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infrastructure for competitiveness & growth; 4) an innovative mining and minerals industry with an
excellent knowledge base; and 5) an internationally renowned, active and attractive mining industry.
The Swedish Arctic Strategy identifies mining, together with petroleum and forestry, as an economic
opportunity for the country (Government Offices of… 2011: 32). The expansion of resource extraction
is pointed out to increase the risk for local emissions and the need for transportation infrastructure,
which is again perceived as an economic possibility (ibid: 15; 27). The Strategy states that future
extraction should be conducted sustainably. Accordingly, the especially sensitive areas are to be
protected from extraction, more environmental assessments are needed and that the State will work
for long-term transportation solutions to promote sustainability. Sustainability is not addressed in
regard to the social dimension as such but it concludes that Sweden will seek to bring forth and manage
the negative social impacts of natural resources development all while utilizing, as much as possible,
the problem solving tools that consider the Arctic context more actively (ibid: 41). The Russian
Mineral Strategy, the so-called Geological Strategy, was adopted in 2010 (Russian Mineral Strategy
2010). Among the strategic objectives are improvements to the mining legislation, increasing investing
attractiveness and strengthening mining Research & Development. The Strategy highlights the
importance of mining activities for the country and the need to “move on to the new stage”, based
on sustainable use of natural resource, reduction of negative environmental and social impacts as well
as minimization operat [ۘ[