News

Professor of Environmental Policy Rauno Sairinen awarded grant by Tapani Järvinen Environmental Technology Fund

Published: 6.4.2016

Sairinen’s research has supported the development of environmental responsibility of mining in Finland.

Professor Rauno Sairinen. Photo: Varpu Heiskanen, University of Eastern Finland

The Tapani Järvinen Environmental Technology Fund has awarded Professor of Environmental Policy Rauno Sairinen a grant of €10 000.

Sairinen is Professor of Environmental Policy at the Department of Geographical and Historical Studies of the University of Eastern Finland. Since 2010, he has lead several research projects in the field of social scientific mining research. These projects have supported the development of the social licence to operate and the environmental responsibility of mining in Finland.

‘We need strong research-based knowledge and understanding of what principles and governance are used to steer the environmental impacts and the integrated social impacts of mining in different countries, and of what the future challenges in the field are,’ says Professor Sairinen.

The growing significance of social responsibility

As a consequence of the growth of population and national economies as well as urbanisation, the world increasingly needs minerals and metals. Mining has been anticipated to grow in future and to move to environmentally and socially more sensitive areas everywhere in the world.

Social scientific research is important as the ecological and social impacts of mining are on the rise. The assessment and research of the social impacts related to mining has increased everywhere in the world. Also, the questions pertaining to the social responsibility of the mining industry, governmental steering and regional development have required stronger research in the field. There has also been more discussion about the relationship between mining and the other means of livelihood as well as about measuring sustainability in terms of different criteria.

Professor Sairinen (left) intends to use the grant awarded by the Tapani Järvinen Environmental Technology Fund to pay for research visit to Australia. Tapani Jävinen (right). Photo: Matti Rajala, TAF.

The purpose of the Environmental Technology Fund named after CEO Tapani Järvinen is to promote research in environmental technology. Each year, a grant of EUR 10 000 is allocated to a distinguished expert in environmental technology for research and development work. The purpose of this grant is to promote research in industrial environmental technology as well as the utilization of research results as technological products and services.

Contact information:

Professor Rauno Sairinen
The University of Eastern Finland
Department of Geographical and Historical Studies
tel. +358 50 4423146
rauno.sairinen@uef.fi
http://www2.uef.fi/fi/kaivostutkimus/r.-sairinen