Governance of Sustainable Mining in Arctic Countries:
Finland, Sweden, Greenland & Russia
Heidi Tiainen, Rauno Sairinen & Olga Sidorenko
Finland, Sweden, Greenland and Russia are all partly or fully Arctic countries that are seeking to develop new possibilities for
mining and for promoting the regional economy in their respective northern territories. Even though mining can spur economic
development and create new wealth within previously undeveloped regions, there is also the potential for causing negative
environmental effects and irrevocably shaping the social dynamics of Arctic communities and indigenous ways of life. In this article,
we will compare the national policy strategies, regulation and tools for sustainable Arctic mining. In addition, we will also review
questions related to social acceptance, coexistence with indigenous people and traditional livelihoods as well as the state of corporate
social responsibility. The four countries share the goal of sustainable mining at a strategic level and are influenced, to some extent,
by global trends in mining, but the concrete governance of sustainable mining has evolved very differently in each country-specific
context.
Introduction and background
Over the past decade governments, private investors and mining companies have begun to regard the
Arctic as a promising source of mineral wealth with significant deposits of gold, diamonds, platinum,
nickel kimberlite and other precious stones (Howard 2009). To some extent this interest reflects the
increase in the market price of minerals, driven mainly by a massive growth in demand from China
and other rising economies through increasing urbanization and population growth. The impact of
climate change is also playing its part in creating new opportunities for the mining sectors. Vast new
areas of land are becoming more accessible during longer periods of time during the year, thereby
extending the working and exploration season by several weeks. Northern territories, which were
previously unattainable, or where the costs of operation were too high to warrant development, are
now becoming economical. This trend in the “opening” of the Arctic is expected to continue into the
future.
Mining and other natural resources industries are key economic drivers for Arctic countries and create
new opportunities for development in their northern regions. In Finland and Sweden, for example,
Heidi Tiainen is a Doctoral candidate, Rauno Sairinen is Professor & Olga Sidorenko is a Master’s student in
Environmental Policy at the University of Eastern Finland.