Greenland's parliament has called on the government to prepare a law to temporarily suspend permits for deep-sea mining activities. The position was set out in a unanimously passed resolution, and the suspension is intended to last until 2029, with the possibility of extension.

Greenland, with its enormous wealth of raw materials, has long been in the sights of the United States administration led by Donald Trump, and just a few hours before the resolution was passed, the US president had announced the imminent start of exploration for oil, gas and minerals. A plan made difficult by the territory's climatic and infrastructural context, compounded by political mobilisation. As far back as 2021, parliament had already passed a moratorium on new concessions for oil and gas extraction. Now it is the turn of the seabed.

Exploring the seabed

The resolution was first proposed at the beginning of 2026 by Pipaluk Lynge, a representative of the Inuit Ataqatigiit party. In the text, she expressed concern that Greenland's seabed could become the target of the extractive ambitions of the most aggressive countries in this regard, such as the United States.

The seabed is rich in metals such as nickel, copper, cobalt and manganese that are playing a key role in the energy transition and the electronics industry. In April 2025, US president Donald Trump signed an executive order authorising deep-sea mining, covering both US and international waters, without requiring approval from the International Seabed Authority, the body created under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. This streamlined the approval of exploratory permits for companies such as The Metals Company, which is expected to begin operating in early 2027.

Exploring and mining the seabed carries serious environmental consequences. The interventions are invasive in nature and alter the habitat of marine species, but the impact is also disruptive to economic activities such as fishing, which accounts for 90 per cent of Greenland's exports. The noise and vibrations from drilling can disrupt the behaviour of fish, the release into the water of substances associated with mineral exploration and extraction can contaminate the food chain, and fishing activities themselves could face spatial and temporal restrictions to allow for underwater operations.

Donald Trump's ambitions

When, in October, the US president declared that major oil, gas and mineral exploration activities would soon begin in Greenland — without mentioning the seabed — the text proposed by Pipaluk Lynge became highly topical once again. Donald Trump has long had his eye on the territory and has repeatedly called for its annexation by the United States on security grounds, given its strategic position, as well as to gain greater freedom in exploiting its resources.

Complicating matters up to now are several factors: legislative issues, with the moratorium passed in 2021 by Greenland's lawmakers on new concessions for oil and gas extraction due to the environmental impact of such activities; diplomatic issues, stemming from the territory's belonging to Denmark; climatic issues, which make extraction activities extremely complex; and infrastructural issues, including the absence of a comprehensive network of roads and ports, as well as insufficient energy and labour.

Protecting the seabed until 2029?

The day after Trump's latest announcement, Greenland's parliament convened to vote on the resolution on the seabed. Seventeen of the 31 total members were present in the chamber, and they passed the text unanimously.

The resolution is not binding but commits the government to adopting, in early 2027, a law suspending the issuing of licences for deep-sea mining. The request is to halt all types of licence until 2029, and a clause for an extension of a further two years is included. Also backing the resolution and adding further pressure on Greenland's executive is a popular petition launched by the non-governmental organisation Oceans North Kalaallit Nunaat (ONKN), which has already garnered hundreds of signatures. And the government has expressed openness to introducing the law suspending licences for deep-sea mining activities, also announcing a public consultation to gather views and opinions from the population.

In recent years, several countries have taken positions against deep-sea mining. In 2022, the government of French Polynesia passed a law banning such activities within its territorial waters. The following year, France followed suit, as did Palau, while numerous other countries, including Spain, Germany, Portugal, Sweden, Brazil and Canada, called for such practices to be prohibited. At the end of 2025, it was Norway's turn, suspending until 2029 all deep-sea exploration and mining projects in Arctic waters.