Energy Research & Social Science 16 (2016) 13–24 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Energy Research & Social Science jo ur nal homepage: www.elsevier.co m/locate/erss Original research article Lessons from the Arctic past: The resource cycle, hydro energy development, and the human geography of Jokkmokk, Sweden Dean B. Carson a,b,∗ , Doris A. Carson b , Gabriella Nordin b , Peter Sköld b a Charles Darwin University, Australia b Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 10 September 2015 Received in revised form 4 March 2016 Accepted 7 March 2016 Available online 16 March 2016 Keywords: Hydropower Resource cycle Staples thesis Human geography Arctic a b s t r a c t Recent research has identified a series of human geography impacts of natural resource developments in sparsely populated areas like the Arctic. These impacts can be mapped to the ‘resource cycle’, and arise from periods of population growth and decline, changing patterns of human migration and mobility, changing patterns of settlement, and changes in the demographic ‘balance’ between males and females, young and old, Indigenous and non-Indigenous. This paper examines the applicability of the resource cycle model in the case of hydro energy development in the Jokkmokk municipality of Sweden. Using quantitative demographic data, media reports, and contemporary accounts of hydro development, the paper describes the human geography of Jokkmokk since the late 19th century. The paper concludes that changes in human geography in Jokkmokk mirror what has been observed in regions dependent on non-renewable resources, although it is difficult to distinguish many impacts from those that might have occurred under alternative development scenarios. The paper identifies a ‘settlement cycle’ with phases of integrated and separated habitation for populations specifically associated with the development. Settlement dynamics, and the impacts of hydro on Sami geography are areas for further research. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between hydro-electric energy (‘hydro’) developments and the human geography of Arctic regions. The research is framed by theo- ries of the resource cycle and ‘staples’ economies, which have been shown to influence population development (growth and decline over time), mobility, settlement patterns and demographic ‘bal- ance’ in sparsely populated resource peripheries [6]. Five Arctic countries already appear among the top ten hydro producers in the world (Canada, United States, Russia, Norway and Sweden), and the Arctic has been identified as a key site for future hydro development [31]. While economic and environmental implica- tions of hydro development in the Arctic are frequently discussed, less attention has been paid to the impacts on human geography. Sweden’s Lule River, and particularly the section within the munic- ipality of Jokkmokk, provides a useful case example given its long history of hydro development (starting in the early 1900s), its con- centration of projects, and the availability of information about both hydro development and the human geography of the region. ∗ Corresponding author at: Charles Darwin University, Australia. E-mail address: Dean.carson@umu.se (D.B. Carson). Hydro may be favoured over other energy sources in the Arc- tic because it is widely viewed as providing renewable energy. It consequently does not appear to be subject to the same chal- lenges of resource depletion as alternatives such as coal, oil and gas. However, hydro projects are similar to other ventures in that they require substantial intervention in the prevailing environ- mental conditions, and they have variable demands for on-site labour over their lifetimes [35]. Their viability is subject to the vagaries of electricity markets, and the costs of maintenance and upgrading. Hydro developments in Arctic regions such as Jokkmokk might influence human geography directly (by attracting workers to live in the region) and indirectly (by changing cultural prac- tices as a result of the influence of workers coming from outside). These human geography impacts are likely to change over time as labour demands change. This paper investigates whether peri- ods of change in human geography can be mapped to a resource cycle for hydro developments, and whether the human geogra- phy impacts risk a demographic ‘staples trap’ as observed in other resource economies [6,3,16]. The paper makes a contribution to understanding the demographic impacts of energy projects in the Arctic and raises more attention to the importance of assessing the impacts of hydro projects in particular. The paper proceeds as follows. Firstly, hydro projects are con- ceptually positioned within the broad phases of the resource cycle. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2016.03.003 2214-6296/© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.