Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg joined a protest group Monday at the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy in Oslo in opposition to two wind farms over indigenous rights concerns, according to Reuters.
The wind turbines at the Roan Vind and Fosen Vind farms on central Norway land traditionally used by Sami reindeer herders continue to function despite a 2021 Norwegian supreme court ruling that they violated Sami rights under international conventions, the outlet reported. The protest group including Thunberg blocked ministry entrances, with Sami performer and activist Ella Marie Haetta Isaksen expressing demands “that the turbines must be torn down and that legal rights must be respected.”
Plantet godt på plass igjen!💪🏼 pic.twitter.com/eczUFFQLUt
— Natur og Ungdom (@NaturogUngdom) February 27, 2023
“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,” Thunberg told Reuters.
Sami herders say reindeer are frightened by the turbines’ sight and sounds, arguing they infringe on traditions. Thunberg has been an outspoken critic of fossil fuels, highlighting wind and solar power as renewable energy sources.
The court did not order whether the turbines or roads constructed to build them should be torn down, according to the outlet. Energy and Petroleum Minister Terje Aasland said the ministry understands the case “is a burden for the reindeer herders” and “will do what it can to contribute to resolving this case and that it will not take longer than necessary.”
The Swiss energy company Utility BKW, a part-owner of the Fosen Vind wind farm, told Reuters it expects the turbines will stay alongside compensatory measures to protect Sami herders’ rights.
“We trust that the ministry will find good solutions allowing us to continue the production of renewable energy while maintaining the rights of the reindeer owners,” Roan Vind stated, the outlet reported.
https://www.wnd.com/2023/02/earth-now-greta-thunberg-protests-wind-farms/
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