05 October 2018

Open letter to German Chancellor Merkel calls for end to Hambach forest clearing

Europe Beyond Coal and almost 100 organisations have signed a letter calling on German chancellor Merkel to declare a moratorium on the clearing of Hambach forest for an unneeded lignite mine, and for a fair and just coal phase out by 2030.

The letter comes as the court of Muenster ruled that coal utility RWE is not allowed to clear the Hambach forest in this logging season. The company will now have to wait until Autumn 2019 if it wants to continue destroying the forest.

What is needed now is for all further expansion of lignite coal mining in Germany to be stopped, so no more forests, villages, or communities are sacrificed for a dirty fuel Germany cannot continue to burn if it is to live up to its climate change obligations under the Paris Agreement.

Want to help move Europe Beyond Coal? Sign our petition here before October 9 so we can tell decision makers in Brussels to stop subsidising it!