A jury in North Dakota ruled on Wednesday that Greenpeace must pay a pipeline company hundreds of millions of dollars due to its protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline.
Dallas-based Energy Transfer and its subsidiary, Dakota Access, were awarded more than $650 million in damages after the jury found Greenpeace liable for defamation and other allegations.
The lawsuit held Netherlands-based Greenpeace International, Greenpeace USA, and Greenpeace Fund Inc. accountable for defamation, trespass, nuisance, civil conspiracy, among other charges.
Greenpeace had earlier expressed concerns that such a large penalty might lead to financial ruin for the organization. Despite the jury’s decision, Greenpeace’s senior legal adviser assured that their work in environmental activism will persist.
For over 50 years, the global network has campaigned for numerous environmental causes, often finding itself entangled in legal disputes.
Some facts about Greenpeace include its origins dating back to 1971 when environmental activists in Vancouver, Canada, established the group. Their first initiative aimed to halt nuclear weapons testing on Amchitka Island in Alaska’s Aleutian chain. Greenpeace dispatched a ship to the area to “bear witness,” in line with a Quaker tradition of protest, but was stopped by the U.S. Navy as per Greenpeace’s records. Subsequently, the U.S. ceased its nuclear testing at the site, marking Greenpeace’s inaugural triumph.
The name “Greenpeace” emerged during their early efforts against nuclear tests on Amchitka. Canadian ecologist Bill Darnell, recognized as a founding figure, coined the term by combining “green” and “peace” after a meeting, simplifying it into one word for simplicity in their first fundraising campaign.
Today, Greenpeace identifies as the largest environmental campaigning entity globally, composed of numerous independent groups across more than 55 countries. Their advocacy focuses on protecting ecosystems and opposing fossil fuel industries through nonviolent means. Greenpeace’s activism includes protests against Shell’s Arctic drilling, efforts to halt French nuclear tests in the South Pacific, and campaigns to conserve Canada’s coastal rainforests.
Greenpeace has often been on the receiving end of legal actions, such as in 2023 when four activists were arrested for scaling the residence of former U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to protest his North Sea drilling expansion plans—charges from which they were eventually cleared. Additionally, Greenpeace sought to prevent the Willow oil project in Alaska via legal means.
Financially, Greenpeace maintains independence by not accepting funds from governments, corporations, or political parties, relying instead on individual donations and foundation grants. In 2023, Greenpeace USA reported around $40 million in revenue with expenses close to $38 million, according to their financial disclosures. Their stance conveys that allies and adversaries are subject to change based on actions: “If your government or company is willing to change, we will work with you to achieve your aims… Reverse course, and we will be back.”
