With the energy transition towards increased use of biomass and lignite, in principle new perspectives uses are also to be expected. This requires a reorientation of future supply of raw materials and taking sustainability criteria into account. For a comparative analysis of the extraction of raw brown coal and the production of renewable resources, the overall dimensions of land use, the energy input and output, and the greenhouse gas emissions for Germany are estimated. The results presented are estimates of these effects on the basis of literature data to show scales and trends.