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Venice's Grand Canal Turned Green as Activists Protest; UN Climate Talks Stall in Belém

Extinction Rebellion activists dyed Venice's Grand Canal green and staged coordinated demonstrations across 10 Italian cities to spotlight the effects of climate collapse. Greta Thunberg attended a "Stop Ecocide" protest in Venice where demonstrators in red veils marched among tourists. The action coincided with UN climate talks in Belém, Brazil, which ran into overtime amid a bitter dispute over whether to explicitly mention fossil fuels in the final text.

02:22 AM, 11/23/2025Environment
Venice's Grand Canal Turned Green as Activists Protest; UN Climate Talks Stall in Belém

Climate activists with Extinction Rebellion dyed Venice's Grand Canal green on Saturday as part of coordinated demonstrations across Italy to draw attention to the growing climate emergency.

The group said it released an environmentally harmless dye into waterways in 10 Italian cities — including canals, rivers, lakes and public fountains — to highlight what it described as the "massive effects of climate collapse." Images from Venice showed demonstrators clad in red with veils, walking slowly among tourists during a "Stop Ecocide" protest attended by Greta Thunberg.

Extinction Rebellion said the green dye was also poured into the Po river in Turin, the Reno river in Bologna, the Tara river in Taranto, and into public fountains in Padova and Genoa. Organizers emphasized that the dye used was non-toxic and intended to be symbolic.

Context: UN Climate Talks in Belém

Meanwhile, delegates at a major UN climate conference in Belém, Brazil, ran into overtime with no final agreement reached. Negotiators remained divided over whether the final text should explicitly reference fossil fuels — a key point of contention that could affect the pace of emissions cuts worldwide.

At stake is an outcome that could accelerate efforts to reduce planet-warming emissions amid increasingly extreme weather linked to climate change.

"The most important global summit to define international political agreements aimed at countering climate and social collapse is drawing to a close, and once again this year, Italy has been among the countries blocking the most ambitious proposals," said activist Paola, as quoted by Extinction Rebellion. Her surname was not provided.

The demonstrations in Italy were timed to coincide with the talks in Belém and aimed to pressure governments and negotiators to adopt stronger measures to limit fossil fuel use and protect ecosystems.

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