Climate and coal: The Greens and their Lützerath problem

In the Rhenish mining area, RWE can continue to excavate coal for the time being – also thanks to the Greens. Climate activists accuse the party of treason. Does Lützerath lead to a crack in the Greens?

She speaks for the disappointment of the climate movement: Luisa Neubauer was present at the big demonstration on Saturday in Lützerath. The prominent activist is also a member of the Greens. The federal government would rather protect RWE’s profits than the people’s livelihoods, Neubauer then summed up in an interview with the ARD Capital Studio. She rejects compromises like Lützerath’s. When asked whether she now wants to turn her back on her party, Neubauer dodges.

Green tip versus climate movement?

Like Neubauer, many young Greens members are disappointed with the deal with RWE that Green Economics Minister Robert Habeck and his Green colleague from North Rhine-Westphalia, Mona Neubaur, have engineered. The energy company is now allowed to dig coal under the village. Until 2030. Then it’s over. Eight years earlier than originally planned.

The Greens in Berlin also have a problem with this. The repeat election will take place in the capital next month. The state association wants Bettina Jarasch to be the Governing Mayor and thus the appoint the first green head of government in Berlin. That’s the plan. But this also requires the voices of climate activists.

And they’re angry, they could give the party a lesson. The federal spokesman for the Green Youth, Timon Dzenius, would have wished for more courage from the Greens. The 26-year-old believes that in order to meet the Paris climate targets, you could also mess with an energy company. The strong sign of the anti-coal demonstration gives him hope. The climate movement managed to mobilize tens of thousands of people again in one place when the weather was bad in January. “Many had asked themselves in the past few months: where is the climate movement?”

Green boss under pressure to justify herself

Green Party leader Ricarda Lang defends her party as pursuing a pragmatic line on coal mining in the Rhenish mining area and on the fight against global warming. Without the RWE deal, five more villages would have been excavated and 500 people would have been resettled. Sure, with a view to the 1.5 degree target, you can hardly be satisfied with a compromise, admits Lang. “At the same time, it’s clear that if we didn’t make any compromises, nothing would happen in terms of climate protection. Very few other parties have a serious interest in it.”

You understand the climate movement, which is dissatisfied with the compromise, says Lang. What remains for her: talk, explain and try to convince. The Greens have a plan: to cut as little as possible under Lützerath and if possible to stop completely before 2030.

But it is also clear: RWE has a legal right to the area and due to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, more coal will be needed again for the time being. Lang also confirms this. “But we can shape the political framework.” The focus for the Greens is therefore on the expansion of renewable energies. So that digging up coal is no longer worthwhile for RWE either.

The climate movement is likely to lack the patience for this. She calls for an immediate end to coal mining.

view to the east

Climate activist Neubauer sees the loss of Lützerath as immense damage for the party. “I don’t know if the Greens leadership is aware of what they’ve done there.” Many Greens members could now turn away.

Green youth federal spokesman Dzenius gives his party another chance. At the cabbage exit in the east. It was important to “go into the conflict in Lützerath like this,” says Dzenius. “So it’s clear that the coal exit in Lusatia won’t result in another half-baked compromise with some energy company.” When it comes to the planned phase-out of coal by 2030 in East Germany, not only the climate movement will keep a close eye on the Greens. The Prime Ministers of Brandenburg, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt want to protect their domestic lignite and the jobs associated with it. The Greens have to be prepared for a lot of resistance on the ground.