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Carl Fechner was born in Gütersloh in 1963. After graduating from school, he joined the army and studied media pedagogics (graduation in 1980). After the NATO Double-Track Decision, Fechner became an active member of the peace movement and particularly involved with the "Darmstädter Signal", an association of officers, sergeants and civilian employees of the army. He participated in sit-ins against the stationing of nuclear missiles in the Mutlanger Heide and left the army in 1987, when he got transferred because of his activism.
From 1987 through 1989, Fechner worked as managing director of the travelling theatre Berliner Compagnie and briefly as foreign correspondent for the public broadcaster ARD during the first Golf war. In 1989, he founded the fechnerMEDIA GmbH to produce several award-winning TV documentaries and reportages, mostly concerned with sustainability and renewable energies, among them "Gesucht wird: Das Mülliardengeschäft" (1994) and "Ausgekohlt – Vom Verschwinden einer Landschaft " (2004). In 2008, he realised the documentary feature film "Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai". Fechner also co-directed a number of films, among them the 30-minutes long educational film "Strom aus der Sonne - Fotovoltaik weltweit" (2000) and "Stromquelle Meer – Die Energie der Zukunft" (2006).
In 2010, Fechner presented his first own documentary feature film "Die 4. Revolution - Energy Autonomy" about people and initiatives that make use of renewable energy. In 2016, he realised "Power to Change – Die EnergieRebellion" another film focusing on chances and options of sustainable energy generation. It won several awards at international film festivals, such as the Impact Award at the Vancouver International Film Festival. In parallel, Fechner continued to produce TV reportages and image films as well as the award-winning feature films "Passion for Planet" (2015, as co-producer) and "The Farmer and I" (2016). In winter 2018, Fechner’s documentary feature film "Climate Warriors" was released in German cinemas. The film deals with activists and environmentally-minded politicians in Germany and in the U.S., who fight for a world-wide exit from nuclear and fossil-fuel energy.
Also, in his private life Fechner promotes renewable energies through petitions and media campaigns. In 2016, Fechner co-founded Protect the Planet - Gesellschaft für ökologischen Aufbruch.