In the opening weeks of 2026, the Arctic has once again become a center of a high-stakes geopolitical tug-of-war. President Trump’s renewed push for U.S. control or "strategic acquisition" of Greenland has reignited international tensions, framing the island not merely as a territorial ambition, but as a mandatory hedge against resource scarcity.

Sweden has been a mining superpower for over a millennium, fueling everything from Viking expansion to the Great Power era. But as a century of data from the Swedish Geological Survey (SGU) reveals, the industrial footprint of this legacy has completely inverted. The chart above tells the story of a radical transformation. While Sweden’s mining heritage was built on hundreds of small, labor-intensive sites—peaking at over 260 active metal mines during World War I—the modern r

The mining industry is currently facing several operational challenges, including shrinking ore grades, fewer new deposit discoveries, extended project timelines, and hesitant capital markets for new exploration. In response, the industry is increasingly looking toward innovation to secure future mineral supplies. One area receiving significant attention is the reprocessing of mine tailings.