Thousands of climate protesters faced off with police on Monday in a tiny German hamlet due for demolition to make way for a coal mine.
The struggle for Luetzerath has become a rallying cry for activists who say the mine’s enlargement betrays Germany’s climate goals.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government, including the Green party which once opposed the mine, says the coal is needed to plug gaps amid an energy crisis in Europe.
Police are bracing for a long stand-off as activists camp out in Luetzerath, in Germany’s western coal country, to stop it being cleared.
Campaigners have set up barricades, vigils and makeshift camps and occupied empty farm buildings in the village, after shuttling people to Luetzerath by bus.
Luisa Neubauer, the face of the Fridays for Future movement in Germany, said protesters would “use every means to protect the village, and thereby our climate goals”.
“The world is watching what we’re doing here, because we’re fighting for them too,” she told a crowd of supporters.
“If governments won’t do it, we will. They don’t have the courage, we do.”
Police said protests that had been mostly peaceful had turned violent after a march on Sunday.
Dirk Weinspach, the local police chief, said stones were thrown at officers and cars damaged amid the unrest.
Authorities fear that activists will glue themselves to the ground or set up booby traps in farm buildings.
“Police are facing a difficult, challenging operation with considerable risks,” Mr Weinspach told a press conference on Monday.
The demolition, expected to start on Wednesday or Thursday, is the final stage in a years-long struggle for the village, about 30km from the Dutch border.
Activists have campaigned under the slogan “every village stays” to block a new coal mine at a time when Germany is trying to phase out fossil fuels.
Energy company RWE counters that nobody really lives in Luetzerath, except people occupying the site.
It says Germany will only have enough coal to replace Russian gas if the open-cast mine is expanded.
Russia cut off imports to Germany and much of Europe in the fallout from the war in Ukraine, causing a surge in energy prices.
Mr Scholz's government ordered coal plants brought back on the grid, extended the lifetime of three nuclear reactors and had a new gas terminal built in the North Sea.
German ministers struck a deal with RWE last autumn to allow mining in Luetzerath to go ahead, in exchange for five other villages being spared.
The government insists that the target of ending coal power generation by 2030 is still on track.
But campaigners say the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C is in jeopardy.
Stefan Rahmstorf, a climatologist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, said politicians should consider whose side they are on.
“Politicians should think carefully about how a massive police operation in favour of coal and against climate activists will be judged in four or five years, when damage to the climate has become greater and more obvious,” he said.
Manchester United's summer dealings
In
Victor Lindelof (Benfica) £30.7 million
Romelu Lukaku (Everton) £75 million
Nemanja Matic (Chelsea) £40 million
Out
Zlatan Ibrahimovic Released
Wayne Rooney (Everton) Free transfer
Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad) £9.8 million
THE LOWDOWN
Romeo Akbar Walter
Rating: 2/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Robby Grewal
Cast: John Abraham, Mouni Roy, Jackie Shroff and Sikandar Kher
The specs
Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cylinder
Transmission: CVT auto
Power: 181bhp
Torque: 244Nm
Price: Dh122,900
What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Abu Dhabi race card
5pm Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic Prestige | Dh110,000 | 1,400m
5.30pm Abu Dhabi Colts Classic Prestige | Dh110,000 | 1,400m
6pm Abu Dhabi Championship Listed | Dh180,000 | 1,600m
6.30pm Maiden | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
7pm Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap | Dh80,000 | 1,400m
7.30pm Handicap (TB) |Dh100,000 | 2,400m
MATCH INFO
Juventus 1 (Dybala 45')
Lazio 3 (Alberto 16', Lulic 73', Cataldi 90 4')
Red card: Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus)
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
