Bergen, Norway — Greenpeace concluded a month-long science expedition to seamounts and hydrothermal hotsprings in the Arctic deep sea, today. The expedition brought together world-leading researchers to explore deep-sea ecosystems and places never before been seen by humans. The ROV dives down to 3000 metres were livestreamed, and over 450,000 people tuned in to follow the divestreams on Youtube, TikTok and Instagram. The scientists onboard will now analyse the high-resolution video material taken and all samples in detail, and several potential new species are believed to have been discovered during the expedition.

Photos and video for press available in the Greenpeace Media Library.

The area of the expedition survey was opened up for deep-sea mining by the Norwegian government in 2024, but has been stopped until at least 2029 after protests from environmental organisations, scientists, fishermen and the Green opposition parties in Norway.[1]

Dr. Sandra Schöttner, Chief Scientist on board, Greenpeace International said: “The deep sea mining industry has not yet started to tear up the seabed, and we therefore have the opportunity to stop an environmental disaster before it happens. We will use the data and findings from the expedition to shine a light on these extraordinary ecosystems and push policymakers to establish marine protected areas, and support a moratorium on deep sea mining.” 

Dr. Julio A Diaz, Deep-Sea Researcher, Museum of Evolution, Uppsala University said: “We barely understand how these communities function, which environmental factors influence their distribution, or how sensitive they are to human disturbances. Likewise, our discovery of several sponge species that are potentially new to science highlights how little is known about Arctic ecosystems. Through the results of this expedition, we expect to advance scientific knowledge of these key deep-sea ecosystems and contribute to their improved management and conservation.”

Dr. Paco Cárdenas, Deep-Sea Sponge Expert, Museum of Evolution, Uppsala University said: “Amongst the more than 400 sponge samples collected, we have already singled out at least three potential new species during this expedition. Sponges have been around for more than 500 millions years, and have evolved their own medicines to repel predators and pathogens. So the chemical compounds of the deep-sea species we find here could also hold the key to unlock cures for current and future emerging diseases. If these ecosystems disappear we risk losing them forever.”

Dr. Anne-Nina Lörz, Senckenberg Society For Nature Research said:
“These ecosystems keep on surprising us. We have filmed and gathered samples from an unnamed seamount never explored by humans before. Numerous different species and ecosystems – such as bamboo coral and sponge gardens – were filmed in high resolution for the first time, giving details much sought for by the global research community. For the first time we could see how these colourful animals live and interact, and the coming analysis will allow an insight in the connectivity and distribution of these amazing critters. We most likely already found four new species of amphipods, which we will describe and name in the upcoming months”.

Dr. Jenny Neuhaus, Senckenberg Society For Nature Research said:
“It is astonishing to see how Arctic deep-sea habitats, like hydrothermal vent systems and seamounts, serve as biodiversity hotspots and act as ‘stepping stones’ for species to spread across. I have studied the diversity and connectivity of deep-sea invertebrates for years and am confident that our biological samples collected during this expedition will not only reveal new species to science, but also aid with closing knowledge gaps in our understanding of their ecology and distribution. There are clear concerns about how activities like deep-sea mining could permanently damage these slow-growing ecosystems before we even fully understand them, and their importance to us all.”

Dr. Sergi Taboada, National Museum of Natural Sciences, Madrid said: “This expedition is unique because it has allowed us to explore and sample from several seamounts across the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge, a region that has been barely studied from a genetic connectivity point of view. The samples we have collected, together with those collected by other researchers in other areas, will be analysed genetically, which will allow us to identify how populations of sponges are connected. This aspect is crucial in order to design future Marine Protected Areas.”

Dr. Anne Helene Tandberg, University in Bergen said: “This expedition has surveyed and visualised vulnerable ecosystems that could be up for protection under the Norwegian ocean law. While scientific publications by their nature take a long time to come out, results from this, and previous expeditions to this area show that these areas are both vulnerable and biologically valuable. We will publish our results of new species and descriptions of the ecosystems together with our research colleagues. I hope the information about these ecosystems will then make its way into the Norwegian management system.”

Greenpeace hopes that the attention and new findings will be an important part of the puzzle in establishing marine protected areas in the Arctic.

Greenpeace is campaigning globally for a moratorium on deep-sea mining and to protect at least 30% of the ocean by 2030.

ENDS

Photos, video and maps available in the Greenpeace Media Library

Notes:

The Deep Arctic Expedition is led by Greenpeace Nordic, Greenpeace Germany and Greenpeace International.

[1] Deep-sea mining: Norway halts controversial practice until 2029 (Euronews)

Contacts:

Daniel Bengtsson, Communications Lead Onboard, Greenpeace Nordic, +46 70 300 9510 (Whatsapp/Signal), daniel.bengtsson@greenpeace.org

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

Amsterdam, The Netherlands – Greenpeace International’s landmark anti-SLAPP lawsuit took a major step forward today when the Amsterdam District Court rejected Energy Transfer’s latest attempt to avoid accountability for its unlawful actions, including back-to-back abusive lawsuits filed in the US. Netherlands-based Greenpeace International is seeking legal recognition that Energy Transfer has acted and continues to act unlawfully, as well as relief from the resulting harm. 

Mads Christensen, Greenpeace International, Executive Director said: 

“People are tired of billionaires and their polluting corporations behaving like the law does not apply to them. Greenpeace International is holding this Big Oil bully accountable for repeated attempts at silencing our speech. Energy Transfer is clearly desperate to avoid this case, but Kelcy Warren’s pipeline company will have to answer for its actions here in the Netherlands.”

Today the Amsterdam District Court entirely rejected Energy Transfer’s preliminary plea seeking dismissal of Greenpeace International’s anti-SLAPP 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.[1] The court heard arguments on this plea on 16 April 2026. Previously, the North Dakota District Court and state Supreme Court both denied Energy Transfer’s request to halt Greenpeace International’s anti-SLAPP lawsuit.[2]

The Amsterdam District Court gave Energy Transfer six weeks to file its defence on the merits under Dutch law.[3] In the meantime, the company has been ordered to pay Greenpeace International €1,495 in costs.

Energy Transfer’s abusive 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.[4] 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: “For a third time, Energy Transfer has failed to halt our case. After unsuccessfully petitioning two levels of North Dakota courts and the Amsterdam District Court, Energy Transfer will have to face accountability for its conduct, including repeated abusive lawsuits and defamatory statements. Greenpeace International carries on this legal fight to remedy the harms suffered as a result of Energy Transfer’s intimidation tactics and to ensure corporate bullies know they now have to answer in court if they 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]

To help raise awareness of the threat of — and resistance to— SLAPP lawsuits, Greenpeace International recently collaborated with award-winning activist artists Javier Bardem and Yasmin Finney on a short film. SLAPP Suitbrings to life the sinister threat of corporate bullying while reminding us that we all have the personal strength to resist these attempts at silencing us.[5]

ENDS

Notes

[1] The Court also rejected Energy Transfer’s request to be allowed an interlocutory appeal against its decision before the case is heard on its merits. Additionally, the court issued firm instructions to Energy Transfer not to conflate the actions of different Greenpeace entities, a tactic it resorted to in its previous pleadings in the case. 

[2] Energy Transfer requested an anti-suit injunction from the Morton County District Court in North Dakota 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. Following an appeal of that decision by Energy Transfer, the North Dakota Supreme Court largely rejected that request in April 2026, calling for a “narrowly tailored” anti-suit injunction that expressly indicated Greenpeace International has no restrictions for moving forward with key claims in the anti-SLAPP case.

[3] The remainder of the case will be argued under Dutch law only, after the court ruled — contrary to the position of the Dutch government — that relevant parts of the European Union’s anti-SLAPP Directive are not effective yet in Dutch law and will require an implementing act. 

[4] 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.

[5] Greenpeace defendants file motion for new trial in North Dakota court. 

[6] The full film, SLAPP Suit, is available to watch on Greenpeace YouTube channel. Stills and behind the scenes gallery are available in the Greenpeace Media Library. 

Contacts:

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

Amsterdam, Netherlands – Greenpeace International launched a new report warning that the global target to protect at least 30% of the world’s oceans and other vital ecosystems by 2030 is on a path to failure, unless governments place human rights at the centre of marine conservation, today.

The report, “Global Ocean Justice Now: Making the Case for a Human Rights-Based Approach to Marine Conservation,“ is founded in long-standing collaboration with impacted communities. Ecosystems managed by Indigenous Peoples and local communities tend to be healthier, more biodiverse, and more resilient than surrounding areas with different governance. Yet, the report documents how communities are being pushed out, ignored, and actively harmed by state-sanctioned industrial developments and extractive industries. By consistently prioritising corporate profit and extractive industries, and by starving community-led conservation of critical support, governments are fundamentally failing to meet their international commitments.

Nichanan Tanthanawit, Global Project Lead, Greenpeace Ocean Justice Campaign said: “Too many governments are treating the 30×30 targets like a numbers game. You cannot claim to protect the ocean while excluding the very communities who have protected these ecosystems for generations. The science is already clear: oceans are healthier where communities have rights, power, and stewardship.” 

The report is being launched as world leaders begin the six-month countdown to the Convention on Biological Diversity’s COP17 in Yerevan, Armenia, where for the first time, countries will take stock of the stay of play of implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. COP17 offers a critical window for course correction, where world leaders must accelerate efforts to recognise Indigenous Peoples and local communities’ rights on the ground as well as their key role in nature protection and management. At its core, the report exposes the rise of so-called “paper parks”: protected areas that exist on maps but offer little real-world protection, and non-inclusive conservation tools that are collecting dust on a shelf and are not implemented in practice.

This failure, the report shows, is structural. Governments consciously choose to routinely overlook the most time-tested form of ocean stewardship in human history: the knowledge, governance systems, and daily practices of Indigenous Peoples and local communities who have sustained coastal ecosystems for generations. Instead, by displacing those communities to make room for industrial projects described as “national development,” the ecological damage mounts and the biodiversity targets slip further out of reach.

Tanthanawit added: “Development cannot continue to be defined only through top-down policies,”  “Across the world, coastal communities are already showing the will and leadership to move development and conservation forward on their own terms. Without meaningful participation, 30×30 risks becoming just another number on paper.” 

From industrial salmon farming in Patagonia, to fishmeal factories in West Africa, to sand mining in Sri Lanka and mega-port developments in Southern Thailand, the report exposes this growing contradiction: governments are promising ocean protection internationally while enabling ecological destruction domestically. But communities are not victims –  Indigenous Peoples and local communities are the architects of some of the world’s most effective marine protection systems.

Mamadou Kaly Ba, Campaigner, Greenpeace Africa said: “Senegal’s coastal communities are facing an unprecedented crisis driven by industrial overfishing, fishmeal and fish oil production, pollution, and offshore oil and gas expansion, all of which threaten our marine ecosystems, food security, and traditional livelihoods. Yet across our coastline, communities are proving that sustainable and community-led marine conservation works when local people are empowered and included in decision-making. We urgently need stronger protection for small-scale fisheries, greater recognition of community rights, and a phase out of fishmeal and fish oil production if we are to secure a just and sustainable future for Senegal’s ocean and coastal communities.”

 Anita Perera, Campaigner, Greenpeace South Asia said: “From severe environmental degradation and external development pressures to a recent catastrophic shipping disaster that dumped over 1,600 tonnes of plastic into South Asian waters, the communities in Mannar have withstood a continuous ecological onslaught. Yet, through unyielding resistance, they fought their way to a landmark Presidential decree requiring local consent before any energy project can proceed. When frontline communities assert their right to self-determination, they don’t just protect biodiversity – they reshape legal frameworks.”

Greenpeace is calling on governments to urgently implement the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF) and the 30×30 protection target. To do so, global efforts must prioritise redirecting conservation funding to community-led stewardship, halting destructive industrial activity in sensitive marine areas, and centering the rights and food security of Indigenous and coastal communities at every step.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

Download the full report.

Executive summary of the 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