by InTrieste
Environmental activists from Extinction Rebellion briefly turned the waters of the Ponterosso Canal bright green on Saturday, part of a coordinated demonstration calling for what the group described as “climate and social justice.”
The activists used fluorescein, a dye authorities say is non-toxic and poses no environmental risk. A similar protest took place in Venice, where the group dyed a section of the Canal Grande.
Police in Trieste brought eight individuals to the local station for identification following the action.
In a statement, Extinction Rebellion said the protest sought to “stop ecocide” and denounced what it called the Italian government’s “ecocidal policies.” The group accused national leaders of failing to pursue meaningful action to prevent climate collapse.
Italy and Poland were the only European Union countries to oppose including a commitment to phase out fossil fuels in a draft agreement circulated at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, the statement noted. The climate conference is expected to conclude with an agreement that observers say is likely to fall short of what is needed to limit global warming and mitigate its most severe effects.
