Danes plot to claim North Pole

[Goonie]

I've rather snorkle in vomit than join the EU. Nothing says stagnation like a whole new level of beurocracy.

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[Cuivienen]

I would think Canada has a better claim as some of our national sovergin northern islands are alot closer then greenland.

To me, Greenland looks closer than that Canadian island up at the top.

 

[stormbind]

It's a close call, but I think Denmark is basing it's claim on seafloor geography?

 

[storealex]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20040926/lf_afp/greenland_denmark_us_040926232052
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2543303.stm

Polls show that the majority of Greenlanders would prefer independance if they could efford it, which they cannot, yet. Denmark gave independance to Iceland, and they'll do the same to Greenland, the day the Greenlanders want it enough.

 

[Christmann]

Denmark gave independance to Iceland,

That's a pretty liberal usage of the word "gave". More like "couldn't do anything when Iceland declared independence as Denmark was occupied by Germany while Iceland was occupied by the Allies".

 

[emzie]

That's a pretty liberal usage of the word "gave". More like "couldn't do anything when Iceland declared independence as Denmark was occupied by Germany while Iceland was occupied by the Allies".

Um, Iceland became a sovereign state under the Danish Crown in 1918. This was much more independent than either Greenland or the Faore Islands are now.

Anyway, Greenland has two seats in the Danish Landstinget. The seats are split between two parties: One wants independence, the other advocates for greater autonomy from Denmark. Money is the issue. Greenland would be really poor without support from the homeland. ~60,000 people and no industry = little economy = poor. Half of the government's revenue comes from Denmark at the moment.

There's also a large exodus from Greenland happening. More people leave for Denmark each year than die. That exodus would become much harder without the current link.

If your Canadian, think of giving Nunavut independence. Seams kind of silly.

 

[Christmann]

Um, Iceland became a sovereign state under the Danish Crown in 1918.

Yes, I was referring to the 1944 termination of the union.

This was much more independent than either Greenland or the Faore Islands are now.

Foreign affairs and the defense were still controlled by Copenhagen, as they currently are in the case of Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

 

[storealex]

Yes, I was referring to the 1944 termination of the union.

I was not. Have a nice day.

 

[Christmann]

I was not.

So you don't think Denmark will give Greenland full independence (i.e. including their own foreign policy and defense) if they ask for it, but merely a similar form of the sovereignity that Iceland achieved in 1918?

Have a nice day.

Thanks, you too.

 

[Singularity]

Denmark to Claim North Pole, Hopes to Find Oil

*World - Reuters
.
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Science Minister Helge Sander said last week that success would give Denmark access to "new resources such as oil and natural gas." The potential return far outweighs the $25 million the Danish government has allocated to support the investigation.

We are talking oil extraction in one of the most hostile and enviromentally vulnerable areas on the planet? I don't know what the danish science minister has been smoking, but it gotta be heavy stuff.

The Danish bid rests on a U.N. convention allowing coastal nations to claim rights to offshore seabed resources. Countries that ratify it have 10 years to prove they have a fair claim to the offshore territory and its resources.

At best this area falls under international protectoration status. Meaning Denmark would be the one monitoring this fragile territory. Any extraction of oil and/or gas would be ridicolous and laughable both enviromentally and technically. With theese motives I can predict that the claim will be challenged by quite a few nations.

"First we have to make the scientific claim. After that there will be a political process with the other countries," said Science Ministry official Thorkild Meedom. The ministry has called it "a project of historic dimensions."

More "a project of historic stupidity." Good luck on that political process mr. Meedom.

Other claimants to the area, including the pole itself, include Russia, Canada and Norway, and the United States may make a claim.

A nice collection of dogs to chew and spit out this giant political turkey.

The area in question covers three patches of seabed around Greenland and two around the Faroe Islands. Greenland and the Faroe Islands have limited home rule under Danish sovereignty.

Denmark's interest in looking into untapped reserves has grown sharply since it was forced to look on as Nordic neighbor Norway discovered massive oil reserves just within its offshore borders shortly after these were drawn in the North Sea.

Denmark should stick to what it can. The Faroe Islands is obviously not going to sit tight watching Danish crew drilling in their territory. And the world is not gonna sit tight watching Danish crew risking their life and the extremely fragile enviroment in the Arctic ocean.

 

[Aphex_Twin]

Isn't that region about as enviromentally sensitive as Antarctica? Should they even think of drilling for oil there?

 

[IglooDame]

This just in:

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2004/10/05/cansub041005.html

HALIFAX - A rescue effort is underway off the west coast of Ireland after a Canadian military submarine with 57 people on board issued a distress call Tuesday.

Military officials in Halifax said a fire broke out on HMCS Chicoutimi about 425 kilometres west of Ireland, but has since been extinguished.

They were wondering what the sub was doing there - I suspect it was going to patrol off Denmark to intimidate them into giving up this North Pole claim.

 

[Goonie]

To me, Greenland looks closer than that Canadian island up at the top.

Remember that is a circle. If you keep that in mind, Canada seems to actually be closer.

 

[Tassadar]

This just in:

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2004/10/05/cansub041005.html



They were wondering what the sub was doing there - I suspect it was going to patrol off Denmark to intimidate them into giving up this North Pole claim.

Those sub were leaking, now they are burning, thank to the brithish for those lemon.

 

[M37]

Hay I'm not 100% sure but isn’t the North Pole like the South Pole and technically international land?
However it is surrounded by Canadian owned land or ice as the case may be.
How about we come to a good reasonable solution. Canada and Denmark agree to take joint ownership and build an oil-well and split the profit 50/50?

 

[emzie]

It has nothing to do what territory of either country is closer, but how the sea floor is shaped. The Danes are investigating if the ridge that Greenland is a part of extends far enough north.

 

[Desmond Hawkins]

There are disputes between Canada and Greenland, so an argument over the North Pole wouldn't surprise me, but Canada has plenty of oil already so there's no need to quibble. Although.. monopolies are good

Most of our oil is really expensive to drill, so it isn't inconceivable that the ocean bound pole is more accessable than the Canadian tundra.

But, whatever, land ownership is questionable anyways.

 

[newfangle]

Let alone a nation-state arbitrarily claiming a chunk of land under the friggin ocean.

 

[Singularity]

Most of our oil is really expensive to drill, so it isn't inconceivable that the ocean bound pole is more accessable than the Canadian tundra.

Haha, try and put a permanent structure from the surface through X feet of driftice in terminal cold tempratures and embed it into the oceanbed. Constant oilspills, explosions and human casualties along with a dead ecosystem.

I like denmarks beer, shoes and sound systems. But this plot of the danish science ministry just can't succeed. It gotta be bitter that the danish citizens actually payed tax to fund this project. They should put the science minister on a raft/sledge/skies off the northern coast of greenland to do a personal study of this historical project.

 

[M37]

Haha, try and put a permanent structure from the surface through X feet of driftice in terminal cold tempratures and embed it into the oceanbed. Constant oilspills, explosions and human casualties along with a dead ecosystem.
They should put the science minister on a raft/sledge/skies off the northern coast of greenland to do a personal study of this historical project.

In the intrests of internatinal unity do you mind if Canada sends our poloticaians. Thier full of hot air so perhaps they could keep the Danish miniseter warm.