Climate change activists trying to stop the expansion of a coal mine near Germany’s Lützerath have been kicked out of a protest site they have occupied for months, sometimes years.
environment
January 16, 2023
Protesters in Lützerath, Germany, January 11 Reuters/Christian Mann
Hundreds of climate change activists, including Greta Thunberg, have been removed by police from protests around the German village of Lützerath where authorities are fighting to contain public opposition to the expansion of a nearby coal mine. .
Activists have squatted Lützelath in Germany’s North Rhine-Westphalia state for more than two years in protest against plans by German energy company RWE to expand the Garzweiler coal mine.
RWE owns the village and almost all of the original inhabitants were evicted prior to the planned demolition to make way for the expansion of the mine.
But protesters have occupied buildings and treehouses in and around the site for months, sometimes years, in hopes of halting development.
Police launched a major operation to clear the area of activists on January 11, after the German government reached an agreement with RWE that it could proceed with the expansion of the mine under certain conditions. . Ministers say the project is necessary for Germany’s energy security.
In exchange for permission to extend Garzweiler to Lützerath, RWE will remove coal from its electricity supply by 2030, eight years earlier than planned, and abandon plans to extend the mine to other surrounding settlements. Agreed.
Climate change protesters argue that increased coal mining activity will accelerate climate change and undermine the German government’s promise to tackle climate change. One person told the BBC that mining new coal would be like “throwing the Paris Agreement in the trash”. The lignite mined at Garzweiler is the most polluting fossil fuel.
Speaking to activists as part of a mass rally in a field outside Lützerath on January 14, Thunberg said Germany was “baffling itself now” by allowing the expansion of its coal mines. I have,” he said. German newspapers said she was filmed being removed by police from a nearby protest site on January 15. buildalong with other protesters.
According to German police, about 300 activists have been evacuated from Lützerath and the surrounding area in recent days, paving the way for the site to be secured. Tensions between activists and police have increased, and police have been criticized for using water cannons and batons to disperse activists.
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