Living Law® Greenland- climate and geopolitical flashpoint

Territorial sovereignty over Greenland- Part I (Return of the Scandinavians)

The discovery of the “New World” by Spain and Portugal set off a contest amongst European powers to discover and lay claim to further parts of the planet. Though not well known, Denmark established colonies in Africa and the Carribean. More relevant to our topic, both Norway and Denmark- at the time functioning effectively as a joint kingdom- rediscovered their historical connections to Greenland.

Under the lead of General Trading Companies, merchants introduced to European buyers the natural treasures of the Arctive (fish and furs), and at the same time brought with them new tools and technology to the indigenous peoples in Greenland. Equally as important, the trading companies also facilitated the missionary activities of the Nordic settlers. This meant the re-introduction of Christianity, now in the predominant Protestant form of the Nordic peoples.

Learning Objective: students will discover how and why Nordic peoples returned to Greenland, a fact which would determine the answer to the sovereignty question down to the present.

Territorial sovereignty over Greenland- Part II (1st half of the 20th century)

The role of history loomed large in Greenland as the 20th century began. Norway and Denmark, no longer joined politically, began to assert their respective purported rights in relation to the territory of Greenland. A recently-established international legal judicial body, the Permanent Court of International Justice (PCIJ), had to review a litany of documents and testimony in order to decide which nation had superior legal rights. Interestingly, the involvement of the indigenous peoples of Greenland was conspicuous by its absence.

In the end, the Court ruled in Denmark’s favor. That decision continues to have relevance in the present, with Denmark playing a decisive role in Greenland’s future direction. But before we get to that topic, we explore how yet another nation, the United States, began to express not only an interest, but active engagement in Greenland.

Learning Objective: students will investigate the role of history (and its recording) in a crucial international legal proceeding to determine who had sovereignty of Greenland.

The two lectures focusing on the 20th century and the territorial sovereignty of Greenland highlight its strategic position to other nations, particularly during wartime. In this rare archival footage, we see a little known dimension of the Second World War- Nazi Germany's stationing of radar stations on Greenland's territory. As highlighted in the previous lecture, Denmark was occupied by Germany during most of the war. The wartime period proved to be another key turning point in Greenland's gradual march towards fuller independence.

Territorial sovereignty over Greenland- Part III (2nd half of the 20th century)

The war (hot and “cold”) periods left their imprint on the society in Greenland. Across the globe nations were shaking off their colonial ties, achieving various degrees of autonomy and independence. Greenland’s connection to Denmark initially brought it into the European Economic Community (EEC, now the European Union). The drive for a greater say in running their own affairs led Greenlanders to push for a looser affiliation with Denmark. This then led to the departure of Greenland from the EEC.

Learning Objective: students will learn how the exercise by Denmark of its recently-legally-affirmed sovereignty over Greenland impacted the country's inhabitants, and how those inhabitants began to chart their own course.

Pole Position

The first six lectures contained a lot of detail about the evolution of Greenland as a nation. For this and the next lecture it's time to pause and consider two tangential aspects tied to Greenland's sovereignty. The first is the significance of the region from a scientific standpoint. The Arctic and the Antarctic, as the last two real frontiers on the planet, have long fascinated people across the globe. It was only fairly recently that technology and innovation made it possible for outsiders to gain a view into life in the polar extremes. With the help of some rare archival footage, we witness one early expedition to discover the wonders and secrets of Greenland and the Arctic. NOTE THAT THERE ARE CAPTIONS BUT NO AUDIO TO ACCOMPANY THIS ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE!

The scientific value of the Arctic ties into the topic of the next lecture, the strategic (incl. military) significance of Greenland, both historically and in the future.

Greenland's strategic position

The significance of the involvement of the United States in Greenland from World War II cannot be understated. This was especially so during the period of the Cold War, when Greenland had at least as much strategic significance. Though not so well known, Greenland also played a role in the nuclear arms race between the two superpowers. Lucikly, a military nuclear meltdown never transpired. But another, global, meltdown began to accelerate following the Cold War, making the issue of the territorial sovereignty over Greenland all the more important.

Learning Objective: students will explore how the involvement of the United States in Greenland's affairs increased dramatically during World War II, and how it continued and evolved thereafter.

Home Rule vs. Full Independence

After its departure from the EEC, Greenland continued to rely on Denmark to support certain key national functions (e.g. defence, foreign affairs). As the 20th century approached its close, full sovereignty became an increasingly realistic possibility. Financial dependence in the form of state subsidies remains one of the key remaining links to the Danish Realm.

Learning Objective: students will learn how the exercise by Denmark of its recently-legally-affirmed sovereignty over Greenland impacted the country's inhabitants.

Icebergs are a unique feature of both the Arctic and Antarctica. Greenland also has its fair share, with ice floes a seasonal reality. Given the danger icebergs can pose to maritime traffic, national militaries and other organisations try to track the course of icebergs and provide early warning to ships and their crews. This archival footage shows the resumption of an iceberg patrol off of Greenland's waters following the end of World War II.

More recently, icebergs have become the subject of investigation as a possible source of drinking water as the world's population grows and water supplies shrink. But to whom do icebergs belong? And what does international law say about such attempts? Two interesting articles- one written during and one after the Cold War- discuss the topic in more detail. Though there are no clear rules agreed to by all nations, certain principles of international treaty law may prove helpful to answering such questions.

The significance of climate change for Greenland

The linkage between Greenland’s autonomy and climate change may not be evident at first glance. The connection is found in the technical legal provisions regulating the legal-political relationship between Greenland and Denmark. Those provisions contain a formula by which the subsidies from Denmark decrease in tandem with the increase in revenues derived from Greenland’s natural resources. Once that formula leads to the end of subsidies, this triggers the need for negotiations on Greenland’s potential full independence and sovereignty.

As the ice cap which has covered most of Greenland for ages continues to shrink, this opens up possibilities for exploitation of more and more of the nation’s territory. Thus ironically, the impact of climate change on Greenland’s physical geography may directly affect its political geography by enabling its people to “afford” full independence. No matter what happens on the political front, the warming of the Arctic brings with it economic opportunities which both locals and foreigners are watching with interest. While most of the rest of the globe is busy trying to implement changes to halt further global warming, some Greenlanders see potential net benefits, at least in the short term. The underlying dynamics of these developments are what make Greenland (and the Arctic in general) of such great significance to the whole world.

Learning Objective: students will consider the strange interrelationship between climate change- particularly in relation to its impact on Greenland- and the question of Greenland's sovereignty. Broader questions surrounding natural resource development are also touched upon in the Additional Resources material.