Where Are All the (Green) Heroes?

Given their citizen's reputation for a 'green' lifestyle, it is somewhat surprising to learn that 6 of Europe's 10 biggest carbon polluting power stations are coal-fired establishments located in Germany (http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jul/22/europes-biggest-carbon-polluter-coal). According to the organisation 'Sandbag', these power stations annually belch out a total of around 118 M tonnes of carbon dioxide (the fact that Poland has the number one polluting location is less remarkable). The usual reasons for the reliance on coal are advanced including security of supply (not always dependable in the case of natural gas from Russia) but, given the German Government's generous subsidies for solar energy etc, the outcomes are disappointing.