I am scared. I am angry. And I am heartbroken.
As a young climate advocate, I have always believed that speaking up can change the world. That when we raise our voices for our planet, people will listen. That when we fight for a future where clean air and water are not privileges but rights, justice will be on our side. But this lawsuit against Greenpeace International and Greenpeace entities in the USA by Energy Transfer feels like a punch to the gut—a brutal reminder that those who destroy our home will stop at nothing to silence those who protect it.
This is not just a lawsuit. It is an attack on our future. A warning shot aimed at every single person who dares to challenge the greed that fuels the climate crisis. If they can go after Greenpeace with a $300 million lawsuit, what is stopping them from coming after me? Or you? Or the millions of young people who refuse to stand by as our future is stolen from us?
We are running out of time. The climate crisis is already here. It is in the super typhoons that rip through our homes, tearing apart walls and washing away entire neighborhoods. It is in the unbearable heat that suffocates our cities, turning streets into furnaces and claiming lives in deadly heat waves. It is in the rising seas swallowing entire communities, forcing families to abandon the lands their ancestors called home. It is in the devastating droughts that turn fertile lands into wastelands, leaving nothing but cracked earth and dying crops. It is in the raging wildfires that reduce forests to ash and choke the air with smoke.
Yet instead of holding polluters accountable, they are trying to silence those who fight to protect what little we have left. What kind of world does that leave us with? One where speaking the truth is punished? Where corporations decide who gets to thrive and who gets left behind? Where the next generation inherits nothing but disasters, displacement, and destruction?
I refuse to accept that. We refuse to accept that.
This case is not just about Greenpeace. It is about every young person who dreams of a future worth living in. It is about our right to fight for that future without fear. It is about ensuring that the voices of the youth are not drowned out by the wealth and power of those destroying our planet.
But let me be clear: we are not alone. We are millions, standing shoulder to shoulder, refusing to be silenced. They can try to intimidate us, but they cannot break us. And we will keep fighting—because we have no other choice. This is our home. This is our future. And we will defend it with everything we have.
We stand with Greenpeace. We stand with every environmental defender. We stand for justice, for truth, and for a world where young people are not punished for caring about the only planet we have.
To everyone reading this: Stand with us. Speak up. Take action—share this message, join the movement, and demand accountability. Our voices, our actions, and our solidarity are stronger than their fear tactics. The future belongs to those who refuse to be silenced. And we will not be silenced.
The fight is far from over. Stand with us, raise your voice, and make it clear: those who seek to silence us will never succeed. We will speak. We will fight. And we will win—because justice demands it, and the planet we call home is worth fighting for.
Prince Sarmiento is a Bohol-based volunteer of Greenpeace Philippines.
