The Rainbow Warrior heads to COP30 in Brazil, cartoon animals run wild in the Swedish forest, and a giant climate receipt appears in Acapulco. Here are a few highlights from Greenpeace work around the world this week.
Germany – A few days before the start of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), 14 Greenpeace activists staged a demonstration with a projection on Germany’s tallest building, the Berlin TV Tower. Using several projectors, the environmentalists transformed the striking silver sphere 200 meters above the ground into a burning globe. They project the appeal “Act Now!” onto the shaft of the tower. It is also directed at German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU), who will speak before the official start of the UN conference in Belém, Brazil.
Sweden – The artist and illustrator Marc “UÅ” Strömberg has, in collaboration with Greenpeace, installed unique artworks in a forest threatened by logging south of Vängel in Jämtland. The installation takes place in connection with the Swedish Environmental Court issuing a temporary ban on forestry giant SCA’s logging in the area. The artworks depict a collection of colourful forest creatures affected by the forest destruction, who have come to defend their home, they are a tribute to the activism and resistance against SCA’s unsustainable forestry.
Brazil – Carrying the message “Action, Justice and Hope” on its mast, Greenpeace’s iconic activist ship, the Rainbow Warrior, arrived in Belém, Pará, to mark its presence during the United Nations Climate Conference, COP30.
Brazil – Chief Megaron Txucarramãe, leader of the Kayapó people, looks through binoculars on the bridge of the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior, now in Belém during the United Nations Climate Conference, COP30.
Mexico – In Acapulco, Greenpeace Mexico unfolded a giant receipt to show the true cost of the climate crisis being paid by people, while the government continues to allocate public funds to fossil fuel megaprojects that worsen the problem. The ticket displays an alarming figure: 177 billion pesos, the estimated amount of damages caused by extreme weather events in Mexico over the past decade.
France – A pyramid of barrels from which green ‘pesticide’ flows has been installed on the Esplanade des Invalides in Paris. A bucket filled with a viscous green liquid hangs above it. Emmanuel Macron was asked three questions about the EU-Mercosur agreement. After three wrong answers… Splash!
Brazil – As French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron was passing the Rainbow Warrior on his way to the COP30 convention in Belém, Greenpeace displayed a banner reading “MACRON: GOOD COP OR BAD COP?” to challenge the French President on the stance France intends to take at this COP30, which also marks the tenth anniversary of the Paris Agreement.
USA – Anti-Trump Protests in Washington D.C., marking a year since his re-election to the United States presidency.
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Belém, Brazil – Greenpeace recognises the launch of the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) as a step towards ending deforestation, but gaps remain for the TFFF to become a credible financial instrument for the protection of high-integrity tropical forests. Greenpeace calls on world governments to continue improving the TFFF and to agree on an action plan at COP30 to deliver transformative forest protection.
Carolina Pasquali, Executive Director, Greenpeace Brazil said: “The launch of the Tropical Forest Forever Facility is an important milestone for the protection of the world’s tropical forests. The mechanism can and should be improved to address some of its gaps, however, it is a step in the right direction as it values forests standing and guarantees direct access to resources to Indigenous Peoples and local communities. As deforestation rates in the Amazon continue to decrease – 11% compared to the previous period, 50% compared to 2022, Brazil is in a unique position to build on the momentum and pave the way for parties at COP30 to deliver a global action plan to end deforestation and forest degradation by 2030. But we will only achieve that if other countries step up and do their part.”
Progress and Gaps in the TFFF
The latest version of the TFFF has shown improvements, such as stronger transparency measures to allocate forest payments. The recognition of the role of Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPs&LCs) and their need for direct access to finance sets an important precedent for COP30 finance negotiations, through the inclusion of a mandatory 20% direct allocation of finance to IPs&LCs.
However, to deliver its full potential, the TFFF must still address significant issues. With the threshold for forest cover eligibility set at a 20–30% canopy cover, high-integrity forests risk being degraded or logged and still qualify for payments. Moreover, degradation monitoring focuses only on fire scars, excluding other drivers such as logging and fragmentation. Meanwhile the current exclusion list to prevent harmful industries from being eligible for investments is insufficient.
The TFFF financing model and accountability mechanisms must also be strengthened. Instead of prioritising paying sponsors and investors first, the system should ensure equitable and timely payments to tropical forest countries and IPs&LCs. As the Facility is dependent on the volatility of global markets, the TFFF funding and the allocation of the resources by tropical forest countries must be critically scrutinised to ensure forest protection funds are stable and reliable, especially for IPs&LCs. Additionally, any contributions to the TFFF should not count towards the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG), nor should it divert any resources already allocated to other climate and biodiversity action.
Belém, Brazil – Greenpeace has called on world leaders meeting at the Climate Summit in Belém to send a clear signal to delegates at COP30 that the time has come to bridge the 1.5°C ambition gap.
Carolina Pasquali, Greenpeace COP30 Head of Delegation and Executive Director, Greenpeace Brasil said: “We’re on the brink of climate tipping points and the potential loss of the Amazon, so this COP simply must deliver the urgent change needed. There’s no second chance and it starts with the leaders, who must give COP30 a clear mandate to close the 1.5°C ambition gap.”
“Brazil invited the world to Belém, to witness the challenges and opportunities of a COP on the frontlines of climate change and forest loss. It is also where we have the solutions and the knowledge of Indigenous Peoples to change our future. Together with communities and people, we are here to ensure leaders feel the heat and pressure – symbolically and literally – in order to act now, eliminate fossil fuel use and end forest destruction. It starts here in Belém.”
In Belém at COP30, Greenpeace is calling for:[1]
A Global Response Plan to address the 1.5°C ambition gap and accelerate emissions reductions in this critical decade
A new, dedicated 5-year Forest Action Plan to end deforestation by 2030
Progress on public climate finance from developed countries, including polluter-pays taxation to support mitigation, adaptation and action to address loss and damage in developing countries
Even before the Leaders Summit, however, the EU proposed to cut emissions by 90% including offsets by 2040 compared to 1990, a climate target that falls significantly short of even the minimum that the EU’s own scientific advisers have called for.[2]
Jean-François Julliard, Executive Director, Greenpeace France said: “Urgent action is needed, not ongoing talks or watered down targets. The time to ramp up action and ambition is now, and the EU needs to set the tone in Belém for COP30 to reach the outcome the world needs.”
“As historical emitters and in the Paris Agreement anniversary year, the spotlight is squarely on both France and the EU to lead from the front. Every EU leader is on notice: the 1.5°C limit is severely under threat and a potential overshoot looms. To President Macron and the EU, it’s your move next and only a global response plan will suffice.”
Shiva Gounden, Head of Pacific, Greenpeace Australia Pacific said: “As our leaders meet in Belém, we ask them not to lose sight of the 1.5°C limit. 1.5°C is not just a figure; it’s a lifeline for Pacific communities and climate-vulnerable nations facing profound threats to our livelihoods, cultures, our very existence. The legal, moral, and political responsibility for climate action has never been stronger and the ambition leaders take to Belém will define its success.”
“Governments are on notice after the Pacific-led climate victory at the International Court of Justice that delivered a clear message: countries are legally obliged to keep the world within 1.5°C, and more legal challenges will be coming if we continue down the path of fossil fuels.[3]”
“There must be no more free passes or subsidies for the fossil fuel industry or its billionaire backers driving the climate crisis. We urge leaders to act with courage and set a new course for our planet with renewed hope, and a commitment to justice and humanity above profit.”
Germany – A few days before the start of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), 14 Greenpeace activists staged a demonstration with a projection on Germany’s tallest building, the Berlin TV Tower. Using several projectors, the environmentalists transformed the striking silver sphere 200 meters above the ground into a burning globe. They project the appeal “Act Now!” onto the shaft of the tower. It is also directed at German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU), who will speak before the official start of the UN conference in Belém, Brazil.
Sweden – The artist and illustrator Marc “UÅ” Strömberg has, in collaboration with Greenpeace, installed unique artworks in a forest threatened by logging south of Vängel in Jämtland. The installation takes place in connection with the Swedish Environmental Court issuing a temporary ban on forestry giant SCA’s logging in the area. The artworks depict a collection of colourful forest creatures affected by the forest destruction, who have come to defend their home, they are a tribute to the activism and resistance against SCA’s unsustainable forestry.
Brazil – Carrying the message “Action, Justice and Hope” on its mast, Greenpeace’s iconic activist ship, the Rainbow Warrior, arrived in Belém, Pará, to mark its presence during the United Nations Climate Conference, COP30.
Mexico – In Acapulco, Greenpeace Mexico unfolded a giant receipt to show the true cost of the climate crisis being paid by people, while the government continues to allocate public funds to fossil fuel megaprojects that worsen the problem. The ticket displays an alarming figure: 177 billion pesos, the estimated amount of damages caused by extreme weather events in Mexico over the past decade. 
France – A pyramid of barrels from which green ‘pesticide’ flows has been installed on the Esplanade des Invalides in Paris. A bucket filled with a viscous green liquid hangs above it. Emmanuel Macron was asked three questions about the EU-Mercosur agreement. After three wrong answers… Splash!
USA – Anti-Trump Protests in Washington D.C., marking a year since his re-election to the United States presidency.