In 2025, journalist Saabira Chaudhuri released Consumed: How Big Brands Got Us Hooked on Plastic, an investigation into how global consumer goods companies built entire business models around disposability. One chapter in particular stands out: how Unilever helped turn the single-use sachet into a dominant packaging format and how that decision continues to fuel plastic pollution on a global scale.

As negotiations toward a Global Plastics Treaty intensify, the insights in Consumed remain urgently relevant, and increasingly uncomfortable for Unilever.

How Unilever drove the sachet crisis

A business model engineered around disposability

Chaudhuri shows how Unilever’s India arm industrialised the sachet, transforming a small local innovation into a global mass-market strategy. Sachets unlocked ‘previously unreachable’ low-income markets by enabling small, frequent purchases — turning low-cost items into a multi-billion-unit sales engine.

This wasn’t primarily about meeting consumer demand. It was about creating a profitable disposable business model.

Marketing that reshaped behaviour

Unilever’s push didn’t stop with packaging. The company invested heavily in rural outreach: mobile cinema vans, in-home demos, and campaigns presenting branded shampoo as ‘modern’ and aspirational. Traditional low-waste practices were displaced by single-use products designed to be thrown away after use. The company invested heavily in marketing tactics, and unfortunately they worked. 

The fallout: billions of sachets with nowhere to go

Once sachets took off, the environmental consequences were immediate and severe. Tens of billions of sachets are used annually in India alone – almost none recycled, because they were never designed to be. Waste accumulates in waterways, drainage systems, and informal dumps, disproportionately affecting communities without formal waste services.

Corporate dependence on sachets

Chaudhuri argues that brands like Unilever are now locked into disposability. Despite sustainability promises, the company continues to rely on sachets for volume and margins, even as the pollution becomes impossible to ignore.

Greenpeace International’s 2023 Unilever Uncovered report found the company was on track to sell around 53 billion sachets in 2023 – 1,700 every second – making it the world’s biggest corporate seller of plastic sachets. What’s more: less than 0.2% of Unilever’s plastic packaging is reusable, demonstrating how far its business remains from a genuinely circular model.

So where is Unilever in its sachet journey, now? 

The company has so far…

Scaled a packaging system it knew lacked any viable end-of-life solution
Normalised sachets through aggressive marketing and behavioural engineering
Exported that model to markets across Asia and beyond
Lobbied against government policy like sachet bans
Continued to rely heavily on sachets, despite public pressure
Acknowledged that sachets need addressing, dating back over a decade
Made some bold statements about seeking solutions
Invested in pilot reuse and refill projects and R&D to test alternatives
🆇 Mapped out its path to transition away from sachets
🆇 Shown true accountability for the widespread harm it has caused to communities and ecosystems

For a company that positions itself as a sustainability leader, the pace of progress towards real solutions to this massive social, environmental and reputational disaster needs to be faster. Sachet and single-use plastic packaging pollution is not a new problem. Unilever s customers, impacted communities, and the public have waited long enough for something better. 

The real alternative: Reuse is already working

While Consumed explains how the world ended up awash in sachets, communities are demonstrating what genuine solutions look like.

In Manila, Philippines, neighbourhood stores are already operating as reuse and refill hubs, offering affordable and accessible alternatives to sachets. These systems deliver consumer savings and retailer benefits while dramatically reducing waste. A pilot project in India yielded similar results replacing sachets with refillable shampoo bottles allowing access to refill services. This replicable initiative that prevented over 5,000 sachets from entering the waste stream is being rolled out in other countries. Reuse pilots have existed and popped up all around the world. The reason they aren’t expanding further or thriving in certain contexts isn’t because there is a lack of interest or because the model flawed, but because corporations hadn’t set them up to succeed and haven’t invested meaningfully and across sectors to support the policy change and concerted effort needed to properly support the reuse revolution. 

Unilever must change course

Successful reuse and refill models show that sachets aren’t a necessity. They’re a corporate choice — one with deeply inequitable impacts. Saabira Chaudhuri’s Consumed exposes how Unilever helped build a throwaway system that communities worldwide are now forced to live with. Shifting off sachets could very well take just as much intention as convincing people to shift to them, but if Unilever has proven anything, it’s that it’s capable of shifting a market. 

The next chapter is up to Unilever’s leadership. To align with public expectations, environmental responsibility, and the direction of the Global Plastics Treaty, Unilever must:

• Commit to a global, time-bound phase-out of sachets
• Invest in reuse and refill systems at a scale matching its plastic footprint
• Support the reduction of out of control plastic production
• Shift innovation, design and marketing away from disposability
• Support a strong Global Plastics Treaty that prioritises reduction and reuse

Continuing the status quo is no longer credible or acceptable.

Anna Diski is a Senior Campaigner from Greenpeace UK. Sarah King is a Senior Strategist for the Plastic Free Future campaign. 

Amsterdam, Netherlands – Greenpeace International is deeply concerned about the most recent illegal military action by President Donald Trump against Venezuela, violating both international law and his constitutional powers as US president.

Claiming de-facto control over the country, Trump stated that the US would be “very strongly involved” in the country’s oil industry.

“Venezuela holds the largest proven crude oil reserves in the world. Trump’s own words make it clear that control and exploitation of those reserves is his current priority. In an era of accelerating climate breakdown, eyeing Venezuela’s vast oil reserves this way is both reckless and dangerous. The only safe path forward is a just transition away from fossil fuels, one that protects health, safeguards ecosystems, and supports communities rather than sacrificing them for short-term profit,” warned Mads Christensen, Executive Director, Greenpeace International. 

At this critical moment, the rights, safety, and interests of the Venezuelan people must come first. Venezuelans should have the right to peacefully determine their own future free from coercion and violence. The situation must not be allowed to be exploited for short-term oil profiteering or extractive gain by foreign governments or corporations. 

“The international community must now act decisively to uphold international law and prevent further harm. Governments should reject unilateral military intervention, demand an immediate de-escalation, and reaffirm the UN Charter’s prohibition on the use of force for political or economic gain. Diplomatic efforts must prioritise civilian protection, independent monitoring of human rights and environmental risks, and accountability for any violations.”

“Crucially, states must resist efforts to exploit the crisis for fossil fuel expansion and instead mobilise financial, legal, and political support for a just transition that serves the Venezuelan people — not oil interests,” said Christensen.

The people of Venezuela have endured years of political turmoil, economic hardship, and deep social suffering, much of it intensified by extractive dependence and external pressure. It is clear that stability will not come through oil fields or military force. It is time to chart a different path. By mobilising climate finance, debt relief, and international support for a just transition to clean energy, governments can help deliver real improvements in livelihoods, protect ecosystems, and support a recovery grounded in dignity, self-determination, and a fossil-free future shaped by people, not profit.

ENDS

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

Looking back at 2025, our oceans have failed a key planetary health check for the first time posing a bigger threat to entire marine ecosystems and the communities whose livelihoods primarily depend on them. In the same year, capitalism significantly continues to serve billionaires deriving ridiculously extreme wealth from their polluting industries -or even having an out of touch lavish Venice wedding– while our planet must keep paying a high price for the environmental damage caused by the impacts of the crisis they helped create.

Then we witnessed COP 30 in Brazil’s Belém not long ago, where thousands of Indigenous people participated bringing the demarcation of territories as the main demand to contain the climate crisis to global leaders and governments, making COP30 as the first climate conference with the biggest Indigenous presence ever recorded. Also in the same year, hopeful actions happened worldwide representing the core of Greenpeace’s values, and so did some most significant climate victories.

With some of these reflections, here are 6 inspiring books discussing oceans, critiques of capitalism, the Indigenous fight for environmental justice, and hope—for your upcoming reading list this year.

The Deepest Map: The High-Stakes Race to Chart the World’s Oceans

by Laura Trethewey (2023)

This book reminds me of the statement saying that people hear more about the moon and other planets in space than what lies beneath Earth’s oceans, which are often cited as ‘scary’ and ‘harsh’. Through investigative and in-depth reportage, ocean journalist and writer Laura Trethewey tackles important aspects of ocean mapping.

The mapping and exploration can be very useful to understand more about the oceans and to learn how we can protect them. On the other hand, thanks to neoliberal capitalism, it can potentially lead to commercial exploitation and mass industrialisation of this most mysterious ecosystem of our world.

The Deepest Map is not as intimidating as it sounds. Instead, it’s more exciting than I anticipated as it shows us more discoveries we may little know of: interrelated issues between seafloor mapping, geopolitical implications, ocean exploitation due to commercial interest, and climate change.

The Code of Capital: How the Law Creates Wealth and Inequality

by Katharina Pistor (2019)

Through The Code of Capital, Katharina Pistor talks about the correlation between law and the creation of wealth and inequality. She noted that though the wealthy love to claim hard work and skills as reasons why they easily significantly generate their fortunes, their accumulation of wealth would not last long without legal coding.

“The law is a powerful tool for social ordering and, if used wisely, has the potential to serve a broad range of social objectives: yet, for reasons and with implications that I attempt to explain, the law has been placed firmly in the service of capital,” she stated.

The book does not only show interesting takes on looking at inequality and the distribution of wealth, but also how those people in power manage to hoard their wealth with certain codes and laws, such as turning land into private property, while lots of people are struggling under the unjust system.

The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet

by Leah Thomas (2022)

Arguing that capitalism, racism, and other systems of oppression are the drivers of exploitation, activist Leah Thomas focuses on addressing the application of intersectionality to environmental justice through The Intersectional Environmentalist. Marginalised people all over the world are already on the front lines of the worsening climate crisis yet struggling to get justice they deserve.

I echo what she says, as a woman born and raised in Indonesia where clean air and drinkable water are considered luxury in various regions, where the extreme weather events exacerbated by the climate crisis hit the most vulnerable communities (without real mitigation and implementations by the government while oligarchies hijack our resources).

I think this powerful book is aligned with what Greenpeace has been speaking up about for years as well, that social justice and climate justice are deeply intertwined so it’s crucial to fight for both at the same time to help achieve a sustainable future for all.

As Long As Grass Grows

by Dina Gilio-Whitaker (2019)

Starting with the question “what does environmental justice look like when Indigenous people are at the centre?” Dina Gilio-Whitaker takes us to see the complexities of environmental justice and the endless efforts of Indigenous people in Indian country (the lands and communities of Native American tribes) to restore their traditional cultures while healing from the legacy of trauma caused by hundreds of years of Western colonisation.

She emphasizes that what distinguishes Indigenous peoples from colonisers is their unbroken spiritual relationship to their ancestral homelands. “The origin of environmental justice for Indigenous people is dispossession of land in all its forms; injustice is continually reproduced in what is inherently a culturally genocidal structure that systematically erases Indigenous people’s relationships and responsibilities to their ancestral places,” said Gilio-Whitaker.

I believe that the realm of today’s modern environmentalism should include Indigenous communities and learn their history: the resistance, the time-tested climate knowledge systems, their harmony with nature, and most importantly, their crucial role in preserving our planet’s biodiversity.

The Book of Hope

by Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams with Gail Hudson (2021)

The Book of Hope is a marvelous glimpse into primatologist and global figure Jane Goodall’s life and work. The collaborator of the book, journalist Douglas Abrams, makes this reading experience even more enjoyable by sharing the reflective conversations between them, such as the definition of hope, and how to keep it alive amid difficult times.

Sadly, as we all know, Jane passed away this year. We have lost an incredible human being in the era when we need more someone like her who has inspired millions to care about nature, someone whose wisdom radiated warmth and compassion. Though she’s no longer with us, her legacy to spread hope stays.

Ocean: Earth’s Last Wilderness

by David Attenborough and Colin Butfield (2025)

 “I could only have dreamed of recording in the early stages of my career, and we have changed the ocean so profoundly that the next hundred years could either witness a mass extinction of ocean life or a spectacular recovery.”

The legend David Attenborough highlights how much humans have yet to understand the ocean in his latest book with Colin Butfield.  The first part of it begins with what has happened in a blue whale’s lifetime. Later it takes us to coral reefs, the deep of the ocean, kelp forest, mangroves, even Arctic, Oceanic seamounts, and Southern Ocean. The book contains powerful stories and scientific facts that will inspire ocean lovers, those who love to learn more about this ecosystem, and those who are willing to help protect our Earth. 

To me, this book is not only about the wonder of the ocean, but also about hope to protect our planet. Just like what Attenborough believes: the more people understand nature, the greater our hope of saving it.

How can we respond to the climate crisis in a way that creates hope, while also being realistic and truthful as to the current state of this world? Yes, we can campaign, we can advocate, we can lobby, we can protest; but before all this, there is the fundamental need to dream, and share our dreams with each other.

In these troubled times characterized by increasing violence, polarization and division, we would like to invite you to join us in Just Poetry. Just Poetry practises writing the worlds we want to experience into existence. Just Poetry intends to disrupt by delight: disrupt what disempowers and divides us and delight in what co-powers and courages us. This is a practice which connects impacted communities around the world and draws upon their diverse beauty, resistance, and visions of climate justice.

The Just Poetry map is a living movement of selves, others, and other worlds. It re-writes places as it moves across borders, disciplines, and generations, refusing to stay still or singular. Following desire lines, it loosens and un(t)ravels boundaries, sketching beyond the given lines to make new forms of connection possible. These are not only lines on a page, but opening lines into different ways of relating, remembering, resisting and world-making.

Even as we draw strength from one another’s courage and visions of climate justice, we do so in the confrontation of a crisis that reaches into all of our lives. Yes, we are all impacted and affected by the climate crisis, whether it be through disasters on our doorsteps, anxiety of unknown futures, pain for our loved ones or their loved ones, and losses in the past or yet to come. It’s easy for this grief to become a totalizing global narrative—that we are only victims, and that the disaster is inevitable.

As such, it’s also easy for us to feel increasingly isolated in the face of these disasters, to see disasters unendingly take place on our phones, on the news, outside our window. In the face of this unending and inundating stream of horror, sometimes the only response that feels feasible is to feign ignorance, pretend that everything is normal until it crumbles in front of us. But this also enacts a heavy toll on our hearts, as it forces us to live in dissonance with the reality of the world in front of us, and this is not freedom.

“Dreaming of the sea they had never seen”, poet Merlie M. Alunan writes in THE RIVER NYMPH’S LAST THREE WORDS. Dreaming of ways to be. This is what artivism projects like Just Poetry offer: a place for us to cultivate our dreams into seeds of hope that guide our activism and movements. Art and poetry are methods as old as humanity itself, methods which allow us to transform the lived emotions of life itself into forms of power that others can understand. 

Within the climate justice movement, poems like Hurricane Dorian by Asha Abdullahi name a truth about life within the climate crisis that resonate with us — this truth, while unique to the author’s lived experience, expands in such a way that people on the other side of the world are inspired to share their truth—including seemingly contradictory emotions like fear, pain, determination, and hope—in response.

As the Just Poetry map demonstrates, when we recognize the power of others’ truths and share our own in response, this action slowly weaves together new narratives about who we are in relation to this climate disaster. We are not simply victims; rather, we have the power to face and embrace our current collective state and trajectory within this climate crisis, and guided by our care for another, can name new directions for us to turn towards.

Poetry is true power. It centres the self and involves our bodies – our mind, heart, voice, breath. As such, it marks and measures our place on earth, but also our time here – the years, days, seconds. As an extension of our selves, wholly creative and inherently future-facing (even if written about the past), poetry reaches for others – as readers, thinkers, and conspirators in this thing called living. In a world where we are increasingly made to feel powerless, poetry dares to coax attention away from profit, to evoke intentional, beautiful silence as a legitimate response to greed, and celebrate the lyric as a challenge to that which is for sale.

Just Poetry invites you to practice with us. It is a home for hope, a location for our longings and a chorus of care. Together, we rewrite what power means, understanding it not just in numbers, but in belonging. We locate justice in everyday actions that collectively create the worlds we want to live in. We connect with each other in the midst of current calamities, drawing on our past to imagine our futures and rise together in community and courage. 

Those are the directions in which we continue to campaign, organize, lobby, advocate, resist and care. 

Share your poetry for climate action with us and tag #GreenpeaceJustPoetry.

Valentina Panagiotopoulou is the Global Project Lead for the Climate Justice and Liability Campaign

nin* schulz is a Senior Strategist & Portfolio Manager for Climate & Energy at Greenpeace International

Jocelyn Page is a poet from Connecticut, USA, living in London. She teaches English and Creative Writing at Goldsmiths College and the University of London Worldwide.

Riley Tsang is a Global Engagement Specialist for the Climate Justice and Liability Campaign at Greenpeace International

Nickel mining at a UNESCO site, sunshine in Paris, and green reconstruction in Ukraine, here are a few highlights of Greenpeace work around the world over the past week.

Brazil – Rainbow Warrior captain Hettie Geenen, pictured on the deck the ship with Rosy, on-board Radio Operator, as the vessel arrives in Rio de Janeiro for a series of climate justice activities in Brazilian cities and coastal areas.

Indonesia – Greenpeace Indonesia holds a theatrical action to protest the National Strategic Project (PSN) of Sugarcane Merauke in front of the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs office in Jakarta. Greenpeace condemns the massive deforestation that has occurred in Merauke, caused by this sugarcane project. At least 560,000 hectares of forest have been destroyed in South Papua.

Indonesia – An aerial photo of the iconic Wayag Island in Raja Ampat islands in Southwest Papua. The Wayag Island is primarily threatened by nickel mining activities in nearby areas and the associated social conflict. Mining activities cause deforestation, increased sedimentation that smothers coral reefs, and the potential for chemical pollution, which can cause irreversible damage to the region’s rich marine biodiversity, a UNESCO Global Geopark area.

France – On the tenth anniversary of the Paris Agreement, activists from Action non-violente COP21, Action Justice Climat and Greenpeace France poured orange paint on the Place de l’Etoile to draw attention to the persistent invisibility of the populations most affected by the climate crisis.

Ukraine – Together with the city of Trostjanez and the Green Planet Energy eco-energy cooperative, Greenpeace has completed a model project for sustainable and independent heat supply in Ukraine. An apartment building in the eastern Ukrainian town of Trostjanez, which was severely damaged during the Russian occupation in 2022, has been completely renovated and equipped with a modern heating system using geothermal energy, heat pumps and solar power. The pilot project for sustainable reconstruction shows how European aid can make heat supply in Ukraine more secure, affordable and independent with future-oriented technology

Philippines – Community-led art installation across Ubay Island, Bohol to commemorate the fourth anniversary of Super Typhoon Odette which hit the Philippines on December 16, 2021.

The collection of artworks, titled Hagit sa Kaugma-on (Challenge of the Future), was created by residents who lived through the storm, with artist Leeroy New and Greenpeace Philippines. Made from local bamboo and items damaged by the typhoon, the pieces placed throughout the island tell stories of loss, survival, and the growing call for climate accountability. Many of those who helped create the artworks are also part of a legal case filed in the UK against oil giant Shell.

U.K.- Protesters held a vigil outside Shell Centre in London to mark the anniversary of Typhoon Odette, which killed hundreds of people and destroyed more than a million homes in the Philippines.

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.

From “Why are you making statements on Gaza?” to “Why are you campaigning to tax the super-rich and against private jets” to questions about Greenpeace’s stance on meat and dairy consumption and “overpopulation” and the persistent question of what individual actions and habits can help combat climate change and biodiversity collapse. These are the top 5 questions Greenpeace frequently received in social media comments in 2025 — and their answers. 

1. Greenpeace, why are you commenting on wars/conflicts like Gaza? Stay in your lane!

We stand against war crimes, ‘manmade’ famine, ethnic cleansing, genocide and ecocide — defending human rights and protecting the conditions for all life go hand in hand.

Founded 50 years ago to stop the testing of nuclear weapons, the name “Greenpeace” represented the intersection between peace and ecology movements, and the vision of a green, just and joyful future for all life on Earth.

It is part of our mission to “promote peace, global disarmament and non-violence.” We understand that we are a part of, not apart from, nature. What we do to nature we do to ourselves and what we do to each other we do to nature. We pursue peace to protect people and our shared home. 

A peaceful world is one built on cooperation, community and connectivity, where we can all enjoy our right to a safe and healthy environment and live life free from violence and fear. 

Greenpeace has always, and will remain, an organisation that campaigns for peace.

We know the environmental impact of war is catastrophic, with the collapse of infrastructure, widespread, long-term degradation of ecosystems and profound risks to human health. A toll that persists for generations after the conflict ends, leaving a legacy of contaminated landscapes and exposed communities.

In Gaza, Israeli airstrikes have set fuel depots ablaze and destroyed sanitation infrastructure – dumping raw sewage into the sea and polluting local water sources. Bombing and explosions have flattened farmland and left rubble, toxic dust and hazardous debris across entire neighbourhoods. 

A catastrophe for human health and the environment, carbon emissions from the first 15 months of Israel’s war on Gaza exceed the planet-heating emissions of more than 100 individual countries, exacerbating the global climate emergency on top of the huge civilian death toll.

Power struggles over energy resources have been a conspicuous factor in fossil fuelled wars from Iraq to Sudan and Ukraine. Greenpeace will continue to speak out on the cost of such conflicts. We call for urgent action to protect human rights, people’s health, the environment, and the climate. And to invest in safe, secure renewable energy systems for all.

2. Why are you campaigning for taxing the super-rich and banning private jets?

We believe in a world where everyone is safe, secure and free to thrive on a green, liveable planet. A world where every family can put food on the table and look ahead to a hopeful future. But we live in a world where a minority – the richest 1% – are responsible for more emissions than 66% of the world’s population, polluting and plundering the planet for their own gain. According to Oxfam, these wealthiest 1% own more wealth than 95% of the world’s population but reportedly contribute just 0.3% in taxes. 

Instead of hoarding wealth, trashing the planet and destroying nature, if the super-rich paid their fair share in taxes, there would be enough money for a green and fair world for all.

The money for health, education, climate action, and nature protection is there, it’s just in the wrong hands. Which is why we urge governments to tax the super-rich and support fair global tax rules to protect the future of people and the planet and reduce inequalities.

Tax the super-rich

Together, let’s urge governments to tax the super-rich and fund a green and fair future.

Add your name

Why ban private jets? They are the epitome of said inequalities. They are used by a tiny ultra-wealthy minority, while the environmental costs affect the entire planet, especially the most vulnerable communities. 

Private jets are the most polluting form of transport. They have a disproportionate carbon footprint. A private jet flight causes about 10 times more CO₂ emissions per person than a regular commercial flight and 50 times more than a train. The excessive, non-essential emissions contribute to the accelerating climate crisis.

Private jets are wasteful and unsustainable. They are inherently inefficient, typically carrying a small number of passengers while consuming vast amounts of fuel. Flying short distances, which many private flights do, is particularly fuel-inefficient. Banning private jets would be a powerful demonstration of commitment to tackling the climate crisis and sends a clear message that “luxury emissions” are no longer acceptable.

Only 1% of people are responsible for half of global aviation emissions, the vast majority of people (80%) have actually never flown. The aviation industry invests in greenwashing and false solutions to appear as a beacon of climate protection but the truth is flying remains the most climate-damaging means of transportation per passenger and per kilometre. While air travel benefits from unfair tax privileges, train travel is penalised and this needs to change.  

This is an issue of social and climate justice, as the polluting lifestyle of the super-rich and the footprint of their destructive investments contrasts starkly with the reality of billions who have minimal carbon footprints but face severe climate impacts. 

3. Why are you not saying anything on ‘overpopulation’?

‘Overpopulation’ is a distracting myth that takes the focus away from the real, solvable problem: Overconsumption. 

Some people suggest that the best (or only) way to reduce the damage humans do to the environment is to reduce the human population. But the evidence shows that wasteful overconsumption – driven mostly by the richest people and societies – causes far more damage. From a moral and practical perspective, it’s also a much easier problem to solve. 

Many of the people who raise concerns about population are well-intentioned. But the idea that ‘overpopulation’ is causing climate change is inaccurate, and unfairly places blame on poorer societies in the Global South. These societies have faster-growing populations, but much lower consumption. This argument also diverts attention from the much greater responsibility of richer societies in the Global North to reduce their emissions.

Because most people in the Global South are people of colour, there is a racial justice dimension to the population control argument. Regardless of the intention, it can reinforce racist attitudes and feed long-standing racial inequality and injustice. 

“Population control” is not a solution to the climate and nature crisis. Campaigning for “population control”, while doing little to propose reductions in consumption in the richest countries and address the extreme inequality crisis, would be unfair and ineffective. Instead, Greenpeace campaigns to stop the overconsumption of plastic, fossil fuels, and industrial meat, and we fight for a fair and fossil free global economy.

4. What are the most impactful things I can do to combat climate change and biodiversity collapse?

You can’t make every change, and that’s okay. Focus on what you can do while remembering that governments must rein in polluting corporations for real change. The most impactful actions include:

• Food: Switching to vegetarian or vegan diets and shifting towards plant-based production can dramatically cut emissions and pollution and free up land from factory farming. We must collectively call out industrial meat and dairy giants for driving deforestation and biodiversity collapse, and push leaders to break Big Ag’s grip on our climate and our future — and build a just food system that supports farmers, respects animals, and delivers healthy food for all.
• Plastic: Keep recycling but also try reducing your use of plastics (which can protect you against microplastics’ health impacts), and demand a strong Global Plastics Treaty to drastically cut plastic production and boost refill and reuse systems, protecting marine life.

• Transport: Choose trains, buses, cycling, or walking over cars, ships, and especially planes to reduce reliance on oil, air pollution, and climate breakdown. Governments must invest in affordable, low-carbon alternatives. Transport makes up 60% of oil demand globally. Support the movement for greener, fairer transport systems.
• Tech and Digital: Extend the life of your devices by repairing, buying second-hand, or swapping to reduce demand for critical minerals and mining (read more in Greenpeace’s guiding principles on minerals for energy transition). Encourage energy transition solutions that increase technological efficiency and generate new mineral supply through recycling old products. Be mindful of the environmental impact of AI’s high electricity and water demands and hold tech giants accountable for their harmful practices.

• Clothing: Buy fewer new clothes, repair what you have, and choose second-hand to cut the demand for materials that pollute water and destroy habitats. Fast fashion will never be green. Systemic change requires calling out fast fashion giants for their environmental and human costs.
• Energy at Home: In wealthier countries, improve insulation and switch to renewable energy suppliers. Everyday steps like turning off lights and using efficient appliances also help. Governments must invest in affordable, energy-efficient housing and community renewables.

Ultimately, individual actions matter, but the biggest impact comes from joining forces through online mobilisations (e.g. petitions), protests, community organising, and voting to pressure leaders and hold corporations accountable.

5. What’s Greenpeace’s stance on meat and dairy consumption?

Greenpeace has been exposing the links between industrial meat and dairy production and deforestation for more than 20 years, beginning with the Eating Up the Amazon report in 2006. It revealed that about 80% of the world’s soya harvest is used for animal feed and that this demand was driving large-scale destruction of the Amazon rainforest. 

Since then, Greenpeace organisations around the world have continued to investigate and expose the harmful practices of meat and dairy giants such as JBS, Fonterra, Arla and Danish Crown, companies repeatedly linked to deforestation, land grabbing and other environmental damage.

Industrial meat and dairy are among the main drivers of climate breakdown and deforestation. To protect people and the planet, we need to stop the expansion of these industries, end destructive factory farming and support farmers through a fair transition toward more sustainable food systems. Our fight is against polluting corporations and broken policies, not individuals.

At the same time, we cannot ignore the consumption side. Reducing meat intake or shifting towards plant-based diets is one of the most effective ways to act for the climate, forests and biodiversity. The science is clear: without reducing production and consumption, the world cannot stay within the 1.5 °C climate limit.

Greenpeace analysis from 2020 found that Europeans eat about twice as much meat as the global average and almost three times as much dairy. To tackle farming’s contribution to climate breakdown, EU meat consumption would need to fall by around 70% by 2030 and 80% by 2050.

The Less is More report shows that eating less than 300 grams of meat per week and shifting to more plant-based foods could save millions of lives each year while significantly cutting emissions. Greenpeace calls for global meat and dairy production and consumption to be cut in half by 2050 to keep the Paris Agreement within reach. 

Learn more about the intensive livestock industry, and how their actions are cooking the planet.

Stop Big Meat and Dairy

It’s time to cut through corporate lies, cut agriculture emissions and shift towards sustainable agroecology.

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Yousra Rebbani and Mehdi Leman are content editors for Greenpeace International, based in Hungary and France.

We are approaching the end of  2025 – once a distant marker used for environmental milestones and future promises of a cleaner, greener world to come. Now we are ten years after the Paris Agreement for climate action and fresh from concluding COP30 in Brazil. We’ve reached a moment that feels both urgent and full of possibility, but it still feels as if we are stuck. And certainly not making progress fast enough with the Global Goals for sustainable development, agreed by all 193 United Nations members back in 2015. 

So much can seem wrong in this world right now – geopolitical turmoil, unachieved climate targets, and future goals that seem unrealistic. The forces driving destruction are continuing to push the world toward crisis. From fossil fuel corporations, industrial agriculture and extractive industries, to big tech and political actors who attack accountability and sow division.

Yet one thing remains certain: in troubling times, hope is an act of resistance. At Greenpeace, we know that collective action – across borders and generations – fuels hope.  As part of a rising tide of people demanding dignity, justice, safety, social and ecological renewal, we are hopeful.

Despite the setbacks and often overwhelming odds, so much good is still happening. Change is unfolding – sometimes quietly, sometimes boldly – driven by people and their communities, with courage and care for each other and the planet. Negativity is easy to see and feel, but positivity is powerful, and it’s what keeps us moving forward and keeps the momentum towards a brighter future for us all.

As the calendar year comes to a close, it offers a moment to reflect back on the year we have just lived – and for some of us just survived – and perhaps we can even take a moment to be grateful for the progress people-power has made. That’s why we are here to share with you some of our most significant victories of the year – wins that prove progress is real, hope is justified, and action matters.

1. Global Ocean Treaty set to come into force

The Global Ocean Treaty reached its 60th ratification in September 2025, clearing the way for this historic agreement to enter into force in January. With only 0.9% of the High Seas currently fully or highly protected, the Treaty is crucial to expanding protection, establishing sanctuaries that help mitigate the climate crisis, and safeguarding food security for the billions who depend on ocean resources.

It is a landmark moment for protecting the ocean, and proof that countries can come together to protect our blue planet. The era of exploitation and destruction must end, and the Global Ocean Treaty is the tool to make that happen. This is a massive achievement – decades in the making – for all the activists, supporters and allies who raised their voices for ocean protection. Campaigners, coastal communities, small-scale fishers, scientists, and ocean lovers everywhere can hold on to this moment as proof that when millions of us demand change, we can achieve what once seemed like a distant dream.

But the fight for the protection of our Ocean is far from over. Scientists are clear that we need to protect at least 30% of our ocean by 2030. Governments around the world must use this time to ensure the first historic ‘Ocean COP’, set for 2026 becomes a turning point, and start to develop plans for the first-ever sanctuaries under the new Treaty. Our ocean can’t wait, and neither can we.

2. Raja Ampat: Victory for ‘The Last Paradise on Earth’

In June the Indonesian government announced it would revoke four out of five active nickel mining licences in Raja Ampat, West Papua, following growing scrutiny of mining activity in the archipelago. Tens of thousands of people signed and posted under the banner of #SaveRajaAmpat in just a matter of days.

The decision came the same day Greenpeace Indonesia released its Paradise Lost? investigation, which documented the scale of the threat nickel mining poses to Raja Ampat – often referred to as “The Last Paradise on Earth”. The report identified 16 nickel mining licences. Twelve of the licences are located within the UNESCO-listed Raja Ampat Global Geopark, and four active licences were on small islands where mining should be prohibited under Indonesian law.

While the government’s announcement represents a significant development, it does not yet secure full protection for Raja Ampat. The permit for the largest mine remains in place, and past experience shows revoked licences can be reinstated. Together with local and Indigenous Peoples in West Papua, Greenpeace Indonesia is calling for the permanent cancellation of all mining permits, the prevention of nickel and smelter development linked to Raja Ampat, and robust legal safeguards to ensure mining cannot return.

This decision demonstrates the impact of sustained investigation, Indigenous Peoples’ resistance and public pressure. It marks an important step toward lasting protection for one of the world’s most biodiverse regions.

3. World’s highest court delivers historic protections for climate-impacted communities

After 6 years of campaigning led by 27 law students in the Pacific Islands, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a landmark Advisory Opinion that strengthens states’ obligations in the climate emergency beyond the Paris Agreement in July. It confirms that all countries have duties to prevent significant environmental harm and that states must regulate businesses for the damage caused by their emissions, no matter where that harm occurs. The court also affirmed that the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is fundamental to all other human rights.

This Advisory Opinion signals a new era of global climate justice. By clearly defining states’ international climate duties and the consequences for breaching them, the ICJ opens the door to new cases that could bring justice to communities suffering the worst impacts of a crisis they did little to cause. The court’s message is unequivocal: fossil fuel production, consumption, and the granting of licenses and subsidies may violate international law, and major polluters must stop emitting and pay for the damage they have inflicted.

4. Landmark trial on greenwashing holds oil and gas corporation to account

In October, a Paris court issued a significant ruling against TotalEnergies’ misleading advertising. The case, brought by Friends of the Earth France, Greenpeace France, and Notre Affaire à Tous with support from ClientEarth, challenged the company’s attempts to present itself as a climate-responsible actor while continuing to expand its fossil fuel activities.

TotalEnergies claimed in its ads that it placed “climate at the heart of its strategy” and aimed to deliver “cleaner, safer and more affordable energy,” highlighting its 2050 net-zero ambition. The Court found these claims likely to mislead consumers, noting that the company is simultaneously increasing its production and investment in oil and gas – a trajectory incompatible with scientific recommendations and the Paris Agreement, which call for an immediate reduction in fossil fuel production.

This judgment is the first to recognise the oil industry’s net-zero messaging as greenwashing. It marks an important step towards holding major polluters accountable for misleading the public and delaying real climate action.

5. A huge step towards seed sovereignty in Kenya

In November, a Kenyan court delivered a groundbreaking judgment declaring that seed sharing among farmers is legal, marking a significant victory for smallholder farmers and allies defending food sovereignty in Africa. For years, Kenyan farmers have lived under the shadow of a law that threatened jail terms of up to 2 years and a fine of 1 million KES (about 7,800 USD) for selling or exchanging unregistered seeds, effectively handing control of the country’s food system to multinational corporations. This landmark decision protects traditional farming practices and the rights of small-scale farmers to save, exchange, and plant seeds freely, challenging corporate control over agricultural resources.

The verdict reinforces community-based seed systems that have sustained food security for generations, setting a powerful precedent for defending farmers’ rights and biodiversity against restrictive seed laws that favour large agrochemical corporations.

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6. Banco do Brasil moves: An end to public financing of Amazon destruction

After months of public pressure, the Banco do Brasil updated its environmental and social rules for rural credit. The bank will now block loans to any rural property with environmental embargoes, require proof that any deforestation was legal, and check state embargo lists even if they are not on the federal system. These changes answer key demands from Greenpeace Brasil, which showed how weak rules were allowing public money to fund deforestation, fires and other environmental damage.

The update is an important step, but more needs to be done. The bank still doesn’t fully prevent credit for farms that use illegal fires, and it has not required clear traceability in cattle financing – one of the main drivers of deforestation. Even so, the pressure from society, investigations and public actions has already brought real results and sent a strong message: public money cannot continue to support activities that destroy forests.

Take action now to protect the Amazon and all the world’s forests.

7. Youth and environmentalists hold Norway to account on oil exploration

The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Court confirmed in May that Norway must count all climate impacts when approving new oil and gas projects – not only the emissions from drilling, but also the much larger emissions released when the oil and gas are burned anywhere in the world. This supported the case brought by Greenpeace Nordic and Natur og Ungdom (Young Friends of the Earth Norway), and showed that the Norwegian government was wrong to ignore these “Scope III” emissions, which make up about 95% of a project’s climate damage.

The decision has major consequences for all future fossil fuel approvals in Norway and across Europe. Courts are recognising that protecting people from climate harm is a legal duty, not an option.⁣ The ruling follows similar decisions in the United Kingdom, the United States and Guyana, and strengthened an earlier win in the Oslo District Court, where approval of three North Sea oil and gas projects was found invalid for failing to assess these emissions.

The Norwegian government appealed the earlier win, but in November the Borgarting Court of Appeal once again ruled in our favour, ⁣reaffirming what the Oslo District Court, the EFTA Court and the European Court of Human Rights, had already made clear – governments must assess the full climate impacts of oil and gas projects, including emissions caused by burning the fuels abroad. ⁣This is a huge victory for everyone who is fighting for a safer future, it proves that our struggle for climate justice has real force.⁣

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8. The end of new oil and gas exploration in the UK

In November, the United Kingdom (UK) government slammed the door on new oil and gas exploration in the North Sea. This makes Britain the largest economy to end new fossil fuel exploration. After nearly three decades of campaigning – from activists clinging to rigs in Arctic storms to lawyers dismantling government decisions piece by piece – this is a historic moment for the climate movement and a win that once seemed impossible. Greenpeace UK first campaigned on the issue of oil exploration licensing in 1997!

This doesn’t mean all oil and gas production will end immediately. The end of exploration licenses means companies can no longer get permission to search for new oil and gas reserves in previously untapped areas. But it’s still a major change. Every new field discovered locks the UK into decades more drilling, more burning, more damage. This decision cuts that cycle off at the source.

So existing UK North Sea fields will produce until they run out, or until production stops for some other reason. But without new discoveries, production will steadily decline until it reaches zero. The North Sea fossil fuel era has a finish line now, and that’s exactly what the climate needs. More countries must follow to ensure a just transition to clean energy, and fast.

But wait, there’s more…

These are only some of the victories that we want to remember, cherish and bring with us as the year comes to a close. But there are many more that we have not mentioned here, just as important, that show us that the environmental movement, united, can in fact bring about true change. It’s not easy, sometimes it is not apparent, but we are doing it every day.

So as this year comes to an end, we hope that we can fuel you with hope and happiness, rather than doom and gloom. We’ll continue our actions next year and we certainly hope that you will join us. Together we can make a change.

And if ever you feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the world that we live in today, know that you have a choice. You have a choice to either feed the negativity that weighs you down, or you can choose to celebrate the good and surround yourself with tangible actions and progress, no matter how small. A quiet moment of reflection, a deep breath and meditation may support you too if you are struggling with climate anxiety.

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Caroline Wagner is Programme Support Manager for the European Collaboration at Greenpeace Germany. Francesca Cresta is Executive and Governance Assistant at Greenpeace Italy. Zinzi van der Aar is a Writer/Editor at Greenpeace Netherlands.

A toxic troika of extractivism, authoritarianism and war

A new report – the most far-reaching analysis of environment and environmentalism in Russia since 2022 – shows how Putin’s regime relies on a toxic troika of extractivism, authoritarianism and war. Fossil fuels finance war. War justifies repression. Authoritarianism shields elites from scrutiny while blocking demands for justice. Its veil of disinformation, propaganda and control of information is now so thick that free reporting on Russia now depends on information gathered from outside its borders: the world’s largest country has become a void of reliable information.

This cycle devastates nature, dismantles institutions, oppresses societies, and poses a systemic threat to global security and environmental stability. Russia’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine is also a danger to the wider world – but, frighteningly, it can provoke other cases. Its hostility is a warning to the world of how far an authoritarian regime based on fossil fuel economy can go. 

Russia’s aggression against Ukraine

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent shockwaves around the world. It has brought death, devastation and displacement to millions, triggered one of the largest refugee crises of the 21st century, and upended energy, trade, finance and food systems worldwide. Over three years since Russia’s full-scale assault in February 2022 – which itself came after eight years of illegal occupation of Crimea and parts of Donetsk and Luhansk – the consequences of Russia’s invasion continue to reverberate. Russia’s occupation and weaponisation of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants, including Europe’s largest, not only presents a chilling reminder of the Soviet era Chornobyl disaster that sent a cloud of radiation – and existential terror – as far away as North Africa and Canada. It also creates an unprecedented, more direct and more sinister threat to Europe and the wider world.

From the Arctic to Africa: a global threat with global consequences

Natural systems in such a large country as Russia have an enormous influence on global environmental and climate stability. Nearly half of Russia is forest, which, alongside vast tundra, wetlands and permafrost, stores immense carbon reserves and safeguards biodiversity (see chapter 4: Biodiversity Crisis). Forest loss could accelerate the climate crisis and trigger irreversible ecological damage but under Kremlin policy, these ecosystems risk losing resilience fast: over half of Russia’s forest is deemed exploitable; fires spread unchecked; permafrost thaws, and fragile habitats fragment.

Meanwhile, the risks of environmental and technological disasters continue to grow. Corruption, ageing infrastructure and dismantled oversight systems make spills, leaks and industrial accidents more likely (see chapter 1: Socioeconomic Context). One doesn’t have to look far for an example: in December 2024, a disaster in the Black Sea, affecting the Russian coast as well as the coast of temporarily occupied  Crimea, made headlines worldwide, when reportedly several thousand tons of heavy fuel oil spilled into the water after two tankers wrecked in a storm in the Kerch Strait. Thousands of volunteers rushed to clean the coastline and protect wildlife, while the authorities once again failed to deliver an adequate response to a disaster rooted in their fossil-fuel-dependent system.

The Russian Arctic is now a militarised and ecologically vulnerable zone. Warming four times faster than the global average, it is under pressure from oil and gas drilling, military expansion, and the breakdown of international cooperation. Indigenous Peoples are being displaced from their land, their rights ignored and livelihoods destroyed.

Beyond its borders, Russia exports its extractivist model. Through fossil fuel projects in Uganda, Egypt, Mozambique and beyond – and nuclear deals pushed by state nuclear corporation Rosatom, which is implicated in war crimes allegations at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant – Russia locks countries into dependency while enriching elites. International actors remain complicit: many states and corporations continue buying Russian oil, gas and raw materials, sustaining war, repression and destruction. Greenpeace activists worldwide, however, continue to speak out boldly, urging their governments to sanction Russia’s shadow fleet and halt purchases of Russian fossil fuels.

At global forums like G20 and BRICS+, Russia systematically obstructs and sabotages international cooperation, hiding behind “resource sovereignty” to weaken binding climate and biodiversity agreements. Many of its “green” organisations are state-controlled, while genuine environmental governance has collapsed into imitation initiatives and propaganda.

A warning to the world 

The lesson for the world is stark: when countries promote reckless extractivism or elites profiteering from destruction, or let fossil fuels dominate their economies, they risk sliding into the same dangerous cycle. The erosion of democracy, the fog of propaganda, and the silencing of dissent go hand in hand with environmental collapse and vicious war-mongering.

The Kremlin has cracked down on civil society, dismantling independent organisations and shrinking access to environmental information. Public oversight is almost impossible – but groundbreaking analysis like this proves reporting can cut through the silence. Moreover, it shows that environmental issues remain one of the few areas where ordinary Russians still find solidarity, even under severe constraints. Many organizations were forced to be closed, and many activists had to leave the home country. Those who remain tend to avoid confrontational topics, use coded language, and focus on expert reports, online petitions, or participation in state advisory councils. Local ecological protests, such as against landfills or industrial projects, continue and sometimes yield local victories, but systemic change is rare amidst the state intimidation.

Greenpeace Russia was forcibly closed after 30 years of defending forests, rivers and communities. But repression has not silenced the movement.

Twelve years ago, the Arctic 30 were arrested at gunpoint for peacefully protesting Arctic oil drilling. Their detention sparked a global outcry, and they were freed after three months. Russia was ordered to pay damages. The episode reminded the world of the power of solidarity, as people across the globe stood together to defend international activists risking their freedom to speak out for the planet. 

…as the hope for resistance endures, solidarity continues to grow

Today, grassroots resistance in Russia still connects with international allies, keeping alive the hope of a sustainable alternative. Russia holds enormous potential for a different path: vast renewable resources, rich biodiversity, scientific expertise and strong public concern for the environment. But unlocking that potential requires fundamental change: an end to aggressions, restoration of civil society, a shift away from extractivism towards sustainability and others. Even as Putin’s assault on civic space in Russia continues, the environment remains one of the few subjects where civic engagement persists — offering potential that, if nurtured, could contribute to broader shifts in Russian society. 

Russia is a warning for other countries whose government agenda depends on fossil fuel extraction, authoritarian rule and militarism. It is also a powerful reminder: without resistance there is no fair, green and peaceful future.

But repression breeds resistance – and Greenpeace continues to bear witness and break the silence. Governments and powerful elites have tried to silence us before, by bombing our ship, suing Greenpeace entities, shutting down offices and attempting to erase our existence. It didn’t work then, and it won’t work now. Our movement is global. It is unstoppable.Solidarity fuels hope. Together, we can resist, rebuild and create a fairer, greener and more peaceful future.

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2025 has been yet another year marked by some serious climate emergencies. Throughout the year, we saw irregular weather patterns, back-to-back typhoons, torrential rains, flash floods, forest fires, and polar vortexes — all of which are exacerbated by the fossil fuel-caused climate crisis. These climate disasters have resulted to thousands of people dying, and millions being forced to leave their homes. This is the reality for so many people all around the world, many of whom have contributed the least amount of climate damage.

But the stark contrast to these disasters are the images of courage and hope that we saw year-round: everyday folks rising up against all odds to take charge of their destiny, demanding a better future for all. People from different parts of the world, including Thailand, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Cameroon, Romania, Brazil, the Philippines, and Kenya, have chosen to seek solutions and demand reparations from polluters who have long taken advantage of natural resources, people’s livelihoods, and our collective future. The resilience, bravery, and hope of these people have been the most inspiring, and will fuel the future where we will no longer be taken for granted by the billionaires who only seek to achieve personal gain.

These images fill us with the promise that 2026 will be a continuation of people power; of standing up for our rights and for the next generations. They are a reminder that we need to hold governments and polluting corporations accountable — and that we need the systems to shift towards an equitable and just world where everyone is winning. 

Overwhelmed by the sheer volume of images this year, below is a small selection of the most inspiring images of 2025.

Thailand:  Activists from Greenpeace Thailand gathered at an iconic place in Bangkok, Thailand, to show solidarity with the global movement for climate justice. Holding banners reading “We will not be silenced” and “Stop Big Oil Bullies”, the group called for an end to the intimidation tactics used by fossil fuel companies like Energy Transfer, attempting to intimidate climate activists, journalists, and anyone who dares speak truth to power.

Poland: Greenpeace Poland activists on kayaks in Gdansk demanded an urgent ratification of the Ocean Treaty. For more than two decades, Greenpeace and other civil society organizations have been seeking a Global Oceans Treaty to protect marine ecosystems from harmful industries,  the Global Ocean Treaty. More than 60 countries have now ratified the agreement. This is a massive achievement for all the activists, supporters and allies who stood up and raised their voices for ocean protection in recent years. 

Australia: A shark handler and Greenpeace RHIB team free a blue shark caught on a longline in the Pacific Ocean. The blue shark is currently listed as “Near Threatened” globally by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Greenpeace Australia Pacific took action to stop an industrial longlining fishing operation in the South Pacific Ocean, seizing more than 20 kilometres of fishing gear and freeing nine sharks, including an endangered mako, near Australia and New Zealand.

New Zealand: The Rainbow Warrior is lit up as a “beacon of resistance” in Auckland today on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the bombing of the original Rainbow Warrior by French Government agents in 1985. Twenty crew and Greenpeace Aotearoa staff and volunteers hold letters of light spelling out the iconic phrase, You Can’t Sink A Rainbow.

Brazil: Between August 5 and 7, the Greenpeace Brazil Volunteer Team was in Brasília to participate in the 4th Indigenous Women’s March, which this year carried the theme: “Our Body, Our Territory: We Are Guardians of the Planet for the Healing of the Earth.” During the march, we joined forces with Indigenous women from across Brazil, carrying our banner reading “VET IT, LULA” in protest against the so-called “PL da Devastação”, which threatens to weaken environmental licensing and put forests, rivers, and traditional ways of life at risk.  We also distributed themed hand fans, which featured information about the Indigenous Women’s House — a crucial initiative that provides shelter and specialized care. This meeting marked a significant step toward advancing public policies that ensure the protection and dignity of Indigenous women.

United Kingdom: Greenpeace UK climbers install a major new work by renowned artist Anish Kapoor titled  BUTCHERED onto a Shell platform in the North Sea – the world’s first artwork to be installed at an active offshore gas site. After securing a giant 12m x 8m canvas to one side of the structure, the activists hoisted a high-pressure hose onto the canvas at a height of 16 metres above the sea. They then pumped 1,000 litres of blood-red liquid that gushed into the fabric, creating a vast crimson stain. The work is a stark visualisation of the wound inflicted on both humanity and the Earth by the fossil fuel industry, evocative of our collective grief and pain at what has been lost, but also a cry for reparation.

The Philippines: Impacts of the combined effects of Severe Tropical Storm “Crising” (International name: Wipha) and the southwest monsoon’s torrential rains are being felt across the Philippines—flooding communities like those in Calumpit, Bulacan, and disrupting lives, livelihoods, and even important moments like weddings. Southeast Asia’s extended monsoon season brought in relentless rains in Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia, causing some of the worst flooding in recent history. Over a hundred people have died in the region, and thousands have been forced to leave their homes.⁣

Brazil: Greenpeace Brazil conducted an aerial survey in the Amazon region to monitor deforestation and forest fires. The flight documented cattle ranches, deforested areas, and environmental destruction. Influencers were invited to participate in the survey, helping to amplify the urgency of protecting the forest by sharing their experiences and reactions.

Cameroon:  In Cameroon, Greenpeace Africa volunteers Yaoundé and Buea will contribute through photo-ops, using visual storytelling to highlight environmental injustices and amplify the voices of youth demanding change.

Switzerland: The peaceful protest marks the last in a series of creative interventions calling on policymakers to tax the super-rich, who represent 1% of the world’s population, and redirect tax revenues towards affordable green housing, public transportation, and climate and environmental action, to support communities and protect the planet.

United Kingdom: Greenpeace UK activists pour 300 litres of blood-red dye into the US Embassy pond in London, to highlight the death and devastation caused in Gaza as a direct result of the US’ continued sale of weapons, ammunition and military hardware to Israel. Twelve activists tipped the non-toxic, biodegradable dye from containers emblazoned with the words ‘Stop Arming Israel’ into the large pond located in front of the embassy building in Nine Elms, south-west London.

 United States of America (USA): A bold “Make Polluters Pay” projection lit up Houston during CERAWeek—the fossil fuel industry’s so-called “Super Bowl”—calling out Big Oil for its central role in driving the climate crisis. The campaign demands that the industry not only be held accountable for past damage, but also be forced to fund the costs of preparing our communities for the escalating impacts of climate change.

Actions and protests make up the soul of Greenpeace. Every time an activist is climbing an oil rig or holding up a banner, I hope this inspires people across the globe to also take their own action. 2025 was a highly active year, with actions taking place in various cities and seas worldwide, representing the core of Greenpeace’s values.

Check out some of the best images from our action teams across the world in 2025.

Volunteers from Greenpeace Brazil unveiled a 12-meter banner with the message “Respect the Amazon” during Lady Gaga’s pre-show in Copacabana on May 3.

On the third annual day of Russia starting the war against Ukraine, fifteen Greenpeace activists protest against environmentally damaging Russian oil exports using run-down tankers from the so-called shadow fleet on the Baltic Sea off Rostock. From inflatable boats, the Polish, Swedish, Danish, Ukrainian and German environmentalists painted ‘RISK!’ in large yellow letters on the tankers’ side as the ‘Prosperity’ passed by.

A team from Greenpeace Italy and Greenpeace Germany projected the message “Hear my cry for help” onto the Presena glacier in the Italian Alps to denounce how climate change is contributing to its melting and the consequences of losing a vital water reserve.

Greenpeace activists free a blue shark caught on a longline in the Pacific  Ocean.  The blue shark is currently listed as “Near Threatened” globally by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Greenpeace Australia Pacific took action to stop an industrial longlining fishing operation in the South Pacific Ocean, seizing more than 20 kilometres of fishing gear and freeing nine sharks, including an endangered mako, near Australia and New Zealand.

Greenpeace climbers install a major new work by renowned artist Anish Kapoor titled  BUTCHERED onto a Shell platform in the North Sea – the world’s first artwork to be installed at an active offshore gas site. After securing a giant 12m x 8m canvas to one side of the structure, the activists hoisted a high-pressure hose on top of the canvas at a height of 16 metres above the sea. They then pumped 1,000 litres of blood-red liquid that gushed into the fabric, creating a vast crimson stain. The work is a stark visualisation of the wound inflicted on both humanity and the Earth by the fossil fuel industry, evocative of our collective grief and pain at what has been lost, but also a cry for reparation.

Greenpeace Indonesia holds a photo-op “Boots to boost justice” using fishers’ boots in Muara Baru fishery port, North Jakarta.

As part of World Oceans Day, Greenpeace Mexico hosted a Festival of Monumental Kites featuring various figures of marine species at Holi Beach. A group of 17 giant kites with colourful shapes that evoke the life that inhabits this great aquatic territory were displayed in the sky with the message “Without oceans there is no future”.

Activists from seven countries participate in an action with Greenpeace Italy against climate-wrecking fossil gas at the new liquefied gas import terminal in Ravenna. At sea, activists reached the infrastructure and attached large banners on it reading “Burn, baby, burn” referencing President Trump’s mantra “Drill, baby, drill” alongside an image of a burning Earth flanked by the faces of US President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Greenpeace Africa joined local and Indigenous communities for the Forest Cultural Show (Indigenous People’s Day celebration) in Yaounde, Cameroon, to learn about their environmental protection efforts, share their cultures, and explore sustainable solutions for the future. Together, they marked Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Greenpeace Africa documented how the communities apply ancestral knowledge and traditional practices to protect the forest and peatlands they depend on.

The Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise visited the Baltic Sea as part of the European campaign against fossil gas. There, Greenpeace activists from Poland, Ukraine, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy paid a visit to the Nord Stream gas pipelines, which used to carry fossil gas from Russia to Europe. Greenpeace Poland demands a definitive shutdown of the Nord Stream pipelines, a phase-out of Russian fossil fuels by 2027, and a full phase-out of gas across the EU by 2035 at the latest.

The Rainbow Warrior, Greenpeace’s flagship that for decades has carried a message of defending life to every corner of the planet, is in Cartagena, Colombia, reminding us that the Amazon is not negotiable: it is respected and defended. During its passage through Colombia, on the way to COP30 to be held in Belém, Brazil, it reminded us of the urgency of stopping deforestation, protecting biodiversity and guaranteeing fair financing for indigenous peoples and local communities, who have cared for the forests for generations. In Belém, Greenpeace will demand concrete commitments: zero deforestation by 2030, direct financing and environmental governance that puts life as a priority.

A few hours before the start of the COP30 in Brazil today, a Greenpeace activist walked along a highline 30 meters above the center of Madrid with a 30-square-meter banner bearing the slogan “The planet on a tightrope.” With this unprecedented action, the environmental organization seeks to demand that the governments meeting at COP put an end to fossil fuels and deforestation by 2030, halfway through what the scientific community has called the decisive decade in the face of the climate emergency.

Greenpeace activists and volunteers march in the annual ‘We have had enough!’ protest for a more sustainable agriculture in Berlin. Environmental activists take to the streets with Greenpeace’s pig and cow balloons, banners, and signs.

Ahead of a federal election, Greenpeace Canada’s activists projected powerful messages on the world-famous Niagara Falls: “Don’t Trump Canada”, “Elbows up” and “RESIST”. Greenpeace Canada is calling out politicians like Trump and Poilievre for spreading fear and division, while polluting industries like oil & gas seek to take advantage of a crisis they helped create. Greenpeace Canada is asking Poilievre and all political parties to protect people and the environment, not polluters and billionaires. This projection was also a solidarity statement in support of Greenpeace US, who has been found liable for more than US$660 million in the Energy Transfer SLAPP trial.

The Rainbow Warrior arrives in Auckland, New Zealand, for the 40th anniversary of the bombing of the original Rainbow Warrior in Auckland by French Government agents in 1985. The Greenpeace flagship has just returned from taking action on bottom trawling on the Chatham Rise off New Zealand’s East Coast.

Malaysian actress Sharifah Sofia holds a banner reads “Stop Deep Sea Mining” in front of the deep-sea vessel “Hidden Gem” which is anchored at sea in Labuan, Malaysia. The Hidden Gem, owned by AllSeas and commissioned by The Metals Company, is the deep-sea mining industry’s flagship vessel. It is currently in Labuan, Malaysia, in long-term storage. The Metals Company confirmed in late April that they have submitted the first-ever commercial mining application to the US government, with the company stating they are “ready to go”.

Hundreds of people rally outside the “Summit on the Future of Energy Security”, in London. The summit is co-hosted by the UK government and the International Energy Agency and attended by officials from the pro-fossil fuels Trump administration. The demonstrators want an end to new drilling in UK waters, including new projects such as the controversial Rosebank oilfield, as well as a proper plan for transitioning the oil and gas workforce.