The Will to Drill - Mining in Arctic Communites

Description

This book focuses on the connections between mining activities, knowledge politics and the valuation of landscape in selected case sites in Russia, Greenland and Norway, whilst considering the interrelated aspects of industrialized, natural resource based development and environmental concerns in the Arctic. The case studies in these three different countries reveals that there are indeed multiple ‘Arctics’ – not least concerning the way extractive industries are received and perceived – and that national legislation, public awareness and economic alternatives are amongst the variables that influence to what extent environmental ramifications of mining are accepted. Through analysis of political discourses, legal documents, grey literature, discussions in local and national media and empirical material from in-site fieldwork, the authors seek to understand how debates about mining reveal more general conflicts and concerns about how to define sustainability. The book contributes to the overall debates on both extractive industries and development trends in the Arctic, and will as such be of interest for both established scholars and students – as well as policy makers and the public. The compilation of cases and variety of analytical perspectives will further stimulate the ongoing debates concerning the impacts of extractive industries on communities – both in the Arctic and beyond. Front Matter ....Pages i-x Mining and Arctic Communities (Ingrid Bay-Larsen, Berit Skorstad, Brigt Dale)....Pages 1-11 Governing Complexity. Theories, Perspectives and Methodology for the Study of Sustainable Development and Mining in the Arctic (Berit Skorstad, Brigt Dale, Ingrid Bay-Larsen)....Pages 13-32 Institutional Conditions in Arctic Frontiers: The Case of Mining in Greenland, Russia and Norway (Arild Gjertsen, Vladimir Didyk, Rasmus Ole Rasmussen, Galina Kharitonova, Ludmila Ivanova)....Pages 33-59 Legitimizing Business?: Environmental Awareness in the Norwegian Mining Industry (Sander Goes, Berit Skorstad)....Pages 61-80 Metagoverning the Interdependence of Municipalities and Mining Companies in the Scandinavian Arctic (Frode Bjørgo)....Pages 81-101 Sustainability and Mining: The Case of the Kola Peninsula (Vladimir Didyk, Ingrid Bay-Larsen, Håkan Sandersen, Ludmila Ivanova, Ludmila Isaeva, Galina Kharitonova)....Pages 103-125 Sacrifice Zones for a Sustainable State? Greenlandic Mining Politics in an Era of Transition (Rasmus Ole Rasmussen, Arild Gjertsen)....Pages 127-149 The Nussir Case and the Battle for Legitimacy: Scientific Assessments, Defining Power and Political Contestation (Halvor Dannevig, Brigt Dale)....Pages 151-174 The Municipal No to Mining. The Case Concerning the Reopening of the Biedjovaggi Gold Mine in Guovdageainnu Municipality, Norway (Tone Magnussen, Brigt Dale)....Pages 175-195 Coexistence in Mountain Landscapes: A Local Narrative of Hope and Uncertainty (Arild Gjertsen, Camilla Risvoll)....Pages 197-211 The Will to Drill. Revisiting Arctic Communities (Brigt Dale, Ingrid Bay-Larsen, Berit Skorstad)....Pages 213-228