LONDON (CU)_British mining company Beowulf Mining recently revealed that it is expecting a decision within weeks regarding plans for an open-pit mine, 45km outside the town of Jokkmokk in the county of Norrbotten in Sweden. The firm has been seeking approval for the project since April 2013, claiming that it would create 250 direct jobs and over 300 indirect jobs during its initial 14-year lifetime. However, following the recent announcement, the London-based company has fallen foul with the UNESCO, Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and the Sami people, an indigenous community in northern Scandinavia.
The proposed project has been condemned as an unlawful disregard for the protected status of Sami culture, and the representative body of the community, known as the Sami parliament, has written to the government of Sweden warning that the mine would destroy historical Sami reindeer-herding lands and cut off the only viable migratory route for these animals.
UNESCO, the cultural protection wing of the UN, has warned of a “very large” impact on the mountainous world heritage of the Laponian area, located 21 miles west of the mine. Accordingly, the agency called on the Swedish government to launch a more “in depth” assessment into the proposed project. Meanwhile, Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg claimed that the government’s decision on the matter would be pivotal to Sweden’s future reputation. “The world’s eyes are on the Swedish government,” she told the Guardian. “The profit that will be made from this mine will go to the British company not the local people who will have to pay for the long-term costs: the polluted air, water, lost biodiversity and lost traditions.”
While Beowulf claims that the project would play a critical role in creating local jobs, Thunberg is of the view that it cannot be at the expense of the environment, climate and indigenous rights. “The Sami villages affected by this mine have clearly said, ‘No.’ A no is no and we need to respect that,” she added.
