BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - German Economy and Climate Protection Minister Robert Habeck has defended the agreement for the coal phase-out in the West and thus the abandonment of the town of Lützerath. "It is the right decision, it is a good decision for climate protection," the Green politician said in Berlin on Wednesday. "It bindingly ends the mining in the Rhenish mining area from 2030. And five localities where people live will be kept."

Police had begun clearing the site, which had become a symbol of the climate change movement, in the morning. Referring to the abandonment of Lützerath for coal mining, Habeck said, "It's certainly not pretty." But a great deal had also been gained, he said.

The economics ministries led by the Greens in the federal government and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia had agreed with the energy company RWE on a coal phase-out in the west that would be brought forward from 2038 to 2030. In return, two lignite-fired power plant units that were supposed to be shut down by the end of 2022 are to remain in operation until the end of March 2024 - with the option of an additional year. The settlement of Lützerath is to be demolished in order to extract coal there. Five already largely empty villages at the Garzweiler open pit mine in the neighborhood of Lützerath, on the other hand, are to be preserved.

From the point of view of critics, the coal that is now to be mined would not be needed. But some assumptions assumed very low electricity consumption and high prices in trading CO2 pollution rights, Habeck said. "To me, that's too uncertain. I think we need legal clarity." He added that this legal certainty would also allow investments in climate-friendly hydrogen.

Habeck also stressed, "We are still in a tight energy situation." He recalled that two power plant units are initially scheduled to run longer. "That means we need more coal at the moment, unfortunately. That's nothing to be proud of." To use less gas, he said, "painful decisions" have been made. But the earlier coal phase-out in the West as a whole will save climate-damaging carbon dioxide, he said.

There was good reason to take to the streets for climate protection and to protest "loudly and audibly," Habeck said. That, he said, has helped the issue play such a big role again. He also believes protest needs symbols. "But the empty settlement of Lützerath, where no one lives anymore, is the wrong symbol in my view."

By noon, there had been scuffles in Lützerath, but no escalation, Habeck said. "Leave it at that from both sides. Respect the different roles you are in." There must be no escalation to violence, he said. "This line must not be crossed."/hrz/DP/ngu