FIGHTING TO PROTECT THEIR ANCESTRAL LANDS AND CULTURE

Ellinor Guttorm Utsi is the spokesperson for the Čorgaš-reindeer herding community in the northernmost part of Norway. Her family and colleagues are Indigenous Sami pastoralist reindeer-herders, already experiencing the consequences of climate change on their livelihood (unstable and changing weather and grazing conditions). Their summer pastures in Norkyn are now threatened by plans to build several industrial wind-power plants, with hundreds of wind turbines, roads and power lines, that would partly occupy and fragmentize their summer pastures. These plans threaten the local Sami reindeer-herding livelihood and food-system. Wind power can replace fossil energy, but in this case the wind energy would be used to power the Hammerfest LNG-processing plant which would contribute to lowering the emissions of a Norwegian emissions hotspot, but would prolong the lifespan of this LNG-production facility, and the emissions saved on the national emission budget would be exported to other parts of the world.

Call on the Prime Minister of Norway to listen to Ellinor and the Sámi People, and help them protect their land, livelihoods, and culture - send your email using our email-writing tool.