“Government investments are precisely an investment – not a grant”
How are we going to get all the people we need? How are we going to get enough energy? How can we come to an agreement about natural resources and find solutions that are both long-term and sustainable? This year's Jokkmokk Arctic Talk was about the tug-of-war over the resources required for the green transition in the north.
See this year's Jokkmokk Arctic Talks.
The Jokkmokk Arctic Talks were packed when moderator Karin Hübinette welcomed the audience to this year's edition of Jokkmokk Arctic Talks. The talk was about the major challenges facing northern Sweden, including the need for major investments to grow.
– If the business sector is to grow, we must also manage the welfare mission. If you are going to take a job in a place, you wonder: how does the school work? How does the elderly care work? It is not either or, said Anders Henriksson from the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SKR).
Anders Henriksson, Swedish Association of Municipalities and Regions (SKR).
Jens Kärrman, a reporter at Dagens Industri based in Luleå, explained how difficult it is for the establishment municipalities to cope with today's challenges on their own.
– Luleå Municipality cannot go to the bank and say that they will get 10 new residents at some point in the future, give us money. The only security is the tax money they have today. Luleå Municipality has an investment need of around 000 billion. We have to find some way to make the night's sleep a little better for municipal politicians in Boden, Luleå and Skellefteå, said Kärrman.
“Must understand the value chain”
Several of the speakers highlighted the need for government involvement to resolve the issues.
– The state should be a guarantor, a bank, to be able to secure the large investments. There is an understanding of that, but I do not experience it in concrete action or even in words that they are about to do it, allocate resources. Here many municipalities are forced to turn inside out, said Anders Öberg, newly appointed regional councilor (S), Norrbotten Region.
– You have to understand that if you add more electricity or more natural resources to the system, it has effects on the entire Swedish economy. We need to understand that value chain. That the state may invest and that is precisely an investment, not a grant, Anders Öberg continued.
Karin Hübinette, moderator, talks with Märta Stenevi, spokesperson for the Green Party and Anders Öberg, regional councilor (S) Region Norrbotten.
The government had been invited to participate but declined. However, the opposition was represented in Jokkmokk by the Green Party's spokesperson Märta Stenevi. She wanted to dust off the old word "solidarity" in the context.
– Malmö residents will have to participate in and pay for the development in Norrbotten. Just as people have used the energy and raw materials produced in Norrbotten for a long time. The key to resolving the issues on the table is to see that this is a whole. We are not a federation, we are one people together, said Märta Stenevi.
“Gotta make a move”
– Major investments are needed to build a sustainable society. Not a fly-in fly-out society where we deplete natural resources and at the same time leave a shell behind us. Tax revenues need to stay. We must together make a move so that there is infrastructure and that there is welfare. It will cost differently in Norrbotten and in Skåne. We must be prepared to step in and compensate for that, she said.
Britta Flinkfeldt, debater and former municipal councilor in Arjeplog, tried to show the unsustainability of having the same model for all municipalities in the country.
Britta Flinkfeldt, debater.
– We have Sweden's best elderly care and every single young person who finishes ninth grade has passing grades. But with the reduced population comes a reduced tax base. We can't even afford to have a high school in Arjeplog now. There is a lot of ignorance in the country. My municipality is as big as half of Belgium, but with 2600 inhabitants. There is no understanding of that challenge. The sparsely populated areas need to have slightly different conditions. When you only have one pharmacy, the advantages of a market economy are not there. When the vehicle inspection disappears so that it will be exposed to the tests of the market, then you make it a little more difficult all the time to be a resident of Arjeplog or a resident of Jokkmokk, said Britta Flinkfeldt.
One issue where the tug-of-war is palpable is energy – where it should be produced, and where it should be consumed. Sandra Grauers Nilsson, Vattenfall, said that there is a rush to develop new energy – and wind power cannot be ruled out if there is to be any green transition.
– The transition will be noticeable, we must let it be noticeable and we will need to make trade-offs. But if we do nothing, it will be even more noticeable, because then we will miss the climate goals and we will not be able to maintain and increase the competitiveness of Swedish industry. It should be clear that all these industries, except for the mines, have the opportunity to move somewhere else and the input is fossil-free electricity production. We have these opportunities in Sweden, but we must also be able to take advantage of them, she said.
Karin Vannar from the local Sami Wellbeing party thinks Jokkmokk has done its part.
– I think we have supplied enough electricity. Wind power is a complete disaster for us in the reindeer industry. We have already experienced this destruction through hydropower. Jokkmokk has indigenous people and a world heritage site that we must be careful with. Our municipality has given enough now. We supply electricity all over Sweden and need to get a little bit in return, she said.
Karin Vannar emphasized that she also wanted to see a municipal veto against mines, similar to what municipalities can impose against wind power installations.
“Maybe we shouldn't have a mine in Kallak”
Linda Wårell is an assistant professor of economics at Luleå University of Technology. She talked about the importance of doing thorough analyses that weigh cost against benefit, and also putting a value on things that are not priced goods – such as cultural heritage and natural values.
– There are countries that are better than Sweden at this, like the UK. They call it cost-benefit analysis and use models to price non-priced goods. It is important for transparency and acceptance. In some places the costs may be too high, we may not open mines everywhere if everything is weighed up. We may not have a mine in Kallak, but we may have mines in Norrbotten for the metals needed for the green transition, said Linda Wårell.
She said that we also need to look more at compensation for those who are ultimately affected locally.
– Land use conflicts are increasing. If we think that we need both reindeer herding and a transition to a sustainable industry, then we have to start looking more at compensation. The debate has become much more polarized, and I think that's a shame.
TEXT: Sara Stylbäck Vesa
Here you can watch the entire broadcast from Jokkmokk Arctic Talks 2023
Jokkmokk Arctic Talks is a joint event between Jokkmokk Municipality, Luleå University of Technology, Sparbanken Nord, Vattenfall and Region Norrbotten.