Hambach Forest struggle profoundly significant for future of German energy system – opinion

The outcome of the struggle over the embattled Hambach Forest, which German energy company RWE wants to cut down to make way for the expansion of a lignite mine, will have “profound significance for the future of energy in Germany, as well as for climate protection around the world”, writes Sonya Diehn in an opinion piece for Deutsche Welle. “If the forest gets razed and the coal underneath burned, it's a signal that business as usual is likely to continue over years to come — that Germany will overshoot necessary emissions limits, and contribute to dangerous climate change. But if the forest stays rooted and the coal stays in the ground, that could mark a genuine turning point for Germany's energy future,” she writes.

Find the opinion piece in English here.

For background, read the CLEW article Report about coal exit plan causes stir ahead of commission meeting and the Commission watch – Managing Germany’s coal phase-out.