Municipal majority can stop detailed plan for graphite mine in Vittangi, page-79

Just a copy of what they are saying on their Facebook

STATEMENT BY KIRUNA MUNICIPALITY MANAGEMENT

That's why we say No to Talga!

Jointly, the Social Democrats, the Left Party, Sámelistu and Feminist Initiative mark that Talga's establishment of a graphite mine in Nunasvaara, Vittangi is undesirable.

We do not think that Kiruna municipality should allow the destruction of a fantastic natural area and important cleanse pasture for a short-lived mine. For an already hard-pressured municipality, an establishment would entail additional disadvantages and difficulties.

We do not see the alleged, local prosperity that the mine is expected to bring. As a municipality, we will be left with the same or even more difficult challenges in terms of economy, welfare, workforce and housing shortage. Sixty new jobs promised are not an advantage when we have over 500 vacancies in the municipality and already have difficulty staffing our own welfare. Rather, we see the risk that this establishment will increase the proportion of fly-in-fly-out workers.

Instead, we immediately demand a changed regional policy that creates conditions for development throughout Sweden. The state system for economic distribution policy needs to be reformed so that profits from natural resources to the most part stay in the area.

In the long-term perspective, at all levels, we have to ask ourselves how we can build communities that consume less resources - not more. Right now, the public conversation has stuck that the climate crisis will be solved, only we replace fossil-powered vehicles with electric ones and call it green transition. This is done at the expense of a truly sustainable future for people, animals and nature.

What is happening in the northern Sweden is a continuation of a diluted, colonial approach from the Swedish state. These structures must be broken and indigenous rights and national minorities rights must be respected. If our incumbent government and Parliament forcefully want to destroy our local environment and give away our natural resources to foreign mining companies, they may do so without the support of us in Kiruna's municipal administration. We see a broad and growing public engagement in this issue and the Social Democrats, the Left Party, Sámelistu and Feminist Initiative in Kiruna will continue to work for:

- To finish ongoing work on a detailed plan for Talga's applied establishment in Nunasvaara.

- Not to approve further applications from Talga for mining in Nunasvaara / Vittangi.

Jonas Stålnacke, Group Leader of the Social Democrats

True Inga Poromaa, group leader of the Left Party

Åsa Larsson Blind, Group Leader of the Gospel

Christine Brännvall, Group Leader Feminist Initiative

Picture: Stop hazard

Photographer : Private