Lake Vättern is the second-largest lake in Sweden. It provides drinking water for more than 250,000 people, a number that may increase substantially in the future as both Örebro and Stockholm and even Denmark and Germany, are looking at Vättern as a source of water.
In 2018-2019 Swedish Earth Rights Lawyers drafted a declaration of the rights of Lake Vättern with assistance from the U.S.-based organisation Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF). The declaration was adopted by the Earth Rights Conference 2019 and it is the foundation of an emerging coalition for the rights of Lake Vättern.
The project, initiated by a Canadian mining group and its Swedish subsidiary, aims to extract rare earth elements (REE) from the Norra Kärr deposit, located only 1.5 kilometers from the lake’s shoreline. REEs are essential for the production of high-tech devices and renewable energy technologies and are considered critical for the transition to a low-carbon economy. However, the extraction of REE is also associated with high environmental costs, such as the generation of large amounts of toxic and radioactive waste, the contamination of water and soil, the loss of landscape and habitat, and the exposure to unknown or uncertain health risks.
The Norra Kärr deposit is a very complex and unique mineral resource, containing more than 80 different minerals, some of which are harmful or carcinogenic, such as uranium, thorium, lead, and asbestos. The mining company plans to use conventional open-pit drill and blast methods, which would create a huge crater in the ground, up to 120 meters deep and 1000 meters wide. The waste rock and tailings from the mining process would be stored onsite, posing a long-term risk of leaching into the lake and the surrounding groundwater.
The lake’s water quality and quantity could be affected by the mining activities, as well as the noise, dust, and vibrations. The lake’s ecosystem, which hosts rare and endangered species of fish, birds, plants, and insects, could also suffer irreversible damage. The mining project could also have negative impacts on the local communities, who depend on the lake for drinking water, agriculture, tourism, recreation, and cultural heritage.
Additionally, Since the 1920s the Swedish Defense has dumped ammunition in Lake Vättern and a considerable amount lies currently on the bottom of the lake. During the course of history, the military has dumped ammunition at some 300 locations in Sweden. During the 1940s, 50s and 60s the Armed Forces dumped ammunition at 25 places at sea, both on Sweden’s the West and East coasts. Dumping has also taken place in abandoned mines and in several Swedish lakes, including Vättern, Vänern and Mälaren. The total amount of ammunition dumped by the Armed Forces is estimated to be 6,500 tons. Ammunition consists of metals and explosives, especially 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, also called Trotyl, TNT or Trinitrotoluen. (Source: Swedish Armed Forces and Sweden’s Coast Guard)
The Swedish Armed Forces have been granted permission to utilize Lake Vättern as a shooting range until 2026. According to several Swedish environmental organizations this means that the environment will be affected. The Defense has applied to increase its shooting exercises over the Vättern from 1,000 shots per year to 70,000 shots.
The communities in the Lake Vättern area have mobilised against the environmental destruction of Vättern and surrounding ecosystems for many years. Aktion Rädda Vättern (ARV) and Urbergsgruppen Grenna are two of many organisations and networks that have continued to protect Vättern and surrounding ecosystems due to lake pollution by corporations and the Swedish state.
