In autumn 2022, three representatives of CIR partner organisations from El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras travelled with us through Europe as part of the Game On campaign and spoke with politicians and activists. One particularly interesting stop was the German village of Lützerath, scene of a local coal conflict with global impact. 

Luis González, Marlen Corea and a third NGO representative, who must remain anonymous for security reasons, had been invited as Speakers for climate justice, as they are experts for climate and environmental issues, especially regarding the vulnerable region of Central America. From Brussels to Lützerath and Münster, Berlin, Prague and Budapest - at several events they talked to activists and politicians right before the COP27 world climate conference. Learn more about the context of the Speakers Tour here. 

One of the stops was the small village of Lützerath in Germany. The area is acutely threatened by lignite coal mining and has become a point of resistance for the German climate movement as it is said to symbolise the 1.5°C threshold. The edge of the open pit mine is less than 100 meters from the village border! Activists are defending the area right now in January against the police and the energy company RWE. 

One of our Speakers, Luis González from El Salvador, was shocked by the extent of the landscape destruction: "I expect to see images like this in Latin America, not in Europe." During a panel discussion, he and Marlen Corea from Honduras made clear how important it is to fight mining because it limits our ability to do something about climate change. And they emphasized: the Global North, through its high greenhouse gas emissions, has a responsibility to compensate for losses and damages in the Global South. 

The activists from Lützerath and the Speakers also discussed how the European climate movement can show more solidarity for the Central American movement. It was important for the Speakers to raise awareness about the threats that environmental defenders in their countries face, and to strengthen the global climate justice network. They concluded that, even if the decades-long struggles in the Global South differ from the comparatively young climate movement in Europe, every environmental problem should be met with resistance and organized struggle - no matter where. 

Together with two other guests from Central America, Marlen and Luís supported the resistance of the Lützerath activists with a video that you can watch here. Translation: "Lützerath is not for sale, it should be protected and defended!" 

Photos: Miguel Castillo