The Blog

Greenpeace Australia Pacific is embarking on an extraordinary journey with the iconic Greenpeace Rainbow Warrior, sailing across the Pacific. We are on a mission to share the untold stories of the Pacific and the solutions proposed by the region to combat the climate crisis. By engaging with communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis, we aim to amplify their voices and showcase the resilience, determination, and courage of Pacific peoples in the face of devastating climate impacts.

Kingston, Jamaica, 28 July 2023 — As the Rainbow Warrior was sailing across the Pacific for part of Greenpeace Australia Pacific’s Climate Justice Ship Tour, the International Seabed Authority (ISA) negotiations were concluding, with deep sea mining companies failing to get an immediate green light to start plundering the oceans. Opposition to deep sea mining within the ISA is mounting with more than 20 governments calling for a pause.

I am Flora Vano, and today, I invite you to witness the unwavering strength and resilience of women in the face of a relentless climate crisis.

Over recent weeks, we've made significant progress in the fight to protect our oceans from the destructive practice of deep sea mining during the recent ISA Assembly meeting which ended Friday 21 July 2023. However, our work is far from over, and we need your continued support to ensure the well-being of our marine ecosystems.

The Rainbow Warrior is journeying through the Pacific Islands carrying courageous climate litigants from the Caribbean, Torres Strait, Philippines, India, Tonga and Solomon Islands and Australia who have come together to share stories, strength, and strategies for achieving climate justice. Climate litigant and activist, Anjali Sharma, shared her deeply personal story with members of civil society groups, local communities and representatives from the government of Vanuatu at the Rainbow Warrior welcome ceremony.

"Welcome home, Greenpeace, welcome home, you've been gone for so long..." Chief Timothy sang as he welcomes the Rainbow Warrior back to Vanuatu, 38 years after the original Rainbow Warrior was bombed while peacefully protesting environmental injustice in the Pacific.

We are Uncle Pabai and Uncle Paul, proud First Nations leaders from Guda Maluyligal in the Torres Strait and we’re taking the Australian government to court for failing to prevent climate change. 

Halo, Talofa and Bula Vinaka This is how we welcome people into our Pasifika families in the beautiful islands of Vanuatu, Tuvalu and Fiji and it will be the welcome that will be provided to the Rainbow Warrior when she lands on the shores of the Pacific Islands next week.

In a monumental step towards preserving the world's oceans, the United Nations (UN) has officially adopted the historic UN Ocean Treaty. This crucial agreement, which was unanimously agreed upon in March 2023, serves as a powerful legal instrument to protect marine ecosystems. Following months of meticulous legal scrutiny and translation into all official UN languages, governments are now encouraged to sign and ratify the treaty, marking the commencement of vital efforts to safeguard our oceans.