JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – Greenpeace has intensified pressure on G20 leaders to adopt a global wealth tax and deliver more ambitious emissions cuts as heads of state gather in Johannesburg for the 2025 summit.
In a statement issued on November 22, the organisation said the world’s biggest economies are falling far short on climate finance and emissions targets, despite carrying the bulk of responsibility for global warming.
Ahead of the summit, Greenpeace Africa activists painted “Tax The Super-Rich” on a major road leading to the Johannesburg Expo Centre, where leaders including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will convene.
The bold message comes as the UN’s COP30 climate conference in Belém, Brazil, concludes without major breakthroughs on fossil fuel phase-out and climate finance—issues that disproportionately affect vulnerable nations.
According to Greenpeace, the G20 now has a decisive opportunity to unlock new funding by targeting extreme wealth.
“Public momentum to tax the super-rich is fast growing — the political will has to follow,” said Fred Njehu, Fair Share Global Political Lead at Greenpeace Africa. “Billionaires in Africa and beyond are getting wealthier by the day while billions struggle with the rising cost of living and the escalating climate crisis.”
A recent G20 economic analysis shows the world’s richest 1PC captured 41PC of all new wealth generated between 2000 and 2024, while the bottom half of the global population received just 1PC.
A separate Oxfam study found Africa’s five wealthiest billionaires increased their collective wealth by 88PC in the last five years.
Greenpeace argues that a global minimum tax on the super-rich — currently under discussion at the UN Tax Convention negotiations in Nairobi — could help finance climate mitigation, adaptation, and social protection systems.
Cynthia Moyo, Lead Campaigner at Greenpeace Africa, urged President Ramaphosa to seize the G20 moment:
“We cannot keep socialising costs while privatising profits. Tax justice is climate justice,” she said. “Without bold action on a global wealth tax and forcing big polluters to pay, the world will not mobilise the resources needed to protect people and the planet.”
Greenpeace also released a new report showing that the G20’s draft 2035 emissions plans would result in only a 23–29PC reduction, far below the 60PC global cut scientists say is required to keep the 1.5°C target alive.
“When countries responsible for 80PC of global emissions fail to deliver credible action, the world has a problem,” said Tracy Carty, Climate Politics Expert at Greenpeace International. “Developed G20 nations especially must lead with far deeper cuts.”
As the Johannesburg summit begins, campaigners say global inequality, tax justice and climate ambition will determine whether leaders can shift momentum after years of stalled negotiations.
