The Global Ocean Treaty reached its 60th ratification in September 2025, clearing the way for this historic agreement to enter into force in January. With only 0.9% of the High Seas currently fully or highly protected, the Treaty is crucial to expanding protection, establishing sanctuaries that help mitigate the climate crisis, and safeguarding food security for the billions who depend on ocean resources.
It is a landmark moment for protecting the ocean, and proof that countries can come together to protect our blue planet. The era of exploitation and destruction must end, and the Global Ocean Treaty is the tool to make that happen. This is a massive achievement – decades in the making – for all the activists, supporters and allies who raised their voices for ocean protection. Campaigners, coastal communities, small-scale fishers, scientists, and ocean lovers everywhere can hold on to this moment as proof that when millions of us demand change, we can achieve what once seemed like a distant dream.
But the fight for the protection of our Ocean is far from over. Scientists are clear that we need to protect at least 30% of our ocean by 2030. Governments around the world must use this time to ensure the first historic ‘Ocean COP’, set for 2026 becomes a turning point, and start to develop plans for the first-ever sanctuaries under the new Treaty. Our ocean can’t wait, and neither can we.
The end of new oil and gas exploration in the UK
In November, the United Kingdom (UK) government slammed the door on new oil and gas exploration in the North Sea. This makes Britain the largest economy to end new fossil fuel exploration. After nearly three decades of campaigning – from activists clinging to rigs in Arctic storms to lawyers dismantling government decisions piece by piece – this is a historic moment for the climate movement and a win that once seemed impossible. Greenpeace UK first campaigned on the issue of oil exploration licensing in 1997!
This doesn’t mean all oil and gas production will end immediately. The end of exploration licenses means companies can no longer get permission to search for new oil and gas reserves in previously untapped areas. But it’s still a major change. Every new field discovered locks the UK into decades more drilling, more burning, more damage. This decision cuts that cycle off at the source.
So existing UK North Sea fields will produce until they run out, or until production stops for some other reason. But without new discoveries, production will steadily decline until it reaches zero. The North Sea fossil fuel era has a finish line now, and that’s exactly what the climate needs. More countries must follow to ensure a just transition to clean energy, and fast.
World’s highest court delivers historic protections for climate-impacted communities
After 6 years of campaigning led by 27 law students in the Pacific Islands, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a landmark Advisory Opinion that strengthens states’ obligations in the climate emergency beyond the Paris Agreement in July. It confirms that all countries have duties to prevent significant environmental harm and that states must regulate businesses for the damage caused by their emissions, no matter where that harm occurs. The court also affirmed that the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is fundamental to all other human rights.
This Advisory Opinion signals a new era of global climate justice. By clearly defining states’ international climate duties and the consequences for breaching them, the ICJ opens the door to new cases that could bring justice to communities suffering the worst impacts of a crisis they did little to cause. The court’s message is unequivocal: fossil fuel production, consumption, and the granting of licenses and subsidies may violate international law, and major polluters must stop emitting and pay for the damage they have inflicted.
Landmark trial on greenwashing holds oil and gas corporation to account
In October, a Paris court issued a significant ruling against TotalEnergies’ misleading advertising. The case, brought by Friends of the Earth France, Greenpeace France, and Notre Affaire à Tous with support from ClientEarth, challenged the company’s attempts to present itself as a climate-responsible actor while continuing to expand its fossil fuel activities.
TotalEnergies claimed in its ads that it placed “climate at the heart of its strategy” and aimed to deliver “cleaner, safer and more affordable energy,” highlighting its 2050 net-zero ambition. The Court found these claims likely to mislead consumers, noting that the company is simultaneously increasing its production and investment in oil and gas – a trajectory incompatible with scientific recommendations and the Paris Agreement, which call for an immediate reduction in fossil fuel production.
This judgment is the first to recognise the oil industry’s net-zero messaging as greenwashing. It marks an important step towards holding major polluters accountable for misleading the public and delaying real climate action.
Youth and environmentalists hold Norway to account on oil exploration
The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Court confirmed in May that Norway must count all climate impacts when approving new oil and gas projects – not only the emissions from drilling, but also the much larger emissions released when the oil and gas are burned anywhere in the world. This supported the case brought by Greenpeace Nordic and Natur og Ungdom (Young Friends of the Earth Norway), and showed that the Norwegian government was wrong to ignore these “Scope III” emissions, which make up about 95% of a project’s climate damage.
The decision has major consequences for all future fossil fuel approvals in Norway and across Europe. Courts are recognising that protecting people from climate harm is a legal duty, not an option. The ruling follows similar decisions in the United Kingdom, the United States and Guyana, and strengthened an earlier win in the Oslo District Court, where approval of three North Sea oil and gas projects was found invalid for failing to assess these emissions.
The Norwegian government appealed the earlier win, but in November the Borgarting Court of Appeal once again ruled in our favour, reaffirming what the Oslo District Court, the EFTA Court and the European Court of Human Rights, had already made clear – governments must assess the full climate impacts of oil and gas projects, including emissions caused by burning the fuels abroad. This is a huge victory for everyone who is fighting for a safer future, it proves that our struggle for climate justice has real force.
Source: Greenpeace