Climate change threatens the Sámi way of life, and so does the green transition
By Camilla Sandström
Long ago, it is said, the Indigenous Sámi people of the North made a quiet, sacred promise with the reindeer. They would look after each other, bound in mutual trust and survival. The reindeer herders would ensure the herd’s safety and provide food in exchange for a portion of the animals to support their families. Whether a myth or a deeply held belief, this connection between herder, reindeer, and land has formed the bedrock of Sámi culture, defining a way of life that remains tied to the landscapes of northern Finland, Norway, Sweden, and parts of Russia.
This strong bond has shaped not only the Sámi people but also the lands they inhabit, known collectively as Sápmi, an area that is still perceived as relatively ecologically intact. But today, like many regions home to Indigenous communities, Sápmi faces mounting pressures not only from climate change, but also from the efforts to mitigate that change. The “green transition,” or shift toward a fossil fuel-free society, has brought wind farms, mining, forestry, and more to the region. Without proper consultation, these projects threaten the reindeer’s grazing lands and disrupt the delicate balance that has sustained this culture for centuries. As a result, the ancient promise between the reindeer herders and the reindeer is becoming harder and harder to uphold.
The landscape of Sápmi is characterized by a continuous rhythm of change, from dark days to bright nights, warm summers to freezing winters. Beyond spring, summer, autumn, and winter, the Sámi people define four additional seasons: spring-summer, autumn-summer, autumn-winter, and spring-winter. This seasonal calendar, which structures the lives of the Sámi people, is based on the migrations of their semi-domesticated reindeer. In Sweden, this often means a journey of nearly 450 kilometers—from the high mountains near the Norwegian border in the autumn-winter to the forest lands by the Bay of Bothnia in winter, then back again in spring-winter. This cyclical migration, intrinsic to Sámi culture, is made possible by the longstanding, legally upheld right of nomadic reindeer herders to use the land, public and private, for seasonal grazing.
Yet with climate change, these eight seasons are narrowing. Winters are becoming shorter, with as many as 58 days of snow already lost. This complicates the reindeer’s passage across previously frozen rivers and lakes, making routes increasingly dangerous as the ice thins. While the lack of snow can make food more accessible, “in Norway’s coastal areas where we herd our reindeers during the winter,” says Ina-Theres Sparrok, a herder in the Voengelh Njaarke reindeer herding district in Norway, “it complicates herd management and creates friction with local farmers.”
In other cases, climate change can make lichen, reindeer’s primary food source, harder to get to. “Unpredictable, extreme winter conditions, from heavy snowfall to cycles of freezing and thawing, creates thick layers of ice that trap the vital lichen below, making it increasingly difficult for the reindeer to forage,” says Ante Baer, a reindeer herder in the Vilhelmina Norra reindeer herding community in Sweden, and Sparrok’s partner of over a decade. (Disclosure: Baer and Sparrock are the author’s son and daughter-in-law.)
During these bad winters, it becomes more challenging to keep the herd together, Baer says, which also makes it more difficult to protect the reindeer from large carnivores such as lynx, wolverines, and eagles year-round, as well as brown bears during the spring-winter, spring, and summer seasons.
The summer, with its warmer temperatures and diminished snowfall, stresses the Arctic-adapted reindeer and brings new survival risks during heat waves. In these ways and more, the effects of climate change are already deeply felt in reindeer husbandry, reshaping the migratory patterns and the very fabric of Sámi life.
The green transition, which has emerged as a necessary response to the pressing challenges of climate change, has brought additional strain to these lands. Long used by the south for its resources, Sápmi has been host to mines, hydroelectric dams, and other extractive industries for more than a century. Today, the pursuit of cheap energy is accelerating a surge of activity, from battery factories and renewed mining ventures to large wind energy projects. For the reindeer herders, this relentless demand brings a double burden: the climate itself is changing, and so, too, is the land they rely on to preserve their way of life. A recent report on the impact from a Norwegian wind park on a reindeer herding community illustrates how one encroachment causes a chain reaction: loss of grazing areas disrupts seasonal pastures, directly impacting herd health, herders’ finances, and finally their livelihood, language, and culture.
Forestry, too, is increasingly seen as a key component of the green transition, due to its role as a significant carbon sink absorbing carbon dioxide and storing it long-term, while also providing renewable materials and bioenergy that substitute for more carbon-intensive products. However, in Sweden, it has also reduced the land rich in lichen—a critical food source for reindeer—by as much as 70%. This has left the landscape fragmented into smaller, isolated patches, increasing grazing pressure on the remaining areas. In Norway, forestry has a smaller impact, but farming, recreation, and tourism are increasingly occupying crucial mountain valleys, creating a lot of activity in areas that were previously rather pristine.
Research reveals that the cumulative effects of these various industries on Sámi lands are rarely fully considered, often leaving Sámi herders in court defending their right to land and the essential bond with their reindeer, with outcomes that vary. This undermines sustainable reindeer husbandry, which relies on a profound interdependence between people, animals, and land. “But,” says Baer, “it is possible to make some accommodations through careful planning, forest management, and collaboration.”
The Sámi, along with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples, have long advocated for improved planning processes that more fully consider reindeer husbandry and align with international conventions on Indigenous rights ratified by the four nations encompassing Sápmi. For example, one pathway for cooperation is a formalized consultation process embedded in forest certification schemes, which would require co-planning between forestry companies and reindeer herding communities. Recently, the introduction of free, prior, and informed consent has also provided herders with a new tool to protect vital grazing lands from further encroachment by forestry activities. However, effective processes remain lacking outside of the forestry sector, particularly those that would provide opportunities for co-planning and mutual consideration. This gap has become even more apparent as an increased sense of urgency fueled by climate change is accelerating decision-making around resource extraction.
Despite the many challenges they face, Baer and Sparrok, who are both 29, remain committed to a future in reindeer husbandry. They see the growing demand for healthy, unprocessed foods and the increased recognition of nature-based solutions as opportunities for their way of life to be part of the answer. They also acknowledge the urgent need for both individual and collective action to address climate change and the biodiversity crisis, and they believe reindeer herding offers unique insights and practices that align with sustainable land stewardship.
“We have been here for countless generations, adapting ourselves and our practices to this landscape,” says Baer. “It would take a great deal to move us from this place because our lives and the lives of our reindeer are woven into this land. We are still here, and we intend to stay.”
Camilla Sandström is a professor in political science at Umeå University, Sweden and UNESCO Chair on Biosphere Reserves as Laboratories for Inclusive Societal Transformation. Her research focuses on how policy and governance can be designed to meet environmental goals and effectively manage conflicts between different objectives.
