Only a month ago, the Brandenburg Greens voted for the new coalition agreement, paving the way for a Kenyan coalition under Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke. It is the first time that the party has co-governed in the previously coal-friendly state. Social Democrats, CDU and Left supported in Brandenburg always lignite mining.
As the SPIEGEL reported, the state government since October 2019, the Association "Pro Lausitzer brown coal" with 40,000 euros. The money goes to an "awareness-raising campaign" on climate change titled "Small Climate School" - and this, even though the association is openly campaigning with climate change deniers arguments. The grant was given by the Lausitz commissioner Klaus Freytag, who had long been active in mining offices.
The Greens announced to investigate the case: "We will promptly actively seek the discussion with those responsible and clarify the facts," says a spokeswoman for the group at the request of SPIEGEL. "The most urgent goal must be that such a thing does not happen again." They want to work with "all strength" to ensure that such cross-financing will no longer exist.
However, the responsible Freytag is unreasonable. He said to the RBB on the brink of a charity league coalition Leag that the state government was on the side of science. The Klimaleugner theses within the association "one must endure," said Freytag. Also, the State Chancellery sees no problem in giving the coal club money for a climate campaign: One considers the promotion very well justified, because the project "brings different positions on the issue of coal and climate protection in the conversation," it says on request , The old and new Prime Minister Woidke did not know about the promotion. The award was decided solely by the Lausitzbeauftragte Freytag without further agreements.
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The controversial theses on climate change has been deleted by the Association Pro Lausitzer Braunkohle eV after publication of the SPIEGEL contribution from the website. For example, it was said that the causes of climate change are controversial and that the global mean temperature has not risen for at least 15 years.
Lusatian lignite was founded in 2011 by state and local politicians. According to research by SPIEGEL, the association was initially financed by the former lignite operator Vattenfall. Among other things, the association with the funds organized an ad campaign for the preservation of coal. Critics call Pro Lausitzer brown coal therefore also as Astroturfing organization, thus as a interest group, which poses itself as citizen initiative.
The fact that Pro Lausitzer brown coal likes to surround itself with Klimaleugnen, also shows a meeting with the former Greenpeace founder Patrick Moore last May in Cottbus. Moore is now an avowed opponent of Greenpeace and denies the man-made climate change. The chairman of Pro Lausitzer brown coal, Wolfgang Rupieper, posed with Moore in a photo and described his theses as a "suggestion" for all "good faith".
Whether the association will continue to be promoted next year and the theses of the "Small Climate School" will be distributed, the next round of funding will decide in 2020. The Greens told the SPIEGEL, they wanted to ensure that "the procurement rules and responsibilities are modified." However, since the Lausitzbeauftragte continues to decide autonomously on its budget, it could at least remain exciting next year.