Nairobi, Kenya – Hundreds of volunteers from Greenpeace Africa formed a giant human banner in the shape of the African continent and displayed a printed message that read ‘Tax the Super-rich for People and Planet’ to demand urgent tax reform at UN Tax Convention negotiations.
The gathering welcomed negotiations in Nairobi at the UN Tax Convention (UNTC), calling for action to deliver much needed additional public finance for climate mitigation, nature protection and sustainable development by making billionaires and oil and gas corporations pay their fair share in taxes.
Nina Stros, policy expert at Greenpeace International and head of the Greenpeace delegation, said: “The current global tax system is outdated and unjust, allowing the super-rich and polluting oil and gas corporations to profit while avoiding paying their fair share and fuelling the climate crisis through their excessive emissions. This has to change.
“Governments must deliver strong commitments with clear mechanisms to tax polluting billionaires and corporations. These changes will benefit the majority of the world’s countries, from the least developed economies to those with high socioeconomic indicators in the Global North. Instead of pursuing a race to the bottom with continuous lowering of corporate tax rates, it’s time governments unite to usher in new global tax rules that will finally hold these super rich individuals and polluting corporations to account.”
The UNTC’s third round of negotiations (INC-3) in Nairobi, 10-19 November, coincides with COP30 in Belém, Brazil, where countries are debating how to bridge the 1.5°C ambition gap, ending forest destruction and who picks up the tab for international climate finance. Tangible plans are urgently needed to deliver on the COP29 finance commitment for developed countries to mobilise at least US $300 billion per year by 2035, and to scale up to at least US$1.3 trillion in public finance in line with needs. The UNTC provides a critical opportunity to unlock the public finance that is required, through increasing taxes on the super-rich and increasing profit taxes on polluting oil and gas corporations.[1]
Fred Njehu, Fair Share Global Political Lead, Greenpeace Africa, said: “The world is not a billionaire’s playground, for them to get richer at the expense of our health, security and democracy. Governments must act now to stop the super-rich stashing billions in tax havens, and to put an end to polluting corporations paying too little tax, depriving people of vital public finances. It’s time to implement global taxes on billionaires and the profits of oil and gas corporations – and direct these funds to sustainable development, public services, and tackling the climate and ecological crisis.”
Murtala Touray, Programme Director at Greenpeace Africa, said: “The tax negotiations in Nairobi come at a pivotal moment to fix a global economic system so that it serves all nations, and not just a few rich countries. The Africa Group initiated this process to forge a new, legally binding UN tax convention that addresses systemic inequalities in global finance and governance. These injustices are preventing many countries of the Global South from raising revenues that could support better public services, climate mitigation and adaptation and nature protection. Africa is calling for a clear path to tax justice – a commitment to sustainable development rooted in fair taxation of corporations and high-net-worth individuals. Because tax justice isn’t charity, it’s a fundamental right and the essence of our sovereignty.”
Key figures:
It is estimated that countries lose US$492 billion annually because multinational corporations and the ultra-wealthy use tax havens to underpay tax.[2]
Profit shifting in extractive industries (oil, gas, mining) leads to governments reportedly losing at least US$44 billion per year in tax revenues.[3]
Oxfam estimates that permanent polluter profits tax on oil and gas corporations could raise up to US$400 billion in its first year. [4]
Reported profits from just five international oil and gas giants over the last decade reached almost US$800 billion, and half of the world’s CO2 emissions reportedly come from just 36 fossil fuel firms.[5][6]
A tax of up to 5% on multimillionaires and billionaires could generate US$1.7 trillion a year, according to Oxfam.[7]
Greenpeace’s demands for negotiators at INC-3 are:
Effective taxation of High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs): Introduce and implement progressively higher rates for billionaires with revenues earmarked for sustainable development and investment in public services as well as direct climate and nature investments.
Progressive environmental taxation: Secure a commitment for international cooperation to deliver progressive environmental taxation in line with the polluter pays principle and Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC), covering both polluting corporations and HNWIs, to unlock more public finance for climate action and sustainable development.
Polluter tax on fossil fuel company profits: Tax the global profits of multinational oil, coal, and gas and other polluting companies, directing revenues to multilateral climate funds, so that the communities who are most vulnerable and least responsible for climate damages get the support they deserve.
A Greenpeace delegation participated in the first two consecutive rounds of global tax talks in August in New York (INC-1 & 2), and will be present at INC-3 in Nairobi, Kenya.
[1] New global tax rules in an UN Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation are being negotiated until 2027. It aims to take control of global tax rules from the rich OECD countries and place it in the hands of the 193 member states of the United Nations.
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.
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.