Kingston, Jamaica — As the International Seabed Authority (ISA) opens its 31st Session today, Greenpeace International is calling on member states to take firm and swift action if breaches by subsidiaries and subcontractors of The Metals Company (TMC) are established. Evidence compiled and submitted to the ISA’s Secretary General suggests that violations of exploration contracts may have occurred. [1][2] 

Louisa Casson, Campaigner, Greenpeace International said: “In July, governments at the ISA sent a clear message: rogue companies trying to sidestep international law will face consequences. Turning that promise into action at this meeting is far more important than rushing through a Mining Code designed to appease corporate interests rather than protect the common good. As delegations from around the world gather today, they must unite and confront the US and TMC’s neo-colonial resource grab and make clear that deep sea mining is a reckless gamble humanity cannot afford.”

The ISA launched an inquiry at its last Council meeting in July 2025, in response to TMC USA seeking unilateral deep sea mining licences from the Trump administration. If the US administration unilaterally allows mining the international seabed, it would be considered in violation of international law. 

Greenpeace International has compiled and submitted evidence to the ISA Secretary-General, Leticia Carvalho, to support the ongoing inquiry into deep sea mining contractors. This evidence shows that those supporting these unprecedented rogue efforts to start deep sea mining unilaterally via President Trump could be in breach of their obligations with the ISA.  

The analysis focuses on TMC’s subsidiaries — Nauru Ocean Resources Inc (NORI) and Tonga Offshore Mining Ltd (TOML) — as well as Blue Minerals Jamaica (BMJ), a company linked to Dutch-Swiss offshore engineering firm Allseas, one of TMC’s subcontractors and largest shareholders. The information compiled indicates that their activities may violate core contractual obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). [3] If these breaches are confirmed, NORI and TOML’s exploration contracts, which expire in July 2026 and January 2027 respectively, , the ISA should take action, including considering not renewing the contract.

Greenpeace International analysis key findings can be found in the footnotes.[2]

Letícia Carvalho has recently publicly advocated for governments to finalise a streamlined deep sea mining code this year and has expressed her own concerns with the calls from 40 governments for a moratorium.[4] At a time when rogue actors are attempting to bypass or weaken the international system, establishing rules and regulations that will allow mining to start could mean falling into the trap of international bullies. A Mining Code would legitimise and drive investment into a flagging industry, supporting rogue actor companies like TMC and weakening deterrence against unilateral mining outside the ISA framework.

Casson added: “Rushing to finalise a Mining Code serves the interests of multinational corporations, not the principles of multilateralism. With what we know now rules to mine the deep sea cannot coexist with ocean protection. Governments are legally obliged to only authorise deep sea mining if it can demonstrably benefit humanity – and that is non-negotiable. As the long list of scientific, environmental and social concerns with this industry keeps growing, what is needed is a clear political signal that the world will not be intimidated into rushing a mining code by unilateral threats and will instead keep moving towards a moratorium on deep sea mining.” 

ENDS

Photos are available in the Greenpeace Media Library.

Notes:

[1] The 31st Session of the International Seabed Authority https://isa.org.jm/sessions/31st-session-2026

[2] Greenpeace briefing (March 2026). Inquiry On Potential Breaches By ISA Contractors https://www.greenpeace.org/static/planet4-international-stateless/2026/03/40094db7-isa_contractors_greenpeace_international.pdf

Key findings:

 – Following TMC USA’s application to mine the international seabed unilaterally, NORI and TOML have amended their agreements to provide payments to Nauru and Tonga, respectively, if US-authorised commercial mining goes ahead. This sets up their participation in a financial mechanism predicated on mining in contradiction to UNCLOS.

 – NORI and TOML have signed intercompany intellectual property and data-sharing agreements with TMC USA, and the data obtained by NORI and TOML under the ISA exploration contracts has been key to facilitating TMC USA’s application under US national regulations. 

 – Just a few individuals hold key decision-making roles across the TMC and all relevant subsidiaries, making claims of independent management ungrounded. NORI, TOML, and TMC USA, while legally distinct, are managed as an integrated corporate group with a single, coordinated strategy under the direct control and strategic direction of TMC.

[3] The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea https://www.un.org/depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/unclos_e.pdf 

[4] Deep Sea Conservation Coalition: countries against deep sea mining https://deep-sea-conservation.org/solutions/no-deep-sea-mining/momentum-for-a-moratorium/

Contacts:

Sol Gosetti, Media Coordinator for the Stop Deep Sea Mining campaign, Greenpeace International: sol.gosetti@greenpeace.org, +34 633 029 407

Greenpeace International Press Desk, +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours), pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org

Greenpeace around the world taking action, Indigenous communities defending their land from the Indonesian government, a Monumental Kite festival and many other great moments. Here are a few of our favorite images from Greenpeace work this week. Comment below which you like best!

Indonesia – Members of Chesa Selasa x The Freak Show performed during Indonesian musician Kunto Aji’s appearance at the 2026 Urup Festival “Welcoming the First Sun of 2026.” Greenpeace Indonesia collaborated with the Urup Festival to provide solar panel installations for electricity needs in the visitor camping area as a tangible form of clean energy transition.

Indonesia – Malind Indigenous plaintiff Sinta Gebze delivers legal documents to a staff member at the Administrative Court (PTUN) in Jayapura, Papua.

Members of the Malind Indigenous community have filed a lawsuit challenging the environmental feasibility permit for the planned construction of a 135-kilometer access road, issued by the Regent of Merauke, at the Jayapura Administrative Court (PTUN).

Spain – Greenpeace activists join solidarity activities in response to the judgment of the Energy Transfer SLAPP (Strategic lawsuit against public participation) case against the organization.

Energy Transfer’s SLAPPs (Strategic lawsuit against public participation) are part of a wave of abusive lawsuits filed by Big Oil companies like Shell, Total, and ENI against Greenpeace entities in recent years

France – On the lock, in kayaks and zodiacs, Greenpeace France activists unfurl a large banner reading: EDF <3 Putin, as well as other banners reading: EDF stop toxic contracts, Rosatom = war crime, Rosatom = toxic contracts, Solidarity with Ukrainians and EU Sanctions = false promises.

Mexico – Greenpeace Mexico held its Monumental Kite Festival for the Oceans, this time at Princess Beach in the port of Acapulco.

Through the display of a set of 20 monumental kites, and accompanied by the enthusiastic presence of families, tourists, and local residents, the Festival’s objective was to create a space to raise awareness among the general public about the value of these ecosystems and the importance of strengthening collective efforts to protect them in the critical context of climate change.

Belgium – European Parliament screening of the documentary GASLIT with community members Melanie Oldham and Sharon Wilson.
The documentary by Greenpeace USA, featuring Academy Award-winning actor and activist Jane Fonda, won Best Documentary at this year’s Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

Greenpeace has been a pioneer of photo activism for more than 50 years, and remains committed to bearing witness and exposing environmental injustice through the images we capture.

To see more Greenpeace photos and videos, visit our Media Library.

I am living through my fourth war in my four decades on this planet.

Beyond the raw, immediate impact my family and I in Lebanon, and countless others are experiencing on the ground, I am watching a deeper crisis unfold at the global level.

Headlines are increasingly dominated by soaring oil and gas prices and market volatility. When the global economy is dependent on a centralised, combustible resource, missiles do more than just cut off power or disrupt shipping. They rock the very foundation of global stability.

When the global economy is dependent on a centralised, combustible resource, missiles do more than just cut off power or disrupt shipping. They rock the very foundation of global stability.

The current crisis is a tragic, undeniable argument for why we must accelerate the transition to Renewable Energy. 

Renewables for resilience, independence and defence

This isn’t just about carbon emissions or climate targets. It’s about resilience, security, and survival.

Here is why a decentralised, renewable-led transition is a path toward vital protection and economic security:

1. Strengthening the grid: You cannot “blow up” the sun. It is incredibly difficult to disable a decentralised network of millions of rooftop solar panels. Distributed energy is inherently more resilient to sabotage than a handful of massive, vulnerable thermal plants.
2. Ending energy dependency: Conflict brings blockades and supply chain collapses. A country that produces its own power from its own sun and wind cannot be held hostage by disrupted shipping lanes or volatile oil markets.
3. Economic sovereignty: As prices soar, nations relying on imported fuels face crippling inflation. Transitioning to local renewables acts as a “hedge” against war driven shocks, keeping costs predictable for families when they are most vulnerable.
4. Decentralisation as defence: By removing “single points of failure”, we ensure that hospitals, schools, and homes can maintain power even if the national grid is compromised.

Not just energy goal but security imperative

We’ve long advocated for energy sovereignty, but the current situation proves this isn’t a “green” luxury. It is a strategic necessity.

The transition to renewables is often framed as a climate goal. But in a region where stability is fragile, it is also a security imperative. 

We need to build energy systems that are as resilient as the people who rely on them. Renewables are the best (and much needed) way to make that happen. 

Julien Jreissati is Programme Director at Greenpeace Middle East and North Africa, based in Lebanon.

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The City of Johannesburg, South Africa’s economic capital and most densely populated city, is experiencing a water shortage which has seen residents bathing in public in protest. The only thing more ludicrous than the lengths fellow citizens have had to go to try and resolve the matter is the Marie Antoinette-esque response from officials who say that they too are impacted by this shortage, and have even had to “go to a certain hotel to bathe” to navigate the situation.

Some of our city’s suburbs have experienced disruptions to domestic water supply for weeks at a time, and city officials warn of even worse times ahead. It is hard to imagine that taps are running dry in the country when just a month ago, the region experienced one of the worst floods in its recorded history. So this isn’t simply about “running out of water.” It’s about climate stress meeting weak systems and the most vulnerable communities paying the price.

Water everywhere, but not a drop to drink 

A Red Level 10 storm in southeastern Africa reportedly saw hundreds of thousands from Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe displaced and hundreds dead. Residents from one of South Africa’s villages most impacted by the floods, Mbaula Village, Limpopo province, described the water arriving “with a roar; not a rise, but a wall that gave no warning”. But, despite all of that rain in the region, and dams servicing the city reportedly sitting at 100 percent capacity, water restrictions persist.  

Civil society groups argue that Johannesburg’s water crisis was not primarily caused by drought but by chronic infrastructure neglect, the resulting massive water losses, governance failures at Joburg Water, and poor coordination between authorities. Burst pipes around the city are rife. But despite President Cyril Ramaphosa’s attempts to upscale repairs and maintenance ahead of last year’s G20 meeting hosted there, continuous heavy showers during the subsequent rainy season have not only undone a lot of these patchwork repairs but have also delayed many structural repairs from going ahead.

Very often we think of climate impacts as the dramatic ruin that results from floods, fires and droughts. But the slow and silent ways that climate change chips away at the fabric of our cities frequently goes unnoticed. Southern Africa is currently experiencing a rainy season super-charged by the climate crisis and La Niña. While Johannesburg may not have flooded to the extent of its northern neighbours Mpumalanga and Limpopo, recent continuous showers have accelerated its infrastructural woes. Until planners address this breadth of climate impacts communities will continue to be left in the lurch. 

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When the math isn’t mathing 

Despite general awareness of the climate crisis, and tools developed by scientists to help us anticipate and navigate the destruction it brings, there is often a disconnect in understanding the immediacy and severity of the local risks we face. Perhaps not surprising when on the global stage it is positioned by many decision-makers as a problem for tomorrow (and not a problem at all, by others). 

When South African Weather Services issued a Red Level 10 warning for the storm that would eventually destroy many homes and lives, many people stayed put because they could not fathom the extent of the destruction that would ensue. Even South African government officials reportedly ignored the warning, and only started evacuation efforts once the storm hit. This speaks to a much deeper gulf between people and the science that could protect us. 

As water woes rise, vulnerabilities deepen

Experts are now warning of the possibility of a malaria outbreak in flood-affected communities across southern Africa. Drinking water has reportedly become contaminated with flood water, which scientists warn could lead to a cholera outbreak. Having to deal with illness threatens to further marginalise those trying to rebuild their lives with limited resources and insufficient access to healthcare. Globally, the UN has warned that freshwater reserves are shrinking due to rising temperatures and mismanagement. South Africa is feeling that pressure acutely. 

Given the South African government’s delayed response to the flood warnings, one might excuse any cynicism in their ability to proactively deal with the cascading issues to come in its aftermath. South Africa’s water crises show what happens when climate stress meets aging systems. It also demonstrates an urgent need for climate adaptation. 

The lesson here is clear: climate resilience must be built into water infrastructure before a crisis hits. At the same time we must hasten the transition away from polluting and water-hungry industries that are driving us deeper into environmental crises – and embrace sustainable water and energy systems for all.

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Thirsty for AI

We’re also seeing a worrying disconnect between decision-making and science as we witness South Africa’s AI data centre boom. Despite President Ramaphosa’s acknowledgement of the water crisis as a national issue, water guzzling industries like AI data centres seem to be rapidly spreading in the country. 

Even the simplest ChatGPT prompt costs roughly one bottle of drinking water to cool down electronic systems at these facilities, according to a Washington Post study with the University of California. 

A recent Greenpeace East Asia report found that AI-related carbon emissions are soaring, with electricity consumption for AI chip manufacturing increasing over 350% in recent years. Not only is AI depleting our water supplies, but its growing contribution to the climate crisis threatens to further exacerbate the situation by worsening climate impacts. 

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The climate crisis is not a thing of tomorrow. We see it in the increased frequency and severity of extreme weather disasters around the world. But, we also see it in the slow and steady collapse of the world around us. To respond effectively requires urgent, concerted effort. 

Only when we see reckless pursuit of profit for what it truly is, can we understand the constant risk that greedy corporations put us in. And what they carelessly take away from us every day. And, maybe then we’d be more selective of the industries we let in.