Australian Conservationists Fight ‘Carbon Bomb’ Gas Expansion in Court
Australian conservationists are engaged in a high-profile court battle against the country’s most prominent gas producer. The court case will determine the future of a colossal fossil fuel project. The legal fight is led by the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) as well as the Friends of Australian Rock Art (FARA).
These organizations are challenging the government’s approval of the proposed expansion plan for the Woodside North West Shelf gas export project. The official permit would allow Woodside to run its Karratha gas plant, located on the Burrup Peninsula, an impressive 1,260 km (783 miles) north of Perth, until 2070.
The gas plant is situated dangerously close to the extensive Murujuga Indigenous rock art complex, a globally recognized World Heritage site. The site is home to approximately two million ancient rock engravings, some of which date back 50,000 years.
FARA argues that harmful emissions from the plant are causing significant damage to the prehistoric artworks. Similarly, the ACF asserts that environment minister Murray Watt failed to properly assess the “severe climate change impacts” before giving his approval to the project.
According to the ACF, the proposed extension would discharge an astounding 4 billion tonnes of CO2 into the Earth’s atmosphere. The ACF and FARA also allege that the minister has shown a bias towards Woodside, describing an uncomfortably close relationship between his department and the fossil fuel behemoth in court as ‘chumminess or cosiness’.
Justice Catherine Button will deliver a verdict on the case at a later date. The ACF has stated that the court’s decision could have far-reaching implications, potentially leading to the reassessment of impacts on various protected aspects of nature throughout Australia.
Image: The ‘Future Man’ rock carving at the Murujuga Indigenous rock art complex. Credit: Marius Fenger
