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OVER 200 AMERICAN RESEARCHERS EXPRESS SOLIDARITY WITH GREENLAND – ONE OF THEM IS FROM AU

More than 200 American researchers, all of whom have conducted research in Greenland, have signed a statement expressing solidarity with Greenland and the Greenlandic people and distancing themselves from President Trump's desire to take over Greenland. One of the researchers is Henry Henson from Aarhus University.

American Henry Henson studies climate change in the Arctic and has visited Greenland several times, including as part of his PhD project at Aarhus University. In Greenland, climate change is happening four times faster than in the rest of the world. But beyond that, Henry Henson is also captivated by Greenland's nature, landscape and people. Here he’s pictured with the town of Sisimiut in the background. Photo: Henry Henson

"We strongly oppose President Trump's position on Greenland, and we reiterate – as Greenlandic leaders have clearly stated – that Greenland cannot be 'bought' or 'taken over'. Greenland belongs to its people.” This is stated in the introduction to a declaration dated 9 January, signed by more than 200 American researchers in solidarity with Greenland and the Greenlandic people. And the signatures keep coming in.

The researchers, who have all conducted research in Greenland, oppose US President Trump, who has repeatedly – and as recently as Wednesday's meeting at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland – expressed his desire to take over Greenland.

In addition, they draw attention to Greenland's key geopolitical and geophysical position and emphasise that Greenland's natural resources belong to the Greenlandic people.

The researchers come from many different American universities, including Harvard University, Columbia University, Stanford University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). One is affiliated with Ilisimatusarfik – Greenland's University. Among the signatories are also American researchers and students in Denmark. Two at the University of Copenhagen and one at Aarhus University. The latter is Henry Henson, a PhD student at the Department of Ecoscience at Aarhus University and affiliated with the Arctic Research Centre.

RESPECT FOR GREENLAND AND DISTANCE FROM TRUMP

Henry Henson is from Minnesota in the United States, but he completed his Master's degree in biology at Aarhus University and is now working on his PhD, which he plans to submit in June. He visited Greenland for the first time as part of his Master's degree, where he spent a semester studying at the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources. Since then, he has specialised in marine chemistry and is working on ocean acidification in the seas around Greenland as a result of climate change. He visits Greenland two to three times a year for fieldwork, conferences or teaching.

Omnibus spoke with Henry Henson on Thursday morning and asked him why he chose to sign the declaration.

“As an American researcher in Greenland, I feel a fundamental responsibility to express my respect for Greenland, the Greenlandic people and my Greenlandic colleagues. And to emphasise that I, as an American, respect their right to self-determination and don’t share Trump's position on Greenland."

What do you hope to achieve with your signature?

“I hope that the more people who sign, the more our politicians will listen. Even though it doesn't seem like politicians are listening to what the people are saying, it’s still an attempt to have a voice as researchers who know Greenland and work together with the Greenlandic people," Henry Henson replies.

The declaration concludes with an appeal to the American people and the American senators and representatives in Washington to support Greenland's right to self-determination. When asked whether this statement should also be interpreted as support for Greenland's independence from Denmark, Henry Henson replies.

"My interpretation is that it’s more about showing respect for the Greenlandic people and making it clear that we don’t agree with Trump's position on Greenland," he says.

EMBARRASSED ABOUT HIS HOMELAND

It’s a "particular situation," as Henry Henson puts it, to be an American researcher residing in Denmark with Greenland as his field of research at a time when a major political drama is unfolding between the three countries.

"It's frightening to hear what he (Trump, ed.) continues to say about Greenland. I disagree with – and am embarrassed by – what is happening in my home country regarding Greenland.”

However, he feels that the people around him here in Denmark understand his values and his position in relation to current events.

"I don't feel attacked by the Danish side. But I feel ashamed and want to apologise on behalf of my country. Even as an American, it’s nerve-wracking and worrying to follow the news these days.

Henry Henson last visited Greenland in November. Here, too, he didn’t feel that he, as an American, was being equated with the policies of the American president.

“I encountered only kindness, openness and generosity – and an understanding that I, as an individual, don’t represent national politics.”

Are you concerned that signing the declaration could have consequences for you in the US?

“I have, of course, considered whether this could have consequences for me. According to the law, Americans have freedom of speech, and I feel a responsibility to exercise that right," Henry Henson says, continuing:

“Some researchers would disagree that it’s part of the researcher's role to express themselves in this way, but as I see it, research doesn’t exist in a vacuum; we are all citizens with a voice. For me, remaining silent was not an option.”

This text is machine translated and post-edited by Lisa Enevoldsen.