Greenland’s parliament has passed legislation that will ban uranium mining and cease development of the Kuannersuit mine, one of the biggest rare earth deposits in the world.
Kuannersuit, owned by Australian mining firm Greenland Minerals and located near the southern town of Narsaq, contains a large deposit of rare earth metals, used to make consumer electronics and weapons, but also radioactive uranium.
The law, passed by parliament late on Tuesday, was put forward by the Inuit Ataqatigiit party that came to power in April after campaigning to ban uranium mining and halt the Kuannersuit project, also known as Kvanefjeld.