Emotional Landscape: Socio-Environmental Conflict and Place Attachment. Experience from the Wielkopolska Region

Abstract

Socio-environmental conflicts and land-use competition are expected to increase in the coming decades due to overpopulation, economic growth and the effects of climate change. In the field of energy production, despite the efforts made to encourage the transition to renewable sources, coal remains one of the most used fossil fuels globally and the most available local source in many countries. The exploitation of mining deposits is a common cause of socioenvironmental conflict, resulting in high impacts on local habitats, dropping of property values and severe limitations on land use. It is the case of the planned energy investment for the exploitation of the “Oczkowice” lignite deposit, situated on the municipal territory of Krobia and Miesjska Górka in Poland, an area historically characterised by optimal conditions for agricultural production and high concentration of farms.