German activists weigh climate crisis as election looms

Environmental campaigners say authorities are not moving fast enough to cut carbon emissions and curb climate change.

Lutzerath, Germany – A tiny painted sign reading “1.5 degree limit” stands outside what remains of Lutzerath, a village in Germany’s northwest.

Beyond, the vast Garzweiler mine stretches almost to the horizon. Across, the open pit towering excavators wielding 22 metre-wide blades work day and night, ripping millions of tonnes of lignite coal from the earth to generate electricity at nearby power stations.

Lutzerath, like 20 neighbouring villages before it, is slated for destruction in the coming months as the mine continues its advance.