The Conservation Council of WA (CCWA) says a report by the Australian National University (ANU) in collaboration with the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Weather of the 21st century, shines a stark light on Australia’s fossil fuel industry.
CCWA Executive Director Matt Roberts said that despite the relatively small population in WA, multiple fossil fuel projects by companies including Woodside were “punching well above their weight when it came to their collective impact on global climate warming."
“The Scarborough project is just one part of Woodside’s Burrup Hub expansion at Murujuga — which in total would create more than six billion tonnes of carbon pollution if it goes ahead at full capacity,” Mr Roberts said.
“CCWA has campaigned against the Scarborough project since it was first proposed, because we knew it would have disastrous impacts on human wellbeing and the environment. This new research proves that.
“This project will cost lives and have significant ramifications across the globe.”
Mr Roberts said the emissions from WA gas projects like the Burrup Hub would have disastrous consequences — no matter where in the world the gas is burnt.
“Construction of the Scarborough project is well underway, but another, even more polluting part of the Burrup Hub, the Browse gas project, is yet to receive any approvals from state or federal governments. This research shows they can literally save lives by rejecting Woodside’s further fossil fuel expansion,” Mr Roberts said.
“We can no longer allow governments to keep greenlighting fossil fuel projects that actively contribute to human suffering and the death by a thousand cuts of our coral reefs, forests and endangered species.
“Just yesterday we saw the International Union for Conservation of Nature release a report stating the Ningaloo Reef and Shark Bay marine environment have moved from a rating of ‘good’ to being ‘of critical concern’. This aligns with recent reports showing significant levels of coral bleaching along the Ningaloo Reef in the past six months.
“lt's time our state and federal governments actually take climate impacts seriously in the approvals processes, particularly given the imminent announcement of EPBC Act – reforms without a built-in 'climate trigger'.
“Woodside’s Scarborough and The North West Shelf gas projects were both assessed under the deeply flawed EPBC Act. The Graeme Samuel review was clear in its finding that ‘The environment is not sufficiently resilient to withstand current, emerging or future threats, including climate change.’
“There is now a unique opportunity to include a climate trigger in the upcoming EPBC reforms.
“This new research highlights how critical a climate trigger in our environment laws will be to enable better decision making on toxic fossil fuel projects in the future.
“New research continues to highlight the devastating impacts climate change is likely to have on nature and human health; and yet this threat is not recognised in our federal environment laws which are currently under review.
“Our nature laws must include consideration of climate in EPBC reforms. This is a critical part of making real and lasting change in the protection of our environment.”