Yvonne Toba from No-Vox (Côte D’Ivoire), Luce Benedicte from Ras Le Bol (Congo-Brazzaville), Teddy Mazina from Sindumja (Burundi), Abdou Kandji from Y’en a Marre (Senegal), Gacheke Gachiki from MathareSocial Justice Center (Kenya), Ali Cham (Killa Ace) from Gom Sa Bopp (Gambia), Foly Satchivi from En Aucun Cas (Togo)

We are writing this thanking letter from the West German village of Lüthzerath. Lützerath is threatened by open-cast lignite mining here in the region, to which other villages have already fallen victim. To draw attention to what is happening here, we wrote an open letter to the German government asking for the preservation of Lützerath. Many groups from all over the world signed this letter and showed solidarity with us. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the groups mentioned above for their support. Because the struggle for climate justice and against capitalism can only be successful if we work together and that is why it is so important for us to get this international support. But we also want to support you in your struggles, if there is something we can do to strengthen you. We are happy to use the attention we have in Germany right now to draw attention to your work.
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Chers supporters,

Yvonne Toba de No-Vox (Côte D’Ivoire), Luce Benedicte de Ras Le Bol (Congo-Brazzaville), Teddy Mazina de Sindumja (Burundi), Abdou Kandji de Y’en a Marre (Senegal), Gacheke Gachiki de MathareSocial Justice Center (Kenya), Ali Cham (Killa Ace) de Gom Sa Bopp (Gambia), Foly Satchivi de En Aucun Cas (Togo)

Nous écrivons cette lettre de remerciements depuis le village de Lüthzerath, dans l’ouest de l’Allemagne. Lützerath est menacé par l’exploitation à ciel ouvert du lignite dans la région, dont d’autres villages ont déjà été victimes. Pour attirer l’attention sur ce qui se passe ici, nous avons écrit une lettre ouverte au gouvernement allemand pour demander la préservation de Lützerath. De nombreux groupes du monde entier ont signé cette lettre et nous ont témoigné leur solidarité. Nous souhaitons profiter de cette occasion pour remercier tous les groupes mentionnés ci-dessus pour leur soutien.

Pour lutter pour la justice climatique et contre le capitalisme, nous devons impérativement travailler ensemble et c’est pourquoi il nous est primordial d’obtenir ce soutien international.

Aussi, nous souhaitons vous soutenir dans vos luttes et apporter notre aide pour vous renforcer si nous pouvons faire quoique ce soit. Nous sommes heureux d’utiliser l’attention que nous avons en Allemagne en ce moment pour attirer l’attention sur votre travail.

These were topics covered in the tribunal and that are important to understand why the protest against RWE is so important, because what happens – be it recurring droughts and cases of intense rain or the exploitation of indigenous groups – is no exception and if we don’t act, nothing will get better for sure.

“Who will oppose the power of money?

This question was asked by the first witness of the tribunal Elisabeth, regarding the seemingly unlimited means RWE has to continue the destruction of nature and villages.

The question of the influence of money came up again and again when the resettlements were concerned. Elisabeth said: ” Who sells first will get the best price.” She pointed out that money is invested were it has a high publicity effect, which is enforced by the statements of Willhelm Hoffmann. He reported of his experiences at the Hambach open pit mine and added that RWE held back 20% of the sum until the move was completed.

Apart from the financial aspect, the psychological and social consequences on the concerned persons were perceptible. Elisabeth spoke about how the resettlement process lead to a split in her family. Petra from Immerath said that they “could not bear it, that constant seesaw” and mentioned the nightmares she had back then and that nowadays are with her daughter Irina, who lives in Lützerath.

Eckhardt – the last farmerin Lützerath who has not sold to RWE – reported of his lawsuit against the forced dispossesion by RWE he faces by the end of the year. He said, that RWE repeatedly builds up pressure, that it would mellow people, “just like a bucket-wheel excavator that always continues to turn around.”

“It is a crime to build in filters that make everything even worse.”

, said pediatrist Christian Döring. He reffered to the filter units used in RWE power plants that will – using ammoniac – reduce the ammount of bigger particulate matter, but increases the amount of nanoparticles. The nanoparticles are produced while burning coal, take on pollutants (PAC). They are even more harmful than larger particles, that can not cross through the alveoli. When contaminated particles are inhaled, it leads to inflamation in the lung, a hardening of vessels and results in in an increased risk of heart tattacks.

In pregnant people being exposed to PAC, leads an absorption of them into the babies DNA, that changes in response. Studies with children showed, that this exposure lead to a decreased ability for coordination as well as decreased intellignce. The effects are passed on from generation to generation. Their right on physical integrity was injured even before birth, said Döring “Children cannot stand in for their rights. We have to do that.”

Another contribution regarding health was made by Jörg Obergefäll who listed the pollutants (mercury, cadmium, arsenic, lead, zinc, sulfurdioxide, nitric oxide and potentially radioactive elements that are not tested in environmental safety tests) that are produced in the power plants and showed how they related to the increased rates of caancer in mining regions. Furthermore he stressed that by breaking open historically grown dividing layers water gets mixed and so pollutants get into the drinking water. He finally mentioned – just like Döring – the increased number of deaths by burning coal.

„Do you know what pain is? What coal is? These are synonyms for me.“

Anke and Tjan of the „Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker“ (Society for threatened peoples) participated in the RWE-tribunal and shared the story of Yana Tannagasheva. She is a member of the Shors in Kuzbass, but had to flee with her family from RUssia in 2018 due to her protest against black coal mining. Tjan spoke of the five families that refused to sell their homes to the coal companies, whose house burned down shortly afterwards.

The “mining” in Kuzbass takes place through explosions, the air contains large amounts of unfiltered coal dust, that settles on the ground. The rivers in the region are poisoned, fish cannot live in them which make the tradional lifestyle of the Shors impossible. Natural protection is not taken into account. Protected tree species are labelled non-existant by coal companies but are found – cut down – next to the mining areas.

RWE gets 40% of its supply of black coal from Russia, including companies that commit the destruction in Kuzbass, that hurt the rights of indigenous groups. This is not acceptable!

“The time to act is now!”

All this shows clearly, that RWE puts profits ahead of the comon good. This text probably not even covers the tip of the iceberg: Just a few excerpts of the tribunal were mentiond, federal subventions and human rights violations in Colombia didn’t occur, the climate crisis was just mentioned off-handedly.

What is clear though, is: An international, large-scale company, that forcefully disposses people (quite ironically in the name of the “common good”) for evergrowing profits, that does not use the best filters (thereby accepting the premature death of pople) and that by coperating with companies that disregard human rights, accepts the displacement and threats of people, cannot just continue as it does!

1. It refers to the 1,5°-aim (contrary to previous surveys), which for us poses the threshhold that mustn‘t be passed.

2. it includes Lützerath and points out that Lützerath – when adhering to the 1,5°-aim – doesn‘t need to be destroyed.

The survey first takes into account the remaining amount of CO₂ that are possible within a 1,5°-path, how they are to distributed among industries and finds that between the mines Hambach and Garzweiler a maximum of 200 mio. tons of CO₂ shall be produced to fulfill the 1,5°-aim with a 50% chance. Using a 1:5 slope for the mine‘s edge and saving all six villages at the Garzweiler mine, there would be 230 mio tons of lignite in the ground.

RWE however plans to dig up and burn 780 mio tons of lignite, 4 times the amount deemed possible by the survey, 6 times as much when refereíng to Garzweiler alone.

In the following the survey refers to the changing framework. It mentions rising CO₂-pricing, low gas costs, decreased consumptiong during the COVID19 pandemic and an already decreasing operating grade of the power stations. Furthermore the likely decrease of economic value of lignite in general is discussed.

Finally an alternative exit plan adjusted to the 1.5°-aim is proposed, according to which the most inefficient stations should be terminated by the end of 2022, the intermediate ones would continue with decreased capacity till 2026 and the most efficienr power stations would go off the grid by the end of 2028.

I’ve read the complete survey and will reflect it in the folowing regarding what we, as “Lützerath Lebt”, want to represent.

Even though the survey is a big step forward, the proposed path doesn‘t appear to be the ideal solution yet. There are several reasons for that:

1. The plan explicitly states that „greater responsibilities through higher historical emissions“ would be dismissed. This means, that it would still be accepted that other (often less privileged) countries would have to take over the damage done by us.

This -to us- opposes the principle of equity and is one more facet of the denial to take over historical responsibilities as is – unfortunately – all too common.

2. The proposed path uses a 50% chance. This is too little!

1,5° is our non-negotiable limit. With a 50% chance, 1,5° may be, but just as well may not. It is the traditional throw of a coin.

To us a more ambitious approach is necessary. It needs to be ensured, that the average increase doesn‘t exceed 1,5°. That it – if possible – stays way below that as we can already see drastic results nowadays. We stand up for an immediate departure from coal. We have to keep it in the ground.

Link to survey (german).

We’ve been in Lützerath for about a year and remain active against the destruction RWE commits just some hundred metres from us. We do not accept, that the environment is destroyed further on, though there could have been good alternatives for a long time already. We act against the reckless destruction of plant, humam and animal habitats.

We cannot keep up yesterday. It ist time to act!

Lignite is the the highest emission fuel. Each ton of raw lignite leads to one ton of CO² when burned. The rhenish lignite minng area is allowed to hastened the climate crisis with another 650.000.000 tons of coal (Garzweiler alone). That’s sixfold the amount permissible to stay within the limits of the 1,5° goal. It is not acceptable that we act so carelessly. Via our wastefull living standards, through the merciless exploitation of the planet (especially by countries of the global north) more and more living beings loose the foundation of their existence (especially in the global south).

We want the good life for all instead of increasing profits for the richest.

WE canmot continue living governed by fears: The fear of unemployment, fear of the Other, fear of not being enough! We want to find new forms of community. Such that teach us to act together instead of against each other. Forms of being that lead us away from overconsumption and social estrangement. We search for ways into a solidary future.

United we stand strong.