• The research examines justice in critical raw materials governance. • Finland is a significant producer of critical raw materials in the EU. • Policy documents primarily address procedural and distributive justice aspects. • Cosmopolitan and intergenerational justice receive narrow attention. • The opportunities of the Sámi people to resist mineral activities appear as limited. The literature on critical raw materials (CRM) has called for a holistic approach to justice in extractive societies to enhance low-carbon transitions fairly. Finland, a Global North country, plays a key role in the European Union as one of the most significant producers of CRM. Despite its well-established minerals sector, advanced geological expertise, and stable political environment, Finland has not avoided sustainability challenges and tensions associated with mineral exploration and extraction. Moreover, Finland's Northern part extends into the cultural territory of the indigenous Sámi people, creating responsibilities to safeguard the rights of the Sámi against various land-use pressures and oppressive activities. Based on policy document and interview analysis and adapting an analytical framework based on environmental justice, ‘the JUST framework’, and climate policy justice, the research examines how Finland accounts for justice in governing CRM extraction and processing. Justice is investigated through distributive, procedural, recognition, restorative, cosmopolitan and intergenerational justice dimensions. The findings show that the policy documents handle justice elements with differing emphasis. Many aspects of procedural justice can be identified, stemming from the policy documents’ explicit aim to enhance the social acceptability of the minerals sector. Other common aspects relate to the distribution of economic benefits and environmental challenges. Multidimensional and temporal aspects are poorly addressed, limiting the scope of justice considerations in the sector. The research suggests a comprehensive and nuanced approach to CRM governance for a better consideration of vital questions of justice, as increasing CRM use has long-term cultural, environmental and economic impacts.
Saarenaho et al. (Thu,) studied this question.