COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – Greenland’s government said on Tuesday it has taken a first step toward joining the Paris Agreement on climate and aims to develop the Arctic island’s vast hydro power potential.
The semi-sovereign territory in the Kingdom of Denmark with a population of just 57,000 people will not commit to any specific targets for reducing emissions, its government, elected in April on an environmental platform, said in a statement.
“The prime minister of Greenland has informed me of the government’s decision to enter the Paris Agreement,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said.
The mineral-rich island has seen increasing interest from global mining companies.
The government has banned future oil and gas exploration and pledged to halt development of a large rare earth deposit in the south of the country, although that decision must still be ratified by its national parliament.
Representatives from nearly 200 countries are meeting in Glasgow, Scotland, from Oct. 31 to Nov. 12 to flesh out the rules of a new global climate pact.
(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; Editing by Catherine Evans)
