Imaginaries in the Making: The Socio-Technical Imagination of Rare Earth Elements in Greenland's Future

Abstract

The mining of rare earth elements (REEs) in Greenland has become a significant topic of debate. One the one hand, there is a general consensus in Greenland to pursue independence from Denmark, and REEs are highly valued as an economic tool in accomplishing this. On the other hand, the industry is nascent, and a series of global, regional and local challenges have beleaguered the emergent industry. In this paper, we focus on drawing out the sociotechnical imaginaries that shape and constrain public and political understandings of REE mining in Greenland. It is anchored in document analysis and elite interviews, incorporating historical analysis and colonial theory to contextualise current debates and policy responses, looking towards comparisons of Greenland’s position and practices to those in Scotland and Nunavut to illuminate key issues. Our analysis shows that in Greenland, mineral resources are understood predominantly in terms of their economic potential, and that this economic potential is a determinant factor in facilitating independence from Greenland. In the paper, we show how both parts of this understanding have caused important issues to be neglected, firstly in that minerals require a stable and competent decision-making environment to generate economic flow, and secondly that economic gains will not generate a shared understanding of Greenland’s future. We conclude by considering how Greenland’s REE experience and prospects can inform one of the deepest political questions being asked: is independence achieved, or is it seized?