Akordi X Puistokatu4: Case Wind Power in Reindeer Herding Areas
While the green transition presents many economic and social opportunities for Finland, the negative impacts of green transition projects should not be underestimated. Replacing fossil-fuels with greener forms of energy requires major structural changes, and the implementation of green transition projects have had and will continue have major effects on land use, nature, and humans. Additionally, the benefits and drawbacks generated by the green transition are far from equally distributed among groups of people and regions. If these difficult questions cannot be processed and resolved in an acceptable way with the support of key stakeholders, deadlock is imminent. For example, the escalation of conflicts may prevent the materialization of wind power expansion in Finland at the planned scale. This scenario has begun to emerge in Sweden and Norway.
In Finland, the wind power industry and reindeer herding have taken initial steps toward a long-term “collaborative platform.” The purpose of the collaboration is to improve the exchange of information between stakeholders, build trust, and enable negotiation and proactive problem-solving. Work has been done between the Finnish Wind Power Association and the Reindeer Herders’ Association with the support of Akordi.
An interim report was published in January 2023 on the planning and operation of wind power projects in reindeer herding areas, outlining recommendations for good practices. The work concerns the reindeer herding area outside the Sámi homeland.
Program:
15:00 Welcome, Minttu Jaakkola, Puistokatu 4
15:15 Sustainability transition pain points – what kind of challenge are we facing? Lasse Peltonen, Professor of Environmental Conflict Management, University of Eastern Finland
15:35 Building dialogue and collaboration between reindeer herding and wind power, Jonna Kangasoja and Emma Luoma, Akordi
16:00 Field experiences: Marja Anttonen, Reindeer Herders’ Association, and Heidi Paalatie, Finnish Wind Power Association
16:20 Commentary: Hanna Paulomäki (visiting researcher, Aalto University) & Minna Näsman (project manager, Raahe Region Development)
Discussion
17:00 End of the event
