Tyyntä ja myrskyä

Tunteet osana tuulivoiman sosiaalista hyväksyttävyyttä

Abstract

This article discusses the role of emotions in Finnish wind power debates. We draw on four case studies
(Kotka, Ruokolahti, Lappeenranta and Merijärvi) and 47 semi-structured interviews. We argue that the
role of emotions should be better understood and addressed in wind power projects, and it should be
accepted that being human means that emotion and cognition are entwined and act together. However,
in the Finnish wind power debate, emotions and cognition are still seen as opposite to each other. In our
research, we found that there are plenty of emotional responses attached to different contexts of wind
power. Feelings differ according to the state of the wind power project: expectations and experience shape
the feelings attached to wind power. Furthermore, we suggest that compassion, in particular, could help
to understand the complexity of wind power development projects.