optics

Icebergs from the Jakobshavn glacier off the coast of Ilulissat, in western Greenland. | Photos by Bradley Secker for POLITICO
This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center.
NARSAQ, NUUK, and ILULISSAT, Greenland
As the most serene and majestic backdrop to our planet’s climate catastrophe, Greenland’s landscape is just as unique as its perspective on climate change.
Unlike almost anywhere else, Greenland officially views climate change as a positive possibility – one that brings opportunities to this independent country within the Danish kingdom. And as the world’s least densely populated country on the largest non-continent island, it’s easy to see why many here are keen to see what the changing future might hold.





Former Prime Minister Elijah Hammond once claimed that “Greenlanders are very good at seeing new opportunities. We’ve refused to be victims of climate change… I wish it wouldn’t happen but it does and that’s true. Once he’s there, [we] You have an obligation [make] Best of all.”
This is a rare and unique perspective among world governments, and as might be expected, it is not as straightforward as it appears.
Smiles Rasmus Damsgaard Jacobsen, founder and director of the Greenlandic Greenhouse, a year-round lettuce and vegetable farm in the capital city of Nuuk, home to a quarter of the country’s 56,000 population.








Amidst the brilliant purple glow that streams from his “farm” through the gray and dull surroundings, Rasmus strolls narrow LED-lit hallways stacked with virgin lettuce, the radio blaring.
About 300 meters from its front door, the new capital’s new airport is being built, which will finally allow direct international flights, 24/7. One of three new airports to be built, these projects provide a glimpse into the country’s increasing focus on tourism and infrastructure.
Noting that the construction work never stops, Rasmus believes that better days lie ahead. “I agree that climate change holds a lot of possibilities and benefits for Greenland. There’s a lot of land here, and they don’t quite know what’s under a lot of ice, so it can definitely get interesting, and tourism brings big opportunities,” he said.






The Headteacher has seen more older students enroll in recent years, as they explore new career paths. The country is experiencing a brain drain as its younger population sees more opportunities in Denmark than back home.
However, Sarah Woodall’s experience at Innovation South Greenland – an industry-integrated tourism company funded by the Qaqortoq region of southern Greenland – reveals a double-edged sword felt by many locals. “There is a rush of tourists visiting Greenland to watch the ice sheet melt before it’s gone forever, but I don’t think that rush is necessary. The ice sheet is three kilometers thick, and it will outlive all of us.” “Obviously the downside is that the more tourists visit, the more emissions they produce.”
To the south, in the small farming town of Narsaq, melt water unpolluted by mankind trickles down from glaciers, past the colorful homes dotting the mountainous landscape. Icebergs drift leisurely around the bay, displaying the occasional creak or crack, in what seems like an ever-changing postcard scene – until a large cruise ship docks in the late afternoon, vomiting mass tourism into town for one night.
Woodall Put The annual number is about 50,000 cruise ship visitors, with another 5,000 “on land” tourists. She echoes locals, warning of the unsustainable growth of tourism and groans at the sudden arrival of thousands of people taking selfies and treating their hometown like an amusement park, while giving little cash.





“We want to reduce the number of ships to those of the AECO (Association of Arctic Cruise Operators), as they are more sustainable, and work more with local communities. We hope for more small groups that are sensitive and culturally aware.”
But as the icebergs slowly break up, it rains more frequently and the growing seasons grow a little longer. Small, subtle changes but with a big impact here in Greenland, where the world’s largest island is feeling the effects of our changing planet four times faster than anywhere else.
Back in Nuuk, Angotemarik Hansen, a sheep farmer in Far North Greenland, explains the dilemma of climate change. “Now there is a lot of rain and snow. We need more snow, because it keeps my field warm, and protects the grazing grass underneath. With all that snow of past winters, my lawn is dying.” Barren, wet or frozen fields mean that Angutemarik, like his 13 other sheep farmers in Greenland, must import most of his feed and forage from abroad, driving up the cost to consumers.
Ole Vestergaard of Neqi’s only abattoir in Greenland provides some context: “Both farmers and Neqi are now receiving government support, and they have provided an additional support package to farmers to help with the above normal price increase.” He adds that global warming is “not a positive thing for farmers here”.


Fishing accounts for 90 percent of Greenland’s export economy, and it is also among the industries that have seen the most dramatic changes over the past decades.
When the waters around Narsaq, part of the country’s so-called “dining room,” increased by only about 0.5 degrees Celsius, what was attractively referred to as Greenland’s “pink gold” shrimp left the area for cooler waters further north. Tuna and mackerel are now caught regularly where they were rarely seen before, and cod numbers have skyrocketed around Ilulissat, the country’s third largest city, just above the Arctic Circle.





Meanwhile, on the other side of Ilulissat, the fields between the suburbs are home to hundreds of working sled dogs, who now spend their long summers in chains, howling at the sky. Shorter, warmer winters mean dogs have to roam longer and away from ice fishing and hunting during the season.
Shepherds now have about an extra month to graze their flocks, as the summer has become milder and longer. But Vertergrad says that despite this, the number of sheep and sheep processed annually has remained stable over the past four years.
Overall, it is too early to tell whether or not Greenland will be able to adapt its industries and reap the benefits it believes climate change will bring. But whatever happens, as former Prime Minister Hammond put it“The shock will be profound.”
