Greenpeace has given new meaning to a statue in New Zealand, occupied an airport for 36 hours, and celebrated Valentine’s Day with a political march. Here are a few of our favourite images from Greenpeace work this week. Comment below which you like best!

New Zealand – Greenpeace Aotearoa turned the iconic Rakaia salmon statue into a cartoon-style ‘dead fish’, adding crosses for eyes and a speech bubble reading ‘Fonterra killed my family’, in a protest over dairy industry pollution. The town of Rakaia had recently made headlines after a local fishing competition announced that they would no longer be competing over fish size due to the drop in salmon numbers. Instead, anyone who caught a fish would be entered into a raffle for prizes.

The Netherlands – Activists from Greenpeace Netherlands occupy the main terminal of Lelystad Airport, Netherlands. The group is calling on the new government to cancel plans for opening the airport to commercial leisure traffic.

Closing Lelystad Airport creates space for something much better. The activists are visualising this through an artwork made of Post-its in the main building. On these Post-its, alternative plans for the airport are written, submitted by people via an idea box.

France – Greenpeace France proclaims its love for places embodying values ​​threatened by the rise of the far right.

One month before the municipal elections of 15 and 22 March 2026 (a crucial vote for the future of local solidarity), Greenpeace France volunteers mobilised on Valentine’s Day to publicly affirm their commitment to places essential to local life: spaces of solidarity, culture, rights, and ecology.

They aim to raise public awareness of a major political issue: the rise of the far right and its concrete consequences on local life.

The volunteers went to Place de l’Amarre and the Grand Marché in Toulon to talk with passersby.

Italy – On the day of the first meeting of the ‘Board of Peace’ for Gaza, Amnesty International Italy and Greenpeace Italy brought a giant screen in front of government building (Palazzo Chigi) and the Ministry of Defense (Farnesina Palace), displaying images of Israeli bombings since last October’s ceasefire agreement, to denounce the continued violations of the truce in the Gaza Strip. The screen also displayed messages such as: ‘Does this look like a truce to you?’, ‘130 days of ceasefire, 600 Palestinians killed’, and the demands of ‘Enough weapons to Israel’ and ‘Stop the genocide in Gaza’ addressed to the Meloni government and the international community.

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.

On 24 February 2026, the world marks the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. While global headlines are filled with news about negotiations and attempts to inspire hope for peace, the Greenpeace Ukraine office is experiencing Russia’s so-called “peaceful intentions” firsthand. For several months now, staff members have had only a few hours of electricity and heating per day, often without hot water, without the ability to use elevators, or to cook meals for themselves and their children.

From day one, Russia’s colonial war has been aimed at destroying Ukraine’s existence as an independent and sovereign state with its own culture and language, deliberately targeting  civilians, homes, cities, and critical infrastructure. Today, in the 12th year of Russia’s war and the fourth year of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine is facing the deepest energy crisis in its history – a crisis deliberately and systematically created by Russian attacks.

Energy grid strikes are no accident

Since the start of 2026 alone, 217 attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have been reported. In January Russia fired more than 6,000 attack drones, around 5,500 guided aerial bombs, and 158 missiles of various types at infrastructure. Thermal power plants, substations, and district heating facilities are repeatedly targeted by Russian missiles and drones. 

These strikes are not accidental – they are part of a deliberate strategy of energy collapse. The goal is simple: to leave people without light, heat, and water, to turn winter into another front of the war, and to force Ukraine to surrender.

While repairs continue, frequent power disruptions leave many families in freezing conditions in the coldest winter in more than a decade. In many Ukrainian cities with district heating systems, electricity is supplied for only a few hours a day, often at night. Businesses, hospitals, schools, and public spaces are forced to operate at the edge of their capacity or shut down altogether, as diesel generators cannot sustain 12–15 hours of continuous operation. At the same time, air raid sirens, drones, and missiles have become the background of everyday life for millions of people.

We need a decentralised and renewable energy system

It is precisely in this darkness that Ukraine has gained a very clear understanding: a centralised energy system based on nuclear generation, Russian gas, and fossil fuels is highly vulnerable to war. By contrast, decentralised renewable energy solutions with energy storage save lives.

During Russia’s war against Ukraine it became clear that green technologies are no longer just about climate, environmental protection, or cost savings. In Ukraine, they have become a matter of survival, security, and resilience. Decentralised solar panels, heat pumps, batteries, and autonomous power systems have proven their effectiveness in the most extreme conditions. They work when the centralised grid is destroyed. They are harder to eliminate with a single strike and much faster to install or replace. They provide heat, light, and water where it may seem that nothing is left.

Patients in hospitals and outpatient clinics can receive vaccinations and medical care on time. Children in schools and kindergartens have alternative power for learning and for staying in shelters – they can wait out danger in warmth and light. Residents of multi-apartment buildings have reliable heat from the energy of the earth. Green solutions are already working today, offering support and hope in extremely difficult times.

Green energy solutions are generating hope

That is why Greenpeace CEE continues to work in Ukraine during the war. We remain here because this work is critically important right now. Since 2022, our international team, together with local communities, partners, and donors, has been implementing renewable energy projects – from solar systems for medical facilities to comprehensive solutions for communities.

One of the most striking examples is the green reconstruction of a multi-apartment building in Trostyanets – a city near the Russian border that suffered occupation and destruction. Today, this building is the first multi-apartment residential building in Ukraine where both space heating and hot water supply are provided exclusively by heat pumps. For us, this is not just a restored building. It is a practical model of Ukraine’s future energy system – decentralised, resilient, and secure. 

Towards energy security and peace

Ukraine’s experience clearly demonstrates that renewable energy is not something for “after the war” or “when things get better.” It is a solution that must be implemented during war if we want to protect people and reduce society’s vulnerability to violence and authoritarianism. Every solar panel, every heat pump, every battery energy storage system is a step towards energy security, independence, and peace.

We believe that Ukraine’s future is green, just, and safe. That is why we stay here, work here, and will continue to do so – together with people who prove every day that even in the darkest times, it is possible to build light.

At the same time, we call on the entire world:

• Stop consuming and buying Russian gas – it fuels war and killing.
  
• Stop doing business with the nuclear blackmailer Rosatom – it must not build new nuclear power plants in Europe and must be punished with sanctions.
  
• Increase pressure on Russia’s shadow fleet so that it cannot finance new missiles and drones.

Today, every country, every government, and every conscious individual can help bring real peace closer.

The campaign to end fossil fuel sponsorship of the Olympic Games has escalated rapidly in recent weeks, placing the International Olympic Committee (IOC) under growing public pressure.

It began with a simple question: How can a company whose core business is fuelling the climate crisis, sponsor the Winter Olympics, an event that depends on stable snow and ice?

Greenpeace Italy launched a satirical video exposing the contradiction at the heart of Eni’s sponsorship of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. Eni is one of the biggest oil and gas companies in the world. 

It highlighted the absurdity of a fossil fuel giant associating itself with winter sport while its emissions contribute to shrinking snow seasons and melting glaciers. 

It struck a chord. The video, which generated over 3.5 million views across digital platforms, was shared by professional athletes Swedish skier Emelie Forsberg and British ultra runner Damian Hall, and triggered widespread international media coverage.

Talking FACTS, not feelings 

The satire is backed up by science. As things are, by the 2080s more than half of suitable locations will be unable to host the Winter Olympics, according to a rigorous 2024 scientific study commissioned by the IOC. 

Eni’s annual fossil fuel emissions could melt enough glacier ice to fill 2.5 million Olympic swimming pools, according to research that shows that for every 1 kg of CO2  we put into the air, we eventually lose about 15.8 kg of glacier ice.

Shortly after the video release, Greenpeace Italy took the message to the streets of Milan. In Piazza Duomo, activists installed Olympic Rings appearing to drip oil. The visual was stark and deliberate. The Olympic Rings should represent excellence and respect. Instead, they are being used to soften the image of a company whose business model depends on expanding oil and gas production. The installation again drew extensive global media attention.

At the same time, Ski Fossil Free, led by Norwegian skier and filmmaker Nikolai Schirmer, delivered a petition with more than 21,000 signatures, including Olympians, to the IOC. Separately, a campaign led by athletes by For Future Games called for an end to fossil fuel sponsorship. Greenpeace supporters have also mobilised in large numbers, adding their voices to the demand through a petition.

When the issue was raised directly with IOC President Kirsty Coventry at a daily press briefing, rather than engaging with the substance of the concerns, Coventry responded with general statements that the IOC is always trying to do better and that she welcomes athletes having a voice.

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Welcoming athletes’ voices is not the same as responding to them. Athletes, fans and winter communities are asking the IOC to end partnerships that allow fossil fuel corporations to use the Olympic brand as a tool for greenwashing. To sidestep that request while praising participation is not leadership. It diminishes the severity of the concerns being raised.

Eni’s history of greenwashing 

Eni’s role in the climate crisis is real and undisputed by anyone not in the pocket of Big Oil. Oil and gas corporations like Eni reportedly spend tens of millions of dollars on sporting sponsorships to distract from the environmental damage caused by their operations. 

Greenpeace Italy is currently being sued by Eni after stating that the company harms people. That statement was based on a Greenpeace Netherlands calculation that Eni’s self reported 2022 emissions could cause 27,000 excess deaths due to increased temperature alone before the end of the century. Instead of addressing the evidence, Eni has turned to legal intimidation.

Against this backdrop, fossil fuel sponsorship of the Winter Games makes a mockery of the Olympic values of respect for people and the environment. The climate crisis is already placing mountain communities and winter tourism under strain. The ski industry supports millions of livelihoods across Europe, and 60 million Europeans ski each year. Without a rapid transition away from fossil fuels, winter sports face an existential threat.

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Public concern is not limited to a single action. In Milan, Greenpeace Italy joined a broad coalition of civil society groups at a protest rally highlighting the unsustainable nature and climate impact of the Games. Greenpeace’s message from that demonstration was clear: ‘Protect the integrity of the Olympics. Do not allow them to become a platform for polluters.’

Stop Eni’s Olympics sponsorship

From the outset, Greenpeace International and Greenpeace Italy have offered the IOC a constructive path forward sending them an open letter. The Olympic movement has previously shown leadership by banning tobacco advertising. It can do so again by ending fossil fuel sponsorship across all Olympic and Paralympic Games. The IOC occupies a unique position of global influence. Choosing integrity over greenwashing would send a powerful signal far beyond sport.

Oilympics: The Games on Thin Ice

Fossil fuel companies are greenwashing their image by sponsoring big sporting events to hide their destruction. Don’t let them get away with it.

Add your name

Eni is responsible for its pollution. But the IOC is responsible for the partners it chooses. By continuing to accept fossil fuel sponsorship, it risks becoming complicit in polishing the public image of companies whose core business threatens the future of the very Games they sponsor. The question now is simple: Will the IOC listen to athletes, fans and scientists and end fossil fuel sponsorship? Or will it continue to shelter planet heating corporations behind the Olympic Rings?

Martin Zavan is a freelance communications specialist with Greenpeace International, based in Sydney, Australia.

This blog was edited on 19 February 2026 to reflect that the ‘Oilympics’ video garnered over 3.5 million views and not nearly 7 million views as originally reported.

New York, United States – As the fourth round of UN Tax Convention negotiations concluded on Friday, governments face a defining choice: seize this once-in-a-generation opportunity to reform global tax rules so they work for people and planet – or retreat to defending systems that are failing to deliver fairness, justice and adequate revenues for combating the most pressing challenges of today.[1]

Nina Stros, Global Senior Policy Expert at Greenpeace International’s Political Unit, said: 

“This round of UN Tax Convention negotiations saw the liveliest debates so far on reforming global tax rules to enhance climate action, sustainable development and hold the super-rich to account. It’s clear that the game is now on for securing a strong outcome on taxing the world’s biggest polluters.

“As fossil fuel-driven floods, storms and hurricanes hit more and more countries, and inequality widens as the world approaches its first trillionaire, negotiators are starting to wake up to the huge opportunity. The UN Tax Convention is a once-in-a-generation chance to shift investment away from polluting activities, redistribute wealth, and raise hundreds of billions for climate resilience and public services – without adding to the tax burdens of citizens and consumers.”

Greenpeace International’s key takeaways from INC-4:

• Supportive countries must now come together as part of a high-ambition coalition to put forward tangible proposals to strengthen the Convention text on sustainable development and the commitment on taxation of high-net-worth-individuals (HNWIs), as well as rally others to get on board. This must be matched by much stronger support, particularly from European countries, on the issue of reallocating taxing rights, which is crucial for clamping down on corporate tax dodging and boosting public revenues in most countries. 

• Concerns around transparency also continued through the talks this month as civil society groups remain locked out of key online intersessional meetings,  despite the Terms of Reference mandating openness and inclusivity. Given what’s at stake, these sessions must be opened up to observers, enabling scrutiny and accountability – especially in light of the threat that not all written submissions by countries will be made public. The Chair and Secretariat also now need to put forward bracketed text options reflecting verbal and written submissions from countries, to enable more detailed discussions in the coming months.

“Action on fair global tax rules that hold polluters to account is a no-brainer. Countries are losing  hundreds of billions of dollars each year to multinational and super-rich profit shifting. This action is also hugely popular with the public across right and left-wing voters, as extensive polling has shown. Governments must not settle for vague language that protects the status quo, a fair and sustainable economy is at stake,” Stros adds.

The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) Fifth Session will be from 3 to 13 August 2026 in New York.

ENDS

Notes

[1] New global tax rules in an UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation are being negotiated until 2027. It aims to take control of global tax rules from the rich OECD countries and place it in the hands of the 193 member states of the United Nations. 

Contacts

Lee Kuen, Global Comms Lead – Fair Share campaign, Greenpeace International. +601112527489, lkuen@greenpeace.org

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

In Brazil, there is an interesting myth: if you jump seven little waves during New Year’s Eve and ask for your wishes for the following year to come true, Iemanjá – an Orixá, a divine spirit or deity in the Yoruba religion of West Africa that is also part of Afro-Brazilian spiritual traditions – will bring you good energy to the year that is about to begin.

So here’s our own wishlist for global ocean protection in 2026:

1. Strong outcomes for the first Oceans COP

The Global Oceans Treaty came into force on 17 January, after reaching the required 60 ratifications.

The treaty agreement creates a legal framework to protect marine ecosystems in international waters and will allow, for example, the creation of marine protected areas and environmental impact studies of economic activities in the high seas.

The first Oceans Conference of the Parties (COP) in the next year is an opportunity to transform intentions into plans and concrete priorities as part of a global plan. The scientific and environmental community will continue to apply pressure in the lead up that this first COP speeds up the conservation of highly vulnerable ecosystems.

2. Real proposals for protecting the South Atlantic Ocean

Part of the challenge of protecting the oceans is the amplification of marine protected areas on a global scale, a compromise agreed upon by countries when establishing the goal to protect at least 30% of oceans by 2030.

In the South Atlantic Ocean, a strategic region for climate balance and marine biodiversity, this need becomes even more urgent. Along with having fragile ecosystems and fundamental migration routes, the area is profoundly connected to the lives of peoples who depend on the seas, whose traditional ways, knowledge and culture are inseparable from the ocean.

3. Attention to coastal region elections 

Governments need to monitor and regulate activities such as fishing, tourism and environmental licencing on coastal regions. The oceans agenda must be integrated into critical 2026 elections to safeguard the public policies that take in consideration the ways of life of coastal communities, and their public health along with climate adaptation.

In 2026, there will be various elections in about 60 countries around the world – some of them being general elections, as in Brazil and New Zealand, and others more specific, like in Colombia and the United States. Public policies directly influence ocean protection, including mangroves conservation, and reefs and beaches that are fundamental to the effective implementation of action towards ocean conservation. 

4. Suspension of the licence in the Amazon river mouth

Oil exploitation in the Amazon river mouth has demonstrated real environmental risks. In January 2026, less than 3 months after the concession of the licence, a drilling fluid leak was registered during Petrobras activities. Although the Brazilian company confirmed that the material was under the limits of low toxicity, the incident has been taken to the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels to request formal clarifications.

Greenpeace Brazil has teamed up with eight other civil society organisations and networks from the Brazilian environmental, Indigenous, Quilombola, and artisanal fishing movements to take legal action in Amapá, an Amazon State, to cancel this licence, defending the precaution principle and  the need to listen to local communities and the protection of one of the most sensitive marine ecosystems of the planet.

5. No mining in deep sea waters

In 2026, the International Seabed Authority (ISA) meeting in March may finalise rules that lead to the development of deep sea mining, an activity capable of causing irreversible damage to ecosystems that humans do not even yet understand. This will be a critical moment to reinforce the growing ask from countries in favour of the mining moratorium in deep ocean waters, as the US government already threatens to authorise The Metals Company permission to begin to exploit the Pacific Ocean, bypassing ISA discussions.

6. Combating plastic pollution in the oceans

Countries must make good use of these political spaces to cement decisions based on science while holding the cultural values that the ocean represents to coastal region people and the protection of marine biodiversity.

Plastic pollution is recognised as one of the major threats to marine ecosystems, affecting human and ocean’s health. While finalisation of the Global Plastic Treaty, an agreement that will provide guidelines for confronting this kind of global pollution, was suspended last year, governments will need to reach a strong agreement when talks resume later this year. 

7. More space for whales to sing and to live

The protection of the oceans needs to guarantee that whales have a safe space to sing, to migrate, to reproduce and to raise their calves. These giants of the ocean not only face historic hunting and plastic pollution, but also much bigger risks such as deep sea mining. For decades, Greenpeace has been acting to defend the whales and their habitats.

In 2026, we will keep supporting and strengthening action to protect international waters. Protecting whales is protecting the balance of the oceans, marine life as a whole and promoting a more respectful relationship between people and planet.

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Taís Terra is a Campaigner with Greenpeace Brazil.

The Grim Reaper at the Washington Post, a mobilisation against pesticides and many more actions around the world. Here are a few of our favourite images from Greenpeace work this week. Comment below which you like best!

The Netherlands – Activists from Greenpeace Netherlands occupy the main terminal of Lelystad Airport, Netherlands. The group is calling on the new government to cancel plans for opening the airport to commercial leisure traffic.

United States – Days after the Washington Post fired 300 journalists, including 14 full-time climate reporters, a Greenpeace activist dressed up as Jeff Bezos, the owner of the paper, stands in front of their flagship building on K Street in downtown Washington, DC.  Bezos, one of the richest men in the world, also owns Amazon and AWS.   Critics denounced Bezos cutting news and investigative staff while retaining its masthead slogan, “Democracy Dies in Darkness.”

Gambia – The first day of public opening of the Arctic Sunrise took place on 5 February 2026 in Banjul, The Gambia. The day was marked by an official ceremony held on board, bringing together Gambian authorities, institutional partners, and representatives of civil society to mark the vessel’s arrival in Gambian waters.

Germany – During the Munich Security Conference, Greenpeace activists protest with larger-than-life sculptures of US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Marienplatz in Munich.

The two heads of government stand on a 10-metre-long model of a gas tanker with the words ‘Fossil Gas’ written on its side. Greenpeace activists hold banners reading ‘Safe energy instead of gas dependency’ and ‘Break Free From Tyrants’.

France – 1,500 citizens, farmers, scientists, healthcare professionals, agrochemical victim collectives, and civil society organizations gathered in Paris to denounce the environmental and health setbacks caused by current agricultural policies, particularly the Duplomb Law being debated in the National Assembly.

The citizen mobilisation continued with the “Cancer Anger” Citizen Choir and speeches by representatives of the associations, collectives, and organizations present.

The Netherlands – Activists from Greenpeace Netherlands occupy the main terminal of Lelystad Airport, Netherlands. The group is calling on the new government to cancel plans for opening the airport to commercial leisure traffic.

Germany – Greenpeace activists protest with the message ‘Break Free From Tyrants’ on a 90-square-metre banner on a crane in the early morning hours near the Munich Security Conference. The reason for the protest is Europe’s dependence on liquefied natural gas supplies from Russia and the United States. Both US President Trump and Russian President Putin use energy supplies as a means of exerting pressure.

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.

Munich, Germany – Today, Greenpeace activists from Germany are protesting the EU’s growing dependence on US gas just as the Munich Security Conference is kicking off. With US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expected to attend the conference, activists unfurled a 15×6 metre banner reading “Break free from tyrants” atop a tower crane. On Marienplatz, only a stone’s throw from the conference site, other activists inflated 10-metre-long representations of Putin and Trump sitting on a gas tanker, to symbolise Europe’s dependence on fossil fuel imports from tyrants.

Since 2022, EU-headquartered companies have signed an estimated €190-€210 billion worth of US liquefied gas contracts, according to calculations by Greenpeace International.[1] Many of these contracts have a duration far beyond 2035, the year by which the European Union (EU) must completely phase out fossil gas in order to avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis.[2] As an average of two tankers carrying liquefied gas from the United States (US) arrive in Europe every day, European countries already spent an estimated €2.8 billion on US gas since the start of the year.[3] Greenpeace urges leaders to cut Trump gas dependency and develop the EU’s energy security through homegrown renewable energy.

Lisa Göldner, fossil fuel campaigner from Greenpeace Germany:

“We are here today to highlight a very concrete security threat for Europe: its energy import dependency, and its growing reliance on gas from the US. Just as the EU is finally moving away from Russian gas imports, it risks replacing one unreliable gas dealer for another. The more Europe depends on the United States for energy, the greater the vulnerability to pressure by Trump. The only way for Europe to protect its political independence and achieve true energy security is to phase out fossil gas and accelerate the shift to a fully renewable energy system.”

The EU does not require additional US gas to ensure its energy security. It is already decreasing its gas consumption, and the implementation of its Fit for 55 and REPowerEU commitments will reinforce this trend, with fossil gas consumption reduced by more than 50% in 2030, from 2021 levels. While phasing out Russian gas, it has also demonstrated that, with determination, it can swiftly implement the necessary measures to disengage from an unreliable partner.[4]

For Greenpeace, it is now time for EU leaders to drop the pledge to purchase $750 billion worth of US energy by 2028 and all other negotiations on additional purchase agreements for US gas, commit to not sign new contracts and gradually terminate all existing supply contracts by 2035 at the latest.

ENDS

Photos and videos are available in the Greenpeace Media Library.

Notes:

[1] Media brief: EU’s rising reliance on US liquefied gas is a security risk – and it needs urgent action – Greenpeace International, February 2026

[2] Civil society 10-point plan for a fossil gas phase out by 2035, CAN Europe 

[3] According to data extracted from LSEG Data & Analytics on 12 February 2026, from 1 January 2026 to 12 February 2026, 90 US gas tankers arrived in EU countries. In this timeframe, EU countries imported 8.3 billion m3 of US gas, with an estimated value of €2.8 billion, based on the daily gas spot market price on the date of arrival as represented in the Dutch TTF Natural Gas Futures. In a recent analysis, IEEFA highlights that the EU risks new energy dependence as the US could supply 40% of its gas imports by 2030.

[4] Media brief: EU’s rising reliance on US liquefied gas is a security risk – and it needs urgent action – Greenpeace International, February 2026

Contacts:

Manon Laudy, fossil fuels press officer, Greenpeace Belgium: +336 49 15 69 83, mlaudy@greenpeace.org 

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

The people of Iran have the right to protest and to determine their own future. 

The widely documented killing and maiming of thousands of peaceful protesters and bystanders in Iran is deplorable. Security forces have been using unlawful lethal force resulting in mass casualties and horrific injuries. The violent repression of demonstrations, along with reports of torture and executions of detainees, constitute grave violations of international law and must cease immediately.

The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran must put an immediate end to this brutality. The international community must take urgent diplomatic action to safeguard protesters from further violence and to challenge the entrenched impunity that is perpetuating these abuses and bloodshed.

Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the protesters, bystanders, political prisoners and their friends and families who are suffering so profoundly at this time. 

ENDS

Contact:

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

Geneva, Switzerland – Following the election of HE Ambassador Julio Cordano of Chile as the new Chair of the committee tasked with negotiating a global plastics treaty, Greenpeace International said the appointment must mark a turning point for the Global Plastics Treaty talks and the start of a renewed effort to rebuild trust in the process. The election took place today during the third installment of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee’s (INC) fifth meeting (INC5.3).

Graham Forbes, Greenpeace Head of Delegation to the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations and Global Plastics Campaign Lead for Greenpeace USA, said: 

“Ambassador Cordano inherits a treaty negotiation process under strain. We have lost precious time since the negotiations began while the plastics crisis worsens by the day. We urge the new chair to rally world leaders to deliver a strong and effective agreement that puts people and the planet first. No more excuses. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to protect human health, our climate system and global biodiversity from toxic pollution, and initiate a new era of global innovation.

“Around the world, billionaires and corporate interests are challenging democratic institutions and undermining global cooperation. Effective multilateralism is a necessary condition of human survival. It is time for governments that understand this to step up to the challenge and deliver the Global Plastics Treaty that justice and science demand.”

ENDS

Photos are available in the Greenpeace Media Library.

Contacts:

Angelica Carballo Pago, Global Plastics Communication and Media Lead, Greenpeace USA, apago@greenpeace.org, +63917 1124492

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

Jane Fonda at a Greenpeace Premiere in the US, the OILympics in Milan, and protests against Shell and ICE, here is some of Greenpeace’s work from around the world this week.

United States – GASLIT, Greenpeace USA’s first feature film featuring Academy Award-winning actor and activist Jane Fonda, premieres at the 41st Santa Barbara International Film Festival on 5 February 2026. Directed by Katie Camosy, GASLIT is both a call to action and a reflection on the decades-long struggle between fossil fuel profiteering and the survival of frontline communities.

Camosy and Fonda were joined at the premiere by film participants and Texas/Gulf Coast community advocates Jenny Espino and Diane Wilson, as well as award-winning actor Connie Britton.

Italy- Hard-hitting video highlighting the absurdity of Italian oil and gas giant Eni’s sponsorship of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games, as one of the corporations stealing our winters through its planet-heating pollution.

This satirical video, created by Studio Birthplace, shows speed skaters, skiers and bobsledders racing along, with Eni logos prominent. Suddenly a trickle of oil turns into a tsunami, sweeping the athletes off their feet, causing them to slip and crash as a sea of oil washes over them.

One year of Eni’s emissions could melt enough glacier ice to fill 2.5 million Olympic swimming pools, demonstrating the corporation’s central role in the climate crisis that threatens the future viability of the Games and winter sports.

Canada – Greenpeace activists unveiled a banner saying “No Canadian Arms for ICE” at the Brampton headquarters of the Canadian company that is building armoured vehicles for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as they called on all federal Members of Parliament to support the legislation before Parliament that would tighten restrictions on arms exports.

Italy – Greenpeace Italy activists took action in front of Milan’s Duomo to protest ENI, a major partner of the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games. Its uncontrolled emissions are fueling the climate crisis, threatening the survival of glaciers and snowpack, and thus the Winter Olympics themselves. Activists placed an artifact depicting the Olympic rings soaked in oil, illustrating how polluting companies are also polluting the Olympic Games with their greenwashing.

United Kingdom – Greenpeace UK activists stage a protest outside Shell’s London HQ, holding giant figures comparing Shell’s annual profit with the UK’s 2025 bill for damages caused by extreme weather following the oil giant’s profit announcement.

United Kingdom – Greenpeace activists take over a billboard in London in solidarity with American citizens impacted by ICE, drawing the parallel to the climate crisis; as the climate breakdown is already the leading driver of migration worldwide.

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.