Plan to phase out coal gives fuel to the far right in rural eastern Germany

Coal phase-out in Germany's Lausitz region sparks fears and political shifts as residents grapple with economic and environmental changes.

White clouds still billow from the cooling towers of a coal plant near Spremberg in Germany’s ex-communist east but the end is in sight as Berlin phases out the fossil fuel.

Thousands of jobs have already been lost in the region, where wind farms now rise near abandoned open-pit mines and many people look with dread towards 2038, the deadline for the “coal exit”.

Their fears help explain the strong local support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which does not just rail against migrants but also rejects the green energy push and questions man-made climate change.

At local elections held in Spremberg in June, the AfD scored 39.3% — an omen ahead of regional elections next Sunday in the State of Brandenburg, which polls suggest it could win.

Lignite, or brown coal, may be a climate killer, but since the 19th century it has been key to the identity of Germany’s Lausitz industrial region on the Polish border.

“Thousands of people here have been linked to coal their whole working lives,” said the town’s Mayor, Christine Herntier, an independent who has held the post for a decade.

“We are proud of our tradition,” said Ms. Herntier, 67, pointing to a huge map on her office wall of the Schwarze Pumpe plant and its surrounding industrial complex.