"The struggle of indigenous people in Sweden", 2 January 2024

The Sámi, numbering between 80,000 and 100,000, live in Sápmi, Sámi traditional land in four countries, with 20,000 to 40,000 in Sweden. Their small population, spread over a large geographic area, has made their struggle against the state difficult...

Sweden hasn’t even ratified the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention (ILO 169). The Sámi Parliament, established in 1993, serves more as an advisory than a legislative body...

Large renewable energy projects, such as hydropower and wind farms, are encroaching on their land and disrupting their traditional lifestyle. This includes impacts on reindeer herding, central to Sámi culture. Additionally, the increase in mining, particularly for rare earth minerals essential in modern technology, poses new risks.

Hydropower, often praised as a clean energy source, has significantly affected the Sámi people. The construction of numerous dams and reservoirs in northern Sweden has altered natural watercourses essential for the Sámi’s traditional fishing activities. Furthermore, the creation of hydropower reservoirs, 80 per cent of which are located on Sámi land, has led to the flooding of large areas, resulting in the loss of reindeer grazing land, a fundamental aspect of Sámi culture. Several Sámi households have been displaced, with some experiencing displacement up to four times...

[W]ind farms typically require extensive infrastructure, such as roads and power lines, which further fragment the reindeer grazing areas. Moreover, the noise and physical presence of wind turbines disrupt the migration and grazing patterns of the reindeer.

Mining activities pose a particularly direct threat to the Sámi way of life. Northern Sweden, rich in minerals like iron ore, has experienced a boom in mining. These mining operations involve clearing vast areas of land, disrupting the natural environment and contaminating it with waste and chemicals. The encroachment of mining on these lands not only endangers reindeer herding but also threatens the Sámi’s cultural sites and artifacts...

The situation of the Sámi in Sweden highlights the complexity of balancing industrial and renewable energy development with indigenous rights and traditions. It emphasises the need for a development approach that truly includes and respects indigenous communities, even in a country like Sweden. Achieving sustainable development should not be at the cost of indigenous communities...