{"id":19416,"date":"2026-03-26T12:16:48","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T11:16:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/?p=19416"},"modified":"2026-03-26T12:18:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T11:18:08","slug":"buried-villages-fragile-democracies-coal-community-and-the-unsteady-politics-of-the-climate-transition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/buried-villages-fragile-democracies-coal-community-and-the-unsteady-politics-of-the-climate-transition\/","title":{"rendered":"Buried Villages, Fragile Democracies: Coal, Community, and the Unsteady Politics of the Climate Transition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The date on the chiseled slab set into the cornerstone of the ancient Catholic church in the German village of Keyenberg reads 1662 AD. For centuries the church stood at the center of a small Rhineland farming community \u2013 brick farmhouses clustered along narrow lanes, gardens and orchards stretching into fields that had been cultivated by generations of families. But when I visited Keyenberg, the village felt like a place paused between life and disappearance. Windows were boarded up. Weeds pushed through the edges of sidewalks. Tall grasses crept across abandoned yards. Entire rows of homes stood empty, waiting. Keyenberg had been marked for erasure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This piece draws on insights gained during the Midwestern Leaders Study Tour 2025<\/a>, conducted under the framework of the Transatlantic Dialogue on the Industrial Heartlands<\/a> project by Das Progressive Zentrum.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more than sixty years the giant digging machines of Germany\u2019s energy giant RWE had been steadily advancing across the countryside of North Rhine-Westphalia, devouring villages as they carved out the vast Garzweiler open-pit lignite mine. The slow mechanical march had already erased communities such as Reisdorf in 1963, K\u00f6nigshoven in 1983, Otzenrath in 2006, Immerath in 2022, and L\u00fctzerath in 2023. Sixteen villages in total were relocated, their houses demolished and their histories forever cut short for the short-sighted and environmentally destructive harvesting of brown coal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the heart of the Rhineland, where centuries-old villages once stood amid rolling fields, a quiet erasure unfolded. Homes, churches, and entire communities vanished under the banner of energy security and industrial necessity. Residents were compensated and relocated, but what disappeared could never truly be replaced \u2013 the intricate social fabric woven across generations.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A cycle of economic and cultural upheaval<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Yet by the time I arrived, something unexpected had happened. After decades of protests \u2013 environmental activists living in tree houses in the nearby Hambach Forest, villagers refusing to sell their homes, farmers hosting gatherings and demonstrations in their barns \u2013 the advance of the mine had stalled. Germany\u2019s political climate had shifted. The country had begun embracing a transition away from lignite coal toward renewable energy, and villages like Keyenberg were suddenly granted a reprieve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Hambach, Germany. Picture: Chris M\u00fcnch\/Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But it was a reprieve that came too late for many. Eleven communities had already vanished underground. Families who had lived side by side for centuries were scattered into newly built neighborhoods in distant towns \u2013 houses modern and comfortable, but severed from the fields, neighbors, and rhythms that once defined their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Standing there, the scene felt strangely familiar to me. Before traveling to Germany, I had served as mayor of a small American city in Appalachian Ohio \u2013 Athens, nestled along the coal country and industrial corridors of the Ohio River Valley. My own community had long lived through the same cycle of economic and cultural upheaval that these German villages were now experiencing. For generations, towns across the region were built around coal mines, steel mills, and manufacturing plants. When those industries declined<\/a>, communities were left searching for a new identity. As mayor, I worked with regional leaders to move past the nostalgia of the old boom-town economy and toward a different future \u2013 investing in clean energy initiatives, supporting sustainable economic development, and helping communities imagine prosperity beyond coal. The goal was not to erase the past but to build on it<\/strong>, transforming former industrial regions into places where renewable energy, education, and innovation could drive new growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wondering which future to believe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Yet just as communities began charting that path, the political winds in the United States shifted violently. The climate and energy policies of the Trump administration disrupted years of progress toward a stable transition<\/a>. International climate commitments were abandoned. Environmental regulations were dismantled. Fossil fuel development was aggressively promoted while renewable initiatives were sidelined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The result was a political whiplash felt deeply in places like the Ohio River Valley. One year, federal programs encouraged clean-energy investment and economic diversification. The next year, political rhetoric promised the return of coal\u2019s golden age, a promise many knew was economically unrealistic but emotionally powerful<\/strong> in communities shaped by that legacy. And now, with the resurgence of that same political vision in national leadership, the uncertainty has returned once again. Communities trying to rebuild their economies are left wondering which future to believe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The farmers I met in Keyenberg understood that uncertainty well. One family, among the last still living in the village, had once resigned themselves to the inevitability of relocation. As a final symbolic act of defiance, they had installed solar panels on their farm buildings \u2013 even though Germany\u2019s strict historic-preservation rules normally prohibited such changes to traditional farmsteads. They believed their village would soon disappear anyway. The solar panels were their quiet protest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, the political momentum in Germany suddenly shifted toward a rapid energy transition. The farm \u2013 and the village \u2013 was spared. Or so it seemed. Global events quickly complicated that certainty. Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine forced Germany to rethink its dependence on imported energy. Suddenly, questions arose about whether coal might still be needed to sustain Europe\u2019s industrial economy in the short term. The future of villages like Keyenberg again felt uncertain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A physical erosion of place and heritage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The same instability now defines American climate policy as well. Each shift in presidential leadership swings the country dramatically between environmental commitment and fossil-fuel revival. Long-term planning becomes nearly impossible when national priorities change every four years.<\/strong> But the consequences of these swings extend beyond energy policy. They ripple outward into democratic institutions and international alliances. Under the Trump administration, many observers argued that the erosion of environmental protections was accompanied by something deeper: a weakening of democratic norms themselves.<\/strong> Executive authority expanded at the expense of institutional checks. Independent agencies faced political pressure. Dissenting voices, including scientists and environmental advocates, were marginalized or dismissed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, longstanding relationships with democratic allies were strained. Diplomatic tensions surfaced with countries that had long been close partners of the United States \u2013 nations such as Denmark, the United Kingdom, and Spain. International climate cooperation fractured as the United States withdrew from agreements that much of the world viewed as essential to addressing the climate crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These fractures were not merely symbolic. Climate diplomacy has become one of the defining arenas of global cooperation in the twenty-first century. When the United States retreats from that cooperation, it weakens the collective ability of democratic nations to respond to shared challenges. The consequences are visible not only in international negotiations but also in the lives of communities like those in the Rhineland or the Ohio Valley. The displacement of villages for coal mines in Germany represents a physical erosion of place and heritage. The political instability surrounding climate policy in the United States reflects a different kind of erosion \u2013 one affecting democratic institutions, public trust, and global partnerships. Both forms of erosion stem from the same underlying struggle: how societies manage the transition away from fossil fuels while protecting communities, democratic values, and international cooperation.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Resistance and Renewal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Yet amid these tensions, resistance and renewal continue to emerge. In Germany, activists and local residents fought for decades to defend villages like L\u00fctzerath and Keyenberg, transforming them into symbols of the broader struggle against fossil-fuel dependency. Their persistence helped shift national policy toward renewable energy and forced a global conversation about the costs of coal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Picture: Mika Baumeister\/Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the United States, a new generation of environmental advocates<\/strong> \u2013 students, scientists, local leaders, and grassroots organizations \u2013 has stepped forward to demand climate action and democratic accountability. Youth-led lawsuits, community energy projects, and regional clean-economy initiatives continue to push forward even when national politics falter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Hopeful Future<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

During my visit to Keyenberg, I saw glimpses of that hopeful future. Despite years of uncertainty, the village was already imagining a new chapter. Plans were underway to host a major European arts and garden festival in the coming decades \u2013 an event expected to bring thousands of visitors to the village\u2019s narrow streets and farm courtyards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We ate lunch in a refurbished barn and chicken coop that had been transformed into a community gathering space. Residents who remained in the village sat beside newcomers drawn by the area\u2019s emerging story. Farmers who had moved away returned to share meals and conversations. They were doing something quietly remarkable. Instead of allowing the narrative of their community to end with coal, they were writing a new one \u2013 built around culture, sustainability, and cooperation.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lessons of Keyenberg reach far beyond the Rhineland. They remind us that the real cost of energy policy is measured not only in megawatts or economic output, but in communities, histories, and democratic institutions. When progress is defined solely by short-term economic gain, both landscapes and political systems can be sacrificed in the process. The buried villages of Germany and the contested politics of climate policy in the United States are different stories, but they are deeply connected.Both ask the same question: What kind of future are we willing to build \u2013 and what are we willing to lose in the process?<\/strong> The answer will shape not only our energy systems, but the resilience of our communities, the strength of our democracies, and the partnerships between nations that must work together to face the challenges ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Author<\/h2>\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/div>

Steve Patterson<\/a><\/h4>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
Mayor Steve Patterson has lived in Athens since 1998 and served as an Associate Professor at Ohio University until becoming Mayor in 2016.<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>
\n

Further articles<\/h3>\n\n\n
\"A<\/a><\/div>

Buried Villages, Fragile Democracies: Coal, Community, and the Unsteady Politics of the Climate Transition<\/a><\/h4>
Posted on<\/span>
The transition away from fossil fuels is as much about democratic resilience as it is about energy. Steve Patterson explores the \u201cpolitical whiplash\u201d of shifting national policies and the enduring struggle to protect community heritage from the erosion of both physical landscapes and institutional norms.<\/div>
Steve Patterson<\/a><\/div>
Debate<\/a>, Project Report<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"\"<\/a><\/div>

Revitalising the Industrial Heartlands: Retrospective and Results from the Transatlantic Dialogue<\/a><\/h4>
Posted on<\/span>
Drawing on three years of transatlantic research and exchange, the project's closing conference explored actionable strategies for heartland revitalization\u2014demonstrating that cities and municipalities are driving both economic revival and democratic renewal.<\/div>
Aaron Remus<\/a>, Axel Ruppert<\/a><\/div>
Event Report<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Conference<\/a><\/div>

Trade, Trust and Transition \u2013 Transatlantic Perspectives in Times of Geopolitical Disruption<\/a><\/h4>
Posted on<\/span>
In an era marked by global insecurity, geopolitical friction, and economic transformation, the Progressive Economics Network (PEN) reconvened in Washington, D.C.<\/div>
S\u00f6ren Hellmonds<\/a>, Mariam Ghebregergis<\/a><\/div>
Event Report<\/a>, News<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div> <\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
To the blog<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The transition away from fossil fuels is as much about democratic resilience as it is about energy. Steve Patterson explores the \u201cpolitical whiplash\u201d of shifting national policies and the enduring struggle to protect community heritage from the erosion of both physical landscapes and institutional norms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":50,"featured_media":19418,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[219,218],"tags":[197,419,136],"class_list":["post-19416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-debate","category-projektbericht","tag-sozial-oekologische-marktwirtschaft","tag-hausblog-2","tag-liberale-demokratie"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBuried Villages, Fragile Democracies: Coal, Community, and the Unsteady Politics of the Climate Transition - Das Progressive Zentrum - EN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The transition away from fossil fuels is as much about democratic resilience as it is about energy. Steve Patterson explores the \u201cpolitical whiplash\u201d.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/buried-villages-fragile-democracies-coal-community-and-the-unsteady-politics-of-the-climate-transition\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Buried Villages, Fragile Democracies: Coal, Community, and the Unsteady Politics of the Climate Transition\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The transition away from fossil fuels is as much about democratic resilience as it is about energy. Steve Patterson explores the \u201cpolitical whiplash\u201d.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/buried-villages-fragile-democracies-coal-community-and-the-unsteady-politics-of-the-climate-transition\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Das Progressive Zentrum - EN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-26T11:16:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-26T11:18:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/dominik-vanyi-Mk2ls9UBO2E-unsplash-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"aremus\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"aremus\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"15 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/buried-villages-fragile-democracies-coal-community-and-the-unsteady-politics-of-the-climate-transition\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/buried-villages-fragile-democracies-coal-community-and-the-unsteady-politics-of-the-climate-transition\/\",\"name\":\"Buried Villages, Fragile Democracies: Coal, Community, and the Unsteady Politics of the Climate Transition - Das Progressive Zentrum - EN\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/buried-villages-fragile-democracies-coal-community-and-the-unsteady-politics-of-the-climate-transition\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/buried-villages-fragile-democracies-coal-community-and-the-unsteady-politics-of-the-climate-transition\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/dominik-vanyi-Mk2ls9UBO2E-unsplash-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-26T11:16:48+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-26T11:18:08+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/af11fb191cca3a5c152d7afa167f53c1\"},\"description\":\"The transition away from fossil fuels is as much about democratic resilience as it is about energy. Steve Patterson explores the \u201cpolitical whiplash\u201d.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/buried-villages-fragile-democracies-coal-community-and-the-unsteady-politics-of-the-climate-transition\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/buried-villages-fragile-democracies-coal-community-and-the-unsteady-politics-of-the-climate-transition\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/buried-villages-fragile-democracies-coal-community-and-the-unsteady-politics-of-the-climate-transition\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/dominik-vanyi-Mk2ls9UBO2E-unsplash-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/dominik-vanyi-Mk2ls9UBO2E-unsplash-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707,\"caption\":\"Dominik Vanyi\/Unsplash\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/buried-villages-fragile-democracies-coal-community-and-the-unsteady-politics-of-the-climate-transition\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Startseite\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Buried Villages, Fragile Democracies: Coal, Community, and the Unsteady Politics of the Climate Transition\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Das Progressive Zentrum - EN\",\"description\":\"Renewing the Promise of Progress.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/af11fb191cca3a5c152d7afa167f53c1\",\"name\":\"aremus\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/670340c5b5f5364e0b1026e446ba24fd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/670340c5b5f5364e0b1026e446ba24fd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"aremus\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/author\/aremus\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Buried Villages, Fragile Democracies: Coal, Community, and the Unsteady Politics of the Climate Transition - Das Progressive Zentrum - EN","description":"The transition away from fossil fuels is as much about democratic resilience as it is about energy. Steve Patterson explores the \u201cpolitical whiplash\u201d.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/buried-villages-fragile-democracies-coal-community-and-the-unsteady-politics-of-the-climate-transition\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Buried Villages, Fragile Democracies: Coal, Community, and the Unsteady Politics of the Climate Transition","og_description":"The transition away from fossil fuels is as much about democratic resilience as it is about energy. Steve Patterson explores the \u201cpolitical whiplash\u201d.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/buried-villages-fragile-democracies-coal-community-and-the-unsteady-politics-of-the-climate-transition\/","og_site_name":"Das Progressive Zentrum - EN","article_published_time":"2026-03-26T11:16:48+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-03-26T11:18:08+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1707,"url":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/dominik-vanyi-Mk2ls9UBO2E-unsplash-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"aremus","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"aremus","Est. reading time":"15 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/buried-villages-fragile-democracies-coal-community-and-the-unsteady-politics-of-the-climate-transition\/","url":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/buried-villages-fragile-democracies-coal-community-and-the-unsteady-politics-of-the-climate-transition\/","name":"Buried Villages, Fragile Democracies: Coal, Community, and the Unsteady Politics of the Climate Transition - Das Progressive Zentrum - EN","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/buried-villages-fragile-democracies-coal-community-and-the-unsteady-politics-of-the-climate-transition\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/buried-villages-fragile-democracies-coal-community-and-the-unsteady-politics-of-the-climate-transition\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/dominik-vanyi-Mk2ls9UBO2E-unsplash-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2026-03-26T11:16:48+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-26T11:18:08+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/af11fb191cca3a5c152d7afa167f53c1"},"description":"The transition away from fossil fuels is as much about democratic resilience as it is about energy. Steve Patterson explores the \u201cpolitical whiplash\u201d.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/buried-villages-fragile-democracies-coal-community-and-the-unsteady-politics-of-the-climate-transition\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/buried-villages-fragile-democracies-coal-community-and-the-unsteady-politics-of-the-climate-transition\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/buried-villages-fragile-democracies-coal-community-and-the-unsteady-politics-of-the-climate-transition\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/dominik-vanyi-Mk2ls9UBO2E-unsplash-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/dominik-vanyi-Mk2ls9UBO2E-unsplash-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1707,"caption":"Dominik Vanyi\/Unsplash"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/buried-villages-fragile-democracies-coal-community-and-the-unsteady-politics-of-the-climate-transition\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Startseite","item":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Buried Villages, Fragile Democracies: Coal, Community, and the Unsteady Politics of the Climate Transition"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/","name":"Das Progressive Zentrum - EN","description":"Renewing the Promise of Progress.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/af11fb191cca3a5c152d7afa167f53c1","name":"aremus","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/670340c5b5f5364e0b1026e446ba24fd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/670340c5b5f5364e0b1026e446ba24fd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"aremus"},"url":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/author\/aremus\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19416","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/50"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19416"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19416\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19420,"href":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19416\/revisions\/19420"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19416"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}