Climate change continues to devastate our planet. As global temperatures rise, ice caps around the world are melting. In Greenland, the changing temperatures have led to record-breaking ice melts. As the ice melts, a treasure trove of minerals capable of powering the transition to green energy also becomes more available. As a result, billionaires have begun funding mineral treasure hunting in Greenland.
Billionaires are funding treasure hunts in Greenland to find critical minerals
It is a bit ironic that one of the biggest problems our planet has faced in centuries is helping with the quest to save it. But that appears to be the case. With the ongoing climate crisis, Greenland’s ice-covered lands are melting. As a result, a treasure hunt to gather the precious minerals that call Greenland home has begun.
The hunt includes billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg, and others. The rush is in getting access to critical minerals that could help push the green energy transition forward. More specifically, finding the minerals they believe are hidden under the hills and valleys of Disko Island and Nuussuaq Peninsula could power hundreds of millions of electric vehicles.
It’s intriguing news.No doubt the thought of hundreds flocking to the treasure hunt in Greenland is quite a sight, too. Much like the Antarctic, Greenland is ground zero for the impacts of climate change. The difference between these two is that Greenland’s melting could also help reverse some of the ongoing effects of the climate crisis.
Hunting for minerals
Crews are already joining the treasure hunt in Greenland, taking soil samples and collecting measurements of the rock below the surface. CNN notes that the group is using artificial intelligence to analyze the data. This will allow them to pinpoint exactly where to drill for the minerals. So far, thirty geologists, geophysicists, cooks, pilots, and mechanics have made the trek out to Greenland.
That number will surely increase as Kobold Metals continues the search for these critical minerals. These excursions are being made possible thanks to the increased ice-free periods in the sea surrounding the area. Because it isn’t blocked off all the time, they can ship in heavy equipment used in the treasure hunt for minerals in Greenland.
Ironically, climate change is helping to further the search for minerals we need for green energy. Despite that, climate change is still an ongoing threat. And it is one that we will never be able to take lightly, even if MIT has come up with some possible solutions to reverse the climate crisis.
