From STOP THESE THINGS
That Greta Thunberg has decided to help Stop These Things is noteworthy, in itself. And getting arrested (twice) for her trouble is all in a day’s work for a modern-day Joan of Arc, like Greta.
Now, don’t get us wrong, the antsy young Swede has plenty of enviro-babble baggage, but we can’t complain about her latest efforts, joining the reindeer herders of Europe’s frozen North in their fight to permanently eradicate these things from their rangelands.
As Greta now seems to understand, rural communities are sick and tired of becoming roadkill for the wind industry, and that includes the nomadic Sami – who graze and herd reindeer across northern Europe’s frozen tundra, ranging across the north of Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Kola Peninsula.
What Greta might not notice is the fact that chaotically intermittent wind power can’t be delivered as and when power consumers need, which means the wanton destruction of pristine wilderness, bucolic landscapes, rural communities, and millions of birds and bats (including plenty of species on the brink of extinction) is pretty hard to justify.
The Sami have been on the war path, for years now – suing wind power outfits and otherwise fighting like their lives and livelihoods depend upon it.
No doubt having a high-profile hothead like Greta on board, can only help their cause.
Here’s a report from Sky News from the frontline.
Environmental activist Greta Thunberg carried out of anti-wind farm protest by Norwegian police
Sky News
Amy Landsey
2 March 2023
Greta Thunberg has been arrested twice after protesting against a wind farm in Norway.
Ms Thunberg was detained at the protest on Wednesday morning, which was attended by hundreds of other activists calling for the removal of 151 wind turbines from Indigenous land.
The environmental activist was carried away by two Norwegian police officers by her arms and feet after chaining herself to the Ministry of Finance building in Oslo.
She was removed alongside 10 other protesters and subsequently released.
Ms Thunberg and the other demonstrators were protesting the Fosen wind farms, located on reindeer pastures used by Sami herders in central Norway.
Dozens of Sami demonstrators had occupied the Norwegian government building complex from last Thursday, until they were forcibly removed by police on Monday.
While known for advocating for a global shift to green energy, Ms Thunberg said the transition shouldn’t come at the expense of Indigenous rights.
“Indigenous rights, human rights, must go hand-in-hand with climate protection and climate action. That can’t happen at the expense of some people. Then it is not climate justice,” she told reporters while sitting outside the finance ministry.
Local reindeer herders say the 90-metre high wind turbines frighten the animals and make it too difficult to conduct the traditional practice of animal husbandry.
Sami leaders are calling for the turbines to be torn down and the reindeer grazing lands be restored.
Norway’s supreme court ruled in 2021 that the wind farms infringed on Sami rights under international conventions and the permits were therefore invalid, but the wind turbines are still in operation more than 16 months later.
The 151 wind turbines power some 100,000 Norwegian homes in a country where 90 per cent of electricity is generated through wind and hydropower.
The country’s energy ministry has indicated they are open to finding a compromise with the Sami people to ensure their rights.
The Norwegian government has been negotiating with reindeer herders and the Sami parliament to find a solution which would enable the wind turbines to operate alongside the traditional husbandry practice.
Sky News
You must log in to post a comment.