The recent rapid expansion of extractive industries in Greenland is both causing high hopes for the future and anxieties among the local population. In the Arctic context, even small projects carry risks of major social impacts at local and national scales, and have the potential to severely affect the way of life of local indigenous peoples. The effective identification and management of social impacts is therefore essential. We explore the challenges associated with on-going development as perceived by people in Greenland. We also review and synthesize the regulatory tools used to ensure social issues are adequately managed and taken into consideration when regulatory approval of new projects is considered. We found that there are many issues of concern. Of particular interest is the lack of trust by the public in the capacity of the Government of Greenland to protect local values. We suggest that, in the context of Greenland, social impact assessment is needed, not only at the project level, but also at the policy level carried out by or on behalf of the government and prior to project planning. We also advocate for the use of free, prior and informed consent.

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During the first decade of the 21st Century the World faces spread concern for global warming caused by rise of green house gasses produced mainly by combustion of fossil fuels. Under this latest spin all renewable energies run parallel in order to achieve sustainable development. Among them wave energy has an unequivocal potential and technology is ready to enter the market and contribute to the renewable energy sector. Yet, frameworks and regulations for wave energy development are not fully ready, experiencing a setback caused by lack of understanding of the interaction of the technologies and marine environment, lack of coordination from the competent Authorities regulating device deployment and conflicts of maritime areas utilization. The EIA within the consent process is central in the realization of full scale devices and often is the meeting point for technology, politics and public. This paper presents the development of a classification of wave energy converters that is based on the different impact the technologies are expected to have on the environment. This innovative classification can be used in order to simplify the scoping process for developers and authorities.

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