Greenland might open a vast rare earth deposit to mining. Locals say it could destroy their way of life

View image in fullscreen Anna Szreter, Curtis Rooks and Adrian Finch (from left to right) examining stones on the Motzfeldt plateau, near Narsarsuaq in southern Greenland. Photograph: Jan Richard Heinicke/Laif Isolated among icebergs, fjords and mountains in remote southern Greenland, Narsaq is a town that does not worry too much about what the outside world thinks, says Ane Egede. In her home town of about 1,300 people, there is not much in the way of shops, but there are plentiful opportunities to hunt, fish, and pick berries and herbs. "We are very close to the nature," she says. "The town…