Joanie Lemercier

177 km east of Brussels, near Cologne lays the Hambach Forest. Estimated to be 12,000 years old and a regional beacon of biodiversity, only 10% of this natural treasure remains today. The rest has been cleared, to make room for the Hambach surface mine—the largest of its kind in Europe. Operated by the multinational energy giant RWE and covering an area of 50 square kilometres, the Hambach surface mine exploits a massive lignite deposit, the dirtiest coal variant. Everyday, it emits around 270,000 tons of CO₂, making it the largest single source of greenhouse gases in Europe. As it stands, extraction is set to continue for another 18 years, erasing the Hambach Forest entirely and several villages in the process.