Rikard Eriksson, Professor of Economic Geography, Umeå University
After decades of disinvestment and population decline, several places in northern Sweden are now attracting large-scale industrial investments. It is estimated that the area will receive close to EUR 100 billion in new investments during the coming decade, while the population of the northernmost counties in Sweden (Norrbotten and Västerbotten) must increase by 100 000 people, or 20 %, during the next decade to match the expected direct and indirect labour demand.
The investments are on such a scale and at such a pace that the question is whether we are witnessing the start of a green industrial revolution that could make Sweden a global front runner. This is a dominant political narrative, as both the previous and present governments in Sweden have argued that, when new green industries establish themselves in northern Sweden, the region can become a leader in the response to climate change that is under way across the world and in all sectors.
To facilitate this historic wave of investments and projected population growth, a radical societal transformation is also expected. This course of development is, however, largely an unknown path for current local and national stakeholders