Germany is seen
as an EU leader
in climate policy.
But after
shutting down
their nuclear
energy plants,
needlessly,
Germany has been
Europe’s laggard
over the use of coal.
In January 2020,
Berlin finally
proposed
phasing out
coal by 2038.
Before parliament
passed the coal exit law,
Berlin had agreed
to bring Datteln 4 online.
There was a green
mass protest against
Germany’s newest
coal power plant,
Datteln 4, as a barge
piled high with coal
glided by, the crew
hollering and whistling
in mockery.
Datteln 4,
is a new coal-fired
power plant which
opened last month
in Germany’s
industrial heartland/
It became the
latest rallying cry
for Germany’s
environmental
movement.
“It’s a climate crime,
what’s happening here,”
said Lisa Göldner,
a Greenpeace activist
involved in the protests
against Datteln 4.
“I see it as part of our job
to send messages of hope.
But I’m really frustrated
when it comes to this.
This feels like a lost battle.”