Extreme weather is hitting with unprecedented force, uprooting lives and changing landscapes forever. Families and communities across the world are facing unimaginable devastation. As global temperatures rise, extreme weather events are intensifying, aggravated by the operations of fossil fuel companies. 

Four survivors from three continents share their personal experiences and the toll that extreme weather events have taken on their lives. This is the reality of living on the frontline of the climate crisis.

Darroberto and Beatriz – Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

“ It looked like a war scene.” Darroberto and Beatriz in front of their family business.

We’ve been married for 43 years, and we’ve lived here for 44 years. I’m retired, we had a peaceful life. 

Suddenly, on May 4, water started appearing. We couldn’t tell where so much water was coming from. In an hour, we had to leave the house with water up to our chest. Water had never come this far. We almost had to swim out.

We went to the second floor of our neighbours’ house and stayed there. There were seven of us and four pets. We thought we’d spend the night and return the next day. We spent the whole day waiting for rescue, the water kept rising and almost reached the second floor. Other people on the roofs, shouting for help. It looked like a war scene. We were starting to panic. 

We were rescued to a boat at 10:30 PM, in the rain. The rescuers were civilians, they had to break down a gate to rescue us. It took us almost two hours to get to the entrance of the supermarket, ducking to avoid the wires. 

“We couldn’t tell where so much water was coming from. In an hour, we had to leave the house with water up to our chest.”

My son rescued us and took us to his house, where we stayed for 22 days. In 22 days, the water hadn’t receded. The entrance to our neighbourhood was full of water. We were desperate. 

After 22 days, we went to my brother-in-law’s house to start the cleanup there. Practically nothing was salvaged. It’s heartbreaking to see everything being taken out, a lifetime of things. The debris is still here; we relive this every day. Every day we’re throwing things away. There are rats, cockroaches, odors… It’s horrible. 

On the day we started the cleanup, friends and family came. Everyone came together. Everyone was cleaning, taking everything out. After we removed everything, we cleaned the whole house, twice. We painted. And then we could return home.

“It’s heartbreaking to see everything being taken out. And the debris is still here; we relive this every day.”

When we got home, there was another peak of rain. We left for a week. Now, we just want to get rid of this debris, we can’t call it trash because it was our stuff. We look with great sadness at what has been lost, and at the same time with hope for what is to come. These objects represent our lifetime’s work. 

Who pays for the damage from extreme weather?

It’s time to make the polluters pay. Sign now to hold the oil and gas corporations accountable, and support a safe and fair future for all.

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This happened so we could see how there are still good people. There’s not only bad people. I think the bad ones are up higher. They don’t think that things need to take a new direction. Now, with what happened, we saw how there are wonderful human beings. Why isn’t it always like this? Why do we have to wait for a tragedy for this to happen? 

Sharma – Tongaat, South Africa

“What was once a home filled with love and warmth is now just an empty shell of ruins.”

In the late afternoon of June 3, 2024, a tornado swept through parts of Tongaat, decimating all in its violent path. My family home was totally destroyed. What was once a home filled with love and warmth is now just an empty shell of ruins. The tornado destroyed homes and displaced hundreds of families in its destructive wake that left 12 fatalities.

Two years prior, our very same home was submerged and destroyed by floods. My elderly parents’ physical and mental health has been severely impacted since these senseless events. Our possessions and lives are ruined once again by extreme weather events.

I donated whatever ruined personal and household items we found to Greenpeace Africa, who are going to take them to the oil and gas companies. Oil and gas companies need to start paying for the damages they are causing to the climate.

Trixie – Batasan Island, Philippines 

“Oil companies should be held accountable for the devastation we are experiencing.”

Oil and gas companies cause the destruction of our environment. They should be held accountable for the devastation we are experiencing. I am encouraging all of you to support us and sign the petition so they will pay for the loss and damage they have caused.

Time to hold oil corporations accountable 

The climate crisis is no longer a distant threat. It is a stark, immediate reality for communities everywhere. More lives will be shattered by extreme weather events as long as oil companies keep polluting and remain unaccountable.

By demanding that oil corporations stop drilling and start paying, we can shift the course toward a just and livable future. 

You can accelerate this change: Sign the petition below.

Who pays for the damage from extreme weather?

It’s time to make the polluters pay. Sign now to hold the oil and gas corporations accountable, and support a safe and fair future for all.

Add your name

Amsterdam, the Netherlands – Ahead of the start of the UN climate change conference, the host of last year’s COP28, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has released its 2035 climate action plan.

In response, Tracy Carty, climate politics expert at Greenpeace International, said:  

“One year after delivering the UAE Consensus calling for a transition away from fossil fuels, the UAE has a global responsibility to step up and implement that outcome. That requires much more than what it has presented, which offers little confidence that major plans to expand fossil fuel production will be curbed.

“The UAE Consensus needs to be much more than a name to a document. It is instead a call to action because year after year of record temperatures and extreme weather impacts underscore just how little time we have left. The UAE has the capability to embrace a new future and accelerate towards a 1.5°C-aligned, just energy transition.

“Scaling up clean investments and energy markets, particularly in renewables, is the future and the answer will not come from drilling for more of the climate-destroying fuels that are heating the planet. The UAE can be a leader and deliver what COP28 set the world on: a pathway away from fossil fuels and climate destruction to a resilient, clean energy economy.”

Hanen Keskes, Political Campaigns Lead at Greenpeace MENA, said: 

“Through spearheading the unprecedented inclusion of the need to transition away from fossil fuels in the COP28 outcome, known as the UAE Consensus, the UAE has exhibited its leadership potential in global climate action. But as the NDC falls short of a clear commitment to a path toward fossil fuel phase-out, the country has missed an opportunity to capitalise on its COP28 leadership and set a positive example to the rest of the world. 

“As a key player in the global energy system, the UAE’s active participation in the transition away from fossil fuels is crucial to meet global climate goals. The country’s wealth and influence gives it the unique opportunity to drive innovations in renewable energy while being the first major oil and gas producer to take the bold step of halting fossil fuel expansion.” 

ENDS

Contacts:

Aaron Gray-Block, Greenpeace International, Climate Politics Communications Specialist, aaron.gray-block@greenpeace.org

Gaby Flores, Communications Coordinator, Greenpeace International, +1 214 454 3871, cflores@greenpeace.org

Hiam Mardini, Greenpeace Middle East, and North Africa, Media and Communications Manager, +961 71 553 232, hmardini@greenpeace.org

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

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The following message was sent to all Greenpeace staff around the world in response to Donald Trump being named president-elect of the United States. In this trying moment, we also want to share it widely with allies and supporters because the road to a better future is one we travel together.

Dear members of the Greenpeace community,

We write this letter to you with the spirit of gratitude and solidarity—gratitude for the work that each of you do to advance our shared purpose and solidarity in the struggle against corporate greed and government impunity. In the struggle for a green peace, a just, clean, safe and sustainable future for all life on our fragile planet.

The uncertainty, turbulence, and vitriol over the past several months pale in comparison to an election outcome that has devastating implications for our individual rights and freedoms, the health of our democracy, and the future of our planet.

An election that has implications not only for the U.S. but one that will be felt around the world.

Indeed, the authoritarian’s playbook—which includes rollbacks on climate and environmental protections, attacks on environmental defenders and marginalized communities, and the misuse of the institutions of democracy to undermine democracy and the rule of law—is being emulated and disseminated around the world in the countries and regions where we all live and work.

As an environmental and climate justice organization, we must resist attempts to roll back environmental and climate protections in place. We must lean into the intersections between climate justice and democracy protection, given the increasing attacks on freedoms of speech, assembly, and association.

We know anxiety, anger, and sadness are creeping in right now. We feel it! The path to a brighter future got a bit dimmer today but that does not mean we cannot see it anymore. We will have to work even harder and stronger together.

Our strength lies in our global network. Our strength lies in our millions of independent supporters. And our strength lies in our unwavering and uncompromising commitment to a healthy planet—a commitment that is not encumbered by government or corporate influence. We are the ones who, in times of crisis, step forward with a shared mission and values to restore balance. 

In the coming weeks, we will communicate plans to both resist rollbacks and advance a progressive vision for the future. Until then, one simple lodestar could be that the clean energy revolution—which we helped to start—will continue to shine brightly. Clean energy is cheap energy, safe energy and peaceful energy. Countries, companies and States will continue to expand and invest regardless of what Trump and his fossil fuel cronies say and do!

History has shown us that progress is never easy, but it’s always possible.

Our community of hope and courage will need to shine brighter, we know it can, to help light the way.

With gratitude,
Mads Christensen & Sushma Raman

Mads Christensen is Executive Director of Greenpeace International

Sushma Raman is Executive Director of Greenpeace USA