We probably don’t need to remind you why the Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Having been a part of UNESCO’s World Heritage Listings since 1981, and with biodiversity as far as the eye can see (and beyond!), it’s home to 1625 types of fish, 30 species of whales and dolphins, and 600 types of coral, amongst many other species of marine wildlife. 

Aerial photograph of the Great Barrier Reef.

Sadly, we also probably don’t need to remind you that over the past 20 years, the world’s largest coral reef system has continued to make headlines for a series of mass coral bleaching events (6 to be precise) across 1998, 2002, 2016, 2017, 2020 and 2022 – driven by the devastating impacts of climate change. 

That’s why UNESCO’s draft decision to not declare the Great Barrier Reef as  “in danger” ahead of the World Heritage Committee’s final vote in September has come as a disappointing blow to marine scientists and environmental organisations (including yours truly) – especially since we know the recent results from an official UN visit back in 2022 concluded Australia is not doing enough to protect the reef from climate change and more mass bleaching events in the near future. 

Greenpeace “Protect the Reef” campaign action in North Queensland.

Our planet continues to urge us to take immediate action against all the climate change driven disasters seen around the world this year. These, amongst many others are signs that our planet is exhibiting some serious red flags that need addressing.

What are some of these environmental red flags?

Our planet continues to warn us that we cannot continue on our current trajectory. And this year has proven to be no different. From the hottest month on record to what’s looking like the hottest year, here are some of the top environmental red flags of 2023 to remind us why the Great Barrier Reef (as well as many other species and natural environments) should be treated as “in danger”: 

The hottest month on record

Earlier this year, the World Meteorological Organisation confirmed that July was officially the hottest month on record at a global scale. Global temperatures during the month averaged 16.95C, surpassing the previous record by 0.33C set back in 2019. The devastating effects of extreme heatwaves was widely reported in the Northern Hemisphere, and the Bureau of Meteorology has issued warnings for Australia and what we could expect over the coming months as we move towards our summer season.

The hottest year on record

That brings us to the world’s official hottest year on record. Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have shown more than a 50% chance that 2023 will be the warmest year on record. This of course follows the unprecedented heatwaves across Europe, a rapidly strengthening El Niño weather event, and alarmingly high temperatures across Asia and parts of the Pacific, as well as a number of heartbreaking wildfires reported across Greece and Maui.

Ocean temperatures

Unsurprisingly but equally as concerning, average oceanic temperatures have also been at an all time high (as reported by the Copernicus Climate Change Service), with scientists reporting that the world’s oceans have been running a fever since March this year. But that’s not the only indication of the serious impacts climate change is having on our oceans, with scientists now reporting the colour of our oceans is also even changing more from blue to green. 

New fossil fuel developments
A recent report by the Australia Institute has outlined the frighteningly high number of new fossil fuel developments this year – 116 to be exact. And if all these projects were to go ahead as planned, that would add roughly 4.8 billion tonnes of emissions into the atmosphere by 2030. 

One new fossil fuel development of course being Woodside’s dangerous plans for the Burrup Hub. The most polluting fossil fuel project currently proposed in Australia, that if completed, would produce climate-wrecking gas until 2070. The project threatens endangered whale and turtle nesting habitat through dangerous dredging and seismic blasting, and another nearby UNESCO protected area – Ningaloo Reef. 

Corals and marine wildlife in Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia.

“Projects like the massive Woodside proposal, which would be the largest green house gas emitting project to come forward in Australia, simply cannot go ahead if we are going to be consistent with what is necessary to keep global warming under 1.5°C and give the Great Barrier Reef a fighting chance” as stated by Greenpeace Australia Pacific CEO.

The bottom line: We know that the fossil fuel industry is a major contributor to the climate crisis our planet is currently facing. We know that pollution and climate change (driven by the burning of fossil fuels) has been identified as the number one threat to the Great Barrier Reef. We also know that we cannot afford to further invest in the development of new fossil fuel projects.

What we truly need now more than ever, is strong climate targets that align with the efforts to limit global temperature to increase to 1.5°C – that protect our planet and biodiversity treasures like the Great Barrier Reef.

During the climate and environment session, Labor passed the policy unamended, committing to “ensure the Australian Government leads ambitious international efforts for global agreements on […] a moratorium on deep-sea mining in international waters.”

This is a positive step forward for Labor, which has been under scrutiny by climate advocates at this week’s conference for its recent approvals of coal and gas projects, according to Steph Hodgins-May, Senior Campaigner at Greenpeace Australia Pacific. 

“Deep-sea mining is the most ludicrous concept, particularly when it comes to the shocking environmental track records of the oil and gas industry in offshore mining,” she said.

“A ban on mining the deepest parts of the seafloor is something our Pacific neighbours and allies all around the world have been calling for for years now, just like they’re calling for no new coal, oil and gas projects.

“Greenpeace hopes this is a sign that Labor is willing to really walk the talk when it comes to listening to Pacific Island nations on climate and ocean protection, particularly in the lead-up to a bid to co-host COP31.

“We urge Labor to push more governments around the world to come out against deep sea mining and hold world leaders accountable to ocean protection.”

—ENDS—

Uncle Paul and Uncle Pabai, alongside other inspiring climate litigants like Anjali Sharma, will join the ship as it sails to Vanuatu in solidarity with Pasifika communities who, like those in the Torres Strait, are holding governments and corporations to account after decades of inaction.

Cairns is the launchpad for the Rainbow Warrior’s tour, which sees the ship return to the Pacific as part of a global campaign to take climate harm to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the world’s highest court. After passing the United Nations General Assembly by consensus earlier this year, the historic campaign for an advisory opinion on climate now heads to The Hague where, if successful, could change the destiny of millions of people bearing the brunt of climate impacts, from rising seas, to cyclones and extreme weather events, and usher in a new wave of climate litigation globally.

Uncle Pabai Pabia said: “We come in friendship and solidarity to meet with Pacific communities and leaders. The most important part is that we engage together in sharing our experience of climate change and our cultural ways of connecting together, and that gives us strength.”

After years of inaction, the Australian Government has indicated a renewed focus on rebuilding relationships in the Pacific. Last year, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said “the entry fee for credibility in international relations [in the Pacific] in this century is action on climate change.”

The Australian government says that it will reduce emissions by 43% in 2030, but this is not enough to save our island homes in the Torres Strait and low lying communities in the Pacific. Leading climate scientists on the Climate Targets Panel calculate that Australia’s greenhouse emissions need to be reduced by 74% by 2030.

Greenpeace Australia Pacific Senior Campaigner Steph Hodgins-May said: “Australia’s relationship with the Pacific is contingent on real climate action, but at a time when we should be moving rapidly away from coal, oil and gas, the government is green lighting new fossil fuel mega projects.”

“The Australian Government must act in line with the best available science to protect everyone’s island homes — a strong submission to the ICJ is a statement in support of communities in Australia and the Pacific who need urgent action to protect them from climate harm.”

Through this voyage, Uncle Pabai and Uncle Paul want to build a bridge between Boigu and Saibai in the Torres Strait to Vanuatu strengthening the mutual support between communities. They hope that by working together they can help each other to increase the pressure on the Australian Government, and other countries to take climate action that will protect our communities.

—ENDS—

This month, we are excited to welcome back the Rainbow Warrior to Aussie shores, as it embarks on a journey up the West Australian coastline to join with local communities and protect our oceans and climate from fossil fuel company Woodside – and its monstrous Burrup Hub gas project. 

Greenpeace has deep connections to Western Australia and its oceans. 

In fact, this journey marks 45 years since Greenpeace Australia Pacific first began back in the 1970s. A time when whaling was the greatest threat to whales and activists put their bodies between the whales and whalers – helping to put an end to commercial whaling in this country.

And now in 2023, as the greatest threat to whales comes from fossil fuel companies driving dangerous climate change, our crew will be sailing the length of WA with a simple message: choose whales not Woodside. 

Excited to dive into more history about the Rainbow Warrior? Of course you are.

Here’s a look back at some of the other times that Greenpeace’s flagship vessel has campaigned in Australian waters:

January 1990

March 1991

The following year, in 1991, Greenpeace’s Rainbow Warrior returned to Australia to take a stand against fossil fuel giant BHP, who was conducting seismic testing in search of offshore oil at the time.

The ship carried a banner “Whales and Oil don’t mix”.

On this particular occasion, BHP’s ship, the Western Odyssey, was successfully prevented from continuing with its dangerous seismic testing activities thanks to the efforts of the crew.

March 1993

By 1993, Greenpeace’s famous rainbow ship returned once again for a four-month tour around the south and east coasts of Australia.

The tour saw several ports of call along the way, including blockading the entrance of a cargo ship, the Eastern Ruby, into Sydney Harbour which was carrying tropical timber from Malaysia.

Plus a stop into Hobart, where scientists onboard took oil samples and activists occupied a jarosite dumping ship for almost twelve hours.

The trip even saw some special guest appearances onboard – including Paul and Linda McCartney.

September 2000

In 2000, the Rainbow Warrior returned to Sydney Harbour to help commemorate the Green Olympics, an idea inspired by Greenpeace to ensure commitments to green deeds during the Games – including energy and water conservation, and protection of the natural environment through initiatives including a solar-powered community for athletes to sleep and eat.

July 2000

Australia welcomed the Rainbow Warrior back to Sydney Harbour in 2005, during its climate tour against coal, where the crew onboard peacefully disrupted the loading of coal in the world’s largest coal port and demanded a switch to renewable energy.

July 2015

Ten years later, the Rainbow Warrior set sail towards one of the seventh wonders of the natural world during its six-week Save the Reef campaign.

The ship traveled up the east coast to raise awareness for the protection of the Great Barrier Reef, and was involved in several peaceful actions to protest against the transportation and usage of dirty fossil fuel, coal.

The tour also coincided with the 30th anniversary of the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior by the French government on the 10th of July 1985.

November 2018

The last time the Rainbow Warrior visited Australian waters was back in 2018, during its Making Oil History tour, to draw attention to the threats posed by dangerous oil drilling in the Great Australian Bight.

The Warrior was stationed in Sydney for a day to meet with supporters, before departing on a voyage along the East Coast to Melbourne, South Australia, and Western Australia, where it helped launch a number of reports and conducted important scientific research to document the unsung beauty of the Bight.

By 2021, fossil fuel giants BP, Chevron, and Equinor, had all announced they will be abandoning their plans for offshore drilling in the Bight – a historic win for people and the planet. 

The North West Shelf is one of Australia’s oldest and most polluting gas processing plants. Opened in the 1980s, it was due to be decommissioned within the next decade. Instead, Woodside is dusting it off and seeking approval to extend the life of this facility to keep processing gas into the 2070s – well over 20 years past when Australia is meant to reach net zero emissions. The plant is a key piece of infrastructure for Woodside’s Burrup Hub – the most climate polluting fossil fuel project currently proposed in Australia.

Woodside’s North West Shelf gas processing facility in Dampier, WA.

If approved, the North West Shelf extension would belch out over 4 billion tonnes of climate pollution until 2070, posing serious threats to the places and marine animals we love. But if enough people comment, it could send the whole legal process on the North West Shelf back to the beginning – undoing years of Woodside’s work to push this climate wrecking project through.

In July, thanks to fabulous Greenpeace supporters and our allies at the Conservation Council of WA, we were able to lodge a record-breaking number of appeals with WA’s appeal convenor that built pressure on Woodside. And now thanks to great legal work from Environmental Justice Australia and the Environment Council of Central Queensland, our movement is making the national case to Minister Plibersek that the North West Shelf should be reconsidered.

Anyone who is concerned about the climate crisis and its threats to people and nature can help by making a submission today. Will you make yours? We’ve outlined easy steps to follow below.

How to make your comment

1. Go to the EPBC Act public portal
2. Provide a title for your comment. It can be whatever you’d like, but keep it respectful and relevant to your concerns. Example: ‘Reconsider Woodside’s Climate Wrecking Plans’
3. Fill in your name and email, and answer YES to the first question, “Do you consider there is substantial new information available about the impacts the action has…”
4. Write about the new information that has been provided which shows the climate risks that Woodside’s North West Shelf poses to people, places and ecosystems in Australia. This includes:

• Thousands of new documents detailing the climate-related impacts of the North West Shelf extension on nationally significant plants, animals and places in Australia 
• New scientific evidence on the dangers of climate change laid out in the 2021 and 2022 IPCC reports and the 2021 State of the Environment report
• Stating that information on the climate impacts of the project were not properly presented when the original decision was made

You can also talk about the specific Australian places, animals, and plants you care about, that would be negatively impacted by climate change. This could include areas like UNESCO protected Ningaloo Reef and the Great Barrier Reef, as well as threatened whale and sea turtle species.

5. Answer NO to the second question, “Do you consider there has been a substantial change in circumstances that was not foreseen at the time of the first referral decision…”
6. Leave the text field of the second question blank, or write “N/A”
7. In the space for additional comments, you can write more about why it’s important to you that the Minister make a new decision – and add any further evidence about Australian places, ecosystems, and species at risk that you’re concerned about.
8. Tick whether or not you want your response to be confidential
9. Tick that you have read and understood the privacy policy and Declaration
10. Click SUBMIT to lodge your comment

Make my submission

Remember, submitting your comment is a hugely important step in helping stop Woodside’s climate destruction. If you’ve got a little more time, please also share this blog with your family and friends and encourage them to comment too by 24 November.

Make my submission

From Re-energise to Electrify!

This year marked the end to our Re-energise campaign, which was a huge success. We smashed all our goals in influencing corporations and governments to switch to renewable energy.

Since the inception of Re-energise, 21 major Australian companies have accelerated their shift towards going 100% renewable by 2025. Bunnings, Woolworths, Coles, Kmart, and ALDI are some of the trusted brands taking steps towards operating on renewable energy. Queensland recently announced a large investment in renewable energy, and other Australian states are upping their game in the renewables race.

We also independently ranked Australia’s best (and worst) energy providers and created a new online resource to help you switch to cleaner electricity; The Green Electricity Guide.

Now that we’ve Re-energised, it’s time to Electrify! One of the biggest industries holding Australia back is the transport industry, and this issue will be the first step of the Electrify campaign.

Transport is the third largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Australia. This is why we need to transition to cleaner cars and zero-emissions vehicles. Additionally, Australia has no fuel efficiency standards. This makes it more economical for large companies like Toyota to send their most polluting vehicles to Australia.

Fuel efficiency standards typically improve over time, forcing corporations to adopt better practices, or face financial penalties. In the UK and EU markets, petrol cars are expected to be phased out between 2030 and 2035 thanks to fuel efficiency standards. But Australia is lagging far behind.

In September this year, Greenpeace launched ‘The Toyota Files’. An online platform highlighting the car manufacturer’s role in blocking Australia’s transition to electric vehicles. In August, a Sydney Morning Herald article exposed Toyota’s ‘secret plan’ to block better fuel efficiency standards through their influence in the Australian Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.

Vehicle manufacturing companies can have a massive impact on reducing Australia’s emissions. But cars are just the first step. Long term, we want to see more investment in bikes, e-bikes, rail, trams, and buses to give people accessible and affordable transport options that are good for the environment. To do this, we will be putting pressure on both the government, and corporations like Toyota.

While we want to convince big corporations to make the switch to renewable energy and electric vehicles, we don’t accept donations from any of them. This is why your generous support is so fundamental to sustaining campaigns like Electrify, which in turn help sustain us all.

REenergise Campaign Director Lindsay Soutar, from Greenpeace Australia Pacific, welcomed today’s announcement, saying “Queenslanders will soon be buying their homewares, power tools and office supplies from shops powered by the wind and sun, with iconic brands Kmart, Bunnings, Target and Officeworks joining forces on a huge power purchase agreement.”

“Kmart, Bunnings, Target and Officeworks combined are Australia’s 33rd largest electricity user, using vast amounts of power every day. Making the switch to clean power in Queensland will make a big dent in Australia’s emissions and bring online enough clean, reliable renewable energy to power 23,000 homes, and create good, future-facing Queensland jobs.”

“Smart businesses know that wind and solar are cheap, reliable and ready to power even our largest companies.. For a company like Wesfarmers, one of Australia’s biggest and most profitable businesses, making the renewable switch is the obvious choice, and this power purchase is a significant step towards making it a reality.”

“This is a big win for the community. Greenpeace supporters have been pressuring Australia’s big retailers to shift to cleaner power, alongside a strong green push from shoppers. With Australian communities struggling with climate disasters, like the recent catastrophic floods in Queensland and Northern NSW, there’s increasing pressure on big companies to speed up the energy transition. Ending reliance on fossil fuels like coal and switching to renewable energy is critical for tackling climate change, and these companies are showing how it can be done.”

Once Kmart, Target, Officeworks and Bunnings have all met their national commitment to 100% renewable electricity, they will be using enough renewable electricity to power over 110,000 homes.

Greenpeace Australia Pacific is now calling on Kmart, Target, Bunnings and Officeworks to cut deals to meet their 100% renewable electricity commitments in other states by 2025, with the expectation that the companies will tackle their value-chain and transport emissions in the near future.

For more information please contact Head of Communications Fiona Ivits on 0487 003 872 or email fiona.ivits@greenpeace.org

“As we speak, Great Barrier Reef corals are bleaching for the fourth time in six years, these are clear signs of an ecosystem in danger because of climate change,” Greenpeace Australia Pacific Climate Impacts Campaigner Martin Zavan.

“The UNESCO mission to the Reef needs to see the severe and widespread bleaching event that is happening right now because of climate change and not just the postcard images that the Australian Government wants to advertise. Because the government has prevented independent scientists and environmental charities like Greenpeace and local Queensland groups from meeting with the mission, it is vital that they witness the reality of climate damage on our precious but fragile Reef.”

University of Queensland coral reef biologist, Dr Selina Ward said the outlook for the Great Barrier Reef has become more grim with yet another bleaching event.

“With just two years since the last mass coral bleaching event, reefs will again not have had the chance to make a good start towards recovery,” she said. 

“This is the first big bleaching event in a La Niña year, which we would expect to protect our reef from bleaching. 

“Only a dramatic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions right now will give the Great Barrier Reef the best chance of survival. Our governments need to move away from fossil fuels immediately if we hope to enjoy the Reef into the future.” 

Whitsundays dive operator and conservationist Tony Fontes said the secrecy around this latest monitoring mission is completely at odds with the open and transparent way the previous mission operated.

“When UNESCO came to survey the health of the Reef in 2012, I was able to meet with them, along with a host of other civil society organisations and independent scientists. This time we have been deliberately excluded and I’m concerned that the government will try and mislead the mission about the true state of the Reef by only taking them to picture-perfect locations that don’t accurately represent the climate damage the entire ecosystem is under.” he said.

“The voices of communities that depend on the Reef and tourism operators like myself need to be heard. Our livelihoods depend on a healthy Reef and we want the government to do everything in its power to help protect our Reef from the impacts of climate change by rapidly transitioning from coal and gas to clean energy like wind and solar.” 

ENDS

Notes

Download videos and photos of Greenpeace’s rally and direct communication to the UNESCO mission here. All content will be live by 1pm (AEDT).

Additional Great Barrier Reef photo and video can be found here: SOS Protect the Reef photo and video

Contact

Greenpeace Australia Pacific Climate Impacts Campaigner, Martin Zavan

+61 424 295 422

martin.zavan@greenpeace.org 

“Warmer oceans caused by climate change have seen our precious Great Barrier Reef suffer severe and widespread coral bleaching during a La Niña year when average ocean temperatures are cooler. This is a sure sign that climate change caused by burning coal, oil and gas is threatening the very existence of our Reef,” Greenpeace Australia Pacific Climate Impacts Campaigner, Martin Zavan.

“This latest bleaching event has once again exposed the Morrison Government’s failure to protect the Great Barrier Reef, throwing billions at band-aid measures while failing to address climate change, the biggest driver of catastrophic coral damage.

“The catastrophic bleaching comes on the eve of a UNESCO reactive monitoring mission  arriving in Queensland to survey the health of the Reef. UNESCO delegates must be taken to see the bleaching and witness the climate damage to our Reef at current levels of warming.”

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Working Group II report has warned that coral reefs, like the Great Barrier Reef, are already at their adaptation limits and will not be able to withstand further pressure like rising ocean temperatures. 

Notes

• Drone photo and video of sand writing
• Underwater Reef photo and videos
• Great Barrier Reef drone footage

Collection Permalink of ALL SOS Protect the Reef photo and video

The Great Barrier Reef has been hit by three mass bleaching events in the last six years and appears on the cusp of a fourth. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority downgraded the outlook for the Reef from “poor” to “very poor” in 2019 and last year the World Heritage Committee made a draft recommendation that the Reef be listed as a World Heritage Site “In Danger” because of climate change.

Contact

Greenpeace Australia Pacific Climate Impacts Campaigner, Martin Zavan

+ 61 424 295 422

martin.zavan@greenpeace.org  

Idoya and her six-year-old son live in an apartment in the suburb of East Brisbane. When floodwaters rose rapidly, Idoya had to evacuate urgently – carrying Fionn through waist high water with only her passport in hand. Their apartment is at the bottom of a slope and close to the river, so was completely inundated. None of their personal belongings were salvageable, and without insurance the pair now need to find a new home and start from scratch. (Tammy Law/Greenpeace)

Australia has always experienced damaging climate impacts such as droughts, bushfires and floods. But climate change is making the severity and frequency of these disasters much worse. 

Climate change, driven by the burning of coal, oil, and gas, makes floods more severe. It makes the atmosphere warmer and wetter which increases short and heavy rain events that can cause dangerous flash flooding.

For decades scientists have warned of this but for as long as they have sounded the alarm, our political leaders have hit the snooze button. We are now living in a time of more frequent and intense climate disasters and we are unprepared.

That stark reality was laid bare in southeastern Queensland and northern NSW, where only the bravery and resilience of local residents prevented even more deaths and provided sustenance and comfort in the aftermath. With government support nowhere to be seen, communities stepped in to fill the breach, using jet skis and tinnies to rescue their stranded neighbours and providing food and shelter. 

Flood clean up on the streets of Rosalie, Brisbane. (Tammy Law/Greenpeace)

These communities were left alone in their hour of need because Scott Morrison failed to prepare,  just like he failed to prepare for the 2019/20 bushfires. And while responding to disasters is difficult even with careful planning, the failure to prepare for such disasters despite literally decades of warning was a dereliction of duty.  

Communities in Northern NSW and Western Sydney have been hit by bushfires, floods, heatwaves and more floods. Disaster after disaster with little time between events makes recovery harder and takes a toll on mental health.

The few steps Scott Morrison and his predecessors have taken have been reactive, misguided and fallen drastically short of the scale of the crises we are now facing. Our federal political leaders have dramatically failed to reduce the emissions that are causing the climate crisis. But perhaps even more damaging, they have perpetuated the myth that they can protect Australians from the deadly impacts of climate change while bankrolling and cheerleading the expansion of coal and gas. 

While the companies that are driving the climate crisis have enjoyed unfettered access to governments and government funding, everyday Australians have been left alone. 

Flooding in New South Wales has forced the evacuation of at least 18,000 people. Scenes from the flooded towns of Windsor and Pitt Town, north-west of Sydney, Australia on 23 March, 2021. (Isabella Moore/Greenpeace)

As the climate crisis worsens, the time has truly come to break this fundamentally broken dynamic. Communities have done the heavy lifting for too long and with disasters coming quicker than ever, there is not enough time for people to recover between events. These mega-floods show that the climate threat to Australia has reached a point where we must make realistic and honest plans for a climate safety net to protect people, alongside harder and faster emissions reduction. This includes vastly increased funding for emergency services and disaster recovery. Sadly, it’s an investment that will pay dividends very quickly, given the frequency with which climate disasters now strike.