The Good, the Bad, and the Peat: Concepts of Sacred and Heritage within the Discourses Concerning the Shutdown of the Finnish Energy Peat Industry in 2020s Finland

Abstract

In the early 2020s, the energy peat tax increase unpredictably forced many of the Finnish energy peat businesses to shutdown in a short notice, causing economic losses and a heated public discussion. This article investigates the discourses found in this discussion and analyzes them with the theoretical concepts of the sacred and heritage. Sacred is utilized to nominate things that are socially set apart, indispensable, and normative. Heritage refers to a cultural process of attaching meaning and signifiance to specific culturally important elements. The combination of these concepts explains both the cultural significance attached to peat industry, and the ensuing heated discussion. The peat industry was opposed and defended through discourses that nominated certain things as sacred: climate, economic aspects, preparedness, justice and tradition. Especially the last discourse, which sacralised the peat industry as heritage, illuminated the valuations and meanings held by the people involved in the industry and which were dismissed during the phase-out of the industry. This article proposes, that recognizing and acknowledging the concepts of sacred and heritage may significantly support the transition towards a more sustainable society. Neglecting these may result in turbulent transitions, as evident in the examined shutdown of energy peat industry.