Norway gives go-ahead for Arctic copper mine despite fears of Sami herders

Norway has given the go-ahead for a copper mine near Europe’s northernmost point – despite years of opposition from indigenous Sami herders and fishermen.

The decision has been viewed as a litmus test for the Arctic, where climate change and technology are enabling mineral and energy extraction, as well as shipping and tourism.

But this has been accompanied by fears that traditional ways of life are under threat.

Norway’s industry minister Torbjoern Roe Isaksen, of the country’s centre-right coalition government, said: “It will contribute positively to the local community, with new jobs and skills.

“The mining project will strengthen the industrial base in the north.”

Although the Nussir ASA project is expected to bring jobs and investment to the local Kvalsund municipality, the digging could damage summer reindeer pastures.

There are also concerns that a plan to dump mining byproducts in the fjord would destroy spawning grounds for the coastal cod.

Reindeer herder Nils Mathis Sara said: “I am shocked by the government’s decision.

“I had hoped that the Norwegian government would have heard our arguments.

“They do not take us seriously. We will definitely protest against this decision.”

He said some reindeer herders are considering taking legal action to stop the mine.

The area contains an estimated 79 million tons of copper ore – Norway’s largest reserve – and Nussir plans to invest more than £90m in the mine, which it says will cause only minimal disruption.

The project was approved locally in 2012, but it has been stalled as it waits for an operating licence to be granted.

Kvalsund is a village of painted wooden houses on the Repparfjord with 1,027 inhabitants.

Herders in other nations around the Arctic, such as Russia, Canada and Alaska, have echoed the concerns of the Norwegian Sami.

They say they are under threat from climate change, mining, oil spills and poaching, as well as thoughtless behaviour from locals and tourists.

Average temperatures in the Arctic, where some four million people live, have risen more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6°F) since pre-industrial times, twice as fast as the world average, according to research for the intergovernmental Arctic Council.

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