“Lusatia and the coal conundrum”

Apart from questions about political regulation and technological challenges, Germany’s energy transition is a phenomenon that changes the social conditions in many regions across the country, write Tom Morton and Katja Müller in scientific journal Energy Policy. The Eastern German region of Lusatia, known for its tradition of brown coal mining, is a case in point for this social aspect of the Energiewende, the authors argue. Here, villagers are at the same time threatened by the expansion of open pit mining by the destruction of their homes but also regard it as an industry that defines their local culture and legacy. According to Morton and Müller, quarrels over the future of coal in Lusatia serve as “key cultural ‘scripts’ or narratives” that help to understand how an energy transition can succeed on the local level.

Read an abstract of the article in English here.

For more information on local conditions regarding the Energiewende see the CLEW-Factsheet on German federalism: In 16 states of mind over the Energiewende.