Greenland's 1.5 million metric tons of rare earth reserves and 25 critical minerals represent a strategic alternative to China's 90% market dominance—essential for wind turbines, EV batteries, and the global clean energy transition.
Greenland's 1.5 million metric tons of rare earth reserves and 25 critical minerals represent a strategic alternative to China's 90% market dominance—essential for wind turbines, EV batteries, and the global clean energy transition.
Beneath Greenland's melting ice sheet lies what may become the most consequential geological discovery of the 21st century. The world's largest island contains an estimated 1.5 million metric tons of rare earth element reserves, according to data from the U.S. Geological Survey, along with 25 of the 34 minerals the European Union designates as critical for industrial and defense applications. As the clean energy transition accelerates demand for permanent magnets in wind turbines and electric vehicle motors, Greenland's mineral wealth has transformed from a geological curiosity into a geopolitical flashpoint—one that could reshape global supply chains currently dominated by a single nation.
The stakes extend far beyond mining economics. China controls approximately 60% of global rare earth mining and a staggering 91% of processing and refining capacity, according to the International Energy Agency. When Beijing imposed export controls on several critical minerals in early 2025, the disruption rippled through automotive factories from Detroit to Stuttgart, exposing the fragility of supply chains built on geographic concentration. Greenland represents one of the few viable alternatives capable of breaking this monopoly, though developing its resources will require patience, investment, and navigation of complex political terrain.
Greenland's mineral endowment reflects four billion years of geological history compressed into accessible deposits now emerging from retreating ice. The island contains not merely rare earth elements but a comprehensive portfolio of the materials essential for modern technology: lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, uranium, and multiple rare earth varieties. According to analysis from The Conversation, this diversity makes Greenland one of the most mineral-rich territories on Earth relative to its explored area.
The scope of climate-driven exposure is substantial. An area roughly the size of Albania—approximately 28,748 square kilometers—has melted since 1995, according to CNN reporting...
