Lutzerath (epd). As the demolition of the village of Lützerath in North Rhine-Westphalia approaches in favor of open-cast lignite mining, protests by climate activists continue on the outskirts of Garzweiler II. On Saturday, several thousand people again demonstrated peacefully for the preservation of the place. With their protest march around the village threatened by the excavations in the Rhine lignite mining area, they called on the state and federal government to phase out the lignite. This ensures compliance with the 1.5 degree limit set by the Paris climate agreement. A clearing moratorium is now needed for the village of Lützerath, he said.
Dirk Jansen of the Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUND) pointed out that it was “a great success for the climate movement and for the Greens in North Rhine-Westphalia” that the open cast mine in Garzweiler has been reduced. At the same time, he expressed his disappointment with the “behind the scenes deal” concluded by the Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck and the Minister of Economics of North Rhine-Westphalia Mona Neubaur (both Greens) with RWE, which allows the energy company to extract 280 million tons of lignite. “This is another heavy mortgage for climate protection,” said Jansen.
Marie-Theres Jung of the Diocesan Council of Catholics of the diocese of Aachen said: “The earth is burning.” The climate catastrophe would hit the world’s poorest first. “It is no longer about preserving creation. We have to save what can still be saved,” she warned, referring to the 27th World Climate Conference in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, which is currently attended by delegates from over 190 countries. Negotiate measures against global warming.
Jung and Jansen announced further demonstrations in Lützerath. “The RWE must be prohibited from creating a fait accompli here. Lützerath must not be evacuated,” said BUND spokesman Jansen. At the same time, Marie-Theres Jung called on activists to remain peaceful in their protest. An alliance of eight organizations called for the demonstration, including Campact, Fridays For Future Germany, Greenpeace Germany, Climate Alliance Germany and initiatives such as “All Villages Stay”.
A month ago, Green politicians Habeck and Neubaur agreed with RWE on an early phase-out of lignite from 2038 to 2030. The deal also includes halving the amount of lignite still available for power generation in the opencast mine of Garzweiler II to about 280 million tons. Five villages in the Rhenish area that have been threatened with resettlement – Keyenberg, Kuckum, Oberwestrich, Unterwestrich, Berverath – must be preserved. The crenellated city of Lützerath, however, has to give way to the excavator to reach the lignite below.
