Long before environmental protection became a global effort, Indigenous Peoples, local and coastal communities already cared for the Earth. Whether by the ocean or deep in the forests, their ways of life have always been shaped by a deep connection to their territories, which they have defended for generations.

Across regions, those communities have been fighting to protect their homes, lives and livelihoods from industries plundering nature for profits, such as illegal gold mining in the Amazon and nickel mining in Indonesia, industrial fishmeal and fish-oil plants draining coastal waters in Senegal and industrial megaprojects threatening coastal livelihoods in Thailand. No matter the geography, a common reality emerges: those least responsible for the crisis are on the frontlines of confronting it. In doing so, they are not only protecting their territories, but safeguarding the ecosystems that sustain life on Earth, often at great personal risk. 

From the Amazon to the Congo Basin to Thailand, meet five Earth Defenders whose stories of resistance and close relationship with their homes and community serve as inspiration to join the movement to protect the planet. 

Valentin Engobo, Leader of the village of Lokolama in the Congo Basin

Meet Valentin Engobo, an Indigenous leader in the community of Lokolama, deep within the equatorial forests of the Congo Basin in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This is a territory shaped by generations of Indigenous knowledge, where the Tshwa people have long lived in close relationship with the forest and its peatlands. A representative of his people and president of the Association of Pygmy Peasants of Lokolama (APPL), Valentin has dedicated his life to defending these lands. Yet, as he describes, “we are still seen as ‘sub-citizens,’ obstacles to development, shadows in the trees,” while decisions about their territories continue to be made without them.

Lokolama sits at the heart of one of the world’s largest tropical peatland complexes, a vast carbon sink storing the equivalent of three years of global emissions. Working alongside scientists, Valentin and his community helped bring global attention to this ecosystem and its importance for the climate. “It is not only our culture that is under threat. It is also your future,” he warns. Through community-led forest management, advocacy and international action – including challenging harmful policies imposed on their lands – he continues a struggle rooted in generations of resistance, defending both the rights of his people and ecosystems that are critical to the future of the planet.

Diaba Diop, Leader of artisanal fishing communities in Senegal

Diaba Diop embodies the resilience of fishing communities in Senegal. As head of the Network of Artisanal Fisherwomen in Senegal (REFEPAS), she represents thousands of women processors, fishmongers and small-scale traders, fighting for recognition of their work and their role in the local economy and food security.

She also advocates for the social and professional rights of women in the sector, pushing for professional identification, better organisation and access to social protection. Her work seeks to move these workers out of informality and ensure dignity, security and institutional recognition.

A powerful ocean defender, Diaba Diop promotes sustainable fisheries and warns of the impacts of overexploitation. She stands on the front line against industrial fishing vessels that deplete fish stocks and threaten her community’s livelihoods, calling for fairer practices. She also mobilises against fishmeal and fish oil factories that divert fish from local consumption to animal feed abroad, undermining women’s incomes and local food security. Together with the women she represents, Diaba continues to defend both marine resources and the future of her community.

Maria Socorro, Community Leader from the Médio Juruá region, Brazilian Amazon

“The Amazon is my home, my country, where I live happily,” says Maria Socorro, a ribeirinha (riverside community member) born and raised between the forest and the river. She has lived for over 40 years in the Roque community, in the Médio Juruá region in the Amazon, building her life in close relationship with the forest, working with the collection of andiroba seeds, a practice rooted in both livelihood and care for the territory. “This tree was already here when I arrived,” she says, pointing to one of the andiroba trees she has harvested for years. “It has given so much”. 

Each year, during the harvest season, Maria Socorro and other women from the community gather in the forest, often collecting more than 50 cans of seeds together. The work is collective, marked not only by effort but by moments of joy – “we sing, we laugh, we go together,” she recalls – and by a deep understanding of the forest’s rhythms. The seeds are used to produce oil for medicines, soap and cosmetics, generating income that sustains families throughout the year. For Maria Socorro, protecting the forest is inseparable from survival: “If you cut it down, it’s over. The forest ends, and so does our production.”

Her story is part of a broader transformation in the Médio Juruá region, where communities have organised over the years to defend their territories and build sustainable economies rooted in standing forests. Today, Maria Socorro is one of many women whose daily work helps sustain this model – one that keeps the forest alive while securing dignified livelihoods.

Khairiyah Rahmanyah, “Daughter of the Chana Sea” and youth activist from Chana, Thailand

Khairiyah Rahmanyah rose to national prominence when she took her village’s fight from the shores of Chana to the gates of Government House in Bangkok. A fisherman’s daughter from a small village in the Chana district, she has dedicated her young adulthood to protecting her seaside hometown from a massive industrial megaproject. This development threatens to transform over 26 square kilometres of pristine coastline into a hub for heavy industry and petrochemical plants, a move Khairiyah warns would destroy the marine ecosystems and the traditional livelihoods of her community.

Determined to save her home, Khairiyah gained national attention after traveling to Bangkok to petition the Prime Minister and camping out in front of government buildings to demand transparent public hearings. The event gained mass media and social media attention and trended on Thai Twitter as #SAVECHANA. Despite facing surveillance and intimidation, she continued to mobilise her community and joined Greenpeace during the Ocean Justice ship tour in 2024. She continues to challenge the narrative that GDP growth from industrial estates outweighs the declining quality of life seen in other industrial hubs. Currently, Khairiyah, the Chana community in Songkhla province, and Greenpeace are calling for coastal communities to have the right to determine the direction of development in their own homelands.

Her advocacy is rooted in a deep connection to the ocean, where she fights to ensure that future generations can still see dolphins from their doorsteps, grow in a healthy environment and maintain the cultural heritage of Thailand’s coastal villages.

Rifka Kmesrar, Indigenous youth leader from West Papua, Indonesia

From Indonesia, meet Rifka Kmesrar, an Indigenous youth leader from Haha Village, in the Seremuk Subdistrict of South Sorong Regency, in West Papua. This is a region of dense tropical forests and rich biodiversity, where Indigenous communities have long depended on their ancestral lands and natural resources for their livelihoods, culture and identity. As a young leader of the Tival Community, Rifka represents a new generation that has grown up witnessing the ongoing struggle of their parents to defend their territories from external pressures. “We have seen our parents fight for generations,” she says, “and we feel it is our responsibility to continue that work.”

Together with other Indigenous youth, Rifka is working to protect both her community’s culture and its food systems, ensuring that traditional knowledge and local resources are not displaced by logging, palm oil expansion and other threats. Their efforts include organising collectively, strengthening cultural practices and mapping the boundaries of their customary territories to prevent land grabbing and secure formal recognition. In a context where forests are increasingly threatened, her leadership reflects a broader movement of Indigenous youth rising to defend their lands, safeguard their future and keep their connection to the territory alive.

Acting locally for global Impact

These stories are not isolated. Research shows that while Indigenous Peoples make up 6% of the global population, they manage over 25% of the world’s land surface and are the primary stewards of some of the most biodiverse and intact ecosystems on Earth. Their territories regulate the climate, support livelihoods and sustain ecosystems far beyond their boundaries. Still, their leadership is too often overlooked in decisions about conservation and climate action.

2026 is a decisive year for nature. Governments are now under growing pressure to turn global commitments into real action, including the pledge made under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework to protect at least 30% of the planet by 2030. What happens next will determine not just how much of the planet is protected, but how that protection is defined, and who it serves.

Ensuring that communities have the recognition, rights and direct access to resources they need is key to translating global promises into lasting protection on land and in the water.

Jaqueline Sordi is the Communications and Engagement Lead for the Tropical Forests campaign at Greenpeace International.

The US-Israel war on Iran is shattering lives across Iran and the wider region. Civilians pay first and hardest — through fear, displacement, destroyed infrastructure, and deepening environmental harm. Greenpeace calls for an immediate end to the violence and a return to diplomacy. As we push for that, we also need to understand the systems that keep the conflict running.

Bottled water. Baby formula. Food. Shoes. Lipstick. The cost of everyday goods is spiking as a result of the conflict in Iran. This isn’t a coincidence; it’s oil. It’s plastic. 

When war disrupts oil, it doesn’t just hit us at the pump. It hits the grocery aisle, the pharmacy, and the toy store. Because nearly everything we buy, from shampoo to strawberries, is made from petrochemicals, wrapped in plastic, or both. 

The crisis in Iran reveals a painful truth: our supply chain has a plastics problem, and we’ll keep paying for it until we break free.

Plastics run on oil

Ninety-nine percent of plastic is made from fossil fuels. Crude oil is refined into petrochemicals like naphtha, cracked into ethylene and propylene, and polymerised into the resins that become the bottle in your hand, the bag carrying your chips, and the fabric in your shirt. Plastic isn’t just dependent on oil. Plastic is oil. 

Every bottle, bag, and sneaker runs on the same supply chain and the same geopolitical tensions.

The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas flows, according to IEA, is the passageway for reported US $20 to US $25 billion worth of petrochemical products every year. When that flow is disrupted, the building blocks of plastic become scarce. Prices climb. And supply chains shudder.

Prices for plastic resins have already surged by more than 30% in the past month.

Higher plastic costs ripple quickly through to consumers, compounding across every element of a product, from the materials inside to the packaging wrapped around it.

Already, the beauty industry is warning of price increases, and toymakers are sounding the alarm about Christmas as they reportedly face low-density polyethylene price hikes of up to 55%. The burden lands, as it always does, on the people who can least afford it.

Fossil fuel and petrochemical companies profit from war and price shocks

While people absorb the shock, fossil fuel and petrochemical industry profits are soaring. U.S. oil producers could see an additional US $63 billion in profit as crude oil climbs past US $100 a barrel, according to energy research company Rystad. Russia’s oil income doubled to US $9 billion in April alone, according to Reuters calculations. According to the Financial Times, TotalEnergies made more than US $1 billion in profit after buying up large quantities of oil as the conflict began — their profits are soaring even as the conflict has taken 15% of its operations offline. Oil executives have pocketed US $1.4 billion selling stock amid the conflict, according to an analysis of insider-transaction disclosures from analytics firm VerityData.

When the ceasefire was announced, Shell, BP, and TotalEnergies stocks reportedly fell between 6% and 8% in a single day — the EU region’s biggest one-day fall all year. 

We’ve been here before. In 2022, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine disrupted energy markets, Big Oil reportedly recorded its biggest year in history — more than doubling its profits. 

Geopolitical crisis has become a profit mechanism for an industry that reportedly spends hundreds of millions lobbying to keep us dependent on it. Our governments aren’t just complicit, they are locking us in — funneling billions into the fossil fuel industry, which pours it right back into their campaigns. 

No one should profit off war. But again and again, fossil fuel interests turn crisis into opportunity, pushing deregulation and deepening dependence while communities are left to live with the consequences.

Winners and losers: Which countries are most exposed to petrochemical disruption

The United States, Saudi Arabia, and Russia account for more than 40% of the world’s oil supply, and as the world’s largest producer, the US is positioned to gain the most. A point Donald Trump made sure to say out loud.

Europe, too, is being squeezed by rising feedstock prices. Most exposed, however, are Japan, South Korea, India, and much of Asia — nations heavily dependent on imported crude and petrochemical feedstocks. As much as 70% of Asia’s naphtha reportedly passed through the Strait of Hormuz last year. South Korea is so reliant on naphtha, a critical building block for plastics, that many refer to it as the “rice of the petrochemical industry.” Recognizing this vulnerability, President Lee Jae Myung has called for prioritizing a plastics-free economy alongside his calls for peace.

At the very bottom of the chain — everywhere, in every country — are the people, absorbing every ripple.

How reuse and renewable energy can build resilience

This is the third major shock in five years to tear through the fossil-fuelled supply chain: COVID, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and now this. Each crisis points to the same conclusion: a future less dependent on fossil fuels is not only better for the planet but also more stable, secure, and resilient to the disruptions we face today.

Every piece of plastic ties us to a volatile, extractive system — one that leaves us exposed to price shocks, pollution, and conflict. 

Just as renewables break our dependence on the fossil fuels that power our grid, reuse breaks our dependence on the oil that stocks our grocery aisles. Both provide supply chain stability, local resilience, and independence from whoever controls the chokepoint.

The barrier is not capability. It is political will and investment – both of which are currently being directed at an enormous scale in exactly the wrong direction.

Why a Global Plastics Treaty matters now more than ever 

With plastic production poised to become the single largest driver of growth in global oil demand, a binding Global Plastics Treaty that cuts plastic production would be a turning point, not just for oceans and public health, but for economic security, geopolitical stability, and the resilience of the systems we all depend on. 

As long as corporations keep us hooked on plastic, we remain chained to oil. And as long as we’re addicted to oil, we remain exposed to conflict, price shocks, and to the decisions made by whoever controls the supply.

We’ve paid for this system in prices, pollution, and war. We can stay locked in a cycle of crisis, or break free. Reuse systems, renewable energy, and local resilience aren’t a distant dream. They’re ready. And so are we.

Let’s end the age of plastic!

Ask world leaders to support Global Plastic Treaty so that we can finally turn off the tap and end the age of plastic.

Take action

Lindsey Jurca is a senior plastics campaigner from Greenpeace USA.

Berlin, Germany – Governments meeting at the Petersberg Climate Dialogue, including Türkiye as this year’s UN climate talks president, must use the global disruption in fossil fuel supplies from the war on Iran as an accelerator for a just transition away from fossil fuels.

Addressing delegates in Berlin on Tuesday, Murat Kurum, Minister of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change and COP31 President Designate, recognised the current crisis has shown that fossil fuels do not guarantee energy security.

Emel Türker Alpay, Climate and Energy Campaigner at Greenpeace Türkiye said:

“Minister Kurum is 100% correct: dependency on oil and gas is a structural liability and the time has come to phase them out. As COP president, it’s mission critical for Türkiye to help operationalise and accelerate the implementation of the just transition away from fossil fuels at COP31. 

“Fossil fuel dependence is destabilising the climate and exposing countries to volatile global markets, conflict and disruption. But a just transition is the opportunity to transform energy, transport, industrial and other systems so they are more secure and affordable.

“As COP31 host, Türkiye needs to lead from the front and demonstrate its commitment, starting with the cancellation of the coal-fired power plant project currently planned in Türkiye. The two additional units  to Afşin-Elbistan A Coal Power Plant is the only new coal power plant project in Türkiye and one of five projects in the OECD. Cancellation of these two additional units would also demonstrate Türkiye’s leadership in this process.”

Earlier, Greenpeace Germany activists used kayaks to protest against the use of fossil fuels, displaying a floating banner on the water at the Westhafen Event & Convention Center in Berlin that said: ‘BREAK FREE FROM FOSSIL FUELS’. The floating banner and surrounding kayaks formed the shape of the sun. The 17th Petersberg Climate Dialogue is an international ministerial meeting to help prepare for the annual UN climate talks.

Martin Kaiser, Executive Director at Greenpeace Germany said:

“German Chancellor Friedrich Merz faces a credibility gap at the Petersberg Climate Dialogue. While he has the opportunity to lead Europe toward a nature-compatible transition in energy and mobility, his government’s domestic actions – such as backtracking on the combustion engine ban, blocking speed limits and maintaining Germany’s reliance on fossil fuel heating – contradict these goals.

“Despite rising fuel prices and the urgent need to break free from dependencies on autocratic leaders, Germany continues to stall on renewables. To succeed, the summit must strengthen international alliances focused on the economic advantages of wind and solar, ensuring a definitive shift away from fossil fuels.”

ENDS

Photos available in the Greenpeace Media Library

Contact:

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

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

I’m deeply familiar with activist burnout. After five  years working as an environmental journalist in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, I had reached a point of mental and emotional exhaustion. Along my recovery journey, which took me many years, I’ve finally learned the basics: caring for myself is more important than the mission I’ve embraced. More important? Yes. Because if we allow ourselves to become completely broken, we can no longer be the activists we want to be in the first place. 

The world seems to be upside down many times a month – or even, a week or, a day! Directly and indirectly, we are all being impacted by environmental destruction, and human rights abuses. 

If you are one of those who dare to act, then it has not been easy for you – having to carry on while facing so many threats at the same time requires another set of skills, ones that will enable us to care for our mental health while we do our best for the world we love.

Here’s 9 ways I was able to recover and prevent future burnout:

1. Learn from ancestral wisdom

Learning from Indigenous Peoples helped me to go deeper in my connection with nature, to expand my worldview, and to learn more about what is important for us to do to protect the Earth.

2. Participate in collective experiences with like-minded people

I joined workshops and ceremonies with other activists, where we could talk openly about how we were feeling, our vision for a better future and strategies to get there. Sharing with like minded groups was nurturing and helped put us back on track with an increased sense of hope and joy.

3. Get support from healers, coaches and therapists

The recovery was a journey of self-discovery where I learned a lot about boundaries, recognising when my body tells me to take a deep breath and to relax my mind, so I could be in touch again with the beautiful possibility of reinventing myself to never stop being an activist – here I am.

4. Establish a rhythm of studying 

I studied things that helped me to find ways of action focused on love, education and inspiration, like Deep Ecology, The Work that Reconnects, Systems Thinking, Non-Violent Communication, Delicate Activism and more.

5. Ask for advice from experienced people 

I started sharing my plans, achievements and fears with teachers that had spent their entire lives as activists: Stephan Harding, Joanna Macy, Satish Kumar, Antonio Donato Nobre, and more. Stephan would tell me: “Remember to balance emotion and intuition with thinking and logic in your work.” Joanna’s advice: “Are you in distress? Use it!” taught me to see this emotion as part of my power to change things. Satish’s words : “Create your own way”, emboldened me to trust my creativity to find new ways of being an environmentalist while Antonio’s: “You don’t have to live in the Amazon to protect it” was liberating.

6. Talk with activists friends

It’s important to have people around you who could truly understand each other’s experience. When things got hard or great again, we weren’t alone.

7. Take care of my health in systemic ways

Body, mind, emotions, soul – I became more attentive to my health as a whole. I eat well, meditate, have a therapist, spiritual practice and exercise.

8. Make nature my ally

Being in nature is something that has helped me countless times to reorganise myself and my work, bringing me back over and over again to a state of peace, relaxation, and wellbeing.

9. Learn from elders to never stop dreaming

The vision for a better future, the reality we know is possible – one of peace and justice for all is a great motivation to continue on the path of our active hope, even if a burnout meets us along the way.

Here are some other resources:

• Coping with climate grief: advice from an environmental psychologist
• Climate anxiety: 21 resources to energise you into action
• The ties that bind us, and move us forward

Take care. Save this post. 

Your activism needs you well.

Karina Miotto is a Content Editor with Greenpeace International.

This week at Greenpeace we performed with Swiss artist Athena on the Morteratsch Glacier, joined the Global Summud Flotilla and protested against fossil fuels, destructive fishing, for increased safety in Chornobyl and more. Here’s a few of our favourite images from Greenpeace work around the world.

Switzerland – Athena hiked up to the Morteratsch Glacier in the Upper Engadine, in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland, with a four-piece ensemble. She performed her latest song, “Collide”, in one of the glacier’s breathtaking caves.

Mediterranean Sea – The Arctic Sunrise joined the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF); sailing alongside more than seventy vessels and over a thousand participants who seek to directly challenge Israel’s ongoing blockade of aid to Gaza.

Germany – As part of the ‘Schools for Earth’ project – a collaboration between Greenpeace Germany and the Lower Saxony Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs.

Pupils, teachers and school leaders from the six schools in Lower Saxony gathered in Hannover for a networking event.

Atlantic Ocean – Greenpeace activists held up a banner in protest against destructive fishing practices by Spanish longliner Naboeiro operating in the Canary Guinea Convergence Zone.

Amsterdam – Greenpeace International staff and supporters gathered outside the Amsterdam District Court to spell out the message “facing down bullies” to mark a hearing in Greenpeace International’s anti-SLAPP lawsuit against fossil fuel pipeline company Energy Transfer filed in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Ukraine – Ahead of the 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl reactor disaster (26. April 1986), Greenpeace activists protested in front of the nuclear ruin, calling for stronger support for Ukraine in securing the accident site.

The New Safe Confinement over the Sarcophagus and damaged reactor, severely impacted by a Russian drone attack, can no longer reliably fulfill its function.

Finland – Greenpeace and Forest Movement activists patrol valuable natural forests in Northern Finland. The aim is to prevent logging before they start, and if needed, to stop the logging.

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, The Netherlands – Greenpeace International’s landmark anti-SLAPP lawsuit against Energy Transfer took another step forward in the Amsterdam District Court, today. The hearing reviewed the pipeline company’s latest attempt to avoid accountability under Dutch law and the European Union’s anti-SLAPP directive for back-to-back abusive lawsuits filed in the US.[1] Netherlands-based Greenpeace International is seeking legal recognition that Energy Transfer has acted unlawfully as well as relief from the harm that has resulted. The Court said it would make a decision by 3 June 2026 on Energy Transfer’s plea for dismissal or pause of the anti-SLAPP lawsuit.[2]  

Mads Christensen, Greenpeace International, Executive Director said: “Energy Transfer cannot hide from justice — no matter how hard they try. Greenpeace International is holding this Big Oil bully accountable under Dutch and EU law for repeated attempts at silencing our free speech. We will continue to resist all forms of intimidation and believe Energy Transfer will have to answer for its actions here in the Netherlands.”

“With the world’s continued dependence on fossil fuels wreaking havoc around the globe, Greenpeace International’s anti-SLAPP landmark case against Energy Transfer is bigger than us: This is about stopping corporations from weaponising the courts against anyone who dares to speak out for the public good.” 

Energy Transfer’s back-to-back lawsuits against Greenpeace International and the Greenpeace organisations in the US (Greenpeace Inc. and Greenpeace Fund) remain blatant attempts to silence free speech, erase Indigenous leadership of the Standing Rock movement, and punish solidarity with the ongoing, peaceful resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline.[3] These are clear-cut examples of SLAPPs — lawsuits attempting to bury nonprofits and activists in legal fees and ultimately silence dissent. 

Daniel Simons, Senior Legal Counsel Strategic Defense, Greenpeace International said: “Energy Transfer continues attempting to evade accountability because it knows it cannot justify its repeated abusive lawsuits. We feel confident the court will allow Greenpeace International’s anti-SLAPP case to proceed on the merits and that Energy Transfer will face justice. We carry on this legal fight to remedy the harms suffered as a result of Energy Transfer’s intimidation tactics and to ensure corporate bullies know there is now a price to pay if you bring SLAPP suits.”

In parallel to the anti-SLAPP case in the Netherlands, Greenpeace International and Greenpeace organisations in the US continue the legal fight against Energy Transfer’s most recent SLAPP in North Dakota. Following a District Court judgment awarding US$345 million to Energy Transfer in February 2026, the Greenpeace defendants are seeking a new trial and, if necessary, will appeal the decision with the North Dakota Supreme Court.[4] 

The 16 April hearing in Greenpeace International’s landmark anti-SLAPP case against Big Oil bully Energy Transfer marks the beginning of a series of organising, marches, and activities around the world collectively called Facing Down Bullies.

ENDS

Photo and video can be found in the Greenpeace Media Library.

Notes 

1. Energy Transfer requested an anti-suit injunction from the North Dakota District Court in July 2025 looking for protection from Greenpeace International’s anti-SLAPP lawsuit in the Netherlands. In September 2025, the North Dakota District Court denied the request. Energy Transfer subsequently appealed that decision to the North Dakota Supreme Court, which has not yet issued a decision. 
2. Energy Transfer has appeared in the anti-SLAPP case, represented by Dutch counsel, and has lodged a preliminary plea, seeking the dismissal of the case arguing that the Amsterdam District Court lacks jurisdiction, and in the alternative, asking for a stay (suspension) of the proceedings until the final outcome of the case in North Dakota. Greenpeace International has lodged its reply. 
3. Energy Transfer’s first lawsuit was filed in federal court in 2017 under the RICO Act – the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, a US federal statute designed to prosecute mob activity. The case was dismissed in 2019, with the judge stating the evidence fell “far short” of what was needed to establish a RICO enterprise. The federal court did not decide on Energy Transfer’s claims based on state law, so Energy Transfer promptly filed a new case in a North Dakota state court with these and other state law claims.
4. Greenpeace defendants file motion for new trial in North Dakota court.

Contact: 

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

Join the Greenpeace SLAPP Trial WhatsApp Group for our latest updates

It’s time for facing down bullies. 

When we look at the state of the world, we see a pattern that cannot be ignored: Rights and freedoms are under threat from corporations and from autocrats. People and organisations are targeted for telling the truth, for solidarity, and for defending their communities from corporate extractivism.

People around the world are tired of billionaires and corporate polluters behaving like the law does not apply to them.

Facing down a Big Oil bully in court

Greenpeace International faces Big Oil bully Energy Transfer at the Amsterdam  court on 16 April as part of our landmark anti-SLAPP case to pursue justice in our home territory under Dutch and EU law. 

Energy Transfer has been waging abusive lawsuits against Greenpeace International and Greenpeace in the US for nearly a decade. In February, a North Dakota District Court awarded the US-based pipeline company US$345 million in damages. These SLAPPs are blatant attempts to silence free speech, erase Indigenous leadership of the Standing Rock movement, and punish solidarity with peaceful resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline. 

They want us — and all climate activists — to be scared by their corporate intimidation tactics. But their tactics won’t succeed. We have already filed a motion for a new trial in the US and will, if necessary, appeal. 

Energy Transfer is desperate to avoid this case. Of course they are. Bullies always think they can get away with anything.

Why this anti-SLAPP case matters for activists everywhere

This landmark anti-SLAPP lawsuit – invoking the European Union’s new directive for the first time – sends a clear message to every bully, billionaire, and corporate polluter: your era of intimidation is over, and your tactics of fear will no longer work.

And it also sends a message to our allies: that it is time to resist. We know we are strongest together, and we know we can win this legal fight.

At the end of the day, this case is about a simple, undeniable truth: that power belongs to the people. It cannot be hijacked by bullies — and it certainly cannot be bought by oligarchs.

We are shining a light on the global threat of SLAPPs.

We will make sure this bully understands that its intimidation attempts are failing.

And we want any corporations thinking of using a lawsuit as a weapon to know these tactics will  backfire.

We stand firm. We stand together. And we will not be silenced.

Resist Corporate Intimidation

Send a message to all corporate bullies that you’re part of a growing movement resisting corporate intimidation.

Make a Time to Resist Banner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

EV boom and falling oil demand in China

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The centre of Free Land Camp

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

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

A decisive year for tropical forests

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

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

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

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

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

From the margins to decision-making

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

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

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