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The Hambach Forest and the German Energiewende: the Influence of the Hambach Forest Movement on the German Coal Phase-Out

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The Hambach Forest and the German Energiewende: the Influence of the Hambach Forest Movement on the German Coal Phase-Out The Hambach Forest and the German Energiewende: The Influence of the Hambach Forest Movement on the German Coal Phase-Out Almut Mohr Registration number: 911101-576-060 Submission date: 6-08-2019 MSc Thesis Environmental Policy Group Supervisor: Dr. Mattijs Smits Picture Front Cover: The Hambach Forest and a coal excavator in the Hambach Opencast Coal Mine (© Jörg Scepanski, 5.04.2019) Abstract Already for decades, the Hambach Forest, an ancient forest in Germany, in North Rhine-Westphalia, is step by step cleared to give way for the expansion of the Hambach Opencast Coal Mine. This clearing goes along with protests, e.g. by occupying the forest with tree houses. In summer 2018, the protests regarding the Hambach Forest peaked, because the tree houses were evicted in order to continue clearing the forest even though a lawsuit was pending in court to prevent the forest from being cleared. In the same year, the Federal Government implemented the so-called Coal Commission with members from workers’ unions, scientists, business representatives and representatives from civil society and environmental NGOs to find a consensus on the coal phase-out including a year for the final phase- out. There is a whole network of activists, organisations and initiatives protesting against the coal mining and demanding the protection of the Hambach Forest. The thesis analyses these actors summarised as the Hambach Forest Movement, and the movement’s influence on the Coal Commission as well as on the German coal phase-out. Moreover, the role of the Hambach Forest for the movement and the sense of place of the Hambach Forest are analysed. The findings, based on interviews, indicate that the broad and internationally linked Hambach Forest Movement shaped the perception of the Hambach Forest within and beyond Germany. Due to the protests, the Hambach Forest is often seen as a symbol. The movement influenced the work of the Coal Commission which stated in its final report that the preservation of the Hambach Forest is ‘desirable’. The movement also contributed to the destabilisation of the energy-regime, as the public support for fossil fuel power plants decreased. Moreover, the movement contributed to changes in the broader political landscape, with an increasing interest for climate and environmental policy. I Acknowledgements ‘I want to dedicate this price to those protecting the Hambach Forest and to the climate activists who fight to keep the fossil fuels in the ground everywhere’1. This statement by Greta Thunberg who won the ‘Golden Camera’ in Germany in the special category on climate protection the day before I started my field research made once more clear that the Hambach Forest in Germany is a symbol for the fight against climate change and a symbol for the phase-out of fossil fuels as a source of energy. Therefore, these words perfectly describe my motivation to write my thesis on the Hambach Forest and to go into this particular forest for my field research. I would like to thank all my interviewees for answering my questions and for giving me such in-depth information on their understanding of the Hambach Forest and the Hambach Forest Movement, as well as insights into the working process of the Coal Commission. Without all of you, it would not have been possible for me to write my thesis on this particular topic. Moreover, I would like to thank all the interviewed activists, as you all inspired me and made clear to me, that there are many different ways to stand up for your vision of how the world could (should) be. Besides all my interviewees, I would like to thank my supervisor Dr. Mattijs Smits. During our meetings, he always gave me very helpful input and inspiring ideas for further developing and strengthening my arguments. His critical feedback helped me to work on and sharpen my thoughts and to reflect on my arguments. The critical readers of my draft versions helped me to improve my thesis. Thank you for finding so many big and small typos and unclear phrases and for all the input. Moreover, I would like to thank my friends (especially the ones offering me a place to sleep during my field trip) but also all the others to always having an open ear for me and motivating me to continue writing my thesis and rethinking my arguments. Last but not least, I would like to thank my family for always being there for me and supporting me, not only during the process of this thesis but for everything. Without you, my whole studies would have been impossible. 1 Greta Thunberg’s speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFvXc14g3AQ II Table of Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................................... I Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................. II Table of Figures ...................................................................................................................................... VI List of Acronyms .................................................................................................................................... VII 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 1 The German Energiewende ..................................................................................................... 1 The Hambach Forest as a Key Site of Conflict on the Future of Coal ...................................... 2 Aim of the Research ................................................................................................................. 3 Conceptual Framework ............................................................................................................ 3 Research Questions ................................................................................................................. 4 Roadmap of the Thesis ............................................................................................................ 5 2. Conceptual Framework ............................................................................................................ 6 Geographies of Social Movements .......................................................................................... 6 Social Movements and the Sense of Place ...................................................................... 7 Multi-Scalar Networks of Social Movements .................................................................. 9 Multi-Level Perspective.......................................................................................................... 10 Windows of Opportunity: Creating a Chance for Transition ......................................... 13 The Multi-Level Perspective and Concepts of Place and Space .................................... 14 The Role of Civil Society and Social Movements within a Socio-Technical Transition .. 15 Linking the Concepts .............................................................................................................. 17 Analytical Framework ............................................................................................................ 18 3. Methodology .......................................................................................................................... 21 Research Area ........................................................................................................................ 21 The Hambach Forest ...................................................................................................... 21 The Hambach Opencast Coal Mine ............................................................................... 22 Methods and Research .......................................................................................................... 23 Positionality and Reflexivity ................................................................................................... 25 III 4. The Network of the Hambach Forest Movement .................................................................. 27 Occupation of the Hambach Forest ....................................................................................... 27 History of the Occupation and Current Situation .......................................................... 27 Characterisation of the Occupation: A Project on How People Can Live Together ...... 29 Places of Activism next to the Forest ............................................................................ 30 Multi-Scalar Networks in the Hambach Forest Movement ................................................... 31 Hambi-Support Groups and Individual Supporters ....................................................... 33 Buirer für Buir ................................................................................................................ 33 Forest Walks .................................................................................................................. 34 BUND NRW .................................................................................................................... 35 Ende Gelände ................................................................................................................ 36 Networks to other Occupied Forests in Germany and International Support .............. 36 Environmental Organisations in Germany and Abroad................................................. 38
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