Anna Hartz
U.S. political moves, particularly statements from former President Donald Trump about buying Greenland, have put pressure on long-standing collaborations between American and Greenlandic scientists.
For years, Greenland has been at the center of climate research. Scientists study its ice sheet to understand how the planet is changing and what the future holds for sea levels. But in recent months, the research has been facing an unusual challenge.
Partners pulling back
Twila Moon, a researcher at the University of Colorado Boulder, has spent more than twenty years working closely with Greenlandic colleagues. She studies the Arctic ice sheet and depends on international cooperation for her research, according to Videnskab. She says the Trump administration’s repeated comments about taking Greenland have strained these partnerships. Some research partners have pulled back from joint projects. This is something Moon has not seen in her entire career.
Geologist Paul Bierman of the University of Vermont says the statements have damaged the reputation of American scientists abroad. He notes that emails to Danish researchers often go unanswered. This lack of response signals mistrust and frustration. Bierman explains that there is real anger in Denmark, and it is understandable. Threatening another country’s territory is not acceptable. He worries that relationships with Danish and Greenlandic colleagues may never fully recover.
Bad timing
The timing of this strain is especially worrying for climate research. Greenland’s ice sheet holds enough ice to raise global sea levels by roughly seven meters. Ice cores taken from the ice preserve detailed records of the Earth’s atmosphere stretching back more than 100,000 years. Martin Siegert, a glaciologist at the University of Exeter, says Greenland is not a niche area of science. It is critical for the world’s understanding of climate change.
International cooperation is essential to this work. Without it, scientists may struggle to access data, share insights, or maintain research programs. The political tensions over Greenland could slow the study of melting ice and rising seas at a moment when rapid climate change makes this research more important than ever. Scientists warn that trust, once broken, may take years to rebuild.
