Thousands of protesters gathered Saturday in a northwest German village slated to disappear because of a coal mine expansion, as the country looks to decrease its reliance on Russian gas.

Organisers said around 3,500 people demonstrated at Lutzerath in the Rhine mining basin, only a few hundred metres from the gigantic Garzweiler open-pit lignite mine, one of the largest in the world.

About a hundred activists decided to protest directly at the edge of the mine, which can be "extremely dangerous", regional police said in a tweet.

The village, like some others, has long been condemned to disappear to allow the mine to expand further.

Germany is planning to abandon coal by 2030, as part of the fight for cleaner energy sources. Since Russia invaded Ukraine, however, the energy debate has been revived in the country, which is heavily dependent on Russian hydrocarbons, particularly for gas, which accounts for some 55 percent of its energy imports.

To ensure sufficient electricity production while reducing dependence on Russian imports, the German government gave itself the option last month of "suspending" the closure of certain coal-fired power stations, while standing by the objective of phasing out coal by 2030.

"How can we trust the government's ability to contribute to peace in Ukraine if it is destroying homes and villages in its own country for fossil fuels?" said Ilyess El Kortbi, an activist from the Fridays For Future movement.

Lutzerath has become the new rallying point of the German environmental movement. Activists have built huts and are preparing for a confrontation with police.

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg visited the area last September.

The coal that lies under the ground in these municipalities will be "necessary from 2024" to supply power stations, while other mines in the region are closing, according to the operator, the RWE group.

bur-ys-ilp/pvh/jm

RWE

Related Links
Surviving the Pits

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

China axes 15 coal plants abroad after Xi pledge, but loopholes remain
Beijing (AFP) April 22, 2022
More than a dozen Chinese coal power projects overseas were cancelled after a ban last year on funding such plants, but loopholes could allow 18 others to still go ahead, according to a study published Friday. China is the world's biggest emitter of the greenhouse gases driving global warming. It has vowed to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and become carbon-neutral by 2060, but these do not include its fossil-fuel investments abroad. It is also the largest public funder of overseas coal plants, a ... read more