Commenting on today’s OPEC+ decision to increase oil production by 206,000 barrels per day from April in response to the escalation of conflict in Middle East including the disruption of oil and gas supply in the Strait of Hormuz, Greenpeace International Executive Director Mads Christensen said: 

“Today’s OPEC meeting makes one thing clear: as long as our world runs on oil and gas, our peace, security and our pockets will always be at the mercy of geopolitics. Increasing output may temporarily ease price pressures, but it does not address the structural vulnerability at the heart of this recurring crisis: the world’s continued dependence on fossil fuels.

“Political leaders in all countries must wake up and reclaim the moral compass. This means pursuing peaceful, diplomatic solutions, and securing access to affordable, sustainable energy to replace the volatility of the fossil fuel–driven world order. Renewable energy enables local energy production and is not hostage to geopolitical conflict.

“The escalating violence in the Middle East is a human tragedy. Once again, people are bearing the brunt of Donald Trump’s violence and blatant attacks on the international rule of law. Greenpeace calls for an immediate ceasefire, for international law to be upheld and a return to diplomacy to stop the suffering of civilians.”

ENDS

Contact:

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

Greenpeace International is deeply concerned by the joint military strike on Iran by the US and Israel.

“We express deep sympathy for all those affected by the violence, wherever they live, and urge that every effort be made to protect civilians, homes, and critical infrastructure,” says Mads Christensen, Executive Director, Greenpeace International.

“Military strikes inflict yet more harm on the people of Iran, who have already endured a brutal crackdown in which thousands of protesters and bystanders have been killed, with many more still feared dead.

“Such action will not bring stability or security, it risks deepening suffering, fuelling retaliation, and destabilising an already fragile region.

“The strike on Iran today raises serious concerns under international law and further undermines critical international legal frameworks designed to prevent war and protect human life.

“All parties must immediately halt further military action and return to structured, good-faith negotiations under credible international oversight.

“At this critical time, the rights, safety and dignity of the Iranian people must come first. Civilians should never pay the price for political tension, competing resource interests, or geopolitical power struggles. The people of Iran, like people everywhere, have the right to live free of violence, fear and coercion and to determine their own future.

“The international community must act urgently to prevent further escalation, prioritise diplomacy and ensure accountability for actions that contravene international law and put civilian lives, ecosystems and the global climate at further risk.

“War brings immediate human suffering but also long-term environmental harm. Military conflict contaminates land and water, destroys ecosystems, accelerates climate breakdown, and leaves lasting scars on communities for generations. At a time when the world must urgently unite to confront the climate crisis, further militarisation moves us in the wrong direction.

“Greenpeace calls on all parties to de-escalate tensions and pursue peaceful, diplomatic solutions.”

ENDS

Contacts:

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

A US court has just sided with fossil fuel pipeline giant Energy Transfer and ordered Greenpeace International and Greenpeace entities in the US to pay US$ 345 million.

Quick backstory: last year, a Morton County jury of nine reached a verdict in Energy Transfer’s abusive intimidation lawsuit against Greenpeace entities in the US (Greenpeace Inc, Greenpeace Fund), and Greenpeace International. 

The new judgment from the North Dakota court rejects portions of the absurd jury verdict delivered last March but still awards hundreds of millions of dollars to ET without a sound basis in law, failing to solve the injustices of the case. This judgement is the biggest damage award ever imposed on Greenpeace organisations. It’s meant to shut the movement up.

So let’s be clear: this type of corporate bullying is designed to rob us of our rights and freedoms. 

Energy Transfer has pursued this intimidation lawsuit because Greenpeace USA and Greenpeace International dared to show solidarity with Indigenous environmental defenders who oppose the climate-wrecking Dakota Access Pipeline. It was never about justice and Energy Transfer’s SLAPP suit remains a blatant attempt to silence free speech, erase Indigenous leadership of the Standing Rock movement, and punish solidarity with peaceful resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline. 

So what comes next? Greenpeace International and Greenpeace organisations in the US will seek a new trial, and if that is denied, appeal the judgment with the North Dakota Supreme Court.

At the same time, Greenpeace International has a suit pending against Energy Transfer in the Netherlands under the EU’s anti-SLAPP directive – a landmark test case against corporate bullying.

Energy Transfer’s SLAPPs are part of a wave of abusive lawsuits filed by Big Oil companies like Shell, Total, and ENI against Greenpeace entities in recent years but we will continue to resist intimidation tactics. The fight against Energy Transfer’s SLAPP continues — and it is far from over. We will not be silenced.

We will only get louder, joining our voices to those of our allies all around the world against the corporate polluters and billionaire oligarchs who prioritise profits over people and the planet. 

Stop Corporate Intimidation!

Tell Energy Transfer and other corporate bullies: Stop your attacks on free speech.

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