Amsterdam, Netherlands – Public transportation, improved recycling programmes, and advanced battery technologies are shown as crucial solutions to limit mineral demand for a green transition according to a new report.

‘Beyond Extraction: Pathways for a 1.5°C-aligned Energy Transition with Less Minerals’, was commissioned by Greenpeace International, and authored by academics at the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) in Australia. Using different 1.5°C-compatible energy scenarios to explore pathways toward mineral sufficiency and efficiency, the report shows how Earth’s minerals can be administered for a clean renewable energy transformation that protects vital Earth support systems from terrestrial or deep sea mining of so-called ‘critical minerals’.

“Mining often brings environmental destruction and social harm. It is reportedly linked to child labour, workers’ rights violations, land grabs from Indigenous Peoples, ecosystem damage, and threats to communities. Around the world, the minerals ‘rush’ repeats extractivist and colonial patterns, disregards the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and threatens to undermine the very possibility of a just and green energy transition,” says Elsa Lee, Co-Head of Biodiversity at Greenpeace International.

“We all want a just world where energy is clean, affordable and available to everyone, rights are respected, peoples’ land access and livelihoods are protected, and our planet has a stable climate and rich biodiversity. With this report we underline that it is incumbent upon our governments who regulate the extractive industry to power an ambitious energy transition without mining critical ecosystems on land or at sea,” added Lee.

A key recommendation of the report is that decision makers must prioritise mineral use for essential energy transition purposes. In an era of eroding international cooperation and intensifying conflict, this underscores the importance of coordinated action to protect people and nature, and achieve climate objectives. 

Greenpeace International deep sea mining campaigner Ruth Ramos said: “Lines have been crossed on the land that need never be crossed in the deep ocean. Now we know: not only does deep sea mining run against science, ethics, people and the planet, it’s not even needed for a renewable transition. What is needed is for the nations of the world to unite against rogue actors like The Metals Company and Donald Trump and their affronts to international law and cooperation, and instead keep moving towards a moratorium on deep sea mining. Imagine if humans could have protected the world from the harms of the fossil fuel industry before it even started – that is the opportunity when it comes to deep sea mining: it is a historic privilege, and one we must now embrace wholeheartedly.”

As part of the report, potential mineral reserves areas were compared with areas that – due to their exceptional environmental, ecological, and social importance – must be off-limits to mining. The analysis finds that there is no need to mine these off-limits areas—including, amongst others, the global ocean and protected areas on land —for an ambitious energy transition.

Report author Professor Sven Teske said: “This research highlights how sound policies and innovative technologies can limit mineral demand in a 1.5°C-aligned energy transition. Realising this potential, however, requires responsible political leadership and decisive action today.”

ENDS

Notes:

Report: Beyond Extraction: Pathways for a 1.5°C-aligned Energy Transition with Less Minerals

Research briefing for Beyond Extraction report

Photos available in the Greenpeace Media Library

Contacts:

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

Lithium, nickel, copper, and cobalt are often framed by States and industries as “critical minerals” – a reflection of political priorities rather than actual societal needs. As the demand for these minerals is predicted to grow for energy transition technologies as well as other sectors, such as big tech and the military sector, its supply chains have become a geopolitical battleground. This has governments scrambling to control supply chains, while companies opportunistically pursue extraction, which can infringe on the ancestral lands of Indigenous Peoples, and risk the destruction of vital ecosystems. 

We must achieve an ambitious, Paris Agreement-aligned energy transition that safeguards critical ecosystems and centers the rights of Indigenous Peoples and those of local communities. But it requires the right political choices and moral leadership.

“Beyond Extraction: Pathways for a 1.5°C-aligned Energy Transition with Less Minerals”, is a collaboration between Greenpeace International and the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology Sydney.

The study focuses on nine key energy transition minerals: cobalt, copper, dysprosium, graphite, lithium, manganese, neodymium, nickel, and vanadium. 

Scenario analysis was used in this study to explore how different technological and policy pathways can shape future mineral demand from 2024-2050. 

The scenarios are: 

1) One Earth Climate Model Net Zero (OECM), aligned with the Paris climate goals and set as a base case for the study;

2) Progressive (PRO), and 

3) Progressive Accelerated Sodium-ion Battery (PRO-Na-ion). 

This global research – the first of its kind – shows that we can power an ambitious energy transition without sacrificing crucial ecosystems – whether on land or at sea. More public transportation, ambitious recycling programmes, and battery technology choices all contribute to reducing the mineral demand for energy transition. 

In an era of fraying international cooperation and intensifying conflict, this research underscores the importance of coordinated action to protect people and nature from the minerals “rush”, and achieve climate objectives. Responsible political leadership must prioritise mineral use for essential energy transition purposes and ensure that rights are respected, and peoples’ land access and livelihoods are protected.

Download the report and other materials: 

Download the research briefing. 

Download the report “Beyond Extraction: Pathways for a 1.5°C-aligned Energy Transition with less Minerals”. 

Download supplementary documents:
1) development of a restricted areas map and

2) minerals mapping approach and integration (reserve Proxy Area analysis)

On 8 March 2026, many neighbourhoods in Jakarta – one of the fastest-sinking cities in the world – were submerged by floods. Hundreds of residents displaced as relentless rainfall hit the metropolitan area and its satellite cities, including Bekasi, the one where I live now.

These floods happening exactly on International Women’s Day instantly reminded me of how I learned that the climate crisis is tougher on women. I know people don’t tend to think about gender when they think about extreme weather events, but the evidence shows that it’s connected.

And as a woman who experienced countless floods in Jakarta, I can testify: the climate crisis is not just. It’s not gender-neutral.

I didn’t figure it out by accident. I used to live quite comfortably as a little kid, I must admit. Then a few years later, life took an unexpected turn from what it used to be. Certain situations forced our family to let go of our childhood home and move to a densely-populated neighbourhood in one of the city’s alleys where reliable electricity was sometimes a luxury. We found out too late that it was also a flood-prone area until one morning, it came.

We didn’t get the opportunity to evaluate that sudden risk. My Dad and my little brother immediately laid some old clothes near our front door as barriers, while my Mom and I put our family’s important papers and documents in the cheap waterproof bags. We tried our best to avoid the water from entering without sandbags, but we failed. Most of the house was submerged. No clean water. No electricity. No access to buy food.

We slowly became familiar with such conditions as floods kept coming again and again occasionally during rainy seasons. As a teenage girl, I was often frustrated because I wasn’t able to buy sanitation supplies when I needed them the most, including menstrual pads. It never crossed my mind that dealing with numerous floods without proper resources while facing significant infrastructural and social challenges in Jakarta – with myriad threats like tidal floods, rising sea levels, water scarcity, and poor air quality – meant my health and hygiene were being compromised.

I talked to my female neighbours in that area during those years. Some of them were middle school students like me, some were single mothers whose children were sick from time to time due to constant flooding and polluted air, some were informal middle-aged workers with low-paid wages to support the family, and one of them even told me she had to suffer from domestic violence in the past as a result of increasing stress levels in the similar neighbourhood. All of us collectively agreed the same thing: when people romanticised the rain, we wholeheartedly cursed it.

This memory I once denied has become a part of my own story. I soon realised there are many other women exposed to environmental risks whose struggles are even made harder due to cultural norms, gendered-responsibilities, poverty, and systematically unjust oppression.

The burden of the climate crisis is not evenly distributed

The climate crisis disproportionately affects women who are already dealing with stigma and discrimination they are up against in their daily life, especially when they are also a part of other marginalised groups: low-income, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), disabled, or LGBTQ+, exposing the intersectionality of climate impacts, gender inequality and social injustice.

In some regions, women already lack access to healthcare, basic education, natural resources, or employment, making them less prepared than men when the climate disasters hit. The Indigenous Women communities in Brazilian Amazon have to spend more time in their fields to secure minimal harvests or walk longer distances to collect water when rivers run dry while they have to take care of family members who are sick due to the rising temperatures. Their burdens have physically and mentally multiplied.

Another fact that the relationship between women and the climate crisis has often been overlooked is that the effects of the crisis are intensifying the social and economic stresses that are contributing to violence against women and girls, just like what one of my former neighbours experienced above. Many women in Indonesia also have to face systematic violence from authorities as the exploitative management of natural resources which constantly causes climate disasters often uses methods that violate human rights.

Women are more at risk, but less in policy-making roles

Gender gaps in climate policy-making still persist across the world. Women make up less than 40% of environment ministers in wealthier societies, and the numbers are even considerably lower in locations where women are most vulnerable to environmental risk, particularly in low-income countries and environmentally-sensitive sectors.

As much as I support and encourage the acts of solidarity during women’s history month in which I was a part of as well, I think we need to remind ourselves that it’s important we should recognise and stand in solidarity with women who have enough resources and successfully thrive in male-dominated fields, but especially with women in minorities and those at the forefront of the climate crisis, such as single mothers in coastal communities without free access to healthcare and have low-paid jobs, or women human rights defenders experiencing intimidation and violence.

A better understanding on how gender equality intersects with social and climate justice plays a key role in order to call for real actions and implement solutions that work for our varied experiences. When gender equality is often treated as a symbolic celebration, it’s only a decoration. It’s time for actual representation and inclusion that ensures women’s voices are heard and their struggles are properly addressed.

Social justice and climate justice are about our planet and the lives of all people, so fighting for both is crucial to achieve a fairer, greener, more equitable, and more sustainable future for all. 

No more bombs, no nukes, no more bullies. Here are a few of our favorite images from Greenpeace work this week. Comment below which you like best!

Spain – Greenpeace Spain activists unfurled a giant banner with the message “NO TO WAR” in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol, one of the city’s most iconic locations, to send a clear message to world leaders: war is never the solution.

Switzerland – Greenpeace Switzerland activists draw a circle with a red thread 5 kilometres around the Gösgen nuclear power plant on Saturday. In doing so, they illustrate the drastic loss of living, residential and working space following a nuclear accident – knowing that a reactor disaster could affect an even larger area.

Indonesia – Sinta Gebze, a Malind Indigenous community member whose story is featured in the film Pig Feast (Pesta Babi), embraces one of the participants after sharing her response and watching the film in Jayapura, Papua.

Belgium – Thousands of protesters march in Brussels on International Women’s Day to demand gender equality, protesting issues like gender-based violence, wage gaps, and supporting reproductive rights.

France – Greenpeace France activists disrupted the arrival of official delegations at the World Nuclear Summit.

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.

Amsterdam, Netherlands – Unilever released its Annual Report and Accounts 2025 which reviewed the company’s progress on packaging sustainability and outlined plastic-specific targets on virgin plastic reduction and packaging types including flexibles or sachets. 

In response, Graham Forbes, Global Plastics Campaign Lead, Greenpeace USA said: “Unilever’s latest sustainability targets fail once again to match the scope of its plastic problem, or provide clarity for its shareholders and customers on how it will end its plastic sachet disaster. Swapping some sachets for paper alternatives is a false solution and does little to address the urgency and scale of the packaging waste and pollution crisis it helped create. Unilever is replacing one single-use material with another rather than tackling the root cause of plastic pollution.”

“Millions of plastic sachets continue to be produced every day, many ending up polluting communities and waterways across the Global South. Brands like Dove are among those contributing to this flood of single-use packaging, leaving communities to deal with the consequences of waste they did not create.”

“As one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies Unilever has both the responsibility and the ability to lead the shift away from single-use packaging towards reuse solutions. Greenpeace is calling on Unilever to create a clear roadmap to phase out all single-use sachets and scale up reuse systems. Real leadership will bring an end to the company’s dependence on plastic packaging and support a strong Global Plastics Treaty that cuts plastic production at the source.”

ENDS

Contacts:

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

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

Strait of Hormuz – Responding to news of escalating attacks by Iran on vessels stuck in the Persian Gulf extending to the Strait of Hormuz, Nina Noelle at Greenpeace Germany, which has been mapping oil tankers trapped in the area and potential impacts of an oil spill, said:

“Right now, there are dozens of tankers carrying billions of litres of oil trapped in the Persian Gulf as mines are being laid and missiles are hitting ships. This is an environmental disaster waiting to happen. A single oil spill in the Gulf could damage this fragile marine habitat beyond repair with devastating consequences for people, animals, and plants in the region, adding to the terrible human toll this illegal war has already taken on local communities.

“The US-Israel attack on Iran and subsequent strikes by Iran on neighbouring Gulf countries has shown once again that our dependence on fossil fuels is a constant threat to peace, security and prosperity. When oil and gas prices surge, fossil fuel giants rake in more profits while everyday people are hit by higher costs for heating, electricity, transport and food. 

“Greenpeace is calling on all parties to de-escalate tensions and pursue peaceful, diplomatic solutions and on governments everywhere to urgently shift away from fossil fuels towards distributed renewable energy systems where the risks of conflict are reduced rather than amplified.

“From Venezuela to Iran, we’ve seen how Trump’s stated desire to control resources – especially oil and gas – is playing out in violent foreign policy. In Trump’s illegal war with Iran, the only winners are the oil and gas companies.”

An investigation by Greenpeace Germany has analysed the blocked Strait of Hormuz using ship movement data and satellite imagery and simulated the potential consequences of oil spills in the Persian Gulf if tankers are damaged. At present, the oil tankers trapped in the Persian Gulf are carrying at least 21 billion litres of oil.

“Greenpeace simulations show how an oil slick could spread if the stranded tankers are damaged in an attack. The Strait of Hormuz and adjacent waters are home to pristine coral reefs, mangrove forests, and seagrass meadows. This is an ecological ticking time bomb and represents an enormous risk that further increases instability and human suffering in the region.” 

ENDS

Satellite images available for download via the Greenpeace Media Library. Link to interactive map 

Notes:

[1] Greenpeace Germany is tracking larger oil tankers above 80.000 DWT (deadweight tonnage) and 100 metres length. Interactive map and accompanying article: How oil tankers stuck in the Strait of Hormuz south of Iran threatens the Gulf ecosystem

[2] You can’t blow up the sun: 4 reasons renewables are a security imperative

[3] In Trump’s illegal war with Iran, the only winners are the oil and gas companies 

Contacts: 

Nina Noelle, crisis communications and international relations manager, Greenpeace Germany, +49 151 10622733, nina.noelle@greenpeace.org

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

Right now, the attack on Iran by the US and Israel has sparked a major shipping crisis in the Strait of Hormuz. Beyond the death, displacement and suffering of people facing US-Israeli strikes, you might be hearing that this “shipping jam” is the unavoidable reason that your grocery bills might be about to skyrocket again.

The crisis brought on by this illegal attack by the US and Israeli militaries reveals a systemic failure at the heart of our global food system. Almost half of global food production now depends on synthetic fertilisers produced by a small number of fossil fuel and agrochemical giants, leaving families and farmers to pay the price the moment fragile supply chains break. While the human cost of the conflict continues to mount, the geopolitical shock is hitting farmers at the peak of the spring application season across much of the Northern Hemisphere, and driving up costs for farmers worldwide, with knock-on effects on harvests and food prices

But that is just a distraction. The shipping delay is just the symptom of a much more systemic problem. What we are really seeing is the effect of a rigged food system functioning exactly as Big Ag designed it: protecting corporate profits while squeezing everyday families.

Here is why a geopolitical shock away can make your food more expensive, and why we need to change the system fast.

Fossil Fuels Repackaged as Food

Behind the current crisis is a truth the agro-chemical industry doesn’t want you to know: our global food system is dangerously addicted to chemical fertilisers, which are essentially fossil fuels repackaged for the soil.

Fossil fuel and Big Ag giants use massive amounts of energy to turn natural gas and oil into synthetic nitrogen. Then, they ship these chemicals across the globe on massive vessels, relying heavily on fragile chokepoints like the Strait of Hormuz, where the US and Israeli attack on Iran is already causing massive disruption.

This isn’t just bad luck. It is a setup made by Big Ag and fossil fuel billionaires. The industrialised, monoculture-based agricultural system they have imposed on the world depletes our soil and reduces biodiversity, forcing farmers to depend on fossil fuel-based fertilisers while corporate giants pocket the profits. Now, at the peak of the spring planting season in the Northern Hemisphere, the supply chain has snapped. 

Farmers are trapped in a volatile global market they cannot control, facing difficult choices such as paying drastically higher prices for fertilisers, reducing application rates, or switching crops. Any of these decisions leads to the same outcome: likely decline in crop production. The consequences then ripple through global supply chains and ultimately retail food prices, leaving families to foot the bill for corporate greed. Again.

Growing Feed Instead of Food

To make matters worse, the vast majority of these expensive, imported chemicals aren’t even used to grow food for humans. They are dumped onto endless fields to grow feed for factory-farmed animals.

The sheer, unsustainable scale of global industrial meat and dairy production supercharges this fragility. If we shifted away from resource-heavy, large-scale livestock operations and instead prioritised growing plants directly for human consumption, we wouldn’t be held hostage by these vulnerable supply chains.

The Emergency Exit: Ecological Farming

The good news? We have an emergency exit from this mess: ecological farming. It is the only real path to food sovereignty, independence, and local resilience.

Instead of buying expensive chemical pellets from a factory halfway around the world, farmers can work with nature instead of against it. By planting diverse types of crops, plants can naturally “fix” nutrients into the soil. This breaks the cycle of chemical dependence and does five amazing things at once:

• Saves Money: Farmers slash their costs by eliminating expensive chemicals, which protects your food prices from global shocks.
• Cleans the Water: It stops toxic chemical run-off from polluting our rivers and drinking water.
• Protects Wildlife: It restores space for bees, birds, and vital biodiversity to thrive.
• Fights Climate Change: It cuts the massive greenhouse gas emissions produced by the industrial food system.
• Increases Food Security: It reduces our dependence on imported food that is vulnerable to external shocks 

Growing a Safer Future from the Ground Up

Real food security isn’t something we can buy from a chemical factory in another country. It is something we grow right at home, starting with healthy soil and local communities.

But to get there, we need to force our governments to stop propping up this fragile, billionaire-serving model. Right now, billions in public subsidies keep the industrial meat and chemical fertiliser pipeline flowing. That money must be redirected.

The crisis in the Strait of Hormuz is a warning we cannot ignore. Sign the petition today to stop Big Ag and build a food future that is affordable and resilient.

Stop Big Meat and Dairy

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

Sign now!

Amanda Larsson is the Food and Agriculture Global Campaign Lead at Greenpeace Aotearoa.

Nairobi woke up on Saturday to streets turned to rivers, homes submerged, and families torn apart. At least 42 people have lost their lives, fathers, mothers, children, swept away in a single night of rain. Greenpeace Africa grieves with every family carrying that loss today. We stand with the people of Mukuru, Kibra, Mathare, Huruma, and Embakasi, communities that had already endured so much, and that deserved so much more protection than they received.

The people of Kenya deserve more than condolences. They deserve justice.

Disproportionate climate impacts  

For years, communities, scientists and climate advocates across Kenya have raised the alarm that the climate crisis was not a future threat but a present reality, already reshaping weather patterns, already threatening lives. Those warnings were not heeded with the urgency they deserved. The devastating scenes across Nairobi last week are a heartbreaking reminder of what is at stake when we fail to act in time.

What Kenya is living through right now is not an isolated catastrophe. While Nairobi drowns, communities in North Eastern Kenya are facing prolonged drought that has decimated livelihoods, dried up water sources, and pushed families to the edge. Flood and drought. Deluge and dryness. These are not opposites. They are two faces of the same broken climate system, and Kenya is bearing both at once.

Scientists have confirmed that the climate crisis made the extreme rainfall behind floods approximately 40% more intense. These are not acts of God. They are the consequences of decades of unchecked emissions by the world’s wealthiest nations and corporations, consequences being paid, in lives, by communities who contributed almost nothing to this crisis.

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Weakening Kenya’s natural defences 

This crisis has also laid bare a painful and urgent truth: Kenya is actively dismantling the natural systems that protect its people. Forests are not scenery. They are infrastructure. They absorb rainfall, anchor soil, regulate rivers, and shield downstream communities from exactly the kind of flooding that devastated Nairobi this week. When we destroy them, we don’t just lose trees. We strip away the first line of defence that stands between a heavy rainstorm and a catastrophe.

Kenya’s forests, from the urban green lungs like Karura in the heart of Nairobi to the highland water towers of the Mau Complex and the Aberdares, are the country’s natural flood defence. They absorb rainfall, regulate rivers and protect communities downstream. Yet they continue to face encroachment, illegal logging and weak enforcement. Every hectare lost is another community left more exposed and we are losing far too many.

But forests alone are not enough. Kenya has known for years that its cities, and particularly Nairobi’s informal settlements, are acutely vulnerable to flooding. The warnings have come from meteorologists, from engineers, from community leaders, from civil society. Yet drainage systems remain clogged and inadequate, early warning systems fail to reach the last mile, and residents in Mukuru, Mathare and Kibera have had to face rising waters with no meaningful preparation or support. That is not bad luck. That is a governance failure, one that costs lives every single rainy season, and that becomes more deadly with every degree of warming.

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Building climate resilience  

Disaster preparedness is not a luxury. It is a basic obligation of the government to its people. Kenya must invest urgently in climate-resilient urban infrastructure, functional early warning systems that reach every neighbourhood, and community-level emergency response capacity. Accountability must follow. When communities raise the alarm about blocked drainage, about encroachment on the forests that protect them, about the absence of emergency plans, those warnings must be acted on, not filed away until the next flood makes the front page.

Kenya’s government must urgently invest in climate resilience infrastructure: early warning systems that reach the last mile, drainage systems that can withstand intensifying rainfall, and social protection systems that catch communities when the rains don’t stop or when they don’t come at all. It must also champion Kenya’s rightful claim to Loss and Damage finance at the international level and demand that rich polluting nations pay their climate debt.

Stop wrecking Africa

Demand that polluters pay for the damages they continue to cause across Africa and that they change course now

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Sherie Gakii is the Communications and Storytelling Manager at Greenpeace Africa, based in Nairobi, Kenya.

A version of this blog was originally published by Greenpeace Africa on 9 March 2026.

Tokyo, Japan – Today, 15 years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, which devastated the northeast region of Japan. Greenpeace Japan extends heartfelt condolences to the victims and their families who are still suffering the aftermath of this catastrophe.

Sam Annesley, Executive Director of Greenpeace Japan, said: 

Today marks 15 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident. We honor the memory of those who lost their lives and offer our deepest sympathies to the survivors. Our hearts remain with the families and communities who have endured so much over the past 15 years. 

On a Friday afternoon in early spring, the massive earthquake, tsunami, and subsequent nuclear disaster struck. The scale of devastation reported in the news left everyone fearing for the safety of their loved ones. The release of vast amounts of radioactive material compounded an already unprecedented catastrophe; it hindered evacuation, search, and rescue efforts in addition to irrevocably contaminating fertile land and water systems. It continues to disrupt countless lives to this day. We express our heartfelt respect to those who, from the day of the tragedy to the present day, have worked tirelessly toward decommissioning and regional recovery.

We must change the fundamental energy system that created such suffering and sacrifice. In recent years, the Japanese government has clarified its policy to return to nuclear power, amid an increasing number of approvals for reactor restarts. However, the “Nuclear Emergency Declaration,” issued by the government on the day of the accident, has yet to be lifted, and no timeline for its cancellation has been publicised. To achieve the government’s goals of energy security, carbon neutrality,  power supply stability, and cost stability, it is essential to move away from nuclear power, promote energy efficiency, and transition to a society powered by 100% renewable energy.

From a security perspective, risks associated with nuclear power include the import of uranium, which Japan is 100% dependent on, and physical or cyber-attacks on facilities. While decarbonization is an urgent priority, constructing and commissioning new nuclear plants is not possible within the timeline we have to avert the climate crisis. 

Meanwhile, the restart of existing plants is confronted by a plethora of extremely difficult challenges that remain unresolved:  the physical safety of the facilities, the safety of hazard response workers, and evacuation routes to protect residents from radiation during complex disasters, such as simultaneous earthquakes and tsunamis. Furthermore, there is no strategy for the disposal of radioactive waste, even as it continues to accumulate from existing operations. Choosing nuclear power is the height of irresponsibility.

Nuclear power is also no longer a financially viable option. Currently, the most cost-competitive type of power generation in Japan is solar power, which utilises domestic energy sources and is inexhaustible.[1] While photovoltaic cells are currently produced primarily overseas, approximately 70% of the total costs, including grid connection and construction, is handled by domestic companies, thereby contributing to the Japanese economy.[2]

The narrative that highlights large-scale, centralized nuclear or fossil fuel plants as necessary to meet the expected increase in electricity consumption from electric vehicles and AI is short-sighted and  inconsistent with the 1.5°C target. We must move beyond this outdated paradigm. Our starting point must be in leveraging renewable energy—an inexpensive, stable, and domestic power source that requires no fuel imports and emits no radioactive waste or greenhouse gases—for the sake of industrial competitiveness and local communities.[3]

Japan is blessed with abundant renewable resources, including sunlight, wind, and water; there is vast potential to pursue energy efficiency while reducing costs. Greenpeace Japan calls on the government to prioritise the expansion of energy efficiency and sustainable renewables over nuclear power.

ENDS

Notes:

[1] The cost of nuclear power stands at 11.2 yen/kWh, while utility-scale solar is 10.0 yen/kWh in 2023, according to Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry

[2] IRENA ”Renewable power generation costs in 2024”

[3] Greenpeace Japan, Press Release“Strong Concerns Over Reckless Development in the Name of Decarbonization: Greenpeace Proposes Renewable Energy That Coexists with Local Communities and Nature”, September 2025

Contacts:

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

Amsterdam, Netherlands – Reacting to the news that disruption to global fertiliser supply chains caused by Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz may lead to a global food price shock, Amanda Larsson, Global Big Ag Project Lead, Greenpeace Aotearoa said: “The crisis brought on by this illegal attack by the US and Israeli militaries reveals a systemic failure at the heart of our global food system.” 

“Almost half of global food production now depends on synthetic fertilisers produced by a small number of fossil fuel and agrochemical giants, leaving families and farmers to pay the price the moment fragile supply chains break.[1] While the human cost of the conflict continues to mount, the geopolitical shock is hitting farmers at the peak of the spring application, threatening harvests across the Northern Hemisphere and knock-on effects on food prices.”

“The solution to food sovereignty, independence, and local resilience is the same as that needed to solve the climate and biodiversity crises: ecological farming. By working with nature to fix nutrients naturally in the soil, farmers can break the cycle of chemical dependence, slash costs, protect our rivers from toxic run-off, and ensure healthy, affordable food for generations to come.”

“Governments must stop propping up this fragile corporate model and redirect financial support away from resource-heavy, industrial agriculture. Food security cannot be bought on a volatile global chemical market; it must be grown from the ground up through healthy soil and local resilience. It is time to fund the transition to self-sufficient, ecological practices that serve communities, not billionaires.”

ENDS 

Notes:

[1] Bloomberg, Iran War Threatens Vital Supplies for Feeding the World, 6 March 2026

Contacts:

Joe Evans, Global Comms Lead, Big Agriculture project, Greenpeace UK, +44 7890 595387, joe.evans@greenpeace.org

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