Thunberg protest draws attention to filth of lignite coal
Climate change and cuffs. Greta Thunberg was recently arrested at a coal mine protest near the German village of Lüetzerath. The 20-year-old climate change activist has sparked controversy once again as people question the legitimacy of her detainment. Regardless of whether it was a set up or not, Thunberg continues her attempts to change the world, one step at a time. This step involved demonstrations against European energy giant RWE’s lignite coal mine.
Lignite is one of the most health-harming forms of coal and produces more pollution than any other fossil fuel, and RWE was planning to demolish an “abandoned” town so they could obtain more of it, hence the protests. The arrests of protestors once again raises the question: why do people continue to be punished for trying to save the planet?
At the coal mine, police showed up in riot gear, claiming they were concerned about the safety of the protestors as rain had softened the ground on which they protested. In total, over 1,000 police have been involved in the expansion of the coal mine because of the protests going on. Nobody’s safety would have been an issue if RWE wasn’t expanding the coal mine in the first place. Expansion not only put protesters at risk but all humans. The effects of lignite are one of the many things killing the planet and the people who inhabit it.
The government argues that it’s necessary to expand coal mines to keep up with Germany’s energy demands rather than addressing the real problem at hand, which is why they’re more concerned with stopping protests than stopping harmful energy giants like RWE. This isn’t what people in positions of power want to focus on though.
With climate change such an existential threat, why aren’t people more concerned? Many individuals disregard climate change largely due to misinformation surrounding the topic and the fact that people only care about making change when it is detrimental to them. According to the IPCC, “since systematic scientific assessments began in the 1970s, the influence of human activity on the warming of the climate system has evolved from theory to established fact.” This essentially means that while changes in climate are bound to happen due to minuscule variations in Earth’s orbit, the recent rates of climate change can be attributed to human activities.
The actions of Thunberg will be for nothing if people don’t start making changes in their everyday lives to stop further damage. This includes things as simple as recycling more, switching to LED lights, planting a tree, and avoiding overly-packaged, one-use products. Simple changes throughout daily life can assist in halting this impending crisis.
At this point in time, climate change is undeniable. Americans and, most importantly, those in power, need to start caring more about the Earth before it’s uninhabitable for future generations. Currently, global temperatures are rising, the ocean is getting warmer, ice sheets are shrinking, glaciers are retreating, the sea level is rising, and so much more. Thunberg is just one climate change activist, but she's trying to make a change, unlike the wealthy corporations that are further destroying the planet.
By Emma Toney
February 21 2023
Oshkosh West Index volume 119 Issue V