In this article, I analyse the 2024 decision by the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights concerning mining and Saami rights in Finland. My analysis is set in the context of the green transition in Northern Finland, which is promoted by the Finnish Government as part of an EU-wide transition to renewable energy. Drawing on a relational political economy approach based on critical theory and Indigenous methodologies, the article highlights the tensions in the green transition, as shown by the CESCR decision’s focus on Saami reindeer herding as a culture, the right to Saami self-determination in the green transition, and Saami and Western economic-cultural adaptation to climate change. Based on the analysis, I argue that the green transition will fail to bring about a just and impactful sustainability transformation unless it targets the foundational cultural assumptions that guide international economic activity and its legal framework.
Sade Mäntylä (Wed,) studied this question.