COMING OUT AGAINST COAL
Supporters of the climate movement Ende Gelaende protest at the coal-fired power station Lippendorf near Leipzig in late November. On Saturday, climate activists protested at open-pit coal mines in eastern Germany, pouring onto the premises to urge the government to immediately halt the use of coal to produce electricity. Deutsche Presse-Agentur reported that police estimated more than 2,000 people took part in protests at sites near Cottbus and Leipzig and that some of the demonstrators scuff led with police. Three officers were reported injured at the Jaenschwalde mine near Cottbus. The mine operators, Leag und Mibrag, filed police reports asking for an investigation and possible charges. Burning coal releases carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas blamed by scientists for global warming. The government plans to end the use of coal by 2038 and spend $44 billion on assistance for the affected mining regions.