By Etel Sundberg

As climate change accelerates, governments around the world are facing increased pressure to develop more sustainable solutions in order to transition away from fossil fuels. However, decolonial scholars have long warned that these so-called sustainable projects often come at the expense of Indigenous communities, whose lands and rights are sacrificed in the name of progress and economic growth. Sweden, often seen as a leader in sustainability and human rights, is no exception. Rather than leading the green transition, a recent Amnesty International report reveals how the Swedish government continues to violate international human rights norms by allowing large-scale mining and wind power expansion in Sápmi–the Indigenous land of the Sámi people–under the guise of sustainability. I argue that this alarming trend reveals a clear case of green colonialism, where climate action becomes yet another justification for the exploitation of Sámi lands.

A double burden

Being located in the Arctic region, the temperature in Sápmi is rising at an unprecedented rate, nearly four times as fast as the global average. As Sámi culture is deeply connected to nature, the consequences of a warmer climate–such as disruptions to ecosystems and unpredictable weather patterns–risks disproportionately affecting the Sámi people. For instance, reindeer herding, which has been traditionally important to Sámi livelihoods and cultural identity, depends on the stable conditions which melting ice and changing vegetation threaten.

However, as found in the Amnesty report, the Sámi are not only unequally affected by climate change per se, but also bear a majority of the burden of the green transition projects, such as mining operations and wind farms. These projects are often introduced without the Sámi’s consent, and are exacerbating in the destruction of their lands. This double burden reveals the inherent inequities in the green transition. The Sámi, who contribute the least to climate change, are now facing its worst effects, both from environmental degradation and the environmental “solutions” imposed upon them.

Sacrificing Sápmi for the “greater good”

In order to justify such “green” initiatives, the Nordic governments commonly refer to the “greater good” of their nations, weighing Indigenous claims to the land against state interests. This frames Sámi demands as mere interests rather than legally recognized rights, which is further reinforced by Sweden’s failure to ratify the ILO 169. While it would not grant any new land rights, signing the convention would recognize the Sámi presence as preceding the Nordic state borders, and thus ensure that their cultural practices and the environment are protected against resource exploitation.

This weighing of interests positions Sápmi as a “green sacrifice zone,” disproportionately bearing the burden of environmental destruction in order to ensure the rest of the region a better future. As such, it creates a narrative of Sápmi and Sámi as expendable, worth sacrificing for the good of others. This portrays Sámi Indigenous claims to the land as an obstacle to the green transition, shifting the blame away from profit-driven state policies. Therefore, many Sámi view this simply as a “new name for old methods,” emphasizing the colonial logic behind these decisions.

At its core, this stems from an epistemological divide. The Sámi, on the one hand, traditionally have a deeply relational understanding of land, regarded as an inseparable part of their culture and identity. As one Sámi feminist and anti-mining activist puts it: “We die with the land. And that is what is happening. I see no way for us to separate ourselves from the land. And when the land is not well, and we are not separated from it, then they are digging in us. And we die.” The state and corporate actors, on the other hand, treat land merely as a resource to be extracted for economic gain. As such, the exploitation of Sápmi is shaped by a “politics of knowledge,” wherein Western worldviews are prioritized over Indigenous knowledge systems.

The continuation of Nordic colonialism

This systematic marginalization is not coincidental, but rather part of a larger pattern of epistemological violence against the Sámi, with roots in the colonial legacies of the Nordic countries. Sápmi reveals a case of environmental (in)justice, showing how “the system that allows for environmental degradation in some communities is not broken, it is designed to work that way.” Thus, the green transition cannot be considered truly sustainable if it continues to reinforce colonial structures and violate Indigenous rights.

This ongoing colonial exploitation in the name of environmental progress must end, as true sustainability is only possible when the rights and sovereignty of Indigenous peoples are recognized. As such, instead of silencing Sámi voices, governments should aspire to learn from the Indigenous understanding of land as valuable beyond resource extraction, taking inspiration from the Sámi practices that have preserved ecosystems for generations.