Land use justice for green transitions (JUSTGREEN)
JUSTGREEN
On the one hand, industrial land uses associated with green transition, like wind power and mining, bring significant economic benefits and increase Nordic and European self-sufficiency on raw materials and energy, which is especially important during times of geopolitical tensions in Europe and elsewhere. On the other hand, Indigenous and local communities’ lands are increasingly being used for industrial developments, which is challenging continuity of cultures and ways of life.
Funders
Project information
Project duration
-
Funded by
Research Council of Finland
Project funder
Funding amount
304 428 EUR
Project coordinator
Other university or unit
Contact information
Project leader
- Professor of cultural anthropology
- Associate Professor
Contact person
Other persons
- Researcher
Researchers
Project description
In the JUSTGREEN project, we employ the term ‘land use justice’ as our conceptual framework. This implies that it is not only the landscapes, but also the human and non-human practices within them, that are at the heart of contestations.
Planning processes related to developing new renewable energy infrastructure must recognize and accommodate diverse values, with the goal of reducing conflicts, increasing the legitimacy of the processes, and supporting the democratization of the green transition.
In this research project we propose that a values-based justice analysis can help balance conflicts between
- energy transition needs (development of renewable energy infrastructure)
- societal functions and activities (e.g., tourism, outdoor recreation, animal husbandry)
- environmental issues (e.g. climate change and biodiversity loss) and
- justice concerns (e.g., values and representation).
Project actions
Work packages of the JUSTGREEN project and the role of the University of Oulu
WP 1: Developing the land use justice framework
WP 2: Analyzing planning processes for green transitions
WP 3: Building support for practice by conflict management tools
WP 4: Co-developing policy instruments for land use justice
University of Oulu (Finland) is one of the four Nordic consortium partners conducting this project. Others are: Western Norway Research Institute (Norway, project leader), Aarhus University (Denmark) and University of Iceland (Iceland).
University of Oulu leads WP2. There are Uni of Oulu researchers also involved in WP1, WP3 and WP4.
In Finland, JUSTGREEN project focuses on the coastal areas of the Bothnian Bay, the Ostrobothnia plain, as the key case study area. This is a peatland dominated flat region with a lot of river systems harnessed for hydroenergy production and peatlands drained for industrial forestry, agriculture, and peat energy production. Currently, there are multiple simultaneous land use changes which put further pressure on livelihoods and the environment. Wind and solar power are booming, demand for forest-based biomass is growing, and there are ambitious targets to restore peatland areas, as well as plans for lithium and other mineral mines.
Even though the scale of the individual developments might not be large, their cumulative social and environmental impacts are (Rosqvist et al. 2022). Thus, land uses would need to be planned strategically, by including larger river catchment areas and assessing cumulative aquatic and terrestrial impacts, and by involving relevant stakeholders.
In this case study area, we examine land use justice related to multiple land use pressures and specifically focus on two green transition related mining plans/projects in two catchment areas: Keliber lithium mine development in the Perhonjoki river catchment which is ongoing, and Kiiminki multimineral mining plan in the Kiiminkijoki river catchment for which exploration plans were abandoned in 2024 due to local resistance.
References: Rosqvist, G., Heikkinen, et al. (2022) How Should Impacts Be Assessed? In: Resource Extraction and Arctic Communities. The New Extractivist Paradigm. (Ed. Sverker Sörlin). Cambridge University Press. Pp.125-142.
Project results
We explore how different concepts of justice (procedural, recognition, distributive, responsibility, capability) can be applied to balance tradeoffs between different interests and values to achieve land use justice and improve the legitimacy of green transitions. Further, we will address the shortcomings in the current impact assessment systems, which tend to underappreciate non-utilitarian values.
To further the theory and practice of land use justice, the project will also identify and test methods for conflict resolution within land use change processes. It is crucial that land use planning itself, as well as associated research processes are meaningful for the participants and link directly to actual decision-making. The project seeks to ensure this by not only mapping the values, but also providing tools and “planting seeds” for conflict management processes between various actors.
For more information, see the consortium website (coming…), and
Nordforsk website: https://www.nordforsk.org/projects/land-use-justice-green-transitions-justgreen