Yes, if it means one less mine in tropical regions or near the places where people live, that is a net benefit. Arctic region is not even in its natural state,

Yes, if it means one less mine in tropical regions or near the places where people live, that is a net benefit. Arctic region is not even in its natural state, but is a result of human intervention from 10K years ago, when by eliminating mammoths we converted highly productive savanna-like arctic steppe into mosquito infested empty place it is now. Of course any mine anywhere must be controlled to produce as little pollution as possible, and rare species must be protected, or their genomes must be digitized. But if it was technologically feasible, i would even support terraforming both of this regions to make them habitable.