<
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/11/sami-people-said-no-british-firms-plans-open-pit-mine-divide-sweden-greta-thunberg>
"A British company has fallen foul of Greta Thunberg, Unesco, Sweden’s national
church, and the indigenous people in the north of the country over plans for an
open-pit mine on historical Sami reindeer-herding lands.
The clamour of opposition was voiced as Beowulf Mining, headquartered in the
City of London, suggested it was “hopeful” of a decision within weeks of a 5 sq
mile iron-ore mine in an area where Sami communities have lived for thousands
of years.
The company’s share price has been on a sharp upward trajectory since December
when the Swedish Greens, who have opposed the plans, left the governing
coalition and the Social Democratic business minister, Karl-Petter
Thorwaldsson, declared that his party “loved mines” and hoped to open more.
But the proposed Gállok site, located 28 miles (45km) outside the town of
Jokkmokk in the county of Norrbotten in Swedish Sápmi, commonly known as
Lappland, has become a symbol of what has been condemned as a callous and
unlawful disregard for the protected status of Sami culture by big business and
government.
The Sami parliament, the representative body for people of indigenous heritage
in Sweden, has in recent days written to the Swedish government warning that
the mine will destroy grazing areas and cut off the only viable migratory route
for reindeer followed by the Jåhkågasska Sami community, who move westerly with
their animals to the high hills of the Laponian area on the Norwegian border
for the animals to calve during the spring.
Sami communities to the west and east of the mine would also be hit through a
reduction in viable grazing areas already under pressure from changes to the
snow conditions attributed to the climate emergency, logging, power lines and
the development of a hydroelectric dam, the parliament said."
Via Glyn Moody, who wrote "pretty nauseating to see “beowulf mining” trying to
wrap itself in the name of the greatest old english epic; they’re just selfish
extractionists, like the rest of them…"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
