A future beyond coal in Europe - An interview with Greens/EFA co-president Ska Keller

This blogpost originally has been published on the stopclimatechange.net Blog.

The Greens/EFA group have been running a fair transition campaign since the end of last year. The end of coal is a reality, mainly for economic reasons. Investing in this type of energy source does simply not make any sense anymore. The phasing out of coal is therefore already happening. For...

Consequences of mining: the suffering of the Spree

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The Spree (in Sorbian Sprjewja/Sprewja) has its source in the Upper Lusatian Highlands and meanders for almost 400 kilometres from Saxony and Brandenburg to its mouth in the Havel in Berlin-Spandau. The Spree is first mentioned in writing in 965 as the Sprewa in a document of Otto I. The name is said to originate from the Germanic basic form of “spreu?”...

The suffering of the Spree – a new set of facts about sulphate contamination of the Spree

Scientists from the Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) have prepared and made available a dossier on the causes, effects and current findings concerning sulphate contamination of the Spree.

The scientists draw attention to the threat to the drinking water supply in Frankfurt (Oder) and in particular to the metropolis of Berlin. The...

How do iron ochre and sulphate enter fresh water?

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The lignite mine in Lusatia requires a massive water table drawdown in order to prevent flooding of the pits. The groundwater level needs to be lowered to a depth of 100 metres below the ground surface. Owing to the water table drawdown, the mineral pyrite (FeS2, also known as “fool’s gold”), which is present in the subsoil, comes into contact with...

The planned Gubin/Brody surface mine: The federal state government backs our criticism of the inadequate planning documents

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Representatives of environmental associations and municipalities near the border have to date submitted 1023 objections concerning the planned Gubin/Brody surface mine to the regional environmental protection directorate in the Polish city of Gorzów Wielkopolski. The federal state parliamentary representatives Heide Schinowsky and Benjamin Raschke, the...