When Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and other protesters protested outside several Norwegian government ministerial offices this week, they weren’t protesting the construction of new oil refineries or the introduction of tax incentives for hydrocarbon companies, but the wind farms, usually considered instead a tool to combat climate change.
The two wind farms in question are located on land in central Norway that is traditionally used by the indigenous Sami population to raise herds of reindeer, precious animals that have provided them with food, clothing and work for a long time. Although the turbines fuel Norway’s green ambitions by delivering energy to thousands of homes, they do so at a cost that activists judge to be too high; upsetting the daily life of the Sami and frightening the animals on which they depend for their livelihood. Activists defending Norway’s Sami community have been calling for the turbines to be demolished for months, accusing Norway of “putting profit above the rights of indigenous peoples”.
International attention on the matter began on Wednesday, when, according to Oslo police, Thunberg was removed by officers twice after blocking the entrance to the Ministry of Finance and later that of the Ministry of Climate and Environment , along with other protesters. According to a post shared on Instagram by Thunberg, police had already forcibly removed the demonstrators early Monday morning.
Protesters are appealing a decision by the Norwegian Supreme Court, which ruled in 2021 that wind farms violated the cultural rights of Sami farmers. Nonetheless, these infrastructures, which are part of a project worth more than 1 billion euros, have always continued to function.
The energy minister issued a statement Wednesday that the Supreme Court decision did not establish what should become of the two wind farms. “Since the turbines are functional, the first thing we need to do is investigate whether there are possible solutions for them to work alongside reindeer farms,” said Undersecretary Elisabeth Saether, citing the need for a ‘sufficient base’ of information. to make a decision.
The wind farms consist of 151 turbines, which became operational in 2019 and 2020. State-owned Statkraft, which owns part of the wind farms, acknowledged in a statement on Wednesday that “the current situation is forcing farmers to move across the land.” south of Fosen», adding that «the Sami populations should be able to maintain their customs». But the company said it did not want to “anticipate the outcome” of the assessments before deciding how to act. A Norwegian mayor told NRK public television that wind farms provide jobs and renewable energy, and he hoped an agreement could be reached.
According to the human rights organization International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs, the Sami population includes between 50,000 and 100,000 individuals, 65,000 of whom are in Norway. The United Nations has documented how the Nordic countries have long repressed their language and customs, although more recent Norwegian governments have begun to protect their culture.
The battle against wind farms underscores the hardships faced by those who have their lands, resources and cultural lives involved in solving climate problems as nations scramble to reduce carbon emissions. According to some reports, the situation faced by the Sami resembles that faced by villagers in southern Thailand who have seen a new biomass power plant cut off their water supplies. Mexico also prevented the construction of what would have been the largest wind farm in Latin America on indigenous territory in the state of Oaxaca.
Indigenous peoples’ rights must ‘go hand in hand’ with climate commitment, Thunberg told the agency Reuters. Decisions “cannot come at the expense of some people. In that case there would be no climate justice.
According to a 2022 report by the UK’s Business and Human Rights Resource Center, the number of complaints of rights violations resulting from renewable energy projects has increased in recent years, and the most serious and frequent allegations are those related to failure to respect land rights of the natives. The independent research group Climate Action Tracker judges Norway’s commitments “almost sufficient”, adding that their rules are “still not adequate enough” to stop the increase in the earth’s temperature at 1.5°C since the pre-industrial era.
Wind power, which generated about 8.5 percent of the country’s electricity in 2020, is believed to be a critical resource.
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(translation by Emilia Dreams)