Shockwaves have reverberated around the world in the month since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran and then Lebanon. People in the Middle East are again paying with their lives for wars fuelled by fossil interests and geopolitical power plays. 

And around the world, we feel the secondary shocks, as the fallout impacts the normal movement of people, and trade of commerce, energy, and resources. Today, we share in uncertainty, anxious about the end of the violence and the depth of the crisis, as we continue to watch horrors unfold in short-form video, and endless scroll through our days, and in nervous texts and calls from colleagues and friends.

Greenpeace is calling for an immediate end to military violence, a return to international law, and diplomatic solutions. 

Concern around the secondary impact in China of the US and Israel’s strikes on Iran is rising, as the imported inflation is causing some anxiety. The shockwaves on energy systems have felt buffered, in part by the prevalence of renewable energy in China and the widespread use of electric vehicles, which are not dependent on oil.

But overall, China’s energy mix remains fossil fuel-dependent. And this crisis has shown how dependence on fossil fuels is a risk. As illegal wars continue to devastate innocent lives, degrading the global geopolitical mandate for peace that emerged from the ashes of World War II, the fossil fuel interests that have instigated so much of the violence become increasingly volatile in any country.

How wind, solar and electric vehicles help shield China from oil price shocks

“You can’t blow up the sun,” my colleague Julien Jreissati, Programme Director at Greenpeace Middle East and North Africa, wrote in the days after the US and Israel’s first strikes.

And in China, the widespread electrification of transportation – there are more than 30 million electric vehicles (EVs) on the road in China , offsetting an approximate 430,000 barrels of gasoline every day – and expansive development of wind and solar has been clearly stabilizing. China has built more wind and solar than any other country. And recently, new planning documents have put committed focus into the advancements of a new power system that will enable them to displace reliance on fossil fuels, such as grid‑scale energy storage and smart grids.

At the pace of renewable energy growth and grid updates, China could generate 33% of electricity from renewables by 2028, and 40% of total electricity by 2030.

But this geopolitical crisis now puts China at a crossroads, putting more pressure on a decision that Beijing has delayed for some time: when to systematically leave coal behind and make renewable energy the backbone of China’s energy system.

EV boom and falling oil demand in China

The expanding electrification of transportation has decreased China’s reliance on fossil fuels.

Greenpeace East Asia has an office in Beijing, where almost one in every six vehicles on the street is a new energy vehicle. The booming of EVs has reduced fossil fuel consumption in China’s transportation sector. Since 2018, oil consumption (including gasoline and diesel) in China’s transportation sector has begun to decline, and EVs are the major driver of that trend. And it is set to accelerate. The 430,000 barrels of gasoline per day now offset by EV adoption could quadruple by 2040.

The true cost of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles is staggering, and oil price shocks underscore the continued risk of these vehicles. This is just one of a number of trends shifting consumer preference toward EVs. The skyrocketing oil prices should be a wake-up call to the automakers, too, both in China and globally.

How effective can this “clean energy shield” be in protecting China from future fossil fuel price shocks?

My answer is: yes, but China’s renewable energy transition is just kicking off, and coal presents a systemic barrier to stronger adoption of wind and solar.. 

Since 2022, increased calls for “energy security” have been paired with increased build-out of coal power plants. And today, coal still accounts for more than half of China’s energy consumption, relegating wind and solar to only 10% of consumption, even as these renewable energy sources account for 22% of total electricity generation available.

However, I see huge potential from renewable energy to replace coal. China achieved its coal power emission peak in 2025. In the same year, the total power generation from wind and solar was able to meet 100% of China’s total increase in power demand. This means that China already does not need to build more coal power to meet growing power demand. 

Dependence on coal is a critical risk. And it is clear to see that concern around this risk is shared by policymakers in the Chinese government, who have tried to decrease China’s reliance on imported coal.

One clear lesson we should see clearly in the oil price shocks that have emerged from this crisis is that dependence on limited, contested, combustible, and corrupting fossil fuels puts us at risk no matter how much we stockpile. 

Together, more renewable energy and the expanding electrification of key sectors like transportation create a shield that protects China’s economy from the fossil fuel price shocks that many other countries are living through right now. But we can also see how a cautious reliance on coal and outdated ICE automotive manufacturing can actually undermine this shield’s effectiveness.

From Iran to Europe and China, the message is the same: fossil fuel dependence is a permanent risk, and building renewable, decentralised energy systems is the only way to protect people from the next war‑driven energy shock.

Yuan Ying is the Programme Director and Chief China Representative at Greenpeace East Asia, based in Beijing.

2026 has been quite an eventful year… and it’s only been three months! By March, we have seen a huge range of climate disasters in almost every part of the Earth. People around the world feel the effects, especially in areas vulnerable to the climate crisis. From forest fires in Chile to snowstorms in Japan, from cyclone in Sri Lanka to flooding in Brazil, France, and Kenya.

Scientists have warned us for years about the link between erratic weather, extreme heat, and heavy rainfall. These are clear signs of a climate emergency. Severe climate change shows in the polar vortex, flash flooding, and extreme weather. This isn’t a coincidence; it’s a choice made by politicians and a focus for the economy.

Since February 2026, we have seen billions of dollars being poured into the war against Iran. If only we had this kind of commitment and budgets promised at UNFCCC meetings or in securing the future of the communities living under the threat of climate change. Fighting climate change means pushing for strong public policies. It also involves stopping fossil fuel expansion and investing in cities that can protect lives. Governments and companies should look beyond profits. They need to think about the millions of people impacted. We need to start rethinking our priorities and focus on what’s really urgent. NOW

This is a short visual reminder of a few climate emergencies this year.

Chile: In the 2025-2026 wildfire season alone, more than three thousand wildfires have already been recorded. Nationwide, the burned area is 193% higher than that of the previous season (2024-2025). The Ñuble, Biobío, and La Araucanía regions, among the hardest hit in southern Chile.

Indonesia – A portrait of Mariasi Aritonang in front of her home that was affected by the flash floods in Tukka Subdistrict, Central Tapanuli, North Sumatra.

Argentina: Greenpeace Andino documented forest fires in Chubut province (Patagonia, Argentina), which have already burned 30,000 hectares of forests. Greenpeace denounces the government’s negligence regarding the effects of the climate crisis.

Japan: Japan faced a deadly winter after weeks of unusually heavy snowfall across its northern regions. At least 35 people died, mostly in prefectures along the Sea of Japan coast such as Niigata, Aomori, Akita, Yamagata, and parts of Hokkaido. Many of the deaths happened during everyday activities like clearing snow from rooftops and entrances, especially among elderly residents. In Aomori, snow on the ground crossed 175 centimetres, more than double the seasonal average, breaking records set four decades ago.

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Australia: Parts of Victoria, Australia, suffered some of its worst bushfires since the Black Summer fires of 2019–20. Over 400,000 hectares are estimated to have been burnt, an area more than five times larger than Singapore. This makes it more difficult for animals to find suitable habitat outside of burnt areas in a fragmented landscape as they recover. 

France: Several French regions experienced exceptional flooding in February 2026. Following Storm Nils, the entire western half of France was under a severe rain and flood warning. Concrete streets, uprooted hedges, straightened rivers… Human activity has depleted the soil, leading to a loss of its absorption and storage capacity and further exacerbating the flooding in western France.

United States of America: A powerful winter storm in the northeastern United States forced school closures and pushed offices and transit systems to emergency schedules, with officials across the region warning of heavy snow, strong winds, and dangerous travel conditions.

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Kenya: Nairobi woke up on Saturday to streets turned to rivers, homes submerged, and families torn apart. At least 42 people have lost their lives, fathers, mothers, children, swept away in a single night of rain. Greenpeace Africa grieves with every family carrying that loss today. 

From 5 to 11 April 2026, thousands of Indigenous Peoples from across Brazil gathered in Brasilia, the capital of the country, for the 22nd Free Land Camp (ATL). This event is the largest Indigenous mobilisation in Brazil and one of the biggest in the world. It united diverse communities under a powerful message: “Our future is not for sale: the answer is us.”

For over 20 years, the Free Land Camp has become an important space for political organisation among Indigenous Peoples. Thousands gather to build alliances, make their presence visible through marches, daily assemblies on territorial rights, and ceremonies that ground the mobilisation in ancestral knowledge. Across the camp, Indigenous media teams produce their own coverage, while spaces for dialogue bring forward discussions on gender, women’s leadership and LGBTQ+ Indigenous rights. Art, music and collective expression weave through it all, making the Free Land Camp a political force as much as a cultural one.

The centre of Free Land Camp

The discussions at this year’s Free Land Camp reflected the urgency of the moment. Key issues included the demarcation of Indigenous lands, the rise of illegal mining and other harmful activities, the climate crisis and the defense of democracy. These topics are interconnected, exposing an economic model that prioritises extraction of the planet’s natural resources over the protection of vital ecosystems and short-term profits over long-term stability of climate and biodiversity.

In Brazil, illegal gold mining in Indigenous territories is a clear example of this destructive model. The activity has serious impacts to the environment, causing deforestation and poisoning rivers, a vital source of food and transportation for Indigenous People. The presence of non-Indigenous Peoples in the land also causes conflict and directly threatens the way of life of those living in the territory. The forces driving this expansion are not just local; they are linked to a global demand for resources.

A decisive year for tropical forests

The 2026 edition of the Free Land Camp takes place at a pivotal moment for tropical forests. Across the Amazon, the Congo Basin and Southeast Asia, pressure is intensifying as extractive industries like illegal gold and nickel mining, agribusiness and large-scale infrastructure continue to expand, often enabled by government support or persistent inaction.

This escalation is not only accelerating forest destruction. It is reshaping the climate and impacting millions of people. According to a 2025 study, tropical deforestation between 2001 and 2020 exposed some 345 million people around the world to local warming, significantly intensifying heat stress and, in some cases, leading to death. The study estimates that up to 28 thousand deaths each year across the tropics are already linked to these changes.

This reality stands in sharp contrast to the commitments countries have made under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Through the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, agreed in 2022, governments have pledged to halt biodiversity loss, protect at least 30 percent of land and oceans by 2030, and restore degraded ecosystems. Yet these commitments remain largely disconnected from the decisions that continue to drive deforestation and ecosystem destruction on the ground.

What is at stake is the survival of some of the world’s most biodiverse regions and the incredible fauna and flora that live there, the stability of the climate and the planet as a whole, and the lives of millions across the world. The pathways to address these crises are not abstract: they are already being practiced in territories managed and defended by Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs), through forms of governance that sustain forests and biodiversity.

What the Free Land Camp and Indigenous resistance across the world show is that the question is no longer whether solutions to the climate and biodiversity crises exist, but whether global systems are willing to support and scale those who have been protecting forests for generations.

From the margins to decision-making

Despite their vital role in protecting forests, Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) are often treated as secondary stakeholders in decisions about their territories. Their participation is limited, and access to financial resources is often stretched across multilateral spaces and national decision-making processes.

Changing this situation requires more than just inclusion. It means securing Indigenous and community land rights, recognising IPLCs as decision-makers and stewards of their territories, and ensuring they have direct access to funding that supports their livelihoods. Indigenous Peoples’ way of life has sustained forests for generations and continues to do so despite increasing pressures. In a year that will shape the future of global biodiversity action, the direction is clear: the systems that have kept forests standing must be the ones that guide what comes next. We demand the immediate legal recognition of Indigenous territories and an end to illegal gold mining in critical biomes like the Amazon rainforest.

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Jaqueline Sordi is a Comms & Media Specialist for the Tropical Forest Campaign with Greenpeace International.