The Norwegian courts aren't playing reindeer games. They shut down one of the largest windmill operations in Europe, which may result in the dismantling of 151 windmills.
This is an intriguing battle between the Sky-Is-Falling-Build-Windmills left and the Worship-Indigenous-People left.
Agence France-Presse reported, "Norway's top court has ruled that two wind farms in the country's west have violated the rights of Sámi reindeer herders.
"Wind turbines on Norway's Fosen peninsula have illegally encroached on the herders grazing land, the court ruled.
"Judges at the Norwegian Supreme Court declared that the license for wind power development at Fosen was, therefore invalid."
The Sámi are what we called Lapps when I was a kid. They live in the harsh interiors of Scandinavian countries raising reindeer. they are a different people with their own language and customs than the Scandinavians.
This windmill battle has been ongoing.
Al Jazeera ran a column On August 1, 2020, "‘Green’ colonialism is ruining Indigenous lives in Norway. Norway continues to allow the construction of wind farms on Sámi land, which threatens their herding livelihoods."
The column said, "On paper, the Norwegian reindeer herding act should provide legal protection against the blocking of reindeer migration routes, like in the case of this new wind plant project, but the Norwegian authorities allowed the construction to move ahead.
"On June 31, the reindeer Sámi herders from Jillen Njaarke announced they were going to court to stop the wind plant. They are determined to protect their lands from yet another encroachment by the Norwegian authorities. The community is genuinely afraid for its future."
How typical of the lefties. They impose rules -- the Norwegian reindeer herding act -- only to ignore the law when it is inconvenient for them. Mask and vax mandates are only the latest in the series of millenniums of elitists ignoring their own laws.
I don't know why they don't just leave the Sámi people alone. They aren't bothering anyone.
Al Jazeera said, "Some 98% of Norway’s electricity production today comes from renewable energy sources. But in most public debates or political decisions, the detrimental impact that this has had on Sami livelihoods is readily overlooked. The Oyfjellet wind plant is not the first encroachment Jillen Njaarke have faced. Various hydropower plants in their land have reduced pastures and have exposed their herds to a higher risk when crossing unstable ice on water dams."
94% of Norway's electricity comes from hydro plants. Lefties count this as renewable energy but unlike wind and solar, hydro is reliable. Of course, dams also carry an ecological price, often paid by others.
Green colonialism is a cute phrase but it is inaccurate. The Scandinavians are not colonizing. They are not sending settlers. Instead, they are building giant 50-story tall windmills, which will last 20 years and have to be dismantled and replaced. The attitude is to hell with the reindeer. They rationalize this by saying they are saving the planet.
The lawyer for the Sámi, Andreas Brønner, told AFP, "Their construction has been declared illegal and it would be illegal to continue to operate them."
Not only should the windmills be dismantled but someone should be jailed for ignoring the law and licensing them.
