New York, United States — According to Greenpeace Ukraine public Diesel Tanker Tracker, the Agioi Fanendes, a tanker carrying about 40,000 metric tons of Russian diesel, has stopped on its course towards New York and New Jersey. 

In response, John Noël, Senior Strategist, Greenpeace International said: “Since its departure from Russia, this diesel carrying tanker has been on a steady course towards New York/New Jersey, its originally signalled destination. Two days ago, it suddenly stopped and is now holding position some 430 nautical miles off the coast, apparently unsure where to discharge its cargo. Every shipment of Russian diesel helps fuel Russia’s war machine and threatens to undermine international sanctions. No country should accept Russian diesel tankers as part of a corrupt deal with the White House. The diesel deal with Russia must be terminated and instead more effective and comprehensive sanctions must be applied along with measures to limit fossil fuel dependence and achieve true clean energy security.” 

After New Jersey Governor Sherrill drew a hard line and warned ports and businesses about accepting Russian fuel[1], Greenpeace USA sent a letter to New York Governor Kathy Hochul[2] this week urging her to take the same action as New Jersey Governor Sherrill: declare that the diesel shipments are not welcome, and warn port and terminal operators of the legal risks of accepting it. With the tanker now potentially just days away from the harbour, Greenpeace USA is urging the Governor to act. 

As of early morning EST on 11 November, the ship was at N39.96 / W64.88, some 430 nautical miles straight east from New Jersey.  At its normal speed of 12 knots, it can approach New York Harbour within 36 hours.

ENDS

Notes: 

[1] Governor Mikie Sherrill letter to Port and Terminal Operators of New Jersey 

[2] Greenpeace USA letter to New York Governor Kathy Hochul 

Background:

The cargo is the first shipment under a controversial deal struck in October by President Trump and President Putin. On 9 October, the US Treasury Department issued a temporary licence allowing otherwise sanctioned Russian diesel to be sold in the United States. The licence conflicts with the Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act, which the US Congress passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in April 2022 to ban imports of Russian petroleum products, including diesel. The recent diesel agreement between Trump and Putin has been widely condemned as rewarding Russia for its illegal war against Ukraine with the objective of destroying the international sanctions regime against Russia.

The Agioi Fanendes loaded ultra-low-sulfur diesel at Russia’s Baltic port of Primorsk in late October and initially broadcasted the New York area as its destination, with arrival expected in early November. In response, New Jersey Governor Sherrill warned port and terminal operators that handling the fuel could expose them to civil and criminal penalties. No US buyer or receiving terminal has been publicly identified since her warning.

Contacts: 

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

Antalya, Türkiye – Greenpeace has called on leaders arriving for the UN climate talks COP31 to pick up the challenge laid down by UN Secretary-General Guterres and ramp up the urgency of their action with clear and credible commitments and roadmaps to end fossil fuels.

As the Brazil Presidency launched its legacy COP30 roadmap for the transition away from fossil fuels on day two of COP31, Guterres called on leaders to build their own “concrete national roadmaps”.[1] His remarks came as the focus shifted to COP31 Presidents Türkiye and Australia and the contradiction between their reliance on fossil fuels and their actions in Antalya. 

Leaders arriving at COP31 will now need to show they are prepared to act more swiftly after the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said the world is entering a “new age of climate extremes” and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) declared a 1.5°C overshoot is already locked in.[2][3]

Emel Türker Alpay, Climate and Energy Campaigner at Greenpeace Türkiye, said: “A Presidency’s legacy is measured in how they move the world from rhetoric to action. President Kurum has said that cutting fossil fuel use will be a measure of this COP’s success and we will hold the Presidency to that standard!

“Türkiye must ensure the Brazil COP30 roadmap serves as a catalyst for more ambition and urgent action at COP31 and beyond. It also means leading by example at home. Türkiye’s new 2040 energy plan bets on electrification, but keeps coal, oil and gas in the mix with no exit date.

“The Presidency’s electrification target is the right direction, but it is not a goal in itself. It only serves to keep the 1.5°C target alive if it drives renewable-based electrification that actively displaces fossil fuels as part of an equitable, affordable and people-centred transition. 

“A host country with no planned coal phase-out and transitioning away from fossil fuels cannot lead the transition from the sidelines. Türkiye must announce the coal phase-out date and start planning the roadmap for transitioning away from fossil fuels. Antalya can be the COP where the fossil fuel roadmap starts delivering, if the Presidency chooses to lead.”

Dr Simon Bradshaw, COP31 lead at Greenpeace Australia Pacific said: “As leaders meet in Türkiye amidst a global energy shock and soaring temperatures, the stakes have never been higher. The success of COP31 will be judged by whether it delivers real action and momentum to phase out fossil fuels. Brazil laid the ground, it’s now up to Australia to take the baton and run hard. 

“Australia must step up and lead the way through developing a national roadmap away from fossil fuels, and as President of Negotiations, ensure COP31 delivers concrete plans and time-bound action. Australia cannot drop the ball on this, with the looming threat of 1.5°C overshoot and the future of entire nations in the balance.”

Anna Cárcamo, Climate Politics Specialist at Greenpeace Brazil said: “The launch of the COP30 fossil fuels roadmap has helped renew hope, turning the COP28 promise to transition away from fossil fuels into a roadmap the world can act on through continued dialogue, but likewise we cannot waste another moment. COP31 is now the place to decide how and when that transition will take place.

“The COP30 roadmap is already encouraging countries to develop their own national roadmaps, address the phase-out of fossil fuel subsidies and implement tax reforms – measures essential for ensuring an effective, equitable, and well-funded transition. This includes Brazil, which must craft a national roadmap consistent with these recommendations.

“Leaders from several countries called for action from countries starting now and the continuity of implementation of this agenda here at COP31. We need continuous action at this COP and beyond to stay on path to a livable future.”

ENDS

Notes:

[1] UN Secretary-General’s remarks at the COP30 roadmap event

[2] WMO State of the Climate 2026

[3] UNEP Limiting Overshoot

Contacts:

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

Beyza Kural, Senior Communication Expert, Greenpeace Türkiye, +90 5336 417 123, beyza.kural@greenpeace.org

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

As a long-time fan of The Hunger Games books and films, I always get chills during the scene in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 when Katniss Everdeen (played by Jennifer Lawrence) screams her defiant warning to President Coriolanus Snow (played by Donald Sutherland): “And if we burn, you burn with us!”

This year, I witnessed people use that iconic quote during protests in Indonesia over urgent demands, including the government’s response to the devastating forest and peatland fires. For months, these blazes have burned across the archipelago, from Sumatra to Kalimantan and Papua.

The fires have not only led to the destruction of nature, but have also caused a prolonged deadly haze that exposed around 40 million people to hazardous-level air pollution, claiming at least 3,560 lives by September 2026.

As toxic smoke blankets cities and crosses borders, we know that this orange sky is not a dystopian film filter. It is our blue sky being stolen, while real lives are being taken.

El Niño is not the sole culprit

Around 1,9 million hectares of land and 85,000 hectares of forest across Indonesia were devastated by fires between January and September 2026, and there were 6,811 haze-source spots between August and October.

A conservation zone in Gunung Palung National Park, West Kalimantan province – home to thousands of orangutans – has been severely damaged, while primary natural forests in Papua have been catastrophically affected since last month.

“Again, we are losing our forests, including the natural forests of Papua, which serve as one of our final safeguards against the climate crisis. The loss of forests is not merely the disappearance of trees and their shade; it is the destruction of the life-support and climate systems we depend on,” said Belgis Habiba, Greenpeace Indonesia Forest Campaigner.

El Niño occurring since mid-year has triggered fires and crippling droughts across many parts of Indonesia, but it is not the only culprit. For a long time, palm oil and pulp & paper companies have used illegal slash-and-burn methods to rake in massive profits while nature and everyday people bear the cost.

Belgis emphasised that the Indonesian government should have proactively mitigated the forest and peatland fires – which are both predictable and preventable – rather than focusing solely on extinguishing blazes without addressing their root causes. This requires genuine peatland ecosystem protection and restoration, sustainable water management, and firm legal enforcement against those causing and exacerbating forest destruction.

People are dying from toxic wildfire haze

Classes are cancelled, workplaces forced to close, many are struggling to breathe.

The fires have contributed to recurring haze that affects communities, where vulnerable groups – children, the elderly, and people with pre-existing health problems – face increased risks of respiratory illnesses.

Data from the Indonesian Ministry of Health recorded 401,586 cases of acute respiratory infection (ARI) linked to Indonesia’s forest and peatland fires across 7 provinces and 63 districts as of 2 November 2026, with 91,913 of those cases involving children aged 0–5 years.

Even Malaysia’s Borneo region experienced its worst haze crisis in a decade with surging respiratory illnesses as toxic smoke travelled across Southeast Asia to neighbouring countries, such as Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

A report from the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) shows that in September 2026 alone, air pollution-related deaths driven primarily by these fires reached 3,560 nationwide. Furthermore, 10 individuals battling the fires on the frontlines – from volunteers to firefighters – have lost their lives.

No one should have to worry about the air they breathe. A persistent lack of responsiveness from the government in handling this crisis makes a dystopian society feel increasingly real.

“The rising number of deaths and cases of acute respiratory infections (ARI) resulting from air pollution – caused by haze from forest and peatland fires – highlights a recurring failure by the Indonesian government. First, they have failed to ensure that citizens have access to clean air, which is a fundamental human right. Second, they have failed to mitigate the impact of the haze by refusing to declare a national disaster, resulting in a sluggish response in providing urgent support to those affected,” said Belgis.

People power is louder than ever

On 20 October 2026, marking the second year of the Prabowo-Gibran administration, Greenpeace Indonesia activists staged a peaceful action by scaling the iconic Selamat Datang (Welcome) Monument in the heart of Jakarta. They unfurled banners in Bahasa Indonesia reading “Disasters are Getting Worse, the People are Struggling, What is the Government Doing?” and “No Progress without Protest,” demanding urgent climate action – specifically regarding the haze – and a lower cost of living. This creative action quickly went viral on social media, prompting an immediate government response.

A week later, on Indonesia’s Youth Pledge Day, thousands of students and civil society groups across Jakarta and other major cities rallied with five key demands, and among them was urgent environmental crisis management: declaring the fires a national disaster and prosecuting the corporate actors responsible.

The moment when people take to the streets is a powerful sign of hope. We are refusing a future we didn’t choose. More and more of us won’t let those in power believe we are backing down. 

We have spoken, we have shown up, we are becoming louder than ever.

This generation resists and we are starting to see its power.

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A giant banner in Türkiye ahead of UN climate talks COP31, a protest for forest protection at IKEA in Sweden, and a floating banner calling for environmental protections in the Canary Islands, here are a few of our favourite images from Greenpeace work around the world this week.

Türkiye – Greenpeace Türkiye displayed a giant banner on the Konyaaltı Beach in Antalya ahead of the UN climate talks COP31. The 31st UN Climate Conference, COP31, takes place in Antalya, Türkiye from 9-20 November 2026. Greenpeace is at the COP to hold governments to account in pursuit of an accelerated just, orderly and equitable transition away from fossil fuels.

Sweden- Greenpeace activists hang a banner on the IKEA sign in Helsingborg. Below the IKEA logo, they hang a banner with the text: “Forests of high conservation value cannot be reassembled” Greenpeace demands that IKEA stop purchasing timber from forests that need to be protected.

Canary Islands – Floating Banner in Tenerife Bearing the Slogan “Hands Off Teno-Rasca”. Activists from environmental and land-conservation organisations have called for a halt to tourism projects that threaten this protected area and for efforts to restore both terrestrial and marine ecosystems.

Spain – Greenpeace Spain has renamed a New Zealand trawler—currently under construction at the Marín shipyard (Pontevedra)—”Ocean Killer” (formerly “Voyager”). The action aims to highlight the severe damage such vessels cause to the seabed and to call for an end to bottom trawling. Simultaneously, other activists placed a sign at the offices of the company Talley’s to denounce its destructive fishing practices, which include operations within protected areas.

Australia – Press conference against AI Data Centres with local organisations in Darwin, Australia. Greenpeace Australia Pacific is calling for a moratorium on AI data centres until proper regulations that protect our people and planet are put in place.

UK – Greenpeace UK successfully place giant boulders onto the seabed in the Southern North Sea – the UK’s most bottom-trawled Marine Protected Area – forming an underwater barrier to prevent this destructive fishing method.

Located off England’s east coast, the targeted stretch sits within a so-called Marine Protected Area (MPA), which was created specifically to protect harbour porpoises.

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, please visit our Media Library.