Off to the Side, Lützerath, Germany Black pigment ink on Vinci paper 160×240 cm 2023 With the support of DRAC GRAND EST Individual Aid to Creation 2021
In a small village in western Germany, people are fighting for the preservation of the village of Lützerath, which is scheduled to be destroyed in January 2023, like many others, for one of RWE’s open-pit coal mines.
RWE is Europe’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, with emissions of about 89 million tons of CO2 per year.
If Lützerath falls, RWE will be able to burn an additional 280 million tons of coal. In this case, there is no longer any chance of keeping the 1.5° limit and the Paris climate agreement.
The evacuation of Lützerath has been underway since Wednesday, January 11, 2023. This former village in North Rhine-Westphalia, now owned by the energy company RWE, is to give way to a lignite mine. Climate activists have erected barricades – they want to delay the eviction as long as possible. The village has been occupied by the activists for two years.