The northern Sweden town of Kiruna is sinking due to the expansion of an iron ore mine. As the mine grows wider and deeper the surrounding land becomes more unstable. Plans are in place to dismantle entire buildings and move them a few miles over to stable soil. The picture above shows the portion of the town that will be moved. All buildings within the red line will either be relocated or allowed to collapse as the ground gives way.
The town has always counted on the mine for its economic survival, but in an ironic twist the mine might bring about its demise. This interplay between the need for natural resources and the environment is one of the key themes of human geography. As the world population grows and standards of living increase more resources are in demand. We ask the Earth to constantly give us more, as a result environmentalists argue that we are “killing the planet.” I counter that the planet is going to be just fine, what we are actually killing is our ability to live on this planet.