Wild West (Supplement) - Shrinkage and Growth

The huge energy requirements of mankind lead to landscapes left behind and strangely artificial-looking cloud formations near the lignite deposits.

At the simultaneous one can watch the big excavators shoveling the money. This is where shrinkage causes growth in other areas. The opencast mine eats its way through the villages like a caterpillar.

For the shareholders of the big energy companies the caterpillar turns out to be a butterfly at the annual general meetings. Dividends promote consumption, consumer fulfilment needs energy, energy production needs nature.

However, nature also needs growth. Is it possible that climate change is just nature's attempt to generate growth for itself?

The photographs were taken between 2005 and 2016 and are part of the series Black East Wild West.