Can you believe it’s already mid-summer? And what a summer it’s been. 

With heatwaves, forest fires, and the odd tornado warning, it’s only right that we take a moment to soak in some good news for a change.

Because despite the depressing headlines, good things are happening. Over the past month there have been some major developments for many of our campaigns that I’m excited to share with you — because as a valued Greenpeace supporter, you helped make them happen! 

The Global Ocean Treaty was Formally Adopted at the UN

Greenpeace Seoul held an Ocean Drone show, at Seoul Forest Park in Korea, to engage people and push the global leaders for a strong Global Ocean Treaty, in 2022.

A few months ago we shared the fantastic news that global governments at the UN had finally agreed to a Global Ocean Treaty! It’s recently become adopted, and while we’re definitely doing a happy dance, we’re still focused on the work ahead. 

Sixty countries need to ratify the Treaty for it to be implemented and enforced, and we’re hoping this will happen by the UN Ocean Conference in June 2025. Keeping up the momentum, our goal will be to make rapid ratification a reality and to propose the first ocean sanctuaries in the high seas. 

Stay tuned for more details about how you can get involved!

European Court of Human Rights rules ‘Arctic 30’ were arbitrarily detained

Russian security services abseiled from a helicopter onto the Greenpeace ship, Arctic Sunrise, and arrested the crew at gunpoint in September, 2013.

The European Court of Human Rights finally issued its ruling in the long-running case of the “Arctic 30 v. Russia”, and chose to uphold the rights of people and the planet over big oil!

The court found that Russian authorities arbitrarily detained the 28 Greenpeace activists and two freelance journalists, and violated their rights to freedom of expression. The group, known as the ‘Arctic 30’, were detained for two months in 2013 on suspicion of piracy, after Russian commandos boarded the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise from a helicopter, and seized the ship. This arrest came after the activists were peacefully protesting Arctic oil extraction at the Gazprom oil platform in the Pechora Sea, off Russia’s north coast.

This is an important victory for activists everywhere, as harsh measures taken against peaceful environmental protesters are not unusual. Climate activism is necessary to protect our planet, and we hope this ruling changes the perspective of other courts around the world. 

Switzerland votes in a new Climate Protection Law

Greenpeace activists dressed in polar outfits submitted a petition with 130,000 signatures for the Glacier Initiative to the Swiss federal government, in 2019.

Switzerland just passed a new law, called the Climate Protection Law, to protect the planet and set the country on a pathway to net-zero-emissions by 2050. Incredibly, this law was won through a national vote in which a majority of the voting population said YES — talk about people power!

The Climate Protection Law comes with a €3.2 billion program to reduce emissions rapidly, and includes the critical mechanisms to allow Switzerland to make its climate goals a reality, and fulfill its commitment to the Paris Agreement. 

This victory was no small feat. Seven years ago Greenpeace Switzerland set up the Swiss Association for Climate Protection to launch the Glacier Initiative. The goal of the initiative was to make Switzerland completely carbon neutral by 2050, and ban all fossil fuels such as oil, gas, petrol and diesel. The Glacier Initiative gained around 130,000 signatures and sparked a referendum in November 2019, which got the ball rolling on creating this new law!

We can’t wait to see how this new law inspires other countries to do the same!

VICTORY! Canadian government supports moratorium on deep sea mining

Greenpeace Canada activists lit up Ottawa’s Maple Island with a giant LED octopus holding a “Stop Deep Sea Mining!” banner and a speech bubble above reading “Protégez ma maison, ministre Joly!”. 

The Canadian government announced last week that they will support a moratorium on deep sea mining in international waters, as governments at the International Seabed Authority (ISA) gather in Kingston, Jamaica, to discuss whether to allow deep sea mining to proceed as early as this year.

The announcement comes weeks after close to 1,000 Greenpeace activists around the world took to the streets for a Global Day of Action against deep sea mining. Here in Canada, Greenpeace activists lit up Ottawa’s Maple Island with a 48 feet x 30 feet octopus made of more than 1,000 LED lights. 

Following the day of action, Czech Republic’s government shifted its position to oppose deep sea mining and Switzerland published its official position in favor of a moratorium or temporary ban. Canada joins multiple governments that have voiced opposition to the industry proceeding.

The first ever deep sea mining applications could be submitted at the ISA talks this month, and Greenpeace is campaigning to remind world leaders that thousands of species are at risk from this new, emerging industry. 

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All of our work, achievements and victories are made possible because of the support of people like you.

I hope these stories of progress and wins for the planet remind you of what we can achieve when we work together.