In October 2022, the federal government and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia announced that RWE would phase out coal mining in the region by 2030, but Lützerath would still be demolished.

[3] In 2013, the Federal Constitutional Court ruled in favour of the expansion of the Garzweiler surface mine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, between Aachen and Düsseldorf.

Energy company RWE planned to remove more than 600 million tons of it by opencast mining, which would necessitate the permanent destruction of several villages.

[8][9] In March 2022, the court ruled that RWE could proceed with the mining and was entitled to demolish the village, so Heukamp left his farm.

A climate activist won 50,000 euros on a television show and pledged to spend the money buying up land in the village.

[12] In October 2022, the federal government and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia announced that RWE would phase out coal mining in the region by 2030.

[3] Following the French tactic of Zone to Defend, the occupiers declared Lützerath to be ZAD Rhineland and organised a festival under the slogan "Alle Dörfer BLEIBEN!

[19][20][21] On 17 January 2023, climate activist Greta Thunberg was arrested by German police while participating in a protest against demolishing the town for a coal mine expansion.