The range is home to one of the largest undeveloped deposits of rare-earth minerals and uranium in the world: the Kvanefjeld site, or Kuannersuit in Greenlandic. It contains high concentrations of metals such as terbium and neodymium, which are used to manufacture permanent magnets in wind turbines and electric cars. Every major power in the world is scrambling to get access to these minerals for carbon-free energy and transport.

A proposed open-pit mine would be worth about $7.5bn (£6bn) if it went ahead, according to the site operator, generating income for the island’s economy.

Greenland has a troubled history with mining pollution: the sites of lead and zinc mines developed in the 1970s remain polluted more than 50 years later, with fish, mussels and seaweed still testing positive for toxins. The ecosystem surrounding Narsaq is rich with seals, whales and other marine life, which Inuit hunter-gatherers rely on for their livelihoods.

In 2021, Greenland went to the polls, in a contest to which uranium was so central, international media dubbed it “the mining election”. The people voted in a green, leftwing government, led by the Inuit Ataqatigiit party, which campaigned against uranium mining due to the potential pollution.

Many Greenlanders celebrated the vote as a victory for health and the environment. But three years later, the (Australian) company is suing Greenland for stopping its plans, demanding the right to exploit the deposit or receive compensation of up to $11.5bn: nearly 10 times the country’s 8.5bn krone (£950m) annual budget.