London/Quezon City – Survivors of Super Typhoon Rai – locally known as Odette – in the Philippines are suing Shell Plc for propelling the climate catastrophe with knowledge of the risks, in the first major transnational lawsuit seeking personal and property damages from an oil and gas company.
The case, the first civil claim to also directly link the climate impacts of oil and gas companies to deaths and personal injury already suffered in the Global South, will be heard in the United Kingdom under Philippines law, and is being brought on behalf of over 100 Filipinos who lost loved ones, homes, or suffered serious injuries when Rai struck in December 2021.[1]
Greenpeace Philippines Climate Campaigner Jefferson Chua said, “We’re seeing a surge of climate cases led by Global South communities – a clear sign that people will no longer let oil and gas giants like Shell profit while those who contributed least to this crisis bear the heaviest costs.”
“Odette survivors are showing extraordinary courage by demanding accountability from one of the world’s biggest climate polluters. They are seeking justice for what they have endured and fighting to protect our collective future. Shell must answer for its part in fueling the extreme weather that devastates their communities.”
The case draws on new climate attribution research which found that human-induced climate change more than doubled the likelihood of an extreme weather event like Typhoon Rai.[2] According to government authorities, Super Typhoon Odette killed more than 405 people in the Philippines, injured around 1,400, and cost the Philippines more than US$700 million in damage. [3]
The survivors argue that Shell’s historic carbon pollution worsened disasters like Super Typhoon Odette and are seeking compensation for the harm suffered from the typhoon. It is the first civil case to directly link an oil major’s polluting actions to deaths and injuries from climate impacts in the Global South.
Survivors contend that Shell — responsible for over 41 billion tonnes of CO₂e , or more than 2% of global fossil fuel emissions, according to the Carbon Majors database — cannot claim ignorance. [4] Even after Odette, the company scaled back climate commitments and expanded oil and gas investments, contradicting clear scientific guidance that no new fossil fuel development is compatible with a livable future. [5] This comes on top of a long history of industry disinformation and lobbying that delayed climate action. [6] For survivors, Shell’s recent decisions show that despite understanding the risks, Shell continued to expand its fossil fuel operations.
Shell raked in record profits of US$40 billion the year after Odette, and the company’s latest full-year profit was recorded at US$16.5 billion. [5]
Trixy Elle, one of the claimants in the case, said in Filipino, “Suing a big corporation like Shell for their role in worsening Typhoon Rai might be a tall task, but I have to think about my children’s future.”[6]
“That’s where I get my motivation to go on with the case. It’s so unfair that we have to suffer the effects of climate change even if our contribution to global pollution is so minuscule compared to Shell. Why is it that we have to shoulder the burden?”
This community-led legal action comes on the heels of the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion in respect of climate change (ICJAO), confirming that states must regulate businesses for climate harms caused by their emissions, regardless of where the harm occurs and builds upon the landmark investigation by the Philippines Commission on Human Rights on the corporate responsibility of the climate crisis of 2015-2022 .[7][8]
The Odette survivors’ case is both a call for climate justice and systemic accountability: to make polluters pay, and reclaim the Filipino people’s right to a balanced and healthy ecology.
[1] Consistent with well-established legal principles, the case will be brought in the UK courts, where the defendant is domiciled, and apply the law of the Philippines, where the harm occurred. As the case relates to actions taken by a UK-domiciled company in the UK and/or throughout their global operations rather than operations of their subsidiaries in the Philippines, the UK is the only proper legal forum for this case. While the case will be taken in the UK courts, the law applicable to the case is the law of the Philippines, according to the provisions of the Rome II Regulation, 7 as this is the country in which the damage occurred.
[2] The influence of anthropogenic climate change on Super Typhoon Odette (Typhoon Rai) and its impacts in the Philippines
Amsterdam, Netherlands – The economic potential of seabed polymetallic nodules in the South Pacific’s Cook Islands has been overstated, according to a new independent study commissioned by Greenpeace International.[1] Once costs, market factors, and technological challenges are accounted for, deep sea mining for Cook Islands nodules is more likely to incur an economic loss, the analysis indicates.
Juressa Lee, Campaigner, Greenpeace Aotearoa, said: “Deep sea mining companies that have made bold claims to try and win social licence in places like the Cook Islands are now being exposed — their sales pitch simply doesn’t add up. Scientific warnings are crystal clear: deep sea mining will damage the oceans and harm biodiversity. Millions of people across the world, including people in the Cook Islands, are concerned about the threats posed by this industry. When you add the major financial risks, it’s hard to understand why anyone is still pushing this industry at all.”
Polymetallic nodules are metal-rich rocks that sit on the deep seafloor, increasingly targeted by mining companies despite scientists’ warnings of severe ecological damage. [2]
The new report highlights several reasons why the promise of these “golden apples” — as Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown described the nodules — does not hold up. The author finds that the technologies required to extract the nodules have not been commercially demonstrated, noting that operating “at depths three times greater than the Deepwater Horizon and >15 times deeper than North Sea oil, pose significant challenges to reliable operation”. According to the author, the estimated operating costs at such depths are on a par with, or higher than, their expected market value, making commercial operations unviable.
According to this expert’s assessment, there are no single processing facilities worldwide capable of converting raw nodules into saleable metals, and building new plants and supply chains would involve major technical and financial risks. Market outlook is weakest for cobalt and manganese, the primary components of value in Cook Islands nodules. The expert finds Cook Islands nodules’ estimated market value is only US$100–140 per dry tonne, far below the level needed to support a profitable industry.
‘The release of the study comes as the deep sea mining frontrunner, Belgium’s Global Sea Mineral Resources (GSR)announces its plan to divest its interests in the Cook Islands and refocus on activities in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ). GSR intends to sell its share of the joint venture company Cobalt Seabed Resources (CSR), which was established to pursue mining in the Cook Islands. Although no buyer has been officially named, local reporting has pointed to speculation about a possible sale to American company Wetstone, a newly formed company with little public track record and who seems close to former International Seabed Authority Secretary General, Michael Lodge.[3][4][5]
Juressa Lee, Campaigner, Greenpeace Aotearoa said: “Resistance to seabed mining in the Cook Islands and across the Pacific is strong and persistent. Pacific Peoples will not be sidelined by corporations and powerful countries trying to impose this new form of extractive colonialism on the region. Alongside our allies, who want to protect the ocean for future generations, we will continue to resist wannabe miners who want to strip the seafloor, causing irreversible harm for profits that are clearly far from guaranteed.”
The future of Pacific Island nations is inextricably linked to healthy oceans — yet this future is now at risk from proposals to open the deep sea to mining, whether within national waters or in international waters. The Pacific Ocean, and the livelihoods it sustains, must be protected. Greenpeace urges coordinated action from Pacific Island governments to safeguard their own waters by putting a ban on deep sea mining, while a global moratorium at the International Seabed Authority is needed to defend the world’s largest ocean commons.
The Author: Lyle Trytten is a chemical engineer and metallurgical consultant with over three decades of global experience in sustainable battery metals, spanning R&D, project development, operations, and lifecycle and techno-economic assessments across nickel, cobalt, copper, lithium, and graphite. His expertise has been featured in The Elements of Deep Sea Mining, the Redefining Energy – Tech podcast series, and major media outlets including Bloomberg, Time, The Economist, and The Wall Street Journal. He has also informed national and international agencies and contributed to the analytical foundation of the recent RAND Corporation report on seabed mining.
Sol Gosetti, Global Media Coordinator, Stop Deep Sea Mining campaign, Greenpeace International: sol.gosetti@greenpeace.org, WhatsApp +44 (0) 7380845754
Netherlands – Greenpeace climbers hang a banner at the entrance of Hoog Catharijne shopping mall, beneath the iconic domed roof at Utrecht Central Station, reading “THIS YEAR, JUST NOTHING” to draw attention to the impact of overconsumption around Black Friday.
Brazil – Organized by the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB), a huge march brought together Indigenous people and activists in the streets of Belém, the host city of COP30. Carrying the message “We Are the Answer,” the demonstration marked “Indigenous Peoples’ Day at COP30,” promoting climate debate and the defence of the rights and territories of Indigenous peoples.
Australia – Greenpeace Australia Pacific activists have scaled and blocked the coal ship Yangze 16, bound for the world’s largest coal port, the Port of Newcastle, during the Rising Tide People’s Blockade, deploying a banner with a message to the Australian government: “Phase Out Coal and Gas”.
South Africa – Greenpeace Africa activists sent message to world leaders from Johannesburg’s Constitution Hill: #TaxTheSuperRich for people and planet! Activists are gathered at the ‘We the 99’ People’s Summit ahead of the G20.
Germany – Greenpeace activists protest for a change in the meat industry at the German meat congress in Mainz, away from a climate-damaging and animal-cruel, cheap-meat production.
Brazil – Brazilian artivist Mundano delivered, in partnership with Greenpeace a striking art installation to demand world leaders take bold action for forests at COP30. Mundano wrote the message “COP30: Rise for Forests” with transparent ink, and used ashes taken from forest fires in the Amazon to reveal the text.
Turkey – The budget discussions of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change began on 27 November. Greenpeace Türkey is calling for the budget to include measures ensuring tax and climate justice, drawing attention to the subsidies provided for fossil fuels in front of the Soma Coal Power Plant.
Brazil – Organized by the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB), a huge march brought together Indigenous people and activists in the streets of Belém, the host city of COP30. Carrying the message “We Are the Answer,” the demonstration marked “Indigenous Peoples’ Day at COP30,” promoting climate debate and the defence of the rights and territories of Indigenous peoples.
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Oslo, Norway – The newly elected Norwegian government[1] today ruled out deep sea mining licenses in Arctic waters until at least the end of 2029. The agreement to stop all exploration and exploitation of deep sea minerals was confirmed after pressure from the environmental movement and hard negotiations from the green opposition parties in Norway.
Haldis Tjeldflaat Helle, Deep Sea Mining Campaigner, Greenpeace Nordic said: “Deep sea mining in Norway has once again been successfully stopped. We will not let this industry destroy the unique life in the deep sea, not in the Arctic nor anywhere else.”
Norway will also cut all public funding for government-led mineral mapping, marking a major shift in its stance on deep-sea mining. Once one of the mining industry’s strongest proponents, the Norwegian government is now moving to halt both exploration and exploitation in its own waters.
The decision is another blow to a deep sea mining industry whose viability has come under repeated strain before even going into business. In November, Cook Islands authorities announced deep sea mining applications in the Pacific nation’s waters would be subject to five year extensions, delaying mining in the region until at least 2032.
Haldis Tjeldflaat Helle added: “This must be the nail in the coffin for the deep sea mining industry in Norway. Any government that is committed to sustainable ocean management cannot support deep sea mining. Now Norway must step up and become a real ocean leader, join the call for a global moratorium against deep sea mining, and bring forward a proposal of real protection for the Arctic deep sea.”
Louisa Casson, Deep Sea Mining Campaigner, Greenpeace International said: “Millions of people across the world are calling on governments to resist the dire threat of deep sea mining to safeguard oceans worldwide. This is yet another huge step forward to protect the Arctic, and now it is time for Norway to join over 40 countries calling for a moratorium and be a true ocean champion.”
[1] The former government parties agreed to stop the first licensing round for deep sea mining in the Arctic after an international campaign and budget negotiations with Norway’s Socialist Left party in 2024. Since then, Norway has formed a new government, and after hard negotiations from green opposition parties (the Reds, the Socialist Left Party, and the Green Party) it was clear that the pause will continue for at least another four years, a move towards ending the industry in Norway. Contacts:
Sol Gosetti, Global Media Coordinator, Stop Deep Sea Mining campaign, Greenpeace International: sol.gosetti@greenpeace.org, WhatsApp +44 (0) 7380845754
Netherlands – Greenpeace climbers hang a banner at the entrance of Hoog Catharijne shopping mall, beneath the iconic domed roof at Utrecht Central Station, reading “THIS YEAR, JUST NOTHING” to draw attention to the impact of overconsumption around Black Friday.
Brazil – Organized by the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB), a huge march brought together Indigenous people and activists in the streets of Belém, the host city of COP30. Carrying the message “We Are the Answer,” the demonstration marked “Indigenous Peoples’ Day at COP30,” promoting climate debate and the defence of the rights and territories of Indigenous peoples.
Australia – Greenpeace Australia Pacific activists have scaled and blocked the coal ship Yangze 16, bound for the world’s largest coal port, the Port of Newcastle, during the Rising Tide People’s Blockade, deploying a banner with a message to the Australian government: “Phase Out Coal and Gas”.
South Africa – Greenpeace Africa activists sent message to world leaders from Johannesburg’s Constitution Hill: #TaxTheSuperRich for people and planet! Activists are gathered at the ‘We the 99’ People’s Summit ahead of the G20.
Germany – Greenpeace activists protest for a change in the meat industry at the German meat congress in Mainz, away from a climate-damaging and animal-cruel, cheap-meat production.
Turkey – The budget discussions of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change began on 27 November. Greenpeace Türkey is calling for the budget to include measures ensuring tax and climate justice, drawing attention to the subsidies provided for fossil fuels in front of the Soma Coal Power Plant. 