New โEnvironment Ministerโ Approves Extension for Australiaโs Most Climate Polluting Fossil Fuel Project
This past week delivered some pretty shocking and disheartening news to the Australian public.
Australia's new environment minister, ๐๐ช๐ฏ๐ช๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ณ๐ข๐บ ๐๐ข๐ต๐ต, along with the re-elected Labor government have ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฒ๐
๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป for Australia's largest (and most polluting) gas project -- ๐ช๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ'๐ ๐ก๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ต ๐ช๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐ณ. The life of this oil and gas project has now been extended to 2070.
"The approval of an ๐ฒ๐
๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ก๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ต๐๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐น๐, ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ by an environmental minister in Australia's history, ๐ช๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐ข๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ท๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข๐ณ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ข ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ป๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ธ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ ๐ง๐ช๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด" Greg Jericho, chief economist, the Australia Institute.
This has happened in the same week that Mid North Coast New South Wales residents continue to dig themselves out of mud after catastrophic flooding in the last two weeks.
While South Australia faces a historic drought as well as a deadly algae bloom event which has killed more than 200 different species of fish and other marine creatures since March.
And in the wake of mass bleaching events across two of Australia's most famous and pristine reefs, the Great Barrier Reef and Ningaloo Reef
Aftermath of mass bleaching across the Great Barrier Reef, Capricorn Bunker Group | October 2024
Cyclone Alfred storm surges, Byron Bay | March 2025
We know that burning fossil fuels is contributing to climate change and that we are in ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ for ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ณ๐๐น ๐ฐ๐น๐ถ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป.
This labor government was re-elected, to represent the people, their people and our communities.
When short term profit is prioritized over the health of communities, ecosystems, and the delicate fabric of nature upon which we entirely depend -- you know something is seriously wrong.
"Scientists and activists also said the life extension could be linked to up to ๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป๐ต๐ผ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ด๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฒ๐บ๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ in the decades ahead, mostly after the gas is shipped and burned overseas. They said it made the development a 'carbon bomb' that would help put the goals of the landmark Paris climate agreement beyond reach." (Guardian Australia)
The Australian Climate Council has expressed that this will become "the most polluting fossil fuel project green-lit by the Albanese government", and that it will release the equivalent of more than a decade's worth of Australia's annual emissions.
I am reminded that in moments like this, it is people power, and people-powered movements which must hold power to account. I have to keep reminding myself that each one of us and our voices matter and that together, it's time to get really, really loud.
If you would like to support organisations working to help reduce Australiaโs reliance on fossil fuels, below are a handful (of many) who are working to shift this story for Australia:
