SWEDISH LAPLAND 67°28’36.1”N 18°21’10.9”E
senses. But what I looked out over wasn’t quite what I’d normally go for. Appealing and appalling, a clear-cut section attracted my attention. The mist flocked to it and made the single trees that were left stand out. While nature seems to thrive in Sweden, clear-cutting is a big problem. Although many new forests are planted, these aim for biomass and lack any other value. Mature and old growth forests continue to disappear rapidly. This is a disaster for climate change and bio- diversity. Aside from providing a home to many species, old forests also capture significantly more CO2 than newly planted ones. Forestry isn’t the only industry roadblocking migratory routes, though. Climate change is destabilizing the seasons up north, causing erratic freeze and thaw cycles that make life harder for plants and animals alike. Presented as part of the solution, the green transition causes issues too. It represents a spike in demand for metals and minerals for battery parts. Mining for short-term profit causes irreversible damage to valuable nature at the mining site itself, but also contaminates the rivers around it and hastens deforestation of the surrounding taiga. The need for renewable energy sadly can have a similar effect, as entire rivers have been degraded by the construction of dams and hydropower facilities. Windmills represent local conflicts too, and the increase of tourism also comes with a cost. As the consumption in populated regions increases, more pressure is put on the places that are still wild at heart. While some traditions may be fading away, there’s still much we can learn from a culture based on respect for all living things, not leaving a trace, never taking more than you need, and preserving the land for generations to come. Perhaps if we question our consumption-based mindset, we can take small steps to a better tomorrow. Steps that will hopefully be reinforced by conservation, rewilding and regeneration efforts, and the EU’s nature restoration law. Our anthropocene bubble provides the comforts we’re so used to, and we no longer feel we depend on nature. But that’s still where our food comes from, where the air we breathe is formed, how the climate we thrive in is regulated, and where our minds and bodies find peace. Though the needs might be more obvious for the birds seeking nesting places or the reindeer foraging for food, we’re also part of nature—and nature is part of us, too. That realization comes when spending time outdoors, for longer periods. This journey has brought me so much already. It’s clearly easier to feel whole and inspired when watching a herd of reindeer in the mountains and breathing in that fresh air than when sitting in front of a laptop. It takes a while to disconnect from our society and from technology, but when doing so, we might feel more connected to our surroundings, our environment, and to ourselves. And that’s what I want my photos of these seemingly untouched landscapes to be: an invitation to reconnect.
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MOTHER VOLUME FOUR
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