| dc.description.abstract | This thesis applies an energy justice perspective on the development of offshore wind farms on the Åland Islands, looking into potential injustices, who is being affected, and if there are processes through which citizens can be heard in the issue. This is investigated by analyzing public hearing responses from the process of creating the maritime spatial plan for Åland, assessing whether people were actually heard in the issue. In addition, newspaper articles are analyzed in order to get e deeper understanding of attitudes and potential injustices specifically in the development of offshore wind power. The findings show that a lot of the feedback given from different actors to the maritime spatial plan was taken into account, including exclusion of municipal and private waters, as well as fish farms, from the plan. However, there are a lot of concerns about the offshore wind farms expressed in the newspaper, including a lack of information, questions about environmental impacts, financing, and the profitability of wind power. The conclusion is that early and transparent communication with citizens is crucial in order to keep the trust of the public. | |
