But the villagers are not interested, said Christian Huschga, 43, a scriptwriter who moved to Atterwasch as a child and is now raising two sons here. “We aren’t interested in talking, because the minute we open the dialogue, it makes it look like we are interested in relocating, and we aren’t.”

“We want to stay here because we don’t think that it will be necessary, that we will need to dig brown coal from the earth in 20 to 40 years, when we already want to have stopped using fossil fuels. We find that schizophrenic.”

The prospect of relocating is an emotional one. A banner declaring “Atterwasch stays!” hangs over the firehouse, and a bright yellow X, a local symbol of resistance, decorates the village church, a rallying point for candlelight vigils and marches.

For now, the survival of the village has become a question of endurance, of what will last longer, the determination of residents like the Schulzes to stay or Germans’ appetite for coal.

Germany has poured billions into expanding green energy, and the government predicts that the transition could cost up to 550 billion euros ($757 billion) before it is over. So far renewable energy sources have expanded to 23 percent of the country’s supply. But the goal — 80 percent renewables by 2050 — is still a long way off.

In addition to providing enough electricity to power millions of households and industry in the region and beyond, the mining industry provides about 10,000 jobs, directly or indirectly, according to local officials. Vattenfall sponsors the local soccer and ice hockey teams, as well as an annual film festival in the main city, Cottbus, and it supports several other cultural and educational institutions.