Billionaires go treasure hunting in Greenland for rare minerals needed for electric cars — and they may have climate change to thank
Some of the most notable billionaires on the planet have recently invested a lot of money to explore Greenland in the hopes of unearthing rare minerals needed for electric cars, and many are crediting so-called climate change for the opportunity.
Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg, and Jeff Bezos have each invested heavily in Kobold Metals, a mineral exploration start-up company based in California. Kobold Metals, in turn, has partnered with Bluejay Mining in the effort to explore remote areas of Greenland that may have a treasure trove of the minerals needed for electric vehicles.
“We are looking for a deposit that will be the first or second-largest most significant nickel and cobalt deposit in the world,” said Kurt House, CEO of Kobold Metals.
So far, 30 people — including geologists, geophysicists, cooks, pilots and mechanics — have ventured to Disko Island and Nuussuaq Peninsula along the southwestern coast of the country's mainland in search of those deposits and others.
Until recently, these areas of Greenland have been inaccessible to miners because ice prevented them from shipping the heavy equipment they needed to do their jobs. But higher temperatures, which some attribute to man-made climate change, have caused some of this ice to melt, freeing waterways through which mining companies can transport equipment.
“It is a concern to witness the consequences and impacts from the climate changes in Greenland,” Bluejay Mining CEO Bo Møller Stensgaard said. “But, generally speaking, climate changes overall have made exploration and mining in Greenland easier and more accessible.”
Mike Sfraga, the chair of the United States Arctic Research Commission, also added, "As these trends continue well into the future, there is no question more land will become accessible and some of this land may carry the potential for mineral development."
Inhabitat, a website that claims to cover "environmental news and the latest in sustainable design," claims that the ice reserves found in the ice shelves of Greenland have recently been melting at a faster rate than they did in the previous 12 millennia. If so, and if these climate changes are the result of human behaviors, then the climate "crisis" man has caused may have permitted man the means of combatting it by offering other mineral sources that will be used to build more electric vehicles.
The Bluejay Mining experts are already busy taking soil samples and mapping out the area using drones and helicopters so that they can determine the spots that will provide them with the richest mineral yields.
The Greenland government insists that it supports both the mining venture and the efforts to protect the environment. "The government of Greenland supports the responsible, sustainable, and economically viable development of their natural resources to include mining of a broad range of minerals," Sfraga said.
Dedication to free speech requires broad support beyond the billionaire class.
www.theblaze.com
thefederalist.com
Oprah and The Rock are facing MAJOR BACKLASH over THIS
Never mind the fact that Oprah is worth $2.5 billion and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson $800 million. That’s irrelevant information.
What is important, however, is what these two celebs want YOU to do with YOUR money.
Oprah and The Rock have committed to donating $10 million to aid the people of Maui, but according to circulating rumors on social media, they’re not doing the actual donating themselves. They set up a charity called the People’s Fund of Maui so that other people — not mega-rich people like themselves — can donate their money.
That’s where the $10 million will be coming from. Or at least that’s what the rumors are saying.
“So they're not giving their money,” says Keith Malinek to Pat Gray and Jeff Fisher. “They’re committing other people’s money.”
Similarly, one social media user said in a humorous video, “So you’ve committed other people’s money to your own charity you just set up?”
But Jeffy thinks the rumors are just that and that Oprah and The Rock have already donated $10 million from their pockets and the charity is just where others can continue to make that number grow.
Pat plays the clip of Oprah and The Rock explaining their charity.
“We have created the People’s Fund of Maui that will put money directly in the hands of the people who need it right now,” said Oprah. “We appreciate any support that you can give.”
“They did not ever say they donated $10 million,” says Pat, but Jeffy swears he heard them say it in another video.
Further, a quick Google search pulls up several results that suggest the duo did indeed kickstart their charity with $10 million of their own money.
While we certainly hope this is true, the rumors on social media are still running rampant.
But even if we give Oprah the benefit of the doubt and assume she donated the full $10 million herself, that’s only 0.4% of her net worth. It’s easy to see where the backlash is coming from when you do the math.
When $10 million is chump change to you but the people you’re asking to donate are living paycheck to paycheck, people aren’t going to take kindly to that.
Want more from Pat Gray?
To enjoy more of Pat's biting analysis and signature wit as he restores common sense to a senseless world, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution and live the American dream.