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Summary

From 2000 to 2006, environmental activists in Iceland and internationally protested the construction of the Karahnjukar hydropower plant and an Alcoa aluminum smelter, which threatened the pristine Central Highlands. Despite a large campaign involving petitions, celebrity support, protest camps, and direct action, the dam was completed and began generating electricity in 2007. The campaign failed to stop the project but raised awareness and influenced similar movements abroad.

Tactics used

Tactics used

Background

In December 2001, Iceland’s Minister for the Environment overturned a rejection by the National Planning Agency of the Karahnjukar Hydropower Project, which involved building a large dam and reservoir in the Central Highlands to supply electricity to an Alcoa aluminum smelter. The project threatened to destroy a large portion of pristine wilderness, including canyons, protected areas, and wildlife habitats. Opponents argued that Iceland was sacrificing its environment for multinational economic benefits.

What happened

Nonviolent action began in 2000 when Friends of the Environment circulated a petition that gathered 45,000 signatures [source: nv-database]. After the minister’s decision, celebrities like Bjork and writer Elísabet Jökulsdóttir spoke out, and in 2003 an online campaign sent emails to officials and executives [source: nv-database]. That same year, protesters lit 63 candles outside parliament and blew out 54 to represent MPs who did not vote against the project [source: nv-database]. An international coalition of 112 environmental organizations called on banks not to fund the project [source: nv-database]. In 2004, Saving Iceland was founded and organized speak-outs and demonstrations in Reykjavik attracting over 1,000 people [source: nv-database]. During the summers of 2005 and 2006, thousands of activists gathered in protest camps near the dam site, chaining themselves to machinery and blocking trucks to halt construction [source: nv-database]. Protesters disrupted the 10th World Aluminum Conference in Reykjavik by dumping yogurt on executives [source: nv-database]. In June 2006, a benefit concert featuring Bjork and other artists raised funds and drew over 5,000 attendees [source: nv-database]. In September 2006, 12,000 people marched in protest [source: nv-database]. Despite these efforts, dam construction was completed, the reservoir was filled in late 2006, and electricity was first generated in April 2007 [source: nv-database].

Key people & organizations

  • Saving Iceland
  • Gudmundur Pall Olafsson
  • Friends of the Environment
  • Icelandic Nature Conservation Association
  • Icelandic Society for the Protection of Birds
  • Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
  • World Wildlife Fund
  • International Rivers Network
  • Australian Greens
  • Left Green Movement
  • Bjork
  • Elísabet Jökulsdóttir
  • Ólafur Friorik
  • Sue Doughty
  • Bob Brown
  • Omar Ragnarsson
  • Landsvirkjun
  • Alcoa

Outcome

Verdict: lost.

The campaign failed to achieve its primary goal of stopping the dam and smelter, as construction was completed and operations began in 2007. However, it survived and grew, influencing similar campaigns in Trinidad and Tobago and India, and continued opposition through later actions. [source: nv-database]

Lessons

  • International coalition-building can amplify a local environmental campaign and apply pressure on financial institutions.
  • Sustained direct action, including protest camps and blockades, can disrupt construction and draw media attention even after a project has started.
  • Celebrity involvement and cultural events like benefit concerts can mobilize public support and raise funds.

Sources

Disclaimer: Included as a teaching example of campaign craft, not as endorsement.

Sources & verification

  • nv-database — grounding: primary — license: link-only
  • Rewritten: 2026-06-25 via worker_casestudies_v2.py

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