A Right to Have One's Say but Not to Have One's Way: Tensions Affecting Practices and Expectations of Public Participation in Impact Assessment in Iceland and Greenland

This chapter explores four tensions related to social and environmental impact assessments in Iceland and Greenland, with a particular focus on public participation in decision-making processes on the use of land, raw materials, and other natural resources. Arctic countries’ commitments to decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, as well as general economic interests in renewable energy, have led to a rise in the construction of wind, hydro, and solar power infrastructures. Moreover, the global surge in renewable energy production has fueled an expansion of mining in the Arctic for minerals required for the transition. This comes at a time when already existing environmental and/or social impact assessment laws and processes are under scrutiny as to their adequacy for ensuring consultation processes and stakeholder engagement that are adequate for the purposes of affected stakeholders or which they consider relevant and meaningful. Against this backdrop, the chapter considers tensions between formal ESIA requirements and expectations of affected stakeholders; between diverse interests in a project; between decisions taken at the national level by the government and the need for participation and empowerment at the local level; and between the timing of consultations and the availability of affected communities. The conclusions provide recommendations for ESIA processes.