The Arctic region has attracted considerable attention in recent years due to its critical mineral resources, including rare earth elements. Despite potentially contributing to a carbon-neutral transition, the Arctic extraction of critical minerals may also pose serious impacts for environmental sustainability efforts and infringe upon the rights of Indigenous peoples and other local communities.

Difficult questions arise: What is the extent of Nordic countries’ potential roles regarding critical mineral resources in the Arctic, both regionally and in the EU context? Could the Nordic Arctic offer a solution that reduces the current EU’s dependence on China and other external actors? If so, how do the complex dynamics surrounding the mining of critical minerals resonate with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in relation to environmental challenges? And how can the perspectives of those who are seldom considered in the context of shifting global economic and geostrategic challenges – the Indigenous peoples and local populations of the Arctic – be included in policymaking? Responding adequately to such complex questions requires the synthesis of knowledge from several disciplines, which this project aims to provide.

This interdisciplinary research project studies policy choices and legal responses to critical minerals issues facing the Nordic Arctic, including Sápmi (Finland, Sweden and Norway) and Greenland. The project’s approach is to respond to issues at the intersection of geostrategic considerations and legal and policy issues. This response will be informed by findings from relevant scientific disciplines, ranging from geology, biology and toxicology to international law, sinology and political science – with particular emphasis on Indigenous perspectives. The goal is to develop a conceptual interdisciplinary framework that will inform policy and regulatory options for the Nordic countries to respond adequately to the expanding critical minerals industry in the Arctic.

Project period: 2025-2029