A lot of my research regarding my HSC essay focused on indigenous communities, looking into their sustainable lifestyles and the biomimicry process they explore with a lot less technology. Modern indigenous communities are the most affected by climate change despite living in a circular economy. The Sámi’s homeland, Sápmi, stretches across the borders of what are now the northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the Russian Kola Peninsula. At the heart of Sámi culture is the reindeer. Originally hunters and gatherers, the Sámi have been herding domesticated reindeer since the 17th century. Historically leading a nomadic life, they moved their herds from winter to summer grazing lands, following the changes of the seasons. In Sápmi, time is structured into eight seasons rather than four and shaped by the behaviour of the reindeer, who are sensitive to the smallest variations of weather and temperatures. Every season brings different food resources, such as cloudberries, lingonberries, and different varieties of herbs. By adjusting their resource use accordingly, the Sámi contribute to balance in nature and avoiding resource depletion.
Living at the frontiers of the climate crisis has brought new threats to the Sámi way of life. The warming climate leads to longer summers and warmer winters, slowly merging the eight Sámi seasons into four—with mid-seasons like spring-winter or autumn-summer disappearing. The reindeer are perceptive to these developments, which often leads to behavioural changes like a delayed rutting season. This change is also a problem for the reindeer’s main food source, lichen growing in the tundra. Warmer temperatures are causing the treeline to edge slowly upwards, and moss is increasingly replacing lichen. Despite the Sámi being officially recognised as an Indigenous people today, the consequences of colonialism and the harm it caused continue to be felt. Apart from still having to endure stigmatisation and racism, two other examples are ongoing land rights conflicts and resource exploitation. One of the most contested cases involves plans for a mine in Gállok, the region around the historically significant Sámi meeting place Jokkmokk. One of the most disputed cases is related to the proposed mining project in Gállok, the area surrounding the historically significant Sámi meeting point Jokkmokk. In 2006, a British company, Beowulf Mining, was granted permission to explore the region. However, reindeer herders, locals, and various environmental justice organizations have been protesting these plans ever since, fearing significant environmental and social impacts.
Understanding that the Sami communities’ environmental impact is close to nothing, they are the most impacted due to their reliance on the natural environment. Their main livestock is the reindeer, and due to climate change, the animal’s food source is denaturing and not growing in the right season, leaving the animals to find ways for food. Extreme weather has become a side effect of climate change globally, large amount of rain in Norway has created a layer of ice on top of the snow when it freezes. This prevents animals like reindeer from getting to their food. This has devastating consequences on wildlife and cultural practices, like reindeer herding. The animals being unable to be self-sufficient in their feeding patterns are consequently causing the Sami people to invest economically into feed instead of living completely off the land, translating the community to divert into a globalised/ westernised society. What concerns me is the history of these communities living off the land in a completely climate-neutral manner, working with the environment, and these natural communities are facing the reprocusions of climate change the most. In our Western world, we have created solutions to have an avoidant perspective on climate change and have caused the most decline in our fossil fuel emissions and exploitation of natural resources.
