Back in November I was honoured to be invited to write an article for Outdoor Photography (see below) as part of their Lie of the Land series. The image in the article was of the Hambrach open cast coal mine in Germany, sister to the Garzweiler mine and the village of Lutzerath in the press recently that is being demolished as the mine munches its way with an insatiable appetite.
One of the justifications for the demolition and expansion of the mine is the increased need for locally produced electricity resulting from the war in Ukraine. Indeed, the coal infrastructure I saw whilst cycling the Rhine last year suggested a modern industry thirsty for raw material to feed it’s belly. Multiple modern power stations of which none, apart from an old nuclear power station turned into an amusement park, looked ready to close any time soon.
The reasons are complex and this cannot be denied as we sit and ponder year by year entirely in the present. But as the case is made for continuing as we are (‘of course we will be closing them in the future’) we shouldn’t forget that these mines and power stations have continued to expand for over 40 years, over which period more than half – yes half – of all the gases leading to climate change have been emitted into the atmosphere. Over a period when we have fully known the consequences of such actions these mines have continued to justify and extract some of the dirtiest coal (lignite) on earth. As the 4th richest and one of the most developed economies on the planet one cannot help but wonder at the mindset of the puppeteers that allow such policies and actions to be perpetuated when the consequences have been entirely known throughout. When will the short term justification of the now and interests of the ‘shadows’ be replaced with inspirational thinking and strategic planning to deliver the needs of the future?
I’ll be exploring other exploits of my “commute” from Scotland to Italy on an e-bike at some point soon but as I woke up this morning it was this that made me stop and ponder!
Wanderings of a Photographic Duo 