COLUMN: Oil - Greenland's eternal challenge

Europe is on high alert, as oil consumption is large, and sufficient oil reserves have not been built up.

The demand for oil and the smaller quantities of oil available are quite naturally causing the price of oil and oil products to rise. For most people, this is seen when the price of filling up their car increases. But the problem is much bigger.

Last week, the last ship arrived in Copenhagen with jet fuel. There are no more on the way at the moment, as no ships can enter the Strait of Hormuz, and therefore no one comes out again with fuel.

What will happen at Copenhagen Airport when the jet fuel runs out? What does it mean for Air Greenland and the connection between Copenhagen and Nuuk? Time will tell.

One thought that struck me was: How big are the Greenlandic fuel reserves? All towns in Greenland that do not have hydroelectric power could face incalculable consequences if a continuous supply of oil is not ensured.

Greenland has contracts through Polaroil for the delivery of oil at an agreed price. That is very nice in peacetime, but what happens when there is no oil available at all? If the supplier can get more than double the price for the oil elsewhere, are the contracts secure enough to ensure deliveries to Greenland?

I don't know, but it is worth focusing on politically, as Greenlandic society risks coming to a complete standstill.

At the same time, we see the US attacking other oil states such as Venezuela. What is happening in Venezuela is outright theft of other countries' natural resources, and at the moment it does not seem that the US has the moral compass in place.

In the battle for geopolitical control and control over the world's energy reserves, all other countries are in a bind. That is why the US is not a reliable partner.

This also applies to American companies that are trying to establish themselves around the world. If we look at Greenland, the policy at the moment is that we are ”open for business”.

I would like to put a huge question mark on that. Should we enter into agreements with American companies that want to exploit Greenland's natural resources, and should we do this at a time when the American government is run by a crazy leader, and whose friends in the business world are given priority over everyone else?

My answer is no. I believe that any cooperation with American companies should be put on hold until the USA returns to normal and has a truly democratic administration.

In addition, I believe that the USA must prove that they can be trusted again. This can be done by starting to clean up after themselves throughout Greenland, where their waste is still lying around in nature.

Therefore, the USA and American companies should not be allowed to drill for oil on Jameson Land in Northeast Greenland, in a very vulnerable Arctic environment.

I know that the whole topic sounds like something that has been discussed before, but that is how it is when the topic is oil - Greenland's eternal challenge.