Camp century is a United States Army base that was created underneath the Greenland ice sheet in 1960. The main reason for its construction was to act as a nuclear missile launch site during the Cold War. But, due to the unsteadiness of the ice structures, the base was abandoned in 1967 and left everything including its buildings and supplies to be buried underneath the snow of Greenland. However, with climate change accelerating at supersonic speed, the ice sheets of Greenland are melting faster than military personnel had envisioned, and the once buried Camp Century could soon be making a reappearance.
This has scientists slightly worried as underneath all that 115 feet of snow and ice lies around 9,200 tons of physical waste including building materials. Also due to be uncovered is around 53,000 gallons of diesel fuel and a fair amount of radioactive coolant from the camp’s nuclear plant. This is a potentially a disaster waiting to happen and actions need to be determined as to what steps will be taken to prevent this. All that exposure to dangerous chemicals and gasses to the air and ocean will have devastating effects on ourselves, our wildlife, and our planet.
Discussions are still ongoing as to who is responsible for the clean-up operation, so until that has been decided, it is unlikely that any action will be taken. Although Denmark originally agreed to the United States constructing the base there, it is unclear whether they were aware of the complete list of activities that were being carried out there.
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