<p>Even as the West shoves its green climate agenda down the throat of the developing world, it itself keeps on exhibiting sheer hypocrisy as it seeks to widen its dependence on fossil fuels. In the latest instance, Germany is witnessing the dismantling of a large wind farm; only to expand a nearby open-pit lignite coal mine.</p>

<p>German energy giant RWE is undertaking the dismantling work in the western region of North Rhine Westphalia, where one wind turbine has already been dismantled. The company plans to weed out seven more to pave the way for an additional 15m to 20m tonnes of so-called 'brown' coal to be excavated.</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;German green policy looking to miss net zero target by 2045</strong></p>

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<p>Brown coal, by the way, is considered one of the most polluting energy sources in the world.</p>

<h2><strong>Expansion of coal field blamed on Ukraine crisis</strong></h2>

<p>RWE and the German government justify the move by saying that it was necessary to steer clear of a massive energy crisis.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It said how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine jeopardised Germany’s energy security and the expansion of the so-called Garzweiler coal fields was required to meet the country’s energy demands.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/germanys-skilled-labour-shortage-grows-amid-anti-immigrant-push-626111"><strong>Also read:&nbsp;Germany`s skilled labour shortage grows amid anti-immigrant push</strong></a></p>

<p>Germany’s minister for economy and climate action Robert Habeck defended the expansion as the "right decision." According to RWE, the expansion is necessary "due to the energy crisis."</p>

<h2><strong>Expansion of coal field part of a wider deal</strong></h2>

<p>The expansion of the coalfield is being done under a deal brokered last year between RWE and the German government. In return, RWE had promised to completely phase out coal in 2030, eight years before the previous deadline. "It's a good day for climate protection," Habeck said at the time.</p>

<h2><strong>Move invites sharp criticism</strong></h2>

<p>The move to demolish wind farms to make way for more coal excavation has triggered massive criticism by activists.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"The current climate emergency requires urgent and concerted efforts to accelerate the deployment of every single wind turbine, solar panel and heat pump that we can muster," said Fabian Hübner, a senior campaigner at Beyond Fossil Fuels, a German-based coalition of climate activists.</p>

<p>"Anything that diverts from this critical endeavour, especially the dismantling of renewable energy sources to extract more fossil fuels, must be unequivocally prohibited," he added.</p>

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Even as the West shoves its green climate agenda down the throat of the developing world, it itself keeps on exhibiting sheer hypocrisy as it seeks to widen its dependence on fossil fuels.

Even as the West shoves its green climate agenda down the throat of the developing world, it itself keeps on exhibiting sheer hypocrisy as it seeks to widen its dependence on fossil fuels. In the latest instance, Germany is witnessing the dismantling of a large wind farm; only to expand a nearby open-pit lignite coal mine. German energy giant RWE is undertaking the dismantling work in the western region of North Rhine Westphalia, where one wind turbine has already been dismantled. The company plans to weed out seven more to pave the way for an additional 15m to 20m tonnes of so-called 'brown' coal to be excavated. Watch: German green policy looking to miss net zero target by 2045 × Brown coal, by the way, is considered one of the most polluting energy sources in the world. Expansion of coal field blamed on Ukraine crisis RWE and the German government justify the move by saying that it was necessary to steer clear of a massive energy crisis. It said how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine jeopardised Germany’s energy security and the expansion of the so-called Garzweiler coal fields was required to meet the country’s energy demands. Also read: Germany`s skilled labour shortage grows amid anti-immigrant push Germany’s minister for economy and climate action Robert Habeck defended the expansion as the "right decision." According to RWE, the expansion is necessary "due to the energy crisis." Expansion of coal field part of a wider deal The expansion of the coalfield is being done under a deal brokered last year between RWE and the German government. In return, RWE had promised to completely phase out coal in 2030, eight years before the previous deadline. "It's a good day for climate protection," Habeck said at the time. Move invites sharp criticism The move to demolish wind farms to make way for more coal excavation has triggered massive criticism by activists. "The current climate emergency requires urgent and concerted efforts to accelerate the deployment of every single wind turbine, solar panel and heat pump that we can muster," said Fabian Hübner, a senior campaigner at Beyond Fossil Fuels, a German-based coalition of climate activists. "Anything that diverts from this critical endeavour, especially the dismantling of renewable energy sources to extract more fossil fuels, must be unequivocally prohibited," he added. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

So much for green agenda: Germany demolishes wind farm to expand coal field

<p>A German court will on Thursday hear a complaint by a Peruvian farmer who accuses energy giant RWE of contributing to the climate change that has caused glacial melting in the Andes, threatening his home and livelihood.</p>

<p>Saul Luciano Lliuya argues that RWE, as a major historic emitter of greenhouse gases, should share in the cost of protecting his hometown Huaraz from a nearby glacial lake that is at risk of overflowing from melting snow and ice.</p>

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<h5>Germanwatch, a pressure group advising Luciano, said the case was the first of its kind in Europe and could set a legal precedent</h5>
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<p>Luciano, who is also a mountain guide, filed the landmark lawsuit a year ago but Thursday&#39;s hearing at the regional court in Essen, where RWE is based, will mark the first time the two sides will come face to face.</p>

<p>Germanwatch, a pressure group advising Luciano, said the case was the first of its kind in Europe and could set a legal precedent.</p>

<p>&quot;The big contributors to climate change, such as RWE, must finally take responsibility for the consequences of their emissions,&quot; Luciano was quoted as saying in a statement on the Germanwatch website.</p>

<p>&quot;We in Peru have hardly contributed to climate change but have to live with the worst consequences.&quot;</p>

<p>But Germany&#39;s second-largest energy producer said it expected the judges to throw out the case.</p>

<p>&quot;We consider the complaint to be unfounded. There is no legal basis for the applicant&#39;s request,&quot; RWE spokesman Guido Steffen told AFP.</p>

<p>Luciano&#39;s German lawyer, Roda Verheyen, however claims that RWE is the &quot;top single-greatest CO2-emitter in Europe&quot; and says that according to a 2013 climate study it was responsible for 0.5 percent of the total emissions &quot;since the beginning of industrialisation&quot; -- making it at least partly responsible for Luciano&#39;s plight.</p>

<p>According to a court summary of the case, Luciano, who will be in Essen for the hearing, is asking RWE for 17,000 euros ($18,000) to help pay for flood defences for his community. He is also asking RWE to reimburse him for 6,300 euros he himself has spent on protective measures.</p>

<p>RWE has countered that the plaintiff has failed to demonstrate a clear link between CO2 emissions and the alleged flood danger, and that the act of emitting greenhouse gases was not against the law.</p>

<p>Court spokesman Johannes Hidding said judges could rule on the claim&#39;s admissibility as early as Thursday, or they could ask for more information and schedule further hearings before making a decision.</p>

<p><strong>&#39;</strong><strong>World</strong><strong> belongs to all&#39;</strong><br />
Luciano, a father of two, told AFP last year that he had spent his whole life watching climate change breaking the Andes glaciers apart.</p>

<p>&quot;Someone caused this,&quot; he said. &quot;It&#39;s not right to remain silent. The world belongs to all of us, not just the polluters.&quot;</p>

<p>His community in Peru&#39;s northern Ancash region believes that at the Palcacocha lake, there is a risk of massive flooding from ice chunks that could break off from surrounding glaciers and crash into the water, requiring a new drainage system and a reinforcement of the lake&#39;s dams.</p>

<p>The US Agency for International Development (USAID) said in a 2014 report that the lake is so swollen it has become a permanent threat.</p>

<p>RWE spokesman Steffen said the firm did not understand why it had been singled out for legal action.</p>

<p>&quot;We are making a huge contribution to the modernisation of coal-fired power plants in Germany&quot; to make them more efficient and reduce the output of CO2, he told AFP.</p>

<p>At the same time RWE was &quot;investing billions in renewable energy&quot;, he said, as part of Germany&#39;s switch from fossil fuels to clean energy such as wind, solar, biomass and hydroelectric power.</p>

<p>(AFP)</p>


Saul Luciano accuses energy giant RWE of contributing to the climate change that has caused glacial melting in the Andes

A German court will on Thursday hear a complaint by a Peruvian farmer who accuses energy giant RWE of contributing to the climate change that has caused glacial melting in the Andes, threatening his home and livelihood. Saul Luciano Lliuya argues that RWE, as a major historic emitter of greenhouse gases, should share in the cost of protecting his hometown Huaraz from a nearby glacial lake that is at risk of overflowing from melting snow and ice. Germanwatch, a pressure group advising Luciano, said the case was the first of its kind in Europe and could set a legal precedent × Luciano, who is also a mountain guide, filed the landmark lawsuit a year ago but Thursday's hearing at the regional court in Essen, where RWE is based, will mark the first time the two sides will come face to face. Germanwatch, a pressure group advising Luciano, said the case was the first of its kind in Europe and could set a legal precedent. "The big contributors to climate change, such as RWE, must finally take responsibility for the consequences of their emissions," Luciano was quoted as saying in a statement on the Germanwatch website. "We in Peru have hardly contributed to climate change but have to live with the worst consequences." But Germany's second-largest energy producer said it expected the judges to throw out the case. "We consider the complaint to be unfounded. There is no legal basis for the applicant's request," RWE spokesman Guido Steffen told AFP. Luciano's German lawyer, Roda Verheyen, however claims that RWE is the "top single-greatest CO2-emitter in Europe" and says that according to a 2013 climate study it was responsible for 0.5 percent of the total emissions "since the beginning of industrialisation" -- making it at least partly responsible for Luciano's plight. According to a court summary of the case, Luciano, who will be in Essen for the hearing, is asking RWE for 17,000 euros ($18,000) to help pay for flood defences for his community. He is also asking RWE to reimburse him for 6,300 euros he himself has spent on protective measures. RWE has countered that the plaintiff has failed to demonstrate a clear link between CO2 emissions and the alleged flood danger, and that the act of emitting greenhouse gases was not against the law. Court spokesman Johannes Hidding said judges could rule on the claim's admissibility as early as Thursday, or they could ask for more information and schedule further hearings before making a decision. 'World belongs to all' Luciano, a father of two, told AFP last year that he had spent his whole life watching climate change breaking the Andes glaciers apart. "Someone caused this," he said. "It's not right to remain silent. The world belongs to all of us, not just the polluters." His community in Peru's northern Ancash region believes that at the Palcacocha lake, there is a risk of massive flooding from ice chunks that could break off from surrounding glaciers and crash into the water, requiring a new drainage system and a reinforcement of the lake's dams. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) said in a 2014 report that the lake is so swollen it has become a permanent threat. RWE spokesman Steffen said the firm did not understand why it had been singled out for legal action. "We are making a huge contribution to the modernisation of coal-fired power plants in Germany" to make them more efficient and reduce the output of CO2, he told AFP. At the same time RWE was "investing billions in renewable energy", he said, as part of Germany's switch from fossil fuels to clean energy such as wind, solar, biomass and hydroelectric power. (AFP)

Peruvian farmer sues German energy giant over climate change

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So much for green agenda: Germany demolishes wind farm to expand coal field

Peruvian farmer sues German energy giant over climate change