Latest news with #MurrayWatt
ABC News
17 hours ago
- Business
- ABC News
WA government braces for testing time from Greens after call to extend North West Shelf
WA Premier Roger Cook got his wish this week. Woodside's North West Shelf gas project can continue operating off the Pilbara coast until 2070, and he can finally get industry off his back. But don't ask him about the impact on climate. Mr Cook was waiting with bated breath for the outcome of the decision from Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt, who approved the project's extension. But green groups are not buying the reasoning for his support of the project — a bold claim about WA's gas. "Our gas is about providing the opportunity for the globe to decarbonise," Mr Cook said on Thursday. And it's something they're going to take him to task on. Mr Watt said he considered the potential impacts extending the life of the plant would have on the national heritage values of nearby rock art and the economic matters, but the act which governs environmental approvals does not include provisions to consider the climate change impact of a project. Which might explain why conversations regarding the climate have largely been pushed under the rug. The premier chose to focus more on jobs and the economy, dodging questions about the impact of emissions. "This saves literally thousands of jobs in Western Australia … and secures the future for Karratha," Mr Cook told reporters. Federal and state Labor agree gas is important and will play a large role in the energy transition. "In order to get that investment in renewables, you do need firming capacity, whether it be batteries, hydro or gas. And that is what will encourage that investment and the transition to occur," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday. Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti echoed a very similar sentiment on Friday. "This is all about making sure we get the balance right and making sure ... we also have the resources to continue to deliver affordable and reliable energy as we go through the transition," she said. But green groups reject those lines entirely. Greenpeace Australia Pacific's Geoff Bice thinks Mr Watt's decision could have provided a "step in earnest" away from fossil fuels — not towards. "At the end of the day, there's a competition on for the role of energy being between renewable energy and polluting fossil fuels," he said. "The decision to extend the life of the North West Shelf only makes that transition harder and pushes it out further both for our domestic economy and the regional economy." Protest after protest has posed the same question about Australia's role in bringing down global emissions — is the government beholden to gas giants? Or, as more informally put by federal Tasmanian Greens Senator Peter Whish-Wilson — do we have "a government that is in bed with big fossil fuel companies"? WA Mines Minister David Michael was asked on Thursday if both state and federal Labor are prioritising gas over traditional owners' cultural sites — namely nearby ancient Aboriginal rock art on the Burrup Peninsula (Murujuga) near Karratha, which traditional owners say will be "stripped" from them with this extension. "We're prioritising making sure we have gas in our system in WA to keep the lights on and to support industry," he said. The WA government might be supporting industry but it won't be able to dodge questions about climate — and the impact on traditional owners — much longer. Especially now with not one, but four upper house Greens MPs champing at the bit to hold it to account. New Greens MLC Jess Beckerling used Question Time this week to point out discrepancies in the executive summary of the Rock Art Monitoring Report released last Friday by the government — which studied the impacts of industrial air emissions on those ancient rock carvings at Murujuga. Referring to a line missing in a graph contained in the report, University of Western Australia professor of archaeology Benjamin Smith claimed the government "doctored" it. WA Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourn said the "graph in the summary document was simplified", but the pressure from the Greens is likely not done yet. And the headaches didn't stop there for the government. In some awkward timing, an interim UNESCO report released on Tuesday knocked back the Murujuga Cultural Landscape to the World Heritage list, citing concerns about emissions degrading the Aboriginal carvings. The draft decision called on the government to "ensure the total removal of degrading acidic emissions" — which might be a little hard to do now, until after 2070. "It is disappointing that the draft decision is heavily influenced by claims made in the media and correspondence from non-government organisations, rather than scientific and other expert evidence," Mr Watt said in a statement. Gas might be a balancing act for the federal and state governments, but one thing is certain — concerns about the climate are mounting and the pressure won't be letting up any time soon. So it best be prepared to answer tough questions.
News.com.au
21 hours ago
- Business
- News.com.au
‘You're a joke': Ugly row on Australia's future after Labor's major energy call
A potentially nation-changing series of moves from the newly-elected Albanese government have caused a huge divide — with irate pollies taking increasingly hostile shots at each other over the plans. Labor has long positioned itself as a champion in the push towards renewables — with a target to hit net zero emissions by 2050 being approved by voters as part of its mandate following a landslide victory this month. But it has become clear this week that we, as a nation at least, are nowhere near done with fossil fuels just yet. On Wednesday, Labor approved the extension of Australia's largest gas plant by a massive 40 years — some 20 years beyond the net zero deadline. Newly appointed Environment Minister Murray Watt made the call to grant approval for Woodside's North West Shelf extension in Western Australia's Pilbara — allowing the company to extend production and supply the domestic market until 2070. The move was met with anger from environmental groups, the Greens and even two Pacific island nations who accused Australia of putting their very survival at risk. With a sweeping mandate to impose his vision of Australia's future and what its energy mix will look like, the Prime Minister is reportedly looking to take further action to back gas as time goes on. In what would be another major move, energy industry sources told the AFR on Friday Labor is likely to consider developing an east coast gas reservation, amid escalating concerns of a future gas shortage in the eastern states. The report caused a serious blow-up on Friday when Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie and independent MP Zali Steggall clashed during a Sky News panel. Senator McKenzie was supportive of the idea while Ms Steggall had serious concerns. She said while the government should prioritise gas for domestic markets and industrial markets, new reserves would accelerate global warming. Senator McKenzie then interrupted: 'So Zali doesn't clearly care about prices, she doesn't care about keeping manufacturing and industrial jobs here at home … 'The people that Zali represents are very affluent people in the heart of Sydney. They don't have to wash their clothes, wash their faces when they come home from work after a heavy day.' Ms Steggall was clearly incensed by the interjection. 'You have no credibility, Bridget. You are such a joke. I mean seriously. I'm talking about regional communities facing drought,' she said. 'I'm talking about regional communities facing floods and all you want to do is keep accelerating and increasing the problem.' 'Australians recognise this to be unfair' The decision to extend the life of the North West Shelf — Australia's largest and longest-running liquefied natural gas (LNG) development — is a huge call for the Albanese government. It was twice delayed by former Minister Tanya Plibersek in Labor's first term, but unions and business groups have expressed relief after the extension was given the green light this week. The project has been at the centre of the nation's energy sector for over four decades, supplying both domestic and international markets Any Aussie who has seen their power bills rise over the past few years won't be comforted to know that the majority of the gas being produced at the North West Shelf project is sent overseas, primarily to key markets in the Asia-Pacific region like Japan, South Korea and China. The project also supplies natural gas to Western Australia's domestic market. This has been governed by a domestic gas reservation policy, mandating the equivalent to 15 per cent of its LNG exports be set aside for domestic use. However, there could be changes afoot on this issue too as Resources Minister Madeleine King said this week it was unfair Australians paid high prices for gas while many of the country's supplies were exported. 'It is as clear as day to everyone who cares to listen that Australians are tired of seeing our vast gas resources exported overseas while simultaneously paying some of the highest gas prices in the developed world,' she told the Australian Energy Producers Conference in Brisbane. 'Australians recognise this to be unfair. 'But there remains a lot of work to do to ensure the domestic market remains well supplied. 'A well-supplied domestic gas market at a reasonable price is fundamental to the social licence of this industry to operate.' She flagged the government may review gas market policy, potentially meaning more of it could be used here in Australia. One way to leverage this could be state-based gas reservation schemes — which are already in place for the nation's biggest gas exporters Queensland and Western Australia — for the eastern states. Labor's big move on gas is being seen by some as proof the Albanese government's position had changed in a matter of months, and that it is taking its mandate for change seriously. After a crushing landslide victory, it is unshackled by the minor parties and Teals — potentially meaning it can make more radical reforms. 'The language within the Labor Party has changed substantially over the course of the last year,' Former Labor minister Joel Fitzgibbon told the Australian Energy Producers conference in Brisbane on Thursday. 'The decision of the North West Shelf yesterday is a clear indicator that Anthony Albanese has taken charge of this area of policy – maybe for the right reasons, but he has interest groups too [in this area], unions for example.' 'Slap in the face': Nations furious with Australia Despite some praise, the call on the North West Shelf project has not been met warmly with some sections of the population, or some nations for that matter. Tuvalu, a nation in the Pacific with a population of just shy of 10,000, has warned against approving the project — saying its survival is at stake. Its Climate Minister Maina Talia said the North West Shelf extension 'would lock in emissions until 2070, threatening our survival' and undermine Australia's chances at hosting the next global climate conference in 2026 in partnership with Pacific nations. Meanwhile Vanuatu's climate minister said he is devastated by the Australian government's decision. Vanuatu's Minister for Climate Change Ralph Regenvanu said that the extension of the project is 'a slap in the face for Pacific Island countries who have repeatedly called on Australia to stop approving new fossil fuel projects'. He continued to say that the approval 'severely undermines our national security and sabotages our future. The single greatest thing the Australian Labor government could do to protect our region is to stop opening new coal and gas projects'. 'See you in court' Local Indigenous groups have also reacted with fury — claiming the extension puts the ancient rock art of Murujuga, which is adjacent to Woodside's Karratha Gas Plant on the Burrup peninsula, at risk. Mardathoonera woman Raelene Cooper, a custodian of Murujuga and a former chair of the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation, had a simple response to Senator Watt's green light for Woodside. 'See you in court,' she said. 'I'm not on my own, I'm bringing warriors from this ngurra (Country) with me.' Senator Watt said in making his proposed decision, he had considered 'the potential impacts of extending the life of the plant on the national heritage values of nearby ancient rock art' and 'economic and social matters concerning the proposed development'. 'Based on the evidence before me and the Department's recommendations, my proposed decision is subject to strict conditions,' he said. Mr Watt said the impact of air emissions on the Murujuga rock art that forms part of the Dampier Archipelago was considered as part of the process. 'I have ensured that adequate protection for the rock art is central to my proposed decision,' he said. Woodside has 10 business days to make additional comment before a final decision is made. 'While this process is ongoing, I will not be making further comment,' Mr Watt said. 'Failed again': Greens blow up The opposition welcomed the announcement, while Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the Albanese government had 'failed again'. 'It seems they have learnt nothing from the last parliament where they continue to approve new coal and gas mines, only to now approve a pollution bomb that is worse than all of the others put together,' she told ABC. Woodside said the proposed approval would support thousands of jobs and supply 'reliable and affordable energy to Western Australia'. The North West Shelf Project has supplied more than 6000 petajoules of domestic gas, powering homes and industry in Western Australia, the company said — enough energy to power homes in a city the size of Perth for approximately 175 years. Environmental groups estimate the project will result in 4.3 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions over its lifetime. 'Since starting operations in 1984, the North West Shelf Project has paid over $40 billion in royalties and taxes and supported regional development opportunities in the Pilbara,' Woodside executive vice president and chief operating officer Australia Liz Westcott said in a statement. Woodside, the country's largest oil and gas producer, added it remained committed to protecting the Murujuga sites and supported its World Heritage nomination. The North West Shelf decision came on the same day UNESCO knocked back Australia's bid to have the rock art, believed to be up to 50,000 years old, added to the World Heritage List. The state government environmental approval, granted in 2024, includes a commitment from Woodside for a 'significant reduction in air emissions and measures to manage greenhouse gas emissions and to reduce them over time', and to comply with air quality objectives and standards arising from the Murujuga Rock Art Monitoring Program. Business groups and unions also supported the call. 'The reality is that we do need more gas, and we need it for a variety of reasons,' Business Council chief executive Bran Black told ABC Radio on Thursday. 'Of course, we need it for the purposes of our own energy transition, it's a critical transitional fuel source, but we also need it to support our friends and our allies overseas that have needs of their own in the course of their own energy transition. So that is an important thing, and this project very much contributes to that.' Mr Black added that the process had highlighted the need to speed up environmental approvals at the federal level for major projects. 'That's not to say that we want to try and cut corners, indeed, we think it's critical that these types of processes appropriately balance up environmental, social and economic considerations, but at the end of the day, we've got to be able to deliver greater certainty,' he said. He stressed that the Business Council remained committed to net zero by 2050. Australian Workers' Union national secretary Paul Farrow said the announcement 'correctly prioritises and secures the future of well paid union jobs in WA and secures supply of a crucial transition fuel we need as more renewable energy sources like wind and solar come online'. 'Today's decision to maintain a stable, operational project employing well over a thousand hydrocarbons workers in well-paid jobs is a victory for common sense and allows our members to continue their important work for years to come,' he said on Wednesday. 'Although most of the gas produced by the NWS Project is sent overseas, the project also provides a significant amount of gas domestically. Western Australians, from Broome to Bunbury, can now continue to rely upon this essential fuel into the future.' The decision is likely to be challenged. Greenpeace said it was a 'terrible decision'. Senator Watt last week formally rejected concerns raised by environmental groups, including Greenpeace, about the North West Shelf extension, clearing the way for final approval. Environmental groups have raised concerns about the potential impact on Scott Reef, which is home to threatened species such as pygmy blue whales and green sea turtles. 'The North West Shelf facility is one of Australia's dirtiest and most polluting fossil fuel projects,' Greenpeace Australia Pacific chief executive David Ritter said. 'This approval brings Woodside's toxic gas plans closer to Scott Reef, holds back the clean energy transition underway in WA, and fuels growing climate damage in Australia and around the world.' The Climate Council said the project marked the Albanese government's 27th coal, oil or gas approval since taking office. 'Peter Dutton promised to approve this project before the last election. Voters rejected Dutton,' Climate Council CEO Amanda McKenzie said. 'Why would the Albanese Government take Dutton's lead on climate policy? Approving the North West Shelf extension leaves a polluting stain on Labor's climate legacy. Australians voted for a renewable-powered future, not more climate pollution and destruction.'
The Advertiser
a day ago
- Science
- The Advertiser
Fears for heritage site as gas plant expansion approved
Industrial pollution is damaging priceless rock art, an expert says amid protests over a decision to extend the life of a major gas hub. Woodside's North West Shelf project - which hosts Australia's biggest gas export plant - has been given the green light by the federal government to keep operating until 2070. The Australian energy giant still has to accept conditions around heritage and air quality at the project on Western Australia's Burrup Peninsula, home to ancient rock art, before the approval is made official. The approval has angered traditional owners, climate activists and scientists who have researched the impact of industrial pollution on the rock art at Murujuga. A report into pollution at the site, linked to a $27 million rock art monitoring project, was only released by the WA government a week before federal Environment Minister Murray Watt announced the approval. Benjamin Smith, an archaeologist at the University of Western Australia, said the executive summary did not reflect the key findings of the 800-page report by Curtin University scientists who he claimed were gagged from speaking publicly about it. "They were outraged that their report and the integrity of their academic findings had been misrepresented." Professor Smith told AAP the Curtin scientists felt the summary had "lied about their findings" so he was speaking out about a cover-up by departmental "spin doctors". The Cook government has dismissed the claims as offensive and factually incorrect. The Curtin scientists subjected rocks in a climate chamber to acidic pollution equivalent to emissions from the Burrup gas plants and found all the rocks showed evidence of degradation. Prof Smith said the Curtin research and his own studies showed the pollutants would eat away at the manganese in the rocks until they developed "holes like a Swiss cheese" that then caused the rock surfaces to break down. "It is direct evidence for the first time from a government study that industrial pollution is damaging the rock art of Murujuga," he said. The damage could be mitigated by putting scrubbers on the industrial stacks to filter emissions and reduce pollution but the best solution was to switch the plants' power from gas to electricity, Prof Smith said. "If you transformed all of those plants to electricity ... they could operate cleanly and we could have the perfect solution, which is profitable industry operating responsibly alongside the world's most important rock art site." Prof Smith said the famous Lascaux caves in France held only a few hundred wall paintings and dated back 17,000 years. But the rock art at Murujuga has a million images going back at least 50,000 years, including the world's first-known depiction of a human face and images of now-extinct animals. Murujuga has been put forward as a UNESCO world heritage site, with strong indications it will be accepted as such. But the application has been referred back to the federal and WA governments with recommendations to stop building on the site, to stop the pollution and to prepare a decommissioning report. Industrial pollution is damaging priceless rock art, an expert says amid protests over a decision to extend the life of a major gas hub. Woodside's North West Shelf project - which hosts Australia's biggest gas export plant - has been given the green light by the federal government to keep operating until 2070. The Australian energy giant still has to accept conditions around heritage and air quality at the project on Western Australia's Burrup Peninsula, home to ancient rock art, before the approval is made official. The approval has angered traditional owners, climate activists and scientists who have researched the impact of industrial pollution on the rock art at Murujuga. A report into pollution at the site, linked to a $27 million rock art monitoring project, was only released by the WA government a week before federal Environment Minister Murray Watt announced the approval. Benjamin Smith, an archaeologist at the University of Western Australia, said the executive summary did not reflect the key findings of the 800-page report by Curtin University scientists who he claimed were gagged from speaking publicly about it. "They were outraged that their report and the integrity of their academic findings had been misrepresented." Professor Smith told AAP the Curtin scientists felt the summary had "lied about their findings" so he was speaking out about a cover-up by departmental "spin doctors". The Cook government has dismissed the claims as offensive and factually incorrect. The Curtin scientists subjected rocks in a climate chamber to acidic pollution equivalent to emissions from the Burrup gas plants and found all the rocks showed evidence of degradation. Prof Smith said the Curtin research and his own studies showed the pollutants would eat away at the manganese in the rocks until they developed "holes like a Swiss cheese" that then caused the rock surfaces to break down. "It is direct evidence for the first time from a government study that industrial pollution is damaging the rock art of Murujuga," he said. The damage could be mitigated by putting scrubbers on the industrial stacks to filter emissions and reduce pollution but the best solution was to switch the plants' power from gas to electricity, Prof Smith said. "If you transformed all of those plants to electricity ... they could operate cleanly and we could have the perfect solution, which is profitable industry operating responsibly alongside the world's most important rock art site." Prof Smith said the famous Lascaux caves in France held only a few hundred wall paintings and dated back 17,000 years. But the rock art at Murujuga has a million images going back at least 50,000 years, including the world's first-known depiction of a human face and images of now-extinct animals. Murujuga has been put forward as a UNESCO world heritage site, with strong indications it will be accepted as such. But the application has been referred back to the federal and WA governments with recommendations to stop building on the site, to stop the pollution and to prepare a decommissioning report. Industrial pollution is damaging priceless rock art, an expert says amid protests over a decision to extend the life of a major gas hub. Woodside's North West Shelf project - which hosts Australia's biggest gas export plant - has been given the green light by the federal government to keep operating until 2070. The Australian energy giant still has to accept conditions around heritage and air quality at the project on Western Australia's Burrup Peninsula, home to ancient rock art, before the approval is made official. The approval has angered traditional owners, climate activists and scientists who have researched the impact of industrial pollution on the rock art at Murujuga. A report into pollution at the site, linked to a $27 million rock art monitoring project, was only released by the WA government a week before federal Environment Minister Murray Watt announced the approval. Benjamin Smith, an archaeologist at the University of Western Australia, said the executive summary did not reflect the key findings of the 800-page report by Curtin University scientists who he claimed were gagged from speaking publicly about it. "They were outraged that their report and the integrity of their academic findings had been misrepresented." Professor Smith told AAP the Curtin scientists felt the summary had "lied about their findings" so he was speaking out about a cover-up by departmental "spin doctors". The Cook government has dismissed the claims as offensive and factually incorrect. The Curtin scientists subjected rocks in a climate chamber to acidic pollution equivalent to emissions from the Burrup gas plants and found all the rocks showed evidence of degradation. Prof Smith said the Curtin research and his own studies showed the pollutants would eat away at the manganese in the rocks until they developed "holes like a Swiss cheese" that then caused the rock surfaces to break down. "It is direct evidence for the first time from a government study that industrial pollution is damaging the rock art of Murujuga," he said. The damage could be mitigated by putting scrubbers on the industrial stacks to filter emissions and reduce pollution but the best solution was to switch the plants' power from gas to electricity, Prof Smith said. "If you transformed all of those plants to electricity ... they could operate cleanly and we could have the perfect solution, which is profitable industry operating responsibly alongside the world's most important rock art site." Prof Smith said the famous Lascaux caves in France held only a few hundred wall paintings and dated back 17,000 years. But the rock art at Murujuga has a million images going back at least 50,000 years, including the world's first-known depiction of a human face and images of now-extinct animals. Murujuga has been put forward as a UNESCO world heritage site, with strong indications it will be accepted as such. But the application has been referred back to the federal and WA governments with recommendations to stop building on the site, to stop the pollution and to prepare a decommissioning report. Industrial pollution is damaging priceless rock art, an expert says amid protests over a decision to extend the life of a major gas hub. Woodside's North West Shelf project - which hosts Australia's biggest gas export plant - has been given the green light by the federal government to keep operating until 2070. The Australian energy giant still has to accept conditions around heritage and air quality at the project on Western Australia's Burrup Peninsula, home to ancient rock art, before the approval is made official. The approval has angered traditional owners, climate activists and scientists who have researched the impact of industrial pollution on the rock art at Murujuga. A report into pollution at the site, linked to a $27 million rock art monitoring project, was only released by the WA government a week before federal Environment Minister Murray Watt announced the approval. Benjamin Smith, an archaeologist at the University of Western Australia, said the executive summary did not reflect the key findings of the 800-page report by Curtin University scientists who he claimed were gagged from speaking publicly about it. "They were outraged that their report and the integrity of their academic findings had been misrepresented." Professor Smith told AAP the Curtin scientists felt the summary had "lied about their findings" so he was speaking out about a cover-up by departmental "spin doctors". The Cook government has dismissed the claims as offensive and factually incorrect. The Curtin scientists subjected rocks in a climate chamber to acidic pollution equivalent to emissions from the Burrup gas plants and found all the rocks showed evidence of degradation. Prof Smith said the Curtin research and his own studies showed the pollutants would eat away at the manganese in the rocks until they developed "holes like a Swiss cheese" that then caused the rock surfaces to break down. "It is direct evidence for the first time from a government study that industrial pollution is damaging the rock art of Murujuga," he said. The damage could be mitigated by putting scrubbers on the industrial stacks to filter emissions and reduce pollution but the best solution was to switch the plants' power from gas to electricity, Prof Smith said. "If you transformed all of those plants to electricity ... they could operate cleanly and we could have the perfect solution, which is profitable industry operating responsibly alongside the world's most important rock art site." Prof Smith said the famous Lascaux caves in France held only a few hundred wall paintings and dated back 17,000 years. But the rock art at Murujuga has a million images going back at least 50,000 years, including the world's first-known depiction of a human face and images of now-extinct animals. Murujuga has been put forward as a UNESCO world heritage site, with strong indications it will be accepted as such. But the application has been referred back to the federal and WA governments with recommendations to stop building on the site, to stop the pollution and to prepare a decommissioning report.
ABC News
a day ago
- Business
- ABC News
Australia just approved Woodside's gas project until 2070. How could it happen?
Some weeks more than others, climate change really bears down on Australians. This week, the news carried images of eerie orange skies as dust storms whipped across landscapes dried from record-breaking droughts. Further north, homes were submerged in floods exacerbated by heavier rain from a warmer climate. And also this week, the Australian government approved the extension of one of the world's largest gas facilities until 2070. But this decision isn't about climate change. At least not under Australia's current laws, where the climate harm from fossil fuel projects doesn't have to be considered. How can Australia approve a fossil fuel mega-project that will run until 20 years after the world is meant to reach net zero emissions? "I think the average punter out there is basically saying, 'Hang on, this is about climate change and 2070, what are we doing? What in the hell are we doing?'" lamented Greg Bourne from the Climate Council. Environment Minister Murray Watt's first major decision in the new role was to give the green light for Woodside's North West Shelf gas plant to continue operating until 2070. The North West Shelf is already Australia's third-highest emitting facility in the country, producing about 6 million tonnes of greenhouse gas each year. That's just the direct emissions from extracting and processing the gas and doesn't count emissions after the gas is sold, shipped, and burnt at its final destination. Some estimates put the total lifetime emissions from this project at the equivalent of a decade of Australia's current emissions. A decade. Think of it as pushing out Australia's climate goals by another 10 years. When asked about the decision this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese claimed the gas was needed to boost Western Australia's renewables, with 15 per cent of the gas earmarked for the local market. Without the extension, the North West Shelf was due to close in 2030. "In order to get that investment in renewables, you do need firming capacity, whether it be batteries, hydro, or gas, and that is what will encourage that investment and the transition to occur," Mr Albanese said. "In Western Australia, they are closing their last coal-fired power station at Collie in 2027. They are moving to renewables backed by gas, and that will be a really important part of the transition that will occur." But Mr Bourne said the decision would "haunt" the government. Before working at the Climate Council, he worked for decades in the gas industry in Western Australia and internationally, including at the North West Shelf. "We've been talking about net zero by 2050, that number is in people's heads," he said. It's not just climate experts warning that the world needs to stop expanding fossil fuels: the International Energy Agency says there is enough existing coal, oil, and gas projects to supply the world and stay the course to net zero. "The world is awash in gas, primarily coming out from the Middle East, but lots coming out from America and so on like that. I think our Australian companies fool themselves into thinking that they're going to be the last company standing, pushing gas out there," Mr Bourne said. The Albanese government is focused on driving renewable investments to bring down emissions, but at the same time, the country's climate plans don't include emissions from our fossil fuel exports. Woodside Energy welcomed the news this week, emphasising the important role gas played in Western Australia and its heavy industry. "This proposed approval will secure the ongoing operation of the North West Shelf and the thousands of direct and indirect jobs that it supports," Woodside's statement read. Currently, the environment minister has veto power over major projects if they would impact "matters of national environmental significance", such as protected plants, animals, and ecosystems. In the case of the North West Shelf, the minister considered the impact on cultural heritage relating to the ancient rock art of Murujuga. But under these laws, in the Environment Protection Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act, climate change is not a deciding factor. "The fact that our environment laws do not address the harms caused by climate change from coal and gas extraction is a really dangerous loophole," said Julia Dehm, an associate professor in the law school at La Trobe University and climate law expert. "There's long been calls for reform of the EPBC act to include a climate trigger." This concept was actually proposed back in 2005 by Mr Albanese, who, as shadow environment minister, wanted to fix this "glaring gap" in the laws. "The climate change trigger will enable major new projects to be assessed for their climate change impact," he told parliament in 2005. "Climate change is one of the most significant challenges facing the global community and one of the greatest threats to Australia's way of life. "It is time to act. It is time for procrastination to end … We cannot any longer afford to be complacent on this issue." Twenty years later, Australia has not closed that gap and the Albanese government just approved the type of project that he was targeting back in 2005. The minister isn't completely hamstrung and under the current laws, could still opt to consider the climate consequences from the project. According to Liz Hicks, a lecturer at the Melbourne Law School and former Greens candidate, the EPBC gives the minister significant leeway when making decisions. "It was enacted during the Howard era," Dr Hicks explained, "the act was designed to make these considerations very political and confer enormous discretion on the minister". Under the act, Mr Watt is required to consider economic and social matters of projects, which could include the well-documented evidence of how climate change is affecting Australian society. An explicit climate trigger, however, would mean the minister was required to weigh up the climate impacts. "The climate trigger would have a lot of advantages … they would have to think about those climate factors, which we know are probably going to be some of the biggest factors," Dr Hicks said. The federal government proposed changes to these laws in its last term in office, but the proposals were shelved after pushback from the industry and the West Australian government. Those changes did not include a climate trigger. Instead, environmental groups have been trying in the courts to force the environment minister to consider climate impacts associated with major-polluting projects. Last year, the Environmental Council of Central Queensland argued in the Federal Court that all of the important environmental sites under the minister's protection are affected by climate change, and coal and gas projects will add to that damage. The court ultimately rejected the appeal, but in its decision, the justices noted the "ill-suitedness" of the current scheme when assessing climate change. Another flaw that comes with the system is that projects are assessed individually; even in the case of the North West Shelf, the proposal for the drilling of the gas to supply the plant into the future is considered separately. "Because it's the product of cumulative impacts of all projects in multiple jurisdictions around the world, everyone's trying to hide behind that abrogation of responsibility. "We can no longer hide behind the impact that each project is small because we know that each project has a significant impact and it's a cumulative impact of all these projects that have led to what is a really dangerous climate situation." Australia does have a way to regulate emissions from projects once they're up and running. Some emissions from the North West Shelf will continue to be monitored under Australia's national climate policy, the safeguard mechanism, which sets an annual limit for each facility's emissions that gradually decreases over time. Currently, the gas plant is the third-largest emitter in the country and last year relied on buying offsets to reach its targets set under the scheme. But the safeguard mechanism doesn't deal with the majority of emissions from fossil fuel projects, which come after the gas is sold and consumed at its endpoint, known as scope 3 emissions. "Australia's biggest impact is our scope 3 emissions, and they're completely left out of that framework for reduction, and that's really the big gap in Australian environmental law," Dr Hicks said. "Our export footprint is significantly larger than our domestic emissions. And this really needs to be recognised as part of our sphere of responsibility." This decision has not gone unnoticed internationally, especially with Australia vying to host next year's UN climate conference. Already, the news was lamented by Pacific leaders, who are on the existential frontlines of a hotter world. The Climate Council's Mr Bourne believes it will hurt Australia's standing internationally. "It immediately brought back the image to me of, I think it's the minister of [Tuvalu], who's standing in water up to his waist, pleading with the world's nations to tackle climate change. Our standing, I think it's going to go down in a very big way. "We are going to have to stop the opening up of new oil and gas fields …They're going to have to take those powers if they want to have any credibility at all." Monash University's Dr Dehm said this is exactly the opposite direction of where we should be going. "Approving more coal and gas projects, such as the North West Shelf, really undercuts Australia's climate credentials and presents Australia internationally as not just a climate laggard, but really as a destructive player on climate change."
West Australian
a day ago
- Science
- West Australian
Fears for heritage site as gas plant expansion approved
Industrial pollution is damaging priceless rock art, an expert says amid protests over a decision to extend the life of a major gas hub. Woodside's North West Shelf project - which hosts Australia's biggest gas export plant - has been given the green light by the federal government to keep operating until 2070. The Australian energy giant still has to accept conditions around heritage and air quality at the project on Western Australia's Burrup Peninsula, home to ancient rock art, before the approval is made official. The approval has angered traditional owners, climate activists and scientists who have researched the impact of industrial pollution on the rock art at Murujuga. A report into pollution at the site, linked to a $27 million rock art monitoring project, was only released by the WA government a week before federal Environment Minister Murray Watt announced the approval. Benjamin Smith, an archaeologist at the University of Western Australia, said the executive summary did not reflect the key findings of the 800-page report by Curtin University scientists who he claimed were gagged from speaking publicly about it. "They were outraged that their report and the integrity of their academic findings had been misrepresented." Professor Smith told AAP the Curtin scientists felt the summary had "lied about their findings" so he was speaking out about a cover-up by departmental "spin doctors". The Cook government has dismissed the claims as offensive and factually incorrect. The Curtin scientists subjected rocks in a climate chamber to acidic pollution equivalent to emissions from the Burrup gas plants and found all the rocks showed evidence of degradation. Prof Smith said the Curtin research and his own studies showed the pollutants would eat away at the manganese in the rocks until they developed "holes like a Swiss cheese" that then caused the rock surfaces to break down. "It is direct evidence for the first time from a government study that industrial pollution is damaging the rock art of Murujuga," he said. The damage could be mitigated by putting scrubbers on the industrial stacks to filter emissions and reduce pollution but the best solution was to switch the plants' power from gas to electricity, Prof Smith said. "If you transformed all of those plants to electricity ... they could operate cleanly and we could have the perfect solution, which is profitable industry operating responsibly alongside the world's most important rock art site." Prof Smith said the famous Lascaux caves in France held only a few hundred wall paintings and dated back 17,000 years. But the rock art at Murujuga has a million images going back at least 50,000 years, including the world's first-known depiction of a human face and images of now-extinct animals. Murujuga has been put forward as a UNESCO world heritage site, with strong indications it will be accepted as such. But the application has been referred back to the federal and WA governments with recommendations to stop building on the site, to stop the pollution and to prepare a decommissioning report.
