The Greenland ice sheet is breaking up, losing 280bn tonnes to the ocean every year. All across the Arctic, new sea routes are opening as temperatures rise. Some projections indicate that in 20 years it will be possible to sail across the North Pole through the central Arctic Ocean — though you would have to watch for giant icebergs, large enough to sink the biggest vessels and the best-laid plans.
Given the extraordinary effects of global warming, which were almost unforeseeable a short while ago, it is not surprising that Greenland has been thrown into the geopolitical spotlight. What is more surprising is the way this has happened, with a US president demanding the right to take over the country in order to prevent other Great Powers from doing so.
Pushing for “the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland”, Donald Trump has found a cause that is fully alienating his administration from most European countries and has the potential to effectively end Nato as a mutual defence agreement. By midweek, he was ruling out using military force and talking up the prospect of a deal. But like the Arctic ice, the transatlantic relationship seems to be fracturing rapidly.