Energy, energy, energy. We certainly can’t live without it, yet our need for it seems intertwined with destruction. Germany has long depended on coal for its energy production, and though the government has ambitious and accelerated goals for the country’s transition from fossil fuels to renewables, it won’t be able to phase out coal completely until 2030 at the earliest. In western Germany near Cologne there’s an open-cast coal mine called Garzweiler that supplies lignite coal to the nearby Neurath power plant that is the second biggest emitter of CO2 in Europe. The mine covers 31 square kilometers and produces about 35-40 million tons of coal a year. Villages have been razed and residents forcibly resettled since the outset. Today that process is continuing, with what’s left of the hamlets of Lützerath and Immerath to very likely disappear within the near future. Five more villages, including Keyenberg, are slated for demolition, though remaining residents are hopeful they will be spared after all. In Lützerath a lone farmer, Eckhardt Heukamp, was holding out, but finally moved out following a court decision a few weeks ago. Activists remain in a camp in Lützerath that includes tree houses and will likely put up a struggle against eviction. #gettyimages#gettyimagesnews#photojournalism#coal#energiewende#alledoerferbleiben#luetzerath#garzweiler#tagebau#coalmine#fossilfuels#globalwarming#climatechange#rwe#dji#instadrone#djimavic2pro#kohleausstieg#braunkohle