Close
KTAR.com
News
Shows
Blogs
KTAR News on 92.3FM

German coal mine clash pits laws against climate

A person sits in a chair next to the Garzweiler lignite opencast mine at the Luetzerath village near Erkelenz, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. Environmental activists were locked in a standoff with police this week around the hamlet of Luetzerath that's due to be bulldozed for the expansion of a nearby lignite mine. (AP Photo/Michael Probst) A protester is carried by police officers next to the Garzweiler lignite opencast mine at the village Luetzerath near Erkelenz, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. Environmental activists were locked in a standoff with police this week around the hamlet of Luetzerath that's due to be bulldozed for the expansion of a nearby lignite mine. (AP Photo/Michael Probst) Police officers stand next to the Garzweiler lignite opencast mine at the Luetzerath village near Erkelenz, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. Environmental activists were locked in a standoff with police this week around the hamlet of Luetzerath that's due to be bulldozed for the expansion of a nearby lignite mine. (AP Photo/Michael Probst) An excavator stands in the Garzweiler lignite opencast mine at the Luetzerath village near Erkelenz, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. Environmental activists were locked in a standoff with police this week around the hamlet of Luetzerath that's due to be bulldozed for the expansion of a nearby lignite mine. (AP Photo/Michael Probst) Janine Wissler, a federal lawmaker and co-leader of the opposition Left party, stands next to the Garzweiler lignite opencast mine at the Luetzerath village near Erkelenz, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. The fate of the village has sparked heated debate in Germany over the country’s continued use of coal and whether tackling climate change justifies breaking the law. “If we want to achieve our climate targets and take the Paris climate agreement seriously, then the coal beneath Luetzerath needs to stay in the ground,” she told The Associated Press on the sidelines of the protest. (AP Photo/Michael Probst) A person sits in a chair next to the Garzweiler lignite opencast mine at the Luetzerath village near Erkelenz, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. Environmental activists were locked in a standoff with police this week around the hamlet of Luetzerath that's due to be bulldozed for the expansion of a nearby lignite mine. (AP Photo/Michael Probst) Two people look at the Garzweiler lignite opencast mine next to the Luetzerath village near Erkelenz, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. Environmental activists were locked in a standoff with police this week around the hamlet of Luetzerath that's due to be bulldozed for the expansion of a nearby lignite mine. (AP Photo/Michael Probst) Wooden shelters, built by protesters, sit in trees next to the Garzweiler lignite opencast mine at the Luetzerath village near Erkelenz, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. Environmental activists were locked in a standoff with police around Luetzerath that's due to be bulldozed for the expansion of a nearby lignite mine. (AP Photo/Michael Probst) The city sign of Luetzerath is covered in stickers next to the Garzweiler lignite opencast mine at the Luetzerath village near Erkelenz, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. Environmental activists were locked in a standoff with police this week around the hamlet of Luetzerath that's due to be bulldozed for the expansion of a nearby lignite mine. (AP Photo/Michael Probst) A person is carried by police officers next to the Garzweiler lignite opencast mine at the Luetzerath village near Erkelenz, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. Environmental activists were locked in a standoff with police this week around the hamlet of Luetzerath that's due to be bulldozed for the expansion of a nearby lignite mine. (AP Photo/Michael Probst) Dina Hamid, a spokesperson for the activist group Luetzerath Live, stands next to the Garzweiler lignite opencast mine at the Luetzerath village near Erkelenz, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. The fate of the tiny village has sparked heated debate in Germany over the country’s continued use of coal and whether tackling climate change justifies breaking the law. “People are putting all of their effort, all of their lives into this struggle to keep the coal in the ground,” said Hamid. (AP Photo/Michael Probst) The Garzweiler lignite opencast mine, left, is seen next to the Luetzerath village and the protest camp near Erkelenz, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. Environmental activists were locked in a standoff with police this week around the hamlet of Luetzerath that's due to be bulldozed for the expansion of a nearby lignite mine. (AP Photo/Michael Probst) Protesters clash with police officers next to the Garzweiler lignite opencast mine at the Luetzerath village near Erkelenz, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. Environmental activists were locked in a standoff with police this week around the hamlet of Luetzerath that's due to be bulldozed for the expansion of a nearby lignite mine. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)