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Context sensitivity in local adaptation studies

Hannu I. Heikkinen, Professor, Cultural Anthropology, University of Oulu

The Urban Arctic - Towards a new understanding of the North

Friday, June 10, 2016 – Umeå

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Contents: Project examples of global discourse driven local adaptation studies and lessons learned

1. Vulnerability Assessment of ecosystem services for Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation (VACCIA): Action 12 Tourism, 2009-2011

- Climate change and other threats?

2. Different land use activities and local communities in Mining projects (DILACOMI) – model for the best regulation and practices, 2011-2013

- How local is local mining project?

- What means “social license to mine”?

Lesson learned:

- Context sensitivity

- Careful application of global concepts

and discourses

- Need of site specific basic research 16.6.2016 Heikkinen HI 2

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Vulnerability Assessment of ecosystem services for Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation (VACCIA), 2009-2011

Background: The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005 and emerging Long-term Socio-Ecological Research network (FinLTSER)

Hypotheses: major changes in climate cannot be avoided, and hence, sector-specific adaptation measures are needed

Target: Development of adaptation measures that are based on the understanding of (i) the likelihood of change, (ii) vulnerability of the specific sectors to the predicted change, and (iii) knowledge about the local-scale possibilities for adaptation.

General setting: - downscaling of global climate change scenarios to the local and regional level - 13 different actions working with varying topics from urban runoffs to

fisheries, forestry and tourism

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Two northern towns with important tourism centers,

Ruka, Kuusamo and Vuokatti, Sotkamo.

Primary target was to build vulnerability assessment

model for the integrated impact assessment of; (1) current tourism industry, (2) its regional and local socioeconomic significance, (3) environmental impacts of current and suggested

tourism use (4) climate change scenarios at the local level

Research methods and material:

- Local tourism statistics

- Tourism related stakeholder interviews

- Healthcare statistics, particularly injury statistics

- Participatory future workshops

General starting point: regional level climate change

scenarios produced by the Finnish

meteorological institute

VACCIA action 12: Tourism, cases Kuusamo and Sotkamo

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Future workshop I

Recognizing relevant

vulnerability thresholds

for local tourism

Stakeholder

meetings

State of tourism

Climate change

and other factors

Interviews,

tourism statistics

Storyline II Storyline I

Downscaling

IPCC

scenarios and

storylines

Deliverables

Vulnerability report

(D2)

Policy report (D3)

Municipal

council

presenta-

tions

Report (D1)

for local

stakeholders

Future workshop II

Desired future and

adaptation measures

ACTION 12: Tourism, developed vulnerability assessment model Assessment of climate change impacts and adaptation measures for tourism related communities in two northern towns: ecological, social and health impacts of climate change

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Final vulnerability analysis applied the approach of Brad Smith and Joanna Wandel (2006). Lépy, et al. 2014 Multidisciplinary and participatory approach for assessing local vulnerability of tourism industry to climate

change. Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism 14 (1), 41-59.

Study benefitted a lot of participation of diverse tourism related stakeholders: new questions

- Healthcare sector

- Attention to the effects of ageing of local and tourist populations on changing vulnerabilities

- Practical problems of multilingual and multicultural customers as part of vulnerability of service sector

- Security and traffic professionals

- Slippery weathers and road safety, long distances, seasonality and diminishing capacity of public sector

- Border traffic and related problems (e.g. cross border tourism and rescue/emergency arrangements)

- In Sotkamo BIGGEST TOPICAL THREAT AND POSSIBILITY - Talvivaara nickel mine, not climate change!

VACCIA action 12: Tourism, conclusive remarks

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Different land use activities and local communities in Mining projects (DILACOMI) – model for the best regulation and practices, 2011-2013

‒ University of Lapland: environmental law, sociology

‒ University of Oulu: architecture, Thule institute, cultural anthropology (WP1)

- Finnish Forest Research Institute (METLA)

‒ Municipalities of Kolari, Kittilä and Muonio

‒ Ylläs Travel Association (Local tourism)

‒ Northland Resources AB, Hannukainen iron mine

‒ Agnico-Eagle Mines Ltd, Suurikuusikko gold mine

‒ Luleå University of Technology, Sweden

‒ University of Alberta, Canada.

Funded by Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation (TEKES)

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The life-cycle of a mine from the point-of-view of the mining company and municipality (Applied from Lockie et al. 2009 < Taylor et al., 2003).

Mine Closure

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Primary research tasks

1) Analysis of earlier mining projects

2) Identification of the strengths and weaknesses of the previous and running mining projects and processes

3) Development of a best regulations and practices model in mining projects

4) Final publication:

Kokko et al. 2014. Sound Mining in the North. A Guide to Environmental Regulation and Best Practices Supporting Social Sustainability. TEKES PP. 67. http://www.doria.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/96395/Sound%20minig%20in%20the%20North.pdf?sequence=2

University of Oulu, Work packet 1: Land use planning.

Special research questions

‒ What does mean the repeated concept of “social license to mine” or “operate” in current mining discourses ?

‒ How it is obtained, kept up or lost and supervised and by whom? STILL OPEN AND IMPORTANT!

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Hannukainen mine: Challenges in obtaining “social license to mine” at the start

Previous mining cycles – mining history

- Unrestored old mines, as well as empty miner housing in local landscapes

- Hannukainen & Rautuvaara in Kolari 1962–1989

- Äkäsjokisuu chalk mine in Kolari n. 1965–1989

- Pahtavuoma copper mine in Kittilä , 1974–1993, uranium claims (test mining and reserve pit)

- Saattopora gold mine in Kittilä 1988–1995

Traditional reindeer herding area

- Remembered traffic accidents with ore trucks

- Old mines, side rock piles and rotting fences still unrestored in local landscape

Tourism has become the most important livelihood after previous mining cycle

- Somewhat 48,5% of the local economy in Kolari (Satokangas 2013, 2014)

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Hannukainen case: Challenges in obtaining social license to mine. Photo Northland resources AB, http://www.northland.eu/s/Home.asp

Ylläs Ski resort

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Mining cases, tourism centres and Ylläs-

Pallas National park. Image: Mikko Jokinen. Study location map.

(Heikkinen et al. 2013)

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New uranium related worries cumulated in public debate:

- building of fifth nuclear power plant, and planning of two more

- Finland is fully dependent on imported uranium

- Talvivaara nickel mine in Sotkamo surprised the public by new EIA for uranium processing, original EIA was just for nickel mining 2010-2011

- Fugushima nuclear power plant catastrophe in Japan in 2011.

Development and discourses around the mining across the border in Pajala Sweden (Kaunisvaara mine) by the same company

- Muonio sameby herders were not satisfied with continuation communications and compensations agreement with mining company

- Rumors and media discussions on environmental and economic problems across the border in Sweden (Kaunisvaara mine), Nordland Resources AB bankruptcy in 2014.

Talvivaara mine’s environmental problems in Sotkamo southern Finland 2011- ? Bankruptcy in 2014, environmental crime decision in 2016

National and global coincidences Critical role of media publicity

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A view of the river downstream from the Talvivaara mine. Image: Pekka Rönkkö. YLE NEWS 21.5.2013

http://yle.fi/uutiset/talvivaara_mine_stains_river_orange/6652972

- Several serious leakages of gypsum pond in 2012- 2013.

Talvivaara waste water leak plugged? Yle News 9.11.2012

http://yle.fi/uutiset/talvivaara_waste_water_leak_plugged/6369461

Use of gypsum sediment pond as water reservoir at Talvivaara mine was ill advised. Helsinki times 4.2.2014

http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/domestic/9213-use-of-gypsum-sediment-pond-as-water-reservoir-at-

talvivaara-mine-was-ill-advised.html?ref=uutiskirje

Usually local vulnerabil ity and adaption are related to multiple simultaneous and historical impacts and pressures which don’t belong to global agenda

E.g. Ageing of population, marginalisation, local population diversity, mining history (and trust)

Vulnerabil ity and adaptation research should acknowledge the importance of power relations, institutional settings and wealth differences, e.g.;

Some have position, power and resources to adapt, some hardly can react (cf. Nalau et al. 2015).

Can local actors influence other stakeholders whom might limit their options to adapt?

Glocal world – What is local and what global?

Hard to combine, but also hard to keep global, national, regional and local separate,

Global warming, but locally random, but increasing climate variations (mines and water balance?)

Media connects the events in faraway places to the developments of local affairs and attitudes (mineral markets, environmental accidents, international companies etc.)

Heikkinen et al. (2016) Context -sensitive polit ical ecology to consolidate local realit ies under global discourses: A view for tourism studies. In Polit ical Ecology and Tourism (Eds.) Sanjay Nepal and Jarkko Saarinen. Routledge, Taylor and Francis group. UK.

LESSONS LEARNED: CONTEXT SENSITIVITY IN

ADAPTATION STUDIES

Transparency and trust - who is the gate keeper of social license to mine?

- companies refers that financers’ demand “social license to mine” or

“operate” (See e.g. Equator principles. Environmental and social risk

management framework for project finance.)

Social license to operate

Finance

Local community Mining company

How information flow works? - Media?

- Is there forum for communication?

- Role for civil society & politicians?

- Do locals have to become stock holders (then access to financial negotiations?)

- EIA and Social impact assessments

- Follow up groups

- Collaborative forums

- Information services

- Yearly reports

- Technical reports

- Financial reports

- EIA and Social impact assessments

- Feasibility studies

Triangle of social license to mine (Kokko et al. 2014)

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Thank you for your patience!

References

Equator Principles 2013. Environmental and social risk management for project finance. Equator principles association. URL: http://www.equator-principles.com/

Heikkinen H., I., Acosta Garcia, N., Sarkki, S. and Lépy É. 2016. Context-sensitive political ecology to consolidate local realities under global discourses: A view for tourism studies. In Political Ecology and Tourism (Eds.) Sanjay Nepal and Jarkko Saarinen. Routledge, Taylor and Francis group. UK.

Heikkinen, H. I. Lépy, É., Sarkki, S., Komu, T. 2013. Challenges in acquiring a social licence to mine in the globalising Arctic. Polar Record, available on CJO2013. doi:10.1017/S0032247413000843, 1-13.

Kokko K, A. Oksanen, S. Hast, H.,I. Heikkinen, H-L. Hentilä, M. Jokinen, T. Komu, M. Kunnari, É. Lépy, L. Soudunsaari, A. Suikkanen and L. Suopajärvi 2014. Sound Mining in the North - A Guide to Environmental Regulation and Best Practices Supporting Social Sustainability http://www.doria.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/96395/Sound%20minig%20in%20the%20North.pdf?sequence=2

Lépy, É, Heikkinen, H. I. Karjalainen, T. P. Tervo-Kankare, K. Kauppila, P. Suopajärvi, T.

Ponnikas, J., Siikamäki, P., Rautio, A. 2014. Multidisciplinary and participatory

approach for assessing local vulnerability of tourism industry to climate change.

Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism 14 (1), 41-59.

Lockie, S., Franettovich, M., Petkova-Timmer, V., Rolfe, J. & Ivanova, G. 2009. Coal mining

and the resource community cycle: A longitudinal assessment of the social impacts of

the Coppabella coal mine. Environmental Impact Assessment Review 29: 330-339.

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005. Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Synthesis.

Island Press, Washington, DC.

Nalau J, Preston BL, Maloney MC. 2015. Is adaptation a local responsibility? Environmental Science & Policy. 48:89-98.

Northland resources AB. http://www.northland.eu/s/Home.asp Available until 2014.

Shepard, R. B. 2008. Gaining a social license to mine. Troutdale OR: Applied Ecosystem Services. URL: http://www.mining.com/gaining-a-social-license-to-mine/

Smit, B., & Wandel, J. (2006). Adaptation, adaptive capacity and vulnerability. Global Environmental Change, 16(3), 282–292.

Striking a better balance – The World Bank group and extractive industries: the final report of the extractive industries review 2004. Washington D.C., World Bank.

Thomson, I. and R. Boutilier 2011. Social license to operate. In: Darling, P. (editor). SME mining engineering handbook. Littleton, CO: Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration. 1779–1796 16.6.2016 Heikkinen HI 17