Greenland’s residents grapple with global warming

Greenlanders are already adapting to a changing climate.

Nestled between icy peaks and lapped in frozen ocean waters, the tiny town of Tasiilaq in southeastern Greenland is home to some 2,000 people. Colorful wooden houses dot the sub-Arctic landscape battered by one of the harshest climates on the planet. But global warming is reshaping the world’s largest island, causing the ice sheet to melt at a faster rate than previously thought, according to recent research. As scientists study the threats posed by a warming climate, some of the immediate effects of climate change have been a double-edged sword for some in and around Tasiilaq. Julius Nielsen, 40, who lives about 45 kilometers (28 miles) from Tasiilaq, has been hunting and fishing in the area most of his life. “There’s no snow, it’s too hot and the water is not freezing,” said Nielsen. A thin, frail ice sheet — or lack of ice — pose a big problem for locals like Nielsen who are not able to go hunting with their sled dogs, or have to take alternate routes. Continued global warming will accelerate thawing of the ice sheet and contribute to rising sea levels worldwide, scientists have found. A United Nations report released in October urged nations to...