From Introduction:

Against the island’s complex ecological and political background, this chapter deals with current and future issues when applying the concept of sustainability to the case of Greenland. It will mainly focus on the territory’s economic development which is the pre-requisite for possible political independence and therefore handles a mainly economic definition of sustainability. Following a brief description of the political background, the chapter’s main section portrays four economic areas which, far from being exhaustive, present in our eyes the most important parameter in discussing the complex relationship between economic and environmental sustainability in Greenland. Fishing, mining, tourism, and renewable energies all yield significant economic potential, while at the same time posing respective serious challenges. For a sustainable development of the island’s resources, the concluding section will argue that it is not only necessary to combine the positive potentials of each of the sectors effectively. Even more importantly, Greenland must build up, together with external partners, its human capacities in order to include the social dimension of sustainability as well.