The New, Green Norrland

Sweden developed from an agrarian to an industrial nation in the first decades of the 20th century. Industry flourished especially in the northern region, and the new prosperity spread throughout the country. The attitude to nature as an endless resource to exploit became firmly established at this time – a mindset that contrasts sharply with the Sami people’s perception of nature as an animate, living being.

The northern landscape and the transformation of urban communities were portrayed by artists such as Sven X-et Erixon and Edith Fischerström, and by photographers like C. G. Rosenberg.

The story of the great green transition may be appealing, but the scene where this drama plays out is more fragile now than in a long time. For that is what we should see – a larger narrative about the world that is taking place in a distilled format in northern Sweden. This is a narrative that concerns us all – (Translation from “Framtidslandet”, 2023)

Sverker Sörlin is a historian of ideas, a professor of environmental history and an award-winning writer. He is one of Sweden’s most prominent voices on the climate debate. His book “Framtidslandet” (The Land of the Future) from 1988 will be published in a revised edition in 2023.