BERLIN (AP) — Representatives from industry, environmental groups and unions are meeting in Berlin to discuss how and when Germany can stop using coal to generate electricity.

The government-appointed committee met for the first time Tuesday amid calls from scientists for Germany to do more to meet its goal of curbing greenhouse gas emissions.

Coal-fired power plants are a major source of carbon emissions that contribute to climate change. While Germany has ramped up the production of renewable energy, it still depends on coal for over a third of its electricity.

Greenpeace activists poured thousands of liters of yellow paint onto the roundabout at Berlin's landmark Victory Column in a bid to promote solar power over coal. Police were investigating the stunt, saying it constituted a "dangerous interference with traffic."