A text by Jonathan Nylander, Klimacamp participant from Sweden
Standing next to this coal mine for 3 hours made my lungs hurt for days. Worse than the Beijing air quality, speaking from experince.
The last 10 days I’ve been living in an activist camp next to an open pit coal mine in Germany. The coal mine extracts lignite, known as brown coal, the dirtiest energy there is.The only reason the mine is still operating is because the local German government is saving in the short-term at the expense of the long-term. They have built a brand new gas power plant to act as backup power for renewables in the Cologne area, but it is not being used at the moment. It is slightly cheaper to burn lignite than natural gas, even though natural gas is the cleanest in the fossil fuel family.
And one thing that the coal mine emits is mercury. Well, we know it ain’t good, let’s just leave it at that. However, this could be avoided, as in coal mines across the United States. By spraying a type of chemical on the coal before burning it, the mercury stays in the ashes rather than being released into the air. Still it is not happening. Oh why, you ask? Because it would cost something like 0.001 cents per kilowatt of electricy generated. This coal mine is now supposed to expand – destroying a handful of villages and forcing people to move in the process. Old churches are being torn down and people are forced to dig up their dead relatives from the local cemeteries.
All this just because coal is a little bit cheaper. This is so incredibly stupid, and still there’s more, but I won’t go there. I won’t, because I don’t want to talk about what sucks. I want to talk about what’s awesome.
Last week, we were about a thousand people living on the Climate Camp, an event for activists to attend workshops, learn from one another, have fun and shut down climate destructive infrastructure together.
Our camp was running on 3000W solar energy and 1500W wind energy, all set up by volunteers. A 600W windmill was built during the camp. People who arrived alone was welcomed into groups and quickly found their place in the neighborhood. A kitchen collective run by volunteers provided delicious vegan food for everyone at the camp, asking for donations to cover the costs. Probably everyone at the camp helped the kitchen team to cut vegetables or doing the dishes at some point. A democratic process based on neighborhood meetings and big planeries made sure everyone had a voice and power to change things in the camp. There was a tent for everything needed: information, Internet, legal advice, medical care and learning materials. I was throwing frisbees with people from all kinds of nations and backgrounds, something I didn’t even realize until writing this now. The compost toilets separate dry and wet so there was no smell and the waste can be used as fertilizer after 6 months of composting. People were sharing bikes with those in need. The showers were made out of wood and biodegradable soap was provided: No toxins in the ground.
Volunteers provided workshops in a wide range of topics, but centered around the theme of degrowth, which is “a political, economic, and social movement based on ecological economics, anti-consumerist and anti-capitalist ideas”. Very difficult and challenging discussions where held on priviliedge, neocolonialism, sustainable yet desirable lifestyles and so on. Discussions that are rarely held, because the topic is uncomfortable.
We naturally don’t like change, yet we know it is necessary. But here we are, experimenting, playing and trying to live the alternative with the few resources we have. And it works! Not only does it work, it is beautiful!
After about 7 days at the camp, I went into a half-abandoned village to get money for donations. We parked our bikes outside and entered this cubic room: Plain white walls, black floor tiles and two ATMs in front of us.
My friend first noticed the mirror on one of the ATMs, and said: “Is this really what I look like now? Such cool technology”. We burst into laughter as we all fought to use the mirror. I bet the people watching the security footage do so with a look of slight confusion. I went down on the floor to stroke my hand across it using the same motion as I do when stroking the grass-covered ground in the camp area. And there it hits me — in just 7 days, my new normal had become grass-covered grounds and I lifted my hand up in an act of disapproval.
We naturally don’t like change, but we humans are adaptable. Stop worrying about old habits and come join the transition! It is the best thing I have done, highly recommended, 10/10.
Do you want to join in? Here’s a few things you can do:
- Pledge to do what it takes to keep fossil fuels in the ground.
- Join Ende Gelände 2017, a large action camp in Germany to stop coal extraction
- Join the divestment movement (here’s a list of campaigns if you’re in Sweden)
