In protest against the German government's economic policy, activists from the protest movement "Extinction Rebellion" have dyed the water in fountains in Dresden and numerous other cities across Germany green. According to the protest movement, fountains on Dresden's Theaterplatz and the "Schalenbrunnen" fountain on Dippoldiswalder Platz are affected in Dresden. According to the activists, the green-glowing and non-toxic dye uranine, which is used in the water industry to detect leaks in pipelines, was used. The action is intended to draw attention to what the protesters see as the overly corporate-friendly gas policy of Federal Economics Minister Katherina Reiche (CDU), who the protesters accuse of "greenwashing".
Last week, the German government's cabinet launched a draft law on the construction of new gas-fired power plants. New gas-fired power plants are intended to ensure security of supply with electricity in the course of the gradual phase-out of coal planned by 2038 and to step in as backups in future - in "dark doldrums" with low generation from solar and wind energy. The share of renewable energies in electricity consumption is set to rise to 80 percent by 2030. In the first quarter of 2026, the share was around 53 percent.
