Ava Miller | Columns & Opinion Editor
January 20, 2023
Swedish climate activist, Greta Thunberg, attended one of many protests in Western Germany to speak out against the expansion of the Luetzerath mine. 20-year-old Thunberg who has been gaining media attention for her climate activism in the last ten years was detained by German police on the second day of protest after she and thousands of fellow demonstrators encroached on the area planning to be used as a coal mine. Police claimed that the area, unsafe after rainfall, created a hazard of falling into the mine and subsequently detained many attendees of the protest.
The existing mine in Leutzerath is a huge concern to climate activists and anybody taking action to slow down global warming. Lignite, the coal in the ground around the dug mine, is the most polluting form of coal. Burning it would be a catastrophe for our climate’s temperatures and violate the preexisting Paris Climate Agreement where many nations agreed to limit their carbon emissions to decrease atmospheric warming.
Germany, however, argues that they need to continue to mine the coal to keep up with Russia and its resources. In the wake of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, Germany is prioritizing their militaristic assets in the event the conflict grows bigger requiring involvement from other countries like themselves.
“Country safety and security is always a main priority,” senior Tessa Campbell said. “But this can still be done with environmental precautions in place”
The importance of stopping the further development of the mine is a priority for thousands of people, Thunberg being among them. Her detainment by German police is a representation of where many national priorities lie. The need for countries to protect their standings economically and politically with other countries outweighs their loyalty to previous environmental agreements. Instead of listening and resolving issues, they detain protesters, including the young Thunberg, all of which have only positive intentions. Fortunately, the German police only detained her in their van momentarily and claimed that no charges were taken against any of the protestors.
“It is unfortunate that in recent years, so much action has been taken against protestors, but so little action has been put into fixing the problem upsetting people,” senior Bella Starnessaid said.
If equal effort in stopping protestors with good intentions was put into solving the climate crisis, our world might not be experiencing unnatural temperatures and facing otherworldly natural disasters. Thankfully, detainment won’t silence Thunberg and those who share her ideals. In fact, it only motivates them further.
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