Independence appeals to many Greenlanders, but questions remain over the economy. Can tourism or mining replace the money currently coming from Denmark?
CGTN's Iolo ap Dafydd reports from the capital Nuuk.
#trump #greenland
CGTN's Iolo ap Dafydd reports from the capital Nuuk.
#trump #greenland
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00:00Love of music is universal. Local Greenlandic culture sells in this shop, which is also a recording studio.
00:09There's been so much international attention given to this island in the past three months.
00:13This business wants the government to focus on what's best for Greenland's communities.
00:19Every summer there are like 700 ships coming. It's crazy.
00:24So I think it's important that the government supports these businesses,
00:30because you can't be independent if you don't create an economy inside of Greenland.
00:39So I think it's very important the government supports tourism.
00:44As with any election, promises are made, but how many are actually kept?
00:48And despite all the political parties supporting independence, should that decision be made now or in years to come?
00:55Sure in the future, but not now. We're not ready. We don't have the population.
01:00We don't sell enough stuff. We don't make enough stuff.
01:03I am hopeful that there are the people who want to fight for our country and not be bought by Trump.
01:12We want to form our own nation and want independence from Denmark.
01:19There are developments. Last summer, a new European Union office in the Arctic, followed by a U.S. consulate.
01:27Start-up tourism companies are hoping to attract more wealthy visitors to almost untarnished locations.
01:34But with mixed Danish-Greenlandic parentage, Kasper is concerned about the drive to divorce from Denmark.
01:41If you look into the health care sector, I think it's like 40% are coming from Denmark when you go to the local hospitals.
01:48And if you remove the collaboration with Denmark, the bisfælliskabler, as you call it,
01:55you won't have the opportunity to actually get cured if you get sick.
01:58And that is a dilemma, as well as some of the best educated remaining in Denmark rather than bringing their skills and knowledge home.
02:06And then there's the annual sum of money paid by the Danish government to Greenland's parliament.
02:12If we measure all the Danish state's expenses, you have the block grants and you have the expenses for those different areas that Denmark still has the responsibility for.
02:26And that was last year roughly 740 million U.S. dollars.
02:33And that would be 53% of the total public spending.
02:39Greenland's dependency is decreasing.
02:42Developing tourism and possibly mining more minerals may boost Greenland's coffers eventually,
02:48as well as tapping into its natural resources like water, hydro energy and carbon storage.
02:54For more UN videos visit www.un.org