News Digest Item
15 Aug 2018

The big influence of a small number of coal workers on German energy policy

Climate Home

Just 20,000 people in Germany are still employed in the once-mighty coal sector but their influence on energy policy is far greater than their number would suggest, Felix Heilmann writes for Climate Home. Coal workers are well-organised and good at furthering their interests, while energy companies use labour disputes to leverage their own financial interests, Heilmann says. He adds that “a certain nostalgia” for the days when coal fuelled Germany’s post-war “economic miracle” helps coal workers' voices resonate with policymakers.

Read the article in English here.

See the CLEW factsheet Germany’s three lignite mining regions for more information.

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