Elevating Indigenous Voices for a Just Energy Transition

In the face of an accelerating climate crisis and shifting geopolitical power balances, the world is pursuing a “green transition” in which electrification is central. Electrification demands critical raw materials, including rare earth elements, a large share of which lie beneath Indigenous lands. Although the UN affirms Indigenous peoples’ right to own, use, develop, and control their traditional lands, these rights are routinely overruled, including on “national security” grounds. The newly discovered Per Geijer deposit in Northern Sweden—Europe’s largest known rare earth elements find—sits at the centre of these tensions. Drawing upon a workshop, field visits, and a narrative review of academic, policy, and media sources, this article examines three competing narratives surrounding the proposed new mine: the “green transition,” “national security,” and “energy justice” narratives, which we read in relation to the “energy trilemma.” Focusing on cumulative threats to the Gabna reindeer-herding community from Kiruna’s century-old iron ore mine and the proposed Per Geijer project, we explore the power imbalances that determine which stories are heard in energy transition decision-making, and which are marginalised. We argue that recognition, restorative, and intergenerational justice principles need to be brought to the centre of transition planning. Recommendations from Indigenous participants include mapping the cumulative impacts of green-transition projects, combining Indigenous and Western scientific knowledge, and strengthening legal and policy mechanisms to protect Indigenous rights. Doing this is imperative to ensure that energy transitions are both environmentally and socially just, whilst also considering geopolitical implications.