Luke opening the discussion on the links between sustainable management of natural resources and geopolitics

We sparked a public discussion on the interconnectedness of natural resource management and geopolitics amid the turbulence of the new world order.

Increasing geopolitical tensions require a new kind of foresight and adaptability from natural resource management: the transition towards sustainable natural resource management and the circular bioeconomy is now interlinked with security of supply and self-sufficiency objectives. Cooperation with the Finnish Institute of International Affairs and actively stimulating public debate showed that there is a strong need for public discussion and research that reconciles natural resource management and geopolitical issues.

The cooperation with the Finnish Institute of International Affairs took concrete form in a two-part webinar series "From the countryside to world politics". The first webinar addressed issues such as improving the nutrient cycle in agriculture to break the dependence on imported fertilisers. The second webinar focused on the foreign, security and regional policy dimensions of Finland's green transition and the linkages between them. 

The exceptionally broad and cross-sectoral interest in the webinars and the positive feedback received indicate that there was a demand for a societal debate on this topic at both national and EU level. The debate we stimulated was also reflected in a number of media articles and commentaries, as well as in the participation of our researchers in other events on the topic.

"In a world of climate change and sustainability disruption, geopolitical foresight requires an increasingly deep understanding of natural resource and environmental issues. Luke's knowledge on, for example, food production change projections and input dependencies, is essential to support foresight and preparedness, and our cooperation paved the way for wider use of this knowledge in decision-making."

Emma Hakala, Leading Researcher, Finnish Institute of International Affairs

Geopolitical transitions and the geo-economic interests of national and multinational actors will increasingly frame sustainable resource management in the future. The principles of strategic self-sufficiency, solutions that build overall security, and the identification and anticipation of geopolitical transitions will be emphasised in national and EU strategies. 

Our positioning as a natural resources research institute in this field is of paramount importance in today's changing operational environment, including new priorities in research funding. Understanding of the interconnectedness of sustainable management of natural resources and geopolitics has grown at Luke and will increasingly be reflected in the strategic orientation of research. 

The linkages between regional policy, geopolitics and the green transition that we have highlighted have contributed to the REPower project's statement on the Finnish government's Eastern Finland programme and to statements and presentations to the Finnish Parliament’s Committee on the Future on the regional dimension of the Sustainable Development Agenda.