2y ago

greenland for the win

22 comments

https://lemmy.nowsci.com/comment/4490200
This comment from another post of the same article has some good counter points on why this probably isn't as bad as it sounds.
While ridiculous, there's interesting context here.
Greenland has little to no economy
The ice is mined from ice that has already broken away from the glacier, thus not reducing any more than nature has already
Cargo ships bringing frozen food used to leave empty, now that same fuel is used to transport ice back instead of going to waste
The founder has always dreamed of a sustainable economy for Greenland
He is conflicted about how his work to do this in a sustainable way is being taken
The follow up comments are worth reading too.
- Yeah not sure what exactly is dystopian about this.
  
  What will this industry look like in 10 years? How about 30? Will other business try to move in when they discover how profitable this industry can be? Will all the capitalists follow the same rules that this guy is following?
  There are entire Caribbean islands that no longer have sand beaches because they were trucked away illegally by concrete companies.
  
  The fact that they're calling it "sustainable" when Greenland's glaciers won't last another 50 years.
- It's not really green to bring ice to the UAE. I doubt there is a direct route between Iceland and the UAE.
- I can't imagine an empty cargo ship and one filled with ice have the same carbon footprint?
  
  Answer is depends on real cargo. An empty ship must ballast for stability.
What about like...bacteria and stuff? Who knows what's in that ice!
- Ice With Spice™
- Literally my first thought.
Not exactly a new business model. That's pretty much how it used to be done.
- That picture is harvesting ice from frozen lakes in the winter. Not exactly the same...
  
  Yes, but incredibly corrupt businessmen from that era created such changed demand that it redefined how people view essential vs luxuries.
  Back then, having ice was a seasonal thing for everyone, a mostly year-round thing for rich landowners storing ice in their vaults, and not a thing ever at all for folks living in hot climates like the UAE. It’s why smoked food/adobe sauce exists from before mechanical refrigeration or readily available ice.
  Charlie boy changed that. He shipped ice all over the world, creating demand where there wasn’t any - and caused widespread impacts to cultures and economies, not to mention the environment. Now chilled food/drink is available (if not prevalent) in most societies, and isn’t thought of as a luxury item - in the US lobbying tells us that “Ice is food” and should qualify for food stamps
- The timing is terrible, however.
Oh? Everyone ready to shit on an impoverished country using their own resources?
We had iceberg ice in Newfoundland. Picked up a chunk from the beach, rinsed it off, shattered it with a sewing needle, and drank Chaga Rum.

22 comments