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Nicholas Pastura
The Artic is warming, the ice
and the snow are melting,
and it’s warming faster than
the rest of the planet. “We're
now losing spring Arctic
snow cover at a rate faster
than the models predict,”
says research scientist Chris
Derksen. The temperatures in
northern Greenland have
gone up 4.5 degrees in the
last 15 years. Some scientists
predict that the temperature
may be up 14 to 21 degrees
higher by the end of the cen-
tury.
Ice packs that cover fjords
are becoming too unstable
for dog sled and snowmobile
traffic. Winter fishing is es-
sential to feeding the people
in Greenland, but conditions
necessary to do so are be-
coming increasingly danger-
ous or impossible. The larg-
est employer in the town of
Narsagq, a shrimp factor,
closed when crustaceans
starting heading for cooler
water. Eight commercial
fishing ships are now down
to only one. Narsaq’s popula-
tion has halved in the last
decade. Greenland has one of
the world’s highest suicide
rates, and suicides are rising.
Despite these difficult issues,
great things could be on the
horizon for Greenland.
Maps of the massive min-
eral deposits in Greenland
have been drawn up by the
Danish government for dec-
ades, as Denmark is the par-
ent state. Most past attempts
to mine have failed due to
impossible or expensive con-
ditions, but with warmer
temperatures arriving, this is
set to change. Just outside of
Narsagq sits one of the largest
deposits of rare earth metals.
“This is huge; we could be
mining this for the next 100
years,” says geologist Eric
Sondergaard.
The possibilities that can
be brought forth from these
new prospects are important
to both the people of Green-
land, and their government.
As labor union leader Vittus
Qujaukitsoq puts it, “One of
our goals is to obtain inde-
pendence.” Denmark pays
Greenland about a half bil-
lion a year, money that
Greenland is heavily reliant
on. This annual money was
frozen in 2009 at its current
rate, and scheduled to de-
crease in the future. With the
vast revenues that could
come from mining, Green-
land could become self-
sufficient. “I think this will
be the future,” says Green-
land’s housing and infra-
structure minister, Jens B.
Frederiksen, “but this is a
difficult phase.”
New employment is al-
most a guarantee for resi-
dents, and Greenland Miner-
als and Energy, an Australian
-owned company, has begun
teaching young men in drill-
ing and learning to speak
English. It has plans to build
new roads, a new port, and a
processing plant. A local
abandoned apartment block
may be converted into a ho-
tel, and Narsaq’s airport,
threatened with closure, may
not only be kept open, but
expended.
The future and this transi-
tional period will be difficult
for Greenland, but for now,
they’re making the most of
it. It’s a hard place to be put
in, and while many fear the
environmental damage that
the mining industry can fur-
ther bring, there are still fam-
ilies, men, women, and chil-
dren that need to be taken
care of. The backbone of
Greenland’s industry and
livelihood, cannot be sus-
tained as the climate chang-
es. In our lifetimes, many
other Arctic areas, and possi-
bly non-artic areas, are going
to face socioeconomic
changes brought about by
warming temperatures.
Mont Alto PA 17237.
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Co-Editor: Nick Pastura
Staff Writers:
Laura Syzmanski
Miss Lion
Dear Miss Lion,
I am a commuter and I have a class that ends at two thirty, but my
next class does not start until five. I do not want to go back home,
but when I do not have homework to do I get really bored. What-do I
do with all that time? Can you tell me some things that I can do to
occupy my time?
-Bored Out Of My Mind
Dear Bored Out Of My Mind,
There are many things to do between classes. One thing you could
do is rent a movie from the library, you can even sign out your own
private study room The Wiestling Student Center (WSC) offers a
pool room and music oon You could head over to the Multipur-
pose Activities Center .or MAC. to get some exercise The MAC of-
fers a gym where you can play some basketball or volleyball, a
weight room that offers dumb bells and neni equipment, and a
cardio room with other types of exercise equipment. If you just want
to surf the internet there are many computer labs available around
campus including one in the Academic Support Center, one below
the bookstore, and two computers in the WSC. If you are ull look-
ing for another place to hang out there is Café Java, the commuter
ing, and the adult lounge that is located on the second floor of the
Science and Technology Building on the side facing Wiestling. I
hope this helps and gives you some ideas of what you can do during
the time that you have between classes.
Love and Paws,
Miss Lion