According to reindeer herder Elle Merete O M-A, climate change is affecting her animals as well as the carbon-cutting industries that are designed to combat it.
According to Ms O M-A, "I'm worried about the future" and "we are actually having a double burden actually at the moment."
She says that the climate crisis has affected her community of indigenous Sami reindeer herders near the city of U M-E in northern Sweden.
Although thick, fluffy snow typically begins to fall in November, the beginning of this winter was mild, with sleet and rain instead. This quickly freezes, making it more difficult for reindeer to graze on lichen, which is their primary food source.
Ms O M-A argues that a nearby hilltop wind farm, intended to produce renewable energy and reduce emissions, is not helping. This is because the turbines have prevented snow from "laying more frequently and staying for a longer period" on grazing land.
According to Ms O M-A, who also works for the Sami Council, an independent non-profit organization that advocates for Sami rights, "the reindeer will not go into this [wind farm] area at all... because of the sound, because of how it looks, and because of the visual impact".
That's what O M-A says on the off chance that a reindeer herder loses a piece of their animals' brushing area to a breeze ranch, it tends to be undeniably challenging for them to find substitution space close by. This is because Sami herders from nearby communities frequently use adjacent land.
She claims that there is insufficient such land, which has already resulted in disputes between herders and legal battles with local industries.
Investigation into the effect of wind ranches on reindeer has created blended discoveries. Ongoing reports by the Swedish College of Rural Sciences and the Swedish Ecological Assurance Organization reasoned that reindeer can decide to keep away from wind ranches.
However, other academic studies conducted in Norway and Sweden found little effect.
Ms O M-A, on the other hand, is concerned that with hundreds more turbine applications in her area, herders will find it increasingly difficult to maintain their traditional way of life and livelihood.
One in ten Sami who live in Sweden trades reindeer meat, fur, and antlers for money. Numerous others work in the travel industry and handiwork occupations connected to Sami culture.
Ms O M-A asserts, "I think that the culture will disappear, the language will disappear, and the landscape will also change" if "the number [of people] that can live traditionally is constantly declining".
Assessing any potential impact on reindeer is always "an important part" of the planning process, according to Kristina F-A L K, head of permits for the renewable energy company S V-E V-I N D, which operates many of Sweden's wind turbines
In March, Sweden's former Social Democrat government gave conditional approval to a planned iron ore mine run by the British company Beowulf Mining. The right-wing parties now in power also voted in favor
LISTEN: Maddy Savage explores Sweden's green power struggle
R-I K-A R D L-A N T-A, a 54-year-old herder, asserts, pointing to the site's proximity to existing hydropower and forestry industries, "We've really already paid enough".
We would also receive more opportunities for community development and additional shops. In spite of Sweden's reputation for consensus-based decision-making, Professor Peterson says that these kinds of "goal-based" conflicts are increasingly polarizing communities in northern Sweden
You must be logged in to post a comment.