. 9The metal deposit was an important issue in the elections held earlier this year. Greenlanders worry that uranium mining could cause environmental problems. 10The head of the company that holds the mining rights in the area called the concerns "exaggerated," or greater than they need to be. John Mair of Greenland Minerals told the Reuters news agency that uranium "is a political issue which is being driven by exaggerated and misleading claims." 11If the mine remains operational, the government estimates it could bring in $233 million each year for Greenland. 12Currently, the island's 57,000 people mostly depend on money from fishing and the financial support it gets from Denmark. But Denmark would reduce the amount of money it sends to Greenland based on future earnings from mining. 13Some Greenlanders believe the mining should stop until the island is independent from Denmark. 14Pele Broberg is Greenland's minister for business and trade. He told Reuters, "Under the current agreement, large-scale mineral extraction makes no sense." He added, "Why would we do that while we're subject to another country?" 15Local support 16But some people in Greenland support mining. 17"We have to find other ways to make money. We can't just live off fishing," said Johannes Hansen. He is a local firefighter and carpenter. His town of nearly 160 people is about 50 minutes by boat from a planned anorthosite mine. 18Greenland Anorthosite Mining is a company developing the mine. It has a plan to process 120 metric tons of anorthosite for possible buyers in the fiberglass industry. 19Anorthosite is a more environmentally friendly choice than some other materials, including kaolin. A spokesperson for Greenland Anorthosite Mining said anorthosite melts at a lower temperature than kaolin. And it produces less waste and greenhouse gases. The company says it hopes to have an exploration permit by the end of 2022. 20The bigger aim is for anorthosite to be used instead of bauxite to produce aluminum. Aluminum is one of the minerals important to reducing greenhouse gases. It can make vehicles lighter and is fully recyclable. 21Anorthosite also fits in with European Union plans to use different mineral sources. Asuncion Aranda leads an EU-funded research project into anorthosite. She said more research is needed to cut costs and reduce harmful effects to the environment. 22"We don't know yet if our process will be competitive from the start compared with the established production method," she said. Aranda added that "...if all goes well ..." we could see the first marketable production in eight to 10 years. 23Unearthly goals 24While the EU is looking at uses for anorthosite here on Earth, the American space agency NASA has other ideas. 25NASA has been using anorthosite from a smaller Greenland mine already in production. That mine is operated by a Canadian-based company called Hudson Resources. The company is testing equipment that could be used for mining on the moon and even establishing communities there. 26A scientist at NASA's Johnson Space Center is John Gruener. He said the anorthosite deposits found in Greenland and other places on Earth are not exactly like what is found on the moon. But they are close. 27Greuner said, "If we are really going to live off the land at the south pole of the moon...we will have to learn how to deal with anorthosite." 28I'm Anna Mateo. And I'm Dan Friedell. 29Dan Friedell and Anna Mateo adapted this story for Learning English based on a report by Reuters. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 30What do you think about the mining question in Greenland? Tell us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. 31_____________________________________________________________________ 32Words in This Story 33semi-autonomous - adj. partly having the right to govern itself 34fiberglass - n. a light and strong material that is made from thin threads of glass and that is used in making various products 35platform - n. the official beliefs and goals of a political party or candidate 36drill - v. to make a hole in something with a large tool, often used to describe the search for oil or gas 37deposit - n. an amount of a substance (such as oil or coal) that exists naturally in the ground 38exaggerate - v. to think of or describe something as larger or greater than it really is 39extraction - n. the act or process of getting something by pulling it out, forcing it out, etc. : the act of extracting something 40recycle - v. to make something new from (something that has been used before)