Especially in winter, the steam clouds rising from the cooling towers of Germany´s largest power plants are visible from miles away, under favorable conditions even from space. Fired by lignite, extracted from the surrounding surfaces mines, these power stations are among Europe´s highest producers of greenhouse gases, contributing to global climate change. Due to Germany´s plans to phase out coal-based energy production in 2038, resulting in the closing of mines and power stations, opinions of regional politicians and inhabitants are divided into black and white. There are basically only two main attitudes: on the one hand there is a fear of job loss and the decline of the whole region, on the other hand the protests against the ongoing mining operations which will still lead to relocating and destroying several villages on the edge of the mines.