Talvivaara mine and water pollution: An analysis of mining conflict in Finland

This article contributes to the growing literature on natural resource management conflicts and mineral related environmental conflicts in particular, focusing on the case of the Talvivaara project in Finland. The economic and environmental impacts of this mine became a key focus of Finnish politics during 2010-12. Its performance has sparked a heated discussion about the legitimacy of the mining industry and its place in Finnish society. The paper analyses the Talvivaara crisis as a process, which began as a local environmental conflict but would become a symbol of national conflict in the mining industry. The policy analysis presented here is informed by Pondy's Model of Organisational Conflict.