Germany to dismantle of a large wind farm only to expand a nearby open-pit lignite coal mine

While imposing its green climate agenda on the developing world, the West itself continues to display glaring hypocrisy by expanding its reliance on fossil fuels. A recent example of this hypocrisy emerges in Germany, where a substantial wind farm is being dismantled to make way for the expansion of an adjacent open-pit lignite coal mine.

German energy behemoth RWE is leading the dismantling effort in North Rhine Westphalia, having already taken down one wind turbine. Plans are in place to remove seven more turbines, enabling the extraction of an additional 15 to 20 million tonnes of so-called ‘brown’ coal, infamous as one of the world’s most environmentally damaging energy sources.

The justification for this contradictory move lies in the notion of averting a severe energy crisis. Germany’s energy security was supposedly compromised by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, prompting the German government and RWE to assert that the expansion of the Garzweiler coal fields is essential to meet the nation’s energy requirements.

Robert Habeck, Germany’s minister for economy and climate action, staunchly defends the coalfield expansion as a “correct decision,” substantiating it with the energy crisis argument. RWE concurs that the expansion is indispensable due to the prevailing energy crisis.

The coalfield’s enlargement is the outcome of a pact established last year between RWE and the German government. In exchange, RWE committed to phasing out coal entirely by 2030, eight years ahead of the original deadline. This move was hailed as a victory for climate protection by Habeck.

Nevertheless, the decision to replace wind farms with increased coal excavation has evoked substantial backlash from activists. Fabian Hübner, a senior campaigner at Beyond Fossil Fuels, a coalition of German climate activists, emphasized that the current climate crisis necessitates an urgent and collective effort to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy sources.

Hübner firmly stated that any deviation from this imperative endeavor, particularly the dismantling of renewable energy infrastructure to extract more fossil fuels, must be categorically prohibited. The disheartening irony of sacrificing renewables for fossil fuels has ignited outrage within environmental circles.