Germany’s Dirty Coal Mines

About an hour drive from this years UN Climate talks venue in Bonn Germany is the site of one of the biggest single sources of carbon on the continent. This opencast coalmine stretches 85 kilometres wide and 400 meters deep. This mine is a frontline for a growing band of environmental defenders who are engaged in direct action campaigns against the fossil fuel industry.

On November 4th, several thousand people occupied the mine and surrounded the 10-story high excavator before being ejected by police. Dozens of others have also built treehouse camps in the neighboring forest in an effort to prevent the lignite mine expanding any further.

Germany was the host of this years 2015 paris accord where one hundred and ninety- five nations signed an agreement to keep global warming to a 2C level. Germany's actions with this mine has fallen short of this goal, meaning a more dangerous level 3C rise is now likely. The question now is to wait and see is the protests will have any effect on Germany's dirty coal mines.

http://www.climatechangenews.com/2017/08/23/end-2c-climate-limit/

http://e360.yale.edu/features/a_clash_of_green_and_brown_germany_struggles_to_end_coal

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/nov/08/germanys-dirty-coalmines-become-the-focus-for-a-new-wave-of-direct-action