Beneath the vast, frozen expanse of Greenland, a hidden relic of the Cold War is emerging, posing a new and alarming threat. As diplomatic tensions simmer over the future of the strategic Arctic territory, a long-forgotten American military project, exposed by rapidly receding ice, could trigger a severe environmental catastrophe.
The Secret City Under the Ice
The threat was first identified during a NASA flyover in 2024. A routine radar mapping mission detected part of a massive structure jutting out from the retreating ice sheet, a direct consequence of global warming. Dubbed a 'city under the ice,' the structure was revealed to be Camp Century, a long-abandoned US military base constructed as deep as 118 feet (36 meters) beneath the surface.
Originally opened in 1960, Camp Century was built as a self-contained community designed to test construction techniques in polar environments. For about seven years, it housed military personnel and scientists, featuring its own dormitories, a church, a medical centre, and even a small, portable nuclear reactor for power.
The Sinister Purpose: Project Iceworm
The creation of this and other bases on the island was part of a top-secret Cold War scheme known as Project Iceworm, declassified only in 1996. Its audacious goal was to install a network of nuclear missile launch sites under the Greenland ice cap. This would allow the United States to retain a retaliatory strike capability even if its mainland was devastated by a Soviet nuclear attack.
However, the plan was doomed by the unstable nature of the ice sheet itself. Glacial movements caused tunnels to collapse, and the base faced constant issues like sewage flooding. The shifting ice made a permanent installation impossible, leading to the site's abandonment.
Critically, all the waste from the base's operations was left behind, buried under the ice. Scientists at the time believed the frozen tomb would be permanent. This includes nuclear waste from the reactor, chemical pollutants, and an estimated 200,000 litres of diesel fuel.
A Ticking Environmental Time Bomb
Climate change has now violently accelerated the timeline for this hidden hazard. As the ice melts, it threatens to release these hazardous materials into the environment. International researchers from the University of Colorado's Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) estimate that approximately 9,200 tonnes of physical waste remains at the Camp Century site.
"What climate change did was press the gas pedal to the floor," James White, a climate scientist at the University of Colorado, told the Mail. He emphasised that the key question is no longer *if* the waste will be exposed, but *how soon*. "Climate change just means it's going to happen much faster than anyone expected," he stated.
This emerging crisis complicates the delicate diplomatic situation in the Arctic. Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark, and the exposure of a secret American nuclear project on its soil, now threatening its environment, adds a complex layer to ongoing discussions about sovereignty, security, and responsibility in a warming world.
