Latest news with #ICOMOS
The Guardian
5 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Australia to lobby Unesco over barring of ancient rock site from world heritage list due to Woodside emissions
The Albanese government will launch a lobbying campaign in a bid to reverse a Unesco recommendation that an ancient rock art site in Western Australia can't go on the world heritage list until damaging industrial emissions linked to a controversial Woodside gas development are stopped. Government officials were aiming to meet Unesco next week after its advisers said the nomination of the Murujuga Cultural Landscape in north-west WA – home to more than a million petroglyphs, some almost 50,000 years old – should be referred back to Australia until nearby 'degrading acidic emissions' were halted. The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) advised Unesco the main requirements for world heritage nomination had been met, but pollution from nearby industry 'makes the integrity and the authenticity of key attributes of the nominated property highly vulnerable'. The main source of emissions, the ICOMOS report said, was Woodside's Karratha gas plant, which last week was conditionally awarded a 40-year extension by the environment minister, Murray Watt, to operate until 2070. The Unesco recommendation is due to go before the 21-country world heritage committee at its next meeting on 6 July in Paris. A government spokesperson told the Guardian it was now 'actively engaged in the process' and would make 'strong representations at every opportunity' to have Murujuga listed as a world heritage site at the Paris meeting. Sources told the Guardian that Australian government department officials were also aiming to meet Unesco officials over the nomination during next week's UN oceans conference in Nice. Last week, Watt said he was disappointed Unesco had been influenced by 'factual inaccuracies' but did not provide further detail on what those inaccuracies were. Most of the pieces of rock art were created by hitting the rocks with harder rocks to remove a top layer, revealing lighter colours beneath – a technique known as pecking. Scientists expressed concern that emissions of nitrous oxide and sulphur oxide were working to slowly dissolve the top layers of the petroglyph rocks. A summary of a state government-commissioned monitoring report on the state of pollution and the petroglyphs, released last month, claimed observed damage to some of the rocks was likely related to a power plant that ran in the 1970s and 1980s. But leading rock art expert Prof Benjamin Smith, of the University of Western Australia, said the body of the 800-page report was clear that current industrial emissions were also damaging the petroglyphs. He said: 'If [the federal government] is trying to say the damage was done in the 70s and 80s, then they're on a hiding to nothing. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email 'I don't think emissions are damaging the rock art, I know they are.' He said the official monitoring report showed current emissions at the site were likely between four and five times higher than during the 1970s and 80s. Smith said: 'The 800-page report makes it clear they are being damaged in the areas closest to industry. If [Australia] tries to blame that power plant in the 1970s, then the implication is that that emissions are damaging it five times more now.' The ABC has reported a scientist leading the monitoring report has privately complained the report was altered to remove a line on a graph that would have shown 'five of the monitoring sites were experiencing pollutant levels above the interim guideline'. The ICOMOS evaluation report said it had received information from a 'third party' drawing its attention to the extension of Woodside's Karratha gas plant to 2070. That information, the Guardian can reveal, was a detailed letter from the Australian Conservation Foundation, which pointed to several studies raising concerns about emissions and the rock art. The Guardian has revealed the Australian government has previously carried out a long and sustained lobbying campaign to keep the Great Barrier Reef off the world heritage list of sites in danger. Gavan Macfadzean, climate and energy program manager at ACF, said he expected the Australian government would now be lobbying Unesco and the world heritage committee up to the meeting. 'Our role is to make sure that when sites are nominated [for world heritage status], we're reassured that the values for which it's being evaluated are protected,' he said. 'We support the listing, but we have to make sure that it's not a greenwashing exercise. We want to see the nomination happen in a way that protects the values. He said emissions of nitrous oxide and sulfur oxide from local industry – including from Woodside's gas processing facility – needed to be 'fully addressed'. In a statement, the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation (MAC), which has worked with government to nominate the site, said it was 'deeply disappointed' by the ICOMOS recommendation. The chair of MAC, Peter Hicks, said the ICOMOS report had made clear the site should be on the world heritage list. He said: 'The evaluation report provides the pathway to finalising world heritage listing and while the referral adds another small step to our journey, it is a positive outcome and not a rejection. 'While we are disappointed, we are determined to finish our journey and see the Murujuga Cultural Landscape included on the world heritage list as soon as possible.' A spokesperson for Woodside said the final decision on the nomination would rest with the world heritage committee. They said: 'Woodside will continue to support the leadership of traditional custodians, including the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation (MAC), which holds cultural authority, and work with the commonwealth and state governments as they prepare their responses to the [ICOMOS] recommendation.' The statement said the findings of the monitoring report 'show that emissions are below risk thresholds, and the data does not support the theory that acid rain damages the petroglyphs.' They said: 'Woodside has taken proactive steps over many years – including emissions reductions, data sharing and ongoing support for [the monitoring report] – to ensure we manage our impacts responsibly. 'We believe the world heritage nomination should proceed on the strength of the evidence and stand as proof that cultural heritage and industry can responsibly coexist when collaboration, transparency, and rigorous scientific monitoring are in place.'
RTÉ News
28-05-2025
- General
- RTÉ News
Australia's bid for ancient rock art World Heritage listing stalls over pollution
Australia's bid to secure World Heritage status for a site with Indigenous rock art estimated to be 50,000 years old has been dealt a blow after a UN advisory body warned it was at risk from nearby industrial pollution. The International Council on Monuments and Sites advised UNESCO to refer the nomination back to the Australian government so it could "prevent any further industrial development adjacent to, and within, the Murujuga Cultural Landscape". Located on the Burrup Peninsula in Western Australia state, the Murujuga rock art, which is of cultural and spiritual significance to local Indigenous Australians, was nominated for heritage listing in 2023. The Burrup Peninsula is also a key industrial hub, home to two gas plants run by Woodside, and fertiliser and explosives plants run by Norway's Yara International. The government extended the lifetime of Woodside's largest gas plant in the region, the North West Shelf, until 2070. The extension will generate up to 4.3 billion metric tons of additional carbon emissions. Scrutiny over the impact of Australia's resources industry on Indigenous heritage sites has been magnified since Rio Tinto destroyed the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge rock shelters as part of a mine expansion in 2020. Australia has said the Murujuga petroglyphs were in "good condition overall" and presented findings from a study of the site that said there were no suggestions "acid rain or deposition is contributing to damage of the rock art". Despite this, ICOMOS recommended preventing further industrial development near the site and called for a "decommissioning and rehabilitation plan for existing industrial activities". ICOMOS, citing media reports quoting rock art experts and information received about the proposed North West Shelf extension, concluded: "The conservation conditions of the petroglyphs are extremely vulnerable and threatened by industrial acidic emissions". Cultural heritage expert at Deakin University Luke James, said the ICOMOS draft decision was a "setback" for the Australian government. "ICOMOS has identified some concerns around protection and management," he said. "It is now up to the Australian government to demonstrate to the committee that these are surmountable, or it will need to wait at least a year - and do further work - for another chance at inscription." Woodside said in a statement it continued to support the heritage listing of the rock art and would work with the Murujuga traditional owners and government to prepare its response to ICOMOS' recommendation. "We believe the World Heritage nomination should proceed on the strength of the evidence and stand as proof that cultural heritage and industry can responsibly co-exist when collaboration, transparency and rigorous scientific monitoring are in place," it said.
The Age
28-05-2025
- Politics
- The Age
Watt claims ‘factual inaccuracies' used to defer Burrup rock art World Heritage bid
Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt has accused a United Nations-linked international cultural heritage organisation of putting the Murujuga rock art gallery World Heritage listing bid at risk using factually incorrect information influenced by media. The bid to put the rock art gallery containing a million ancient petroglyphs on the UNESCO World Heritage list was dealt a heavy blow this week, with UNESCO poised to defer its long-awaited decision over concerns about the impact of industrial emissions on the area. The bid, supported by the WA and federal governments, was lodged in 2020 and a decision was pencilled in for UNESCO's upcoming July meeting. In a draft decision published on its website, UNESCO's World Heritage committee recommended the application be sent back to the Australian government to address concerns about the impact of industrialisation and emissions on the petroglyphs that make up the gallery. The draft decision to be considered in July was derived from a report by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), which is tasked with assessing sites nominated for UNESCO World Heritage listing. The UNESCO committee called on the Commonwealth to 'ensure the total removal of degrading acidic emissions, currently impacting upon the petroglyphs of the Murujuga Cultural Landscape', and 'prevent any further industrial development'. Environmental groups praised the draft decision, saying it proved industry – including Woodside's nearby North West Shelf assets – could not coexist with the rock art without destroying it over time. Watt, unloaded on the ICOMOS report. The environment minister accused the organisation of being influenced by media and non-government organisations rather than science.
Sydney Morning Herald
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Watt claims ‘factual inaccuracies' used to defer Burrup rock art World Heritage bid
Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt has accused a United Nations-linked international cultural heritage organisation of putting the Murujuga rock art gallery World Heritage listing bid at risk using factually incorrect information influenced by media. The bid to put the rock art gallery containing a million ancient petroglyphs on the UNESCO World Heritage list was dealt a heavy blow this week, with UNESCO poised to defer its long-awaited decision over concerns about the impact of industrial emissions on the area. The bid, supported by the WA and federal governments, was lodged in 2020 and a decision was pencilled in for UNESCO's upcoming July meeting. In a draft decision published on its website, UNESCO's World Heritage committee recommended the application be sent back to the Australian government to address concerns about the impact of industrialisation and emissions on the petroglyphs that make up the gallery. The draft decision to be considered in July was derived from a report by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), which is tasked with assessing sites nominated for UNESCO World Heritage listing. The UNESCO committee called on the Commonwealth to 'ensure the total removal of degrading acidic emissions, currently impacting upon the petroglyphs of the Murujuga Cultural Landscape', and 'prevent any further industrial development'. Environmental groups praised the draft decision, saying it proved industry – including Woodside's nearby North West Shelf assets – could not coexist with the rock art without destroying it over time. Watt, unloaded on the ICOMOS report. The environment minister accused the organisation of being influenced by media and non-government organisations rather than science.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Australia's bid for ancient rock art World Heritage listing stalls over pollution
By Christine Chen SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia's bid to secure World Heritage status for a site with Indigenous rock art estimated to be 50,000 years old has been dealt a blow after a U.N. advisory body warned it was at risk from nearby industrial pollution. The International Council on Monuments and Sites advised UNESCO to refer the nomination back to the Australian government so it could 'prevent any further industrial development adjacent to, and within, the Murujuga Cultural Landscape'. Located on the Burrup Peninsula in Western Australia state, the Murujuga rock art, which is of cultural and spiritual significance to local Indigenous Australians, was nominated for heritage listing in 2023. The Burrup Peninsula is also a key industrial hub, home to two gas plants run by Woodside, and fertiliser and explosives plants run by Norway's Yara International. The government on Wednesday extended the lifetime of Woodside's largest gas plant in the region, the North West Shelf, until 2070. The extension will generate up to 4.3 billion metric tons of additional carbon emissions. Scrutiny over the impact of Australia's resources industry on Indigenous heritage sites has been magnified since Rio Tinto destroyed the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge rock shelters as part of a mine expansion in 2020. Australia has said the Murujuga petroglyphs were in 'good condition overall' and presented findings from a study of the site that said there were no suggestions 'acid rain or deposition is contributing to damage of the rock art'. Despite this, ICOMOS recommended preventing further industrial development near the site and called for a 'decommissioning and rehabilitation plan for existing industrial activities'. ICOMOS, citing media reports quoting rock art experts and information received about the proposed North West Shelf extension, concluded 'the conservation conditions of the petroglyphs are extremely vulnerable and threatened by industrial acidic emissions'. Luke James, a cultural heritage expert at Deakin University, said the ICOMOS draft decision was a 'setback' for the Australian government. 'ICOMOS has identified some concerns around protection and management," he said. 'It is now up to the Australian government to demonstrate to the committee that these are surmountable, or it will need to wait at least a year - and do further work - for another chance at inscription." Woodside said in a statement it continued to support the heritage listing of the rock art and would work with the Murujuga traditional owners and government to prepare its response to ICOMOS' recommendation. "We believe the World Heritage nomination should proceed on the strength of the evidence and stand as proof that cultural heritage and industry can responsibly co-exist when collaboration, transparency and rigorous scientific monitoring are in place," it said. The UNESCO World Heritage Committee will meet in July.
