Abstract

This article argues that climate change and its mitigation risk threatening Indigenous Peoples' access to land and their ability to maintain their way of life. Focusing on the experiences of the Indigenous Sámi reindeer herders of the Swedish part of Sápmi, the article traces how the Östra Kikkejaure reindeer-herding association sees its lands increasingly fragmented by various encroachments, particularly the construction of the large-scale wind project, Markbygden, in Piteå municipality. At the same time, the herders are forced to adapt to the uncertain impacts of climate change. This double blow is presented through a political ecology analysis emphasizing how climate mitigation projects like Markbygden may trigger rights violations through encroachment, enclosure, exclusion, and entrenchment. Apart from a literature review, the article is based on two months of fieldwork in Sweden in 2021 and 2022. A total of 28 interviews and ten informal conversations were conducted with rights-holders and stakeholders involved in the Markbygden wind project. The article addresses the shortcomings of prevailing approaches to energy justice and seeks to contribute to discussions on how climate mitigation efforts, including energy transitions, are taking shape and how their impacts are evaluated and distributed.

Keywords: political ecology, Indigenous Peoples, renewable energy, climate mitigation, Sweden

How to Cite:

Renkens, I. M., (2025) “Experiencing the double blow of climate change and its mitigation: Perspectives from Sámi reindeer herders in Swedish Sápmi”, Journal of Political Ecology 32(1): 5769. doi: https://doi.org/10.2458/jpe.5769