New beginnings in Lusatian coal country - Where will the billions paid for the coal phase-out go?

All interested parties are invited to this lecture and discussion evening in the central lecture hall building of the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU) at the main campus Cottbus, Audimax 1. Admission is free.

The speakers are:
- Martin Kopplin - editor at Hoferichter & Jacobs Film- und Fernsehproduktion of data journalistic projects and political documentaries,
- Olaf Jacobs - honorary professor for "Economics of Film and Television Production" at the Institute for Communication and Media Studies at the University of Leipzig and founder of Hoferichter & Jacobs Film- und Fernsehproduktion
- Martin Hoffmann - editor in the MDR editorial department for Eastern Europe and documentation.
Moderation: Prof. Dr. Frank Wätzold, BTU, Chair of Economics, in particular Environmental Economics

Lusatia has relied on coal for many years. Now the decision has been made to phase out coal by 2038. To compensate for this, 40 billion euros will be invested in the four German lignite regions over the next 15 years - entire regions will have to reinvent themselves. The MDR documentation "Behind the Abyss" shows how people in the Lusatian coalfield are experiencing the structural change. The fifth part of the documentary series "Behind the Abyss" has been online in the ARD media library since November 28, 2023. It tells the story of the inhabitants of Lusatia: How do they deal with the changes brought about by structural change, and what has changed in their lives?
The film also gave rise to the idea for an online data portal: "The trail of coal billions" illustrates where the billions from the state budget are going. This already reveals major differences in the distribution between the lignite mining regions.
Thanks to the cooperation with the Leibniz Institute for Economic Research Halle (IWH) as a scientific project partner, it is also possible to substantially assess whether the billions in payments can make the coal phase-out a success story for the people in the coalfields.

About the event
A ten-minute excerpt will provide an insight into the film. Producer Olaf Jacobs will then explain the reasons for making the documentary series. Martin Kopplin and Martin Hoffmann will present the online data project "Die Spur der Kohlemilliarden" and explain what conclusions can already be drawn from the data. In the concluding audience discussion, the three media makers will discuss both the cinematic and data journalistic perspectives with the audience.

Date: Wednesday, December 13, 2023, 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Location: Main campus of the BTU, Konrad-Wachsmann-Allee 3, Audimax 1, 03046 Cottbus

About the lecture series "Open BTU"
From October 18, 2023 to January 31, 2024, the public lecture series "Open BTU" will offer interesting insights into exciting scientific fields. In the winter semester 2023/24, the focus will be on structural change in Lusatia from different perspectives. In addition to the social perspective, the historical processes of the structural break in 1990 will be discussed, the Sorbian/Wendish culture in the current transformation process will be highlighted and different future options for the region will be presented through the scientific BTU expertise.
With this educational format, which is open to all interested parties, the University's Centre for Continuing Education supports lifelong learning and funds the transfer of knowledge and ideas in the region by addressing socially relevant issues. The BTU cooperates with other universities and institutions. Each lecture will be followed by an opportunity for questions and discussion with the speakers. Anyone interested is cordially invited to take part in the wide range of events on offer.

Link to the entire documentary series "Behind the abyss"

More about the lecture series"Open BTU"
https://www.b-tu.de/weiterbildung/offene-hochschule/open-btu