Greenpeace Luxembourg Highlights Need for Ocean Protection Amid High Temperatures

On the morning of Saturday 27 June 2026, Greenpeace Luxembourg hosted an event on Place Clairefontaine in Luxembourg-Ville to help spread awareness about the urgent need to strengthen ocean protection.

The event featured a six metre by sixteen metre inflatable octopus, named Billie; a mascot designed to draw the public’s attention to the environmental agency’s cause.

Throughout the morning, visitors had the opportunity to meet with representatives of Greenpeace Luxembourg, take part in interactive activities designed for children and learn about the practical steps everyone can take to help protect the oceans. The organisation also used the occasion to launch the first edition of “Planète Greenpeace” (Planet Greenpeace), a new trilingual magazine published in French, German and Luxembourgish which for the inaugural edition focused on raising awareness about oceans and the need to protect them.

Due to the high temperatures being experienced across the country on Saturday 27 June, organisers rescheduled the event to conclude at 13:00 instead of the original end time of 17:00.

In a press release, Greenpeace Luxembourg noted that the event comes at a pivotal moment for the future of the world's oceans. The association highlighted that in 2025, Luxembourg had supported a moratorium on deep-sea mining, ratified the High Seas Treaty and joined the Ocean Pioneers coalition, and that the country must translate these commitments into “concrete action”.

Altynaï Bidaubayle, Campaigner at Greenpeace Luxembourg, said: “The heatwave we are experiencing today is not an isolated event; it reflects the reality of the climate disruption we are facing. In the face of these upheavals, the oceans are among our greatest allies, yet they themselves are under increasing pressure from global warming, pollution and overfishing. Protecting the oceans means protecting our climate; and protecting our climate means safeguarding the oceans, the species that depend on them and the millions of people whose livelihoods rely on healthy marine ecosystems."

She added: “The Grand Duchy has meaningful opportunities to make a difference. We are calling on the government to participate in the upcoming ISA negotiations and to support, both politically and financially, the creation of large, fully protected marine sanctuaries. These protected areas are essential if we are to achieve the international target of protecting 30% of the world's oceans by 2030; a goal that is becoming ever more critical as each summer brings new temperature records and a renewed reminder of the urgency to act."

Credit: Sofia Ferreira Neto / Greenpeace 

SC