Seismic blasting uses underwater airguns to blast powerful sound waves towards the seabed to identify fossil fuel reservoirs beneath the ocean floor. It can seriously injure whales and potentially kill other marine life. A growing body of research indicates that this noise pollution can damage, sometimes permanently, the hearing of whales and fish, as well as kill important prey species like plankton. 

Woodside’s own acoustic modelling found that pygmy blue whales could be injured by the seismic blasting over 60km from the blasting vessel. The blasts are expected to run for weeks, with local wildlife being exposed to booms as loud as a jet plane every 5 seconds, 12 hours a day.

Seismic blasting is just the first part of Woodside’s monstrous Burrup Hub. The whole Burrup Hub will include drilling up to 80 gas wells off the Pilbara and Kimberley coast – posing a threat to wildlife at major biodiversity hotspots like Scott Reef. 

Woodside and its Burrup Hub is Australia’s biggest climate threat, belching out 6.1 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions over its proposed 50-year lifetime.

The Burrup Hub is so dirty that its climate pollution would be greater than the combined total of the next two largest fossil fuel projects: the Beetaloo Tamboran and the Peak Downs Extension.

Woodside’s seismic blasting is way too risky and it should never have been given the green light. But the fight isn’t over yet. With enough pressure, we can make sure the government pulls the plug on Woodside’s disastrous plans. You can help by signing the Woodside petition or emailing your local MP.

If completed, the Burrup Hub would produce gas until 2070 – a full 20 years after Australia is meant to reach net zero emissions – and would emit 6.1 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions over its lifetime. The Browse Field – the most polluting part of the Burrup Hub – would see up to 50 gas wells drilled around Scott Reef off the coast of Western Australia, which is home to endangered pygmy blue whales and green turtles.

The protest comes as Woodside received approvals for its controversial seismic blasting off the coast of Western Australia, in endangered whale habitat and near the UNESCO-protected Ningaloo reef, just two months after a Federal Court threw out its previous approval.

Greenpeace is campaigning against fossil fuel giant Woodside as Australia’s biggest climate threat. It is responsible for the most polluting fossil fuel project proposed for Australia, the Burrup Hub gas project.

If completed, the Burrup Hub would produce gas until 2070 and would emit 6.1 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions over its lifetime. The Browse Field – the most polluting part of the Burrup Hub – would see up to 50 gas wells drilled around Scott Reef off the coast of Western Australia, which is home to endangered pygmy blue whales and green turtles.

Woodside received approvals for its controversial seismic blasting off the coast of Western Australia, in endangered whale habitat and near the UNESCO-protected Ningaloo reef, just two months after a Federal Court threw out its previous approval.

The four highly trained Greenpeace climbers began the ascent in the early hours of the morning, where they attached the banner in direct line of sight from the Woodside offices.

It comes as Woodside received approvals for its dangerous seismic blasting off the Pilbara coast, in endangered whale habitat and near the UNESCO-protected Ningaloo reef on Friday, just two months after a Federal Court threw out its previous approval.

“Fossil fuel giant Woodside and its monstrous Burrup Hub gas project are not only Australia’s biggest climate threat, but a huge threat to Australia’s precious whales and wildlife,” said David Ritter, Greenpeace Australia Pacific’s CEO.​​​​​​​

“Woodside is a double whammy of destruction, endangering whales and Australia’s transition away from fossil fuels. Woodside is driving Australia deeper and faster into the climate crisis with its massive fossil fuel expansion plans. We won’t stand for it. We are here to say enough is enough.

“Australians overwhelmingly want climate action – but fossil fuel giants like Woodside is standing in the way, pushing outrageous new gas projects that threaten our oceans and cook our climate.”

New emissions data released last week from Greenpeace revealed that Woodside’s Burrup Hub is Australia’s biggest climate threat, projected to emit 6.1 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions over its proposed 50-year lifetime, bigger than the combined total of the next two largest proposed fossil fuel projects in Australia.

The Browse field, the most polluting part of the Burrup Hub, would see up to 50 gas wells drilled around the pristine Scott Reef, which is home to endangered pygmy blue whales and green turtles.

The action comes on the thematic day of Energy and Industry and Just Transitions at the world’s biggest climate conference, COP28, in Dubai.

“The world’s annual climate conference is happening right now, where experts are calling time on fossil fuel companies like Woodside, saying they cannot keep trashing our climate with dirty new gas projects. We want clean, green jobs in Australia, not more dirty gas,” said Sophie McNeill, Greenpeace senior campaigner.

“The recent approval for Woodside’s seismic blasting proves the current laws and regulations are failing to protect our oceans and marine life from harmful new fossil fuel projects. The law needs to be significantly strengthened to protect our oceans for future generations.” ​​​​​​​

Joe Palmer, a Greenpeace Australia Pacific activist who climbed the crane, said: “I’ve taken this action today because Woodside is threatening our oceans and our climate. I’ve seen the precious reefs at risk from Woodside’s drilling off the west coast and endured bushfires on the east coast. Australia should be proud of our nature and we should be proud to call ourselves a green energy superpower, but Woodside wants to chuck our reputation in the bin.

“Australia is already facing unprecedented and unseasonal bushfires and heatwaves because of global heating, fuelled by the burning of fossil fuels at the hands of companies like Woodside.

“Woodside needs to listen to the science. It’s on the wrong side of history. That’s why we need to stop Woodside.”

Greenpeace is calling on the Federal Government to reject Woodside’s Burrup Hub Proposal.

—ENDS—

Photos and video of the protest will be uploaded here: https://media.greenpeace.org/Detail/27MZIFJFYDGP0

Contextual photos and b-roll available here: https://media.greenpeace.org/Detail/27MZIFJF7LD6B

The Burrup Hub will release over 6.1 billion tonnes of carbon emissions in its lifetime to 2070. You can find out more about Woodside’s proposed climate-wrecking gas plans here.

On September 28th 2023, Federal Court Justice Craig Colvin ruled Woodside’s environmental plan for the Scarborough part of the company’s Burrup Hub project was not legally approved and was therefore invalid. 

The challenge was bought by Mardudhunera woman Raelene Cooper, on the grounds that she had not been adequately consulted by Woodside. 

It meant the company could not carry out the seismic blasting until it resubmitted an environmental plan which was then to be approved by the regulator. 

A new seismic blasting approval was granted by the offshore regulator NOPSEMA yesterday and allows Woodside to start as early as today. 

Woodside plans to seismic blast for up to 80 days off the Pilbara coast to assess gas reserves for its Burrup Hub. 

New emissions data released last week from Greenpeace revealed that Woodside’s Burrup Hub is Australia’s biggest climate threat, belching out 6.1 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions over its proposed 50-year lifetime.

The new data shows that the predicted emissions from Woodside’s Burrup Hub are bigger than the combined total of the next two largest proposed fossil fuel projects in Australia: the Beetaloo Tamboran and the Peak Downs Extension.

Greenpeace Australia Pacific senior campaigner Sophie McNeill warned that Woodside faces escalating community backlash as it starts work on the Burrup Hub.

“Woodside now has the green light to seismic blast in whale habitat, close to an endangered pygmy blue whale migration superhighway and UNESCO-protected Ningaloo Reef. Seismic blasting can deafen whales, who use their sonar to find food – so a deaf whale is a dead whale.

“We are deeply concerned by the gas industry’s aggressive lobbying campaign to water down the environmental regulations that protect Australia’s oceans. We believe the current laws and regulations are failing to protect our oceans and marine life from harmful new fossil fuel projects. The law needs to be significantly strengthened to protect our oceans for future generations.

“Almost 380,000 people have told us they oppose Woodside’s Burrup Hub, and the company can kiss its reputation goodbye if it pushes ahead with harming Western Australia’s wildlife.

“Woodside’s Burrup Hub is a disaster for WA nature and the climate. We will keep opposing this project and ensure the world is watching Woodside’s wanton destruction of our environment.”

Seismic blasting uses underwater airguns to blast powerful sound waves towards the seabed to identify fossil fuel reservoirs beneath the ocean floor. It can seriously injure whales and potentially kill other marine life. A growing body of research indicates that this noise pollution can damage, sometimes permanently, the hearing of whales and fish, as well as kill important prey species like plankton. 

—ENDS—

The Burrup Hub will release over 6.1 billion tonnes of carbon emissions in its lifetime to 2070. You can find out more about Woodside’s proposed climate-wrecking gas plans here.

The new data from Greenpeace shows that the predicted emissions from Woodside’s Burrup Hub are far greater than all other proposed fossil fuel projects currently undergoing federal environmental approvals.

The Burrup Hub’s emissions are bigger than the combined total of the next two largest proposed fossil fuel projects in Australia: the Beetaloo Tamboran and the Peak Downs Extension.

The data comes as Western Australian experts and campaigners join today’s roundtable discussion on the Burrup Hub hosted by West Australian MPs Kate Chaney and Josh Wilson, including the Conservation Council of WA, Environs Kimberley, Doctors for the Environment WA and Greenpeace.

The delegation will highlight the staggering climate threat of Woodside’s Burrup Hub, alongside evidence of the devastating nature impacts.

The Browse field, the most polluting part of the Burrup Hub, would see up to 50 gas wells drilled around the stunning Scott Reef, which is home to endangered pygmy blue whales and green turtles.

*Graph verified by Greenpeace, emissions data sourced from Sunrise, Climate Analytics and Greenpeace.

Jess Panegyres, Head of Clean Energy Transition at Greenpeace Australia Pacific said:

“This data proves that Woodside’s massive Burrup Hub project is far and away the most polluting fossil fuel proposal in Australia – it’s a disaster in the making for our environment and our climate.

“We know that Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek will soon decide whether to let Woodside develop the most polluting parts of the Burrup Hub – Browse, and the Northwest Shelf extension.

“Browse, part of the Burrup Hub, would see gas wells drilled near the stunning Scott Reef, in a Biologically Important Area for endangered pygmy blue whales and turtles. We are asking Minister Plibersek to protect Scott Reef and the endangered species that call it home from Woodside’s dangerous project.

“In the last few weeks we’ve seen Woodside pressuring the government to weaken federal environment laws to make it quicker and easier for Woodside to start seismic testing for the Burrup Hub.

“Woodside CEO Meg O’Neill knows that across Australia communities are increasingly pushing back against new fossil fuel projects, so is trying to rush this through as fast as she can – despite this project’s enormous environmental harm.”

Anna Chapman, Fossil Fuels Program Manager, Conservation Council of Western Australia said:

“Off Australia’s Kimberley coastline, the ecologically vital Scott Reef, the country’s largest standalone coral reef, faces severe threats from Woodside’s Browse to North West Shelf gas project. This venture, part of the controversial Burrup Hub, plans to extract gas from directly beneath the reef.

“The delicate ecosystem of Scott Reef, already endangered by climate change, confronts further risks, including seismic blasting, and the potential for a catastrophic gas well blowout if Woodside’s project proceeds.

“This is a crucial climate and environmental decision for Australia. Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek and State Environment Minister Reece Whitby must reject these proposals.”

Dr Richard Yin, Deputy Chair Doctors for the Environment Australia said:

“Climate care is health care. If the Burrup Hub project proceeds, emissions from the project will fuel further devastating heatwaves and bushfires such as those that Perth has recently experienced which has threatened homes and lives.

“Across our state, from floods and extreme heat in the north, through to droughts and bushfires in the south, we are highly vulnerable to climate change impacts. For the sake of our children and their future health, the Burrup Hub project must not proceed.”

Martin Pritchard, Director of Strategy, Environs Kimberley said:

“Communities in the Kimberley’s Fitzroy Valley were devastated by the biggest recorded floods in Western Australia’s history earlier this year and what the science tells us is that opening new oil and gas fields is going to lead to these catastrophic events happening much more often.

“If fossil fuel proposals like Woodside’s Browse Basin gas project at Scott Reef are approved then future temperature projections show us that the Kimberley will be unliveable by the end of this century because it won’t be possible to live a healthy life here, it will be too hot.

“Risking Scott Reef and the Kimberley coast to oil and gas pollution is strongly opposed by the community and a spill there would devastate the globally significant marine hotspot and multi-million dollar tourism industry.”

CONTACT: 

Dylan Quinnell 0450 668 350

Kimberley Bernard (in Canberra on the day) 0407 581 404

Event details:

PHOTO OPP: 8.50AM-9.15AM, PARLIAMENT HOUSE LAWN.

Campaigners, experts and politicians on the lawns of parliament and banners and signs.

• Kate Chaney MP, independent member for Curtin
• Josh Wilson MP, Labor member for Fremantle
• Monique Ryan, independent member for Kooyong
• Graham Perret, Labor member for Moreton
• Zoe Daniels, independent member for Goldstein
• Anna Chapman, Fossil Fuels Program Manager, Conservation Council of WA (CCWA)
• Jess Panegyres, Head of Clean Energy Transition, Greenpeace
• Sophie McNeill, Senior Campaigner at Greenpeace
• Dr. Richard Yin, Doctors for The Environment WA
• Martin Pritchard, Director of Strategy, Environs Kimberley

ROUNDTABLE: 10AM PARLIAMENT HOUSE, 1R4

Hosted by Kate Chaney MP, independent member for Curtin and Josh Wilson MP, Labor member for Fremantle, featuring:

• Alex Hillman, Lead Analyst, Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR)
• Anna Chapman, Fossil Fuels Program Manager, Conservation Council of WA (CCWA)
• Jess Panegyres, Head of Clean Energy Transition, Greenpeace
• Dr. Richard Yin, Doctors for The Environment WA
• Martin Pritchard, Director of Strategy, Environs Kimberley
• Sophie McNeill, Senior Campaigner at Greenpeace will be moderating the event

NOTES:

Images and footage of the Scott Reef where Woodside is proposing to drill for gas available here

Images and footage of Woodside infrastructure available here.

Images and footage of the photo opp outside Parliament House will be available on Monday from 10.30am.

Greenpeace offices and activists worldwide have worked to protect whales and the oceans they call home for decades. We’re also massive fans of renewables, which we need to build a tonne of to phase out gas and coal and tackle the climate emergency. 

So when we started seeing posts online claiming offshore wind farms were killing whales, we decided to investigate. 

The short answer: no, offshore wind farms aren’t killing whales.  

The longer answer is a little bit more complicated – but building offshore wind is way, way better for ocean wildlife than fossil fuels, especially offshore gas and oil.

Why do people think offshore wind is harmful to whales?

This started earlier this year, after several humpback whales stranded on the east coast of the USA. Shock jocks and right-wing politicians – who have taken millions in campaign contributions from the fossil fuel industry – blamed a series of new offshore wind developments. 

Scientists, meanwhile, investigated and found that almost all of the humpback strandings had clear signs of vessel strike. In other words, the whales were most likely hit and killed by container ships and other large vessels. 

The Marine Mammal Commission, an independent US government agency that oversees the conservation of marine mammals and their environment, agrees. In February 2023, they put out a statement confirming that ‘there is no evidence to link these strandings to offshore wind energy development’.

The folks at Yale University have done a really comprehensive write up on the situation – it’s well worth a read.

Zooming out a bit, there have been plenty of studies into the effects of offshore wind farms on whales and marine mammals. Not a single peer-reviewed study has found that offshore wind farms kill whales. 

But what about seismic blasting – that’s bad, right?

Yes – but there’s a world of difference between the seismic blasting for oil and gas, and sonar mapping for offshore wind. 

When companies are getting ready to build offshore wind farms, they conduct underwater surveys to map out the seabed. These surveys use sound waves, just like the oil and gas industry does. But the two processes couldn’t be more different. 

According to Erica Staaterman, a bioacoustician for the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM):

“There’s a pretty big difference between some of the sound sources used in the oil and gas industry compared to what’s typically used in site characterisation for offshore wind. Those in oil and gas are called seismic air guns, and they’re specifically designed to penetrate kilometres into the sea floor. So they’re very high energy, very loud sources… The ones that are used here are called high resolution geophysical sources, and they’re typically smaller in the amount of acoustic energy they put into the water column, but also they have a couple of other characteristics. So, for example, many of them are used for very short periods of time with a long quiet time in between. So that means that they’re only on for several milliseconds and then for about 15 seconds it would be quiet.”

Offshore wind surveys are much, much quieter – because they’re just mapping the sea bed. Oil and gas surveys are much, much louder because they have to penetrate several kilometres into the earth to find oil and gas. 

It’s the difference between having Smooth FM on in the background, and being front row at a Slipknot gig. 

So are offshore wind farms harmless?

Everything we do at sea has some impact on marine life, and offshore wind is no different. So it’s important that offshore wind farms are developed in the right places, and that the industry is properly regulated. 

Even though offshore wind farms can affect whales and other marine life, the effects are generally short lived – and much less harmful than fossil fuels. Rob Deaville from the Zoological Society of London’s Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme breaks it down further, saying:

“There’s lots of evidence that when you’re putting the wind farms in place, it does generate a lot of percussive noise, and that can have an impact. Particularly things like porpoises or dolphins, they may move out of that area while you’re installing the wind farms, but then the longer-term picture: in some areas they never come back, in some they come back in larger numbers than before.”

So definitely not harmless – but much less harmful than offshore oil and gas, which involves drilling tens of wells (pretty noisy), seismic blasting (very noisy) and the ever present risk of an oil spill. And a drop in the ocean (ha!) compared with commercial shipping and getting entangled in fishing nets, which are two of the greatest dangers that whales face from humans. 

What about climate change?

Climate change – caused by the burning of fossil fuels like gas, coal and oil – is a huge threat to our oceans and marine life. 

Global heating affects the oceans in several different ways. Waters get warmer, which is bad news for coral reefs. The food chain gets disrupted as populations of prey fish move in search of cooler waters. Storms become more severe, doing lasting damage to marine habitats. 

Renewables help keep a lid on climate change. That’s great for whales.

The whales in Australian waters, like humpbacks and pygmy blue whales spend a bunch of time in the Antarctic. They wait out the summer in the chilly waters, before making their way north to breed. Warmer temperatures mean less ice cover and therefore less food – because the zooplankton they eat like to hide under the ice – but it also makes their tropical breeding grounds uncomfortably hot. 

Take everything together and it’s clear to us that offshore wind farms aren’t perfect, but they are much, much better for whales and other marine life than fossil fuels. 

And finally…

It’s been interesting seeing politicians like Peter Dutton coming out to say how concerned they are about protecting whales from offshore wind. 

After all, these are the guys who want to see the rules protecting marine life watered down to make it easier for gas companies to seismic blast and drill offshore. They’re also the ones backing in Woodside’s nightmare Burrup Hub – which unlike offshore wind, really is a nightmare for whales. 

They couldn’t be trying to muddy the waters and milk people’s genuine concern for political advantage, could they? Surely not…  

The riser turret mooring reportedly contains toxic fire retardant foam and was slowly sinking after Woodside failed to maintain it. Woodside was repeatedly ordered by the offshore oil and gas regulator NOPSEMA to remove the structure – orders that the fossil fuel giant instead ignored.

In May, Greenpeace Australia Pacific activists boarded the structure, dropped a banner that read “Woodside, Don’t be a Tosser” and affixed a permanent warning sign to the structure.

Greenpeace Australia Pacific CEO David Ritter welcomed the news today.

“There’s no coincidence in the timing. Woodside has been utterly shameless in dumping its toxic trash in the oceans and ignoring instructions from environmental authorities to remove it. The company has been forced to act because of real pressure from Australians who care about protecting our beautiful natural environment, and from Greenpeace.”

With a decision on Woodside’s Burrup Hub likely before the year is out, Ritter urged parliamentarians to consider whether Woodside could be trusted to look after our oceans.

“Woodside has started work on the first phase of its monstrous gas project, the Burrup Hub in Western Australia. The Burrup Hub is Australia’s dirtiest gas drilling project, with two monstrous new offshore gas fields, hundreds of kilometres of pipelines and the expansion of two onshore plants to process Woodside’s gas for export. It’s here that they plan to dredge an endangered turtle habitat and conduct seismic blasting that can injure whales and other marine life,” Ritter said.

“Having fumbled around to get its toxic trash out of our oceans, Woodside can’t be trusted not to make an even bigger mess drilling for new gas at the Burrup Hub. 

“Every day, more and more people are waking up to the danger Woodside’s dirty plans pose to our oceans and our climate. Together, we’re challenging Woodside from the courtrooms to the oceans. 

“We urge parliamentarians to do their part in preventing the Burrup Hub climate disaster from going ahead,” Ritter added. 

NOTES

• In October 2019, NOPSEMA criticised Woodside for skipping a 10 year inspection and for failing to maintain the structure: ‘Woodside has failed and continues to fail to preserve the condition of the riser turret mooring (RTM) and remove the RTM for onshore disposal.’
• In May 2023, Greenpeace Australia Pacific also released never-before-seen footage of a second discarded oil tower owned by Woodside, which has been allowed to sink to the ocean floor off the coast of Onslow, Western Australia, posing a hazard. To Greenpeace Australia Pacific’s understanding, this tower has not yet been removed by Woodside from our oceans.

—ENDS—

Woodside’s Burrup Hub project is the most polluting fossil fuel project proposed in Australia. It will release 6.1 billion tonnes of carbon emissions in its lifetime to 2070. You can find out more about Woodside’s proposed climate-wrecking gas plans here.

Greenpeace Germany activists hung a 150 square metre banner with the slogan “Gas destroyed” (Gas Zerstört) and “No New Gas”. A huge 15-metre-wide billboard displayed in front of Uniper HQ referenced its relationship with Woodside, reading: “Uniper – Whales suffer at state expense”. 

Activists also played whale songs and underwater seismic blasting in the atrium. 

The protest comes in the wake of Woodside losing a court case brought by First Nations woman Raelene Cooper. A Federal court judge ruled last week that Raelene Cooper was not properly consulted on Woodside’s plans to seismic blast in whale habitat off the coast of Exmouth, Western Australia.

“The eyes of the world are on Woodside – there’s nowhere for it to hide. People across the world care about Australia’s precious wildlife and oceans, and they don’t want to see them harmed by Woodside’s dirty gas,” Greenpeace Australia Pacific senior campaigner Richard George said.

Woodside’s reckless attitude to our oceans and climate will drive away its customers, leaving the Burrup Hub a costly and destructive white elephant.”

Greenpeace Australia Pacific is calling on Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to protect Australia’s oceans by stopping the next phase of the Burrup Hub – the North West Shelf extension and Browse.

Greenpeace Germany is demanding Uniper withdraw from the purchase agreements with Woodside. 

“It is not acceptable that a German state-owned company contributes with its reckless business to destroying a unique marine area with whales, sea turtles and sensitive coral reefs,” Greenpeace ocean expert Franziska Saalmann said.

“Now is the moment for Uniper to stop its destructive gas plans and thus remove the financial basis for this project.”

Woodside plans to lay over 1,300 kilometres of pipelines off the west coast of Australia for fossil gas. Along with RWE, Uniper is Woodside’s main customer in Germany. 

The Burrup Hub will spew out more than six billion tonnes of carbon emissions in its lifetime until 2070, and its fossil fuel gas will condemn Australia to more floods, fires and droughts.  

—ENDS—

Photos and vision can be found here.

Today the Australian Financial Review reported that Woodside could kick off seismic blasting as early as Thursday. 

Woodside plans to seismic blast for up to 80 days close to UNESCO-protected Ningaloo reef, to assess gas reserves for its Burrup Hub, which if it goes ahead will be Australia’s dirtiest fossil fuel project. 

Greenpeace Australia Pacific senior campaigner Richard George said Woodside’s seismic plans were brazen and dangerous.

“Woodside has declared a war on whales. The fossil fuel giant is about to shamelessly and recklessly start seismic blasting right next to an endangered whale superhighway as part of its climate wrecking plans to build new fossil fuel projects,” he said.

“Seismic blasting is like an atomic bomb going off underwater, and threatens to deafen whales which use sonar for food – and a deaf whale is a dead whale.”

Woodside’s own acoustic modelling found that pygmy blue whales could be injured by the seismic blasting over 60km from the blasting vessel.

The seismic blasting is assessing climate-wrecking gas for Woodside’s Burrup Hub project. The Burrup Hub is the most polluting fossil fuel project currently proposed in Australia, and would produce over six-billion tonnes of greenhouse emissions over its lifetime until 2070.

“Woodside’s Burrup Hub isn’t just a danger to whales – it’s a climate bomb that will affect us all. Climate records are being broken across the world, including the hottest winter in Australia’s history just gone. By pressing ahead with its climate-wrecking project, Woodside is condemning communities across the country to more fires, droughts and floods,” George said.

It comes after hundreds of West Australians gathered to show their opposition to Woodside’s dangerous seismic blasting in a community vigil at Woodside’s headquarters last month.

—ENDS—

Notes to editors: 

• Greenpeace Australia Pacific seismic fact sheet: Blasting the Ocean: Woodside’s Risky Seismic Plan

• Generic images of whales can be found here

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.

The vigil has been organised by Greenpeace Australia Pacific and the Conservation Council of WA (CCWA) and is supported by the Wilderness Society, XR Grandparents Perth, Doctors for The Environment, 350 Perth, the Australian Religious Response to Climate Change, School Strike For Climate and Australian Youth Climate Coalition WA. 

It comes as Woodside tries to start work on its controversial Burrup Hub gas project off the Pilbara coast.  

Woodside has already begun dredging the seabed in endangered turtle habitat and will soon commence seismic blasting in endangered whale habitat.  

The Perth community is calling on Woodside to abandon its plans for dangerous seismic blasting to protect whales and other vulnerable marine life. 

There are community-run vigils being held in Margaret River and Karratha on Wednesday evening to coincide with the Perth event. 

The vigil comes as Greenpeace revealed that a whale calf was hit by a tugboat operated by a Woodside contractor in the Port of Dampier.

Greenpeace Australia Pacific senior campaigner Sophie McNeill said:

“Woodside’s destructive gas is a danger to our climate and nature. We want thriving, healthy oceans, clean jobs and a safer climate future for us all to enjoy, not Woodside’s dirty gas. We call on Woodside to stop its dangerous seismic blasting and the harm it would cause to whales. We will continue to oppose and challenge Woodside until it changes course.”

Conservation Council of WA Fossil Fuels Program Manager Anna Chapman said:

“Through invasive and destructive dredging and seismic blasting, Woodside is endangering some of our most vulnerable marine life. When considered alongside the enormous climate impacts of the Burrup Hub, the true scale and seriousness of Woodside’s plans are clear.

“West Australians have nothing to gain from Woodside’s plans – the majority of the gas and most of the profit will be sent overseas. However, our state’s iconic and endangered species – and our climate – have so much to lose.”

Member of School Strikes for Climate and school student from Margaret River Emma Heyink said:

“I am terrified of Burrup Hub. The climate and environmental devastation of this project terrify me more than anything, keeping me up at night. The impacts of Woodside’s seismic blasting for gas, destroying sea Country, destroying the climate and my hopes of a safe future, deafening whales, the same whales that migrate yearly past Margaret River where I live, that we all watch and love, must be stopped.

“I want to have a safe future with clean seas, clean air, clean environment, and a safe future and Burrup Hub cannot coexist. I want a safe, clean future, and there is absolutely no place for Woodside’s dirty gas in this.”

Australian Youth Climate Climate WA’s (AYCC WA) Jordan Rowand said:

“As young people, we are concerned about the impacts that fossil fuels like gas have on our future. We know that pollution from fossil fuel projects is causing more extreme weather and yet big corporations like Woodside are lining up to open risky new gas wells, pipelines and power plants across the continent – putting their profits ahead of communities.  

“Our communities deserve better. All of us want clean air and water, a healthy environment, and a safe future to grow up in.

“Woodside’s proposed projects off the coast of Western Australia would put our national and global emissions reduction obligations far out of reach.” 

The Wilderness Society WA campaigns manager Tim Clifford said:

“The Wilderness Society WA stands with Greenpeace, CCWA, and many other concerned and rightfully outraged community members in condemning Woodside’s seismic blasting activities. 

“The fact that Woodside are putting the lives of whales at risk just days after dredging in critically endangered turtle habitat shows their complete disregard to the harm they are inflicting on the environment and marine life.  

“The destruction Woodside is causing for their Burrup Hub project is completely unacceptable and the only thing we have to gain from this project is six billion tonnes of toxic emissions, irreparable damage to the sacred Murujuga rock art and the escalation of the climate crisis.”

350 Boorloo Perth’s Nick Doyle said:

“The fact Woodside are threatening marine life in serve of a project which would be the most polluting in our history is almost cartoonishly evil. It’s not just whales at stake but people’s lives, as we have seen with the recent climate-fueled fires ravaging Hawaii and now Canada. 

“We simply cannot allow the Burrup Hub to go ahead. We must hold these climate criminals to account and stand against Woodside’s Burrup Hub just as we have done with their James Price Point project.” 

Australian Religious Response to Climate Change, WA’s Rev Ken Devereux said:

“West Australians can’t afford to be complacent as massive gas companies offer assurances of the need for their product long into the future, in a critical time of energy transition. We need to take seriously the moral principles embedded in the world’s great religious traditions. 

“As a major continuing source of climate pollution Woodside’s Burrup extensions violates the rights of future generations to a safe environment. As the project gets underway with seismic blasting off our shores precious marine life will be devastated. Traditional custodians and others concerned for the wellbeing of whales and other wildlife are aghast at the threat of water and seabed vibrations blasting loudly for extended periods during geological research. 

“Similarly, respect for Island people to our west and our east, recognizes that global warming and rising sea levels threaten their existence. Let’s accept that we need to change our lifestyle priorities and pull back from this unconscionable project.”

MEDIA EVENT

Community vigil to stop Woodside’s seismic blasting – including a massive blow up whale, priests in collar, a violinist and other colourful imagery. 

When: Wednesday, 23 August, 5pm 

Where: Woodside Headquarters,  11 Mount Street, Perth, WA

FOOTAGE PACKAGE AVAILABLE

**A colourful vision package, including grabs with key spokespeople and B-roll from the event, will be available to download. Please get in touch if you’re interested in receiving this footage package.**