Pole Position

Greenland has become one of the first arenas for the new game of climate geopolitics.

At a conference in Reykjavik in October 2017, Yu Yong, deputy director of the state-controlled Polar Research Institute of China, approached the Greenlandic delegation with a surprising question: Would they be willing to let China establish a scientific research station in Greenland, and man it year-round with a crew of 15 to 20 Chinese researchers?  The Chinese government, Yu explained, had taken a great interest in Arctic climate change.  More in this series: The Diplomatic Deadlock The Adaptation Advantage Models suggested that atmospheric changes in the Arctic were distorting rainfall patterns in China, disrupting agricultural production and flooding major cities. Chinese scientists had a purely scholarly interest in researching Arctic climate change, Yu said, including its effects on “animals and plants.”  If Greenland was willing, Yu said, construction on the new 20,000 square foot facility could start “as soon as possibl… Read more here.