Woodside’s Burrup Hub an irredeemable threat to WA’s oceans and marine life. It’s also the biggest fossil fuel threat in Australia and the fifth most polluting gas project in the world.
The Burrup Hub project is what Woodside calls its plan to drill the Scarborough gas field (which is already well under construction), drill the Browse gas field underneath Scott Reef and extend the life of a massive gas plant called the North West Shelf LNG Plant, which processes gas for export.
The Burrup Hub represents an irredeemable threat to Western Australia’s marine life – putting 54 threatened species and up to 12 marine parks at risk. But the destruction won’t end there – the project will emit over 6.1 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. Most of the gas from the Burrup Hub will be sold overseas.
Greenpeace Australia Pacific has been working for over 2 years to stop the Burrup Hub – it is Australia’s biggest climate threat, and poses catastrophic risks to the pristine environment of WA.
The story so far
Fossil fuel company Woodside has had its sights set on the Browse gas field for a long time. The company’s first attempt to drill it was defeated by a huge community campaign centred in the Kimberley in northern Western Australia. Then in 2019, Woodside was back – this time with a plan to pipe the Browse gas onshore to its existing LNG processing plant, extending its life until the 2070s.
The first stage of Woodside’s Burrup Hub, Scarborough, is under construction, with 30 gas wells being drilled off the coast of Exmouth, WA. Woodside has risked killing whales by deafening them with seismic blasting, dug up endangered turtle habitat, and when it is complete, Scarborough puts UNESCO-protected Ningaloo Reef within the danger zone for an oil spill.
Now, Woodside is proposing the next stage of the Burrup Hub: up to 50 more gas wells to be drilled around Scott Reef. The closest well will be just over 2km from the edge of the reef, with Woodside planning to extract gas from directly underneath the coral reef. The void left after removing the gas is likely to cause the reef to sink.
Scott Reef is a globally significant marine ecosystem, home to hundreds of species, including sea snakes, sharks, rays and sawfish. It provides critical habitat to endangered pygmy blue whales and vulnerable green turtles.
The new gas from Browse needs to be processed before it could be sent overseas. So, Woodside hopes to extend the life of its ageing North West Shelf LNG plant until the 2070s.
Woodside Has Not Won Yet
While Scarborough is currently being drilled, Woodside needs environmental approvals from Federal Environment Minister, Tanya Plibersek, and WA Environment Minister, Reece Whitby, to drill for new gas at Browse and extend the life of the North West Shelf LNG Plant.
Despite the accelerating climate crisis and Australia’s commitment to phase out of fossil fuels, projects like the Burrup Hub can still be approved because Woodside only needs to account for emissions on Australian territory. Because Woodside would sell over 80 per cent of the gas it drills from the Burrup Hub overseas (most of it royalty-free), it doesn’t need to include the emissions from gas burnt outside Australia when getting environmental approvals.
An industry source has confirmed to the media that Western Australia’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has essentially written off the company’s Browse project as too dangerous to proceed. This almost never happens under our current environmental and climate laws. These revelations make clear what we’ve long known to be true—that Woodside’s disastrous Burrup Hub project, including its Browse site, is likely to be a disaster for our precious environment, our reefs and threatened species.
Almost half a million Greenpeace supporters have signed our petition calling on Minister Plibersek to rule out the project, and the chorus against the Burrup Hub project is growing stronger every year.
And here is how we win
There is a clear path to stopping mega gas projects like the Burrup Hub – using the Federal environmental protections we do have in place, which protect ‘unique plants, animals, habitats and places’, to stop Woodside’s plans.
There are also state laws in WA that protect the environment. The WA EPA has stated they have serious concerns about Browse, and their view is that it poses an ‘unacceptable’ risk to the environment.
That is why Greenpeace AP is doing everything we can to document the pristine biodiversity of Scott Reef, showing just how critical it is to protect our unique oceans and marine life.
The Environment Ministers in Perth and Canberra need to hear how much Australians value our natural environment and want it protected. Without public outcry, the only voices politicians hear is Woodside and the fossil fuel lobby, who seek to downplay and minimise the environmental threat of offshore gas drilling.
Marine scientists, NGOs and Greenpeace have examined Woodside’s proposal closely and have identified several severe threats to our environment that could convince the Minister to say ‘no’ to the Burrup Hub on environmental grounds. The risks include:
- The sinking of Scott Reef into the ocean (because the gas is extracted from underneath it) causing turtle nesting grounds to wash away;
- Underwater noise pollution impacting whale foraging and migration;
- Chemical dumping from the construction phase and production rigs poisoning plankton, fish and marine turtles;
- Artificial lighting and flaring (burning off released gas) disorientating turtle hatchlings and sea birds
- A gas and oil spill, covering Scott Reef and surrounding marine parks in condensate, creating an environmental catastrophe.
The decision of our Governments to approve or reject the Burrup Hub project will define their environmental legacy for decades to come.
Burrup Hub: Irredeemably Bad
While the federal government made a disappointing commitment to continue approving fossil gas drilling when it released its gas strategy, the Burrup Hub is in its own category of ‘bad’, because:
- Scott Reef is a pristine and idyllic coral atoll teaming with marine life and providing critical habitat for threatened species;
- The Burrup Hub’s Browse project is an enormous new and exceptionally dirty gas field;
- Most of the gas will be sold overseas, royalty-free;
- The community in WA are rallying against the project to protect our oceans; and
- The Government wants to invest in a future made in Australia using clean energy, not lock Australia into gas until 2070.
But to defeat Woodside’s expensive PR and army of lobbyists, we need to use people-power to show our Government that Australians are united behind one message: we must protect our environment from the Burrup Hub mega gas project.
What is next for Greenpeace
The news that the WA EPA agrees that Browse is a uniquely terrible idea has, quite literally, added wind in the sails of our campaign to Stop Woodside.
Right now, our new campaign vessel, the Oceania, is on its way to Western Australia, where we will be connecting with the growing community who oppose Woodside’s disastrous Burrup Hub, and amplifying their calls to stop this monstrous project.
In Canberra, we will be taking the voices of the almost half a million Australians who have signed our petition to stop the Burrup Hub directly to Parliament. We will send a message to our elected leaders, loud and clear, that Australians reject Woodside’s Burrup Hub.
Defeating the Burrup Hub would be one of the single most effective things we can do to fight for a safer climate, and a thriving environment.
Will you help?
Climate Change
‘Step up and lead’: All eyes on Australia as it takes the reins of UN COP31 climate negotiations
ANTALYA, Türkiye, Saturday 7 November 2026 — As leaders and delegates gather for the UN COP31 climate summit, Greenpeace Australia Pacific is calling on the Australian government in its role as President of Negotiations to ensure the just transition away from fossil fuels is central to negotiations, rigorously defend the 1.5°C temperature goal, and significantly scale up climate finance commitments.
This year’s climate talks take place amidst a deepening global energy shock, and grim reports that the world will barrel past the 1.5°C temperature goal. They also follow a deadly summer of extreme weather disasters that swept the northern hemisphere, with fears that a severe El Niño will see similar dangerous impacts in Australia.
But recent election wins by progressive candidates in the United States and Brazil are set to breathe energy and optimism into the negotiations as people around the world, bearing the brunt of soaring cost of living and climate disasters, shun regressive and divisive politics.
Speaking from Antalya, Dr Simon Bradshaw, COP31 Lead at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said: “The world is in a moment of flux. We know it is in moments of huge upheaval that era-defining progress can happen — but only when countries step up and lead.
“As Australia takes control of COP31 Negotiations, we have an opportunity and responsibility to shepherd global climate cooperation through this moment of interlocking crises. That means backing Pacific leadership and priorities, and leading by example at home to end fossil fuels and deliver new, multi-year climate finance commitments.
“As a major coal and gas exporter, Australia plays an outsized role in fuelling the climate crisis, and has approved 38 new, extended and expanded fossil fuel projects since first elected in 2022. More than half the world’s coal export project pipeline is in Australia, and the Albanese Government is poised to make decisions on massive new gas projects. Australia must reckon with this reality.
“Domestically, we have made significant strides on ramping up renewables and the global ‘35 by 35’ electrification goal is welcome and necessary. But electrification must end fossil fuel dependence, not be an end in itself — its ultimate success depends on ensuring electricity comes from renewable sources that displace fossil fuels and align with a 1.5°C pathway.
“In Türkiye, the Australian government can rise to the occasion and show what true climate leadership looks like, but we can not move the world towards a clean energy future while expanding the industry we need to leave behind.”
Speaking from Antalya, Shiva Gounden, Head of Pacific at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said: “As leaders meet in Türkiye amidst warnings that we will pass the 1.5°C threshold, the stakes have never been higher. Every heatwave, every flood, every storm is being unleashed on communities with the deadly force of accumulated emissions and gives a warning of what is to come.
“In Antalya, the COP31 Presidency must respond to the accelerating climate crisis and defend the 1.5°C goal based on the law and the science. 1.5°C is a non-negotiable survival line for Pacific communities and climate-vulnerable nations facing rising seas, extreme weather disasters, food insecurity and soaring economic costs. It is a fundamental component of the Paris Agreement and enshrined as a binding legal benchmark by the world’s highest court, the International Court of Justice.
“Australia must arrive at COP31 with more than meaningless speeches. The Pacific and the world need concrete dates, credible plans to deliver roadmaps away from fossil fuels built on the best available science, and a commitment to put people, energy security and the planet ahead of fossil fuel interests.
“We need real action to advance multilateral climate cooperation, ensure the just transition away from fossil fuels is high on the agenda, and back longstanding Pacific priorities — including keeping 1.5°C alive and significantly scaling-up climate finance.”
ENDS
Images and footage from Greenpeace’s COP31 ‘Keep 1.5°C alive’ photo opp in Antalya can be found here
Greenpeace has a diverse range of experts available for interviews and commentary from Antalya. Headshots can be found in Greenpeace Media Library here
Media contact: Kate O’Callaghan in Antalya (GMT+3) on +61 406 231 892 (Whatsapp/Signal)
‘Step up and lead’: All eyes on Australia as it takes the reins of UN COP31 climate negotiations
As an extreme El Niño breaks marine temperature records, COP31 is set to boost the profile of the ocean’s role in solving climate change, but finance and clear conservation measures will be needed for it to move the needle, experts said.
The Turkish presidency has announced plans for an Antalya Ocean Declaration that recognises the centrality of the global ocean – the world’s largest carbon sink – in regulating the climate and minimising the now unavoidable overshoot of global temperatures above 1.5C over pre-industrial levels.
Meanwhile, as part of the formal UN negotiations, Australia has announced plans to land a cover decision in Antalya, which, according to veteran former US negotiator Sue Biniaz, would be the only section of the formal negotiations where the role of oceans could be included.
She added that an outcome at COP31 seems likely, given the initiative from both presidencies and a push from over 100 countries – including Brazil, the EU and the African Group of countries – calling for the UN negotiations to deliver a plan for implementing ocean measures.
Governments will arrive in Antalya with a “super El Niño” adding stress to marine ecosystems and expected to continue to intensify until December 2026, with parts of the Pacific averaging almost 30C (86F) – over 3C more than normal – in October, according to monthly EU sea temperature data.
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COP31 Briefing: What to expect from the Antalya climate summit?
Electrification, the fossil fuel transition, adaptation to rising impacts, climate science and trade are key themes as governments gather for COP31 in Türkiye -
European nations signal support for fossil fuel roadmap, says COP30 president
André Corrêa do Lago told Climate Home News that it’s up to other nations to decide how the fossil fuel and deforestation roadmaps are used -
Nepal seeks stronger recognition of mountain issues in UN climate process
Flood-hit Nepal wants COP31 to adopt a new agenda item formalising work on mountains and climate change and boosting the response to rising risks
Needs for ocean conservation and funding
While elevating the ocean agenda is “critical”, it must lead to funding for ocean conservation and a clear plan for reaching the global target – set at UN biodiversity talks in 2022 – of protecting 30% of the global ocean by 2030, said Pradeep Singh, senior ocean governance expert at Oceano Azul Foundation.
The ocean is precisely where governments are farthest off track from meeting this target – informally known as the 30×30 goal. Even if countries meet all their nature conservation plans, only about 12% of the global ocean would be protected, the UN says.
“Acknowledgment of marine protected areas and the 30×30 target as climate infrastructures will certainly boost efforts and funding for science and management,” Singh told Climate Home News.
Shamini Selvaratnam, director of international climate and clean energy at Ocean Conservancy, said an ocean commitment that makes a difference in coastal communities “takes funding, local capacity and support that countries can actually access”.
An analysis by climate think tank Zero Carbon Analytics shows that investment in the blue economy – through activities like sustainable fisheries or cleaner shipping – is only at about 2% of the needs, which are estimated at $550 billion per year.
Following-through on commitments
Selvaratnam added that countries must also establish mechanisms to follow through on these measures, which currently only exists in the form of a non-binding dialogue that is not expected to produce any negotiated agreements.
She said that countries at COP31 must find ways for their ocean commitments to inform the next global stocktake, the UN’s five-yearly review of progress on climate action. Some countries – including African countries, Latin American nations, small island states and the European Union – have backed a process that culminates in the next global stocktake.
At climate negotiations, countries are not mandated to include ocean conservation measures in their climate plans. But a group of countries led by France and Brazil is pushing them to do so voluntarily through an initiative called Blue NDC Challenge. Seventeen countries have joined the initiative so far.
In its list of COP31 priorities, the EU has called for the “critical role” of oceans to be recognised, but falls short of calling for any specific actions to feature marine action more prominently in climate plans.
As part of their demands, ocean campaign groups have called for the establishment of an “Antalya Ocean Compact”, a platform where countries can coordinate efforts across different environmental treaties, including the UN climate, biodiversity and high seas negotiations.
Ultimately, Selvaratnam said a strong deal “must accelerate emissions cuts, clean energy, and a transition away from fossil fuels, including offshore oil and gas”.
Ilana Seid, chair of the AOSIS group of small island states and permanent representative of Palau to the UN, said during a press briefing last week that “meaningful progress” on emissions reduction is “the best way” to alleviate stress on the ocean.
The post ‘Blue COP31’ set to spotlight need for ocean protections amid record heat appeared first on Climate Home News.
‘Blue COP31’ set to spotlight need for ocean protections amid record heat
In the wake of its recent glacial flooding disaster, Nepal and the kingdom of Bhutan have proposed a new agenda item on mountains and climate change for the COP31 summit which opens on Monday in the Turkish city of Antalya.
In a submission addressed to the COP31 presidency and the head of the UN climate secretariat (UNFCCC), Nepal said the agenda item, entitled “1.5°C Warming in Mountains”, is an effort to strengthen the response of the international community to the climate risks facing the world’s mountain regions.
The item proposes that mountain issues should become a regular part of the formal UN climate change process, with a focus on scientific assessment of the risks associated with warming overshooting 1.5C, an annual high-level dialogue, a dedicated work programme and improved access to climate finance.
Maheshwar Dhakal, chief of the climate change management division of Nepal’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forests and Environment, told Climate Home News that Himalayan countries face similar problems such as collapsing glaciers and flooding from glacial lakes.
“We are trying to bring all Himalayan countries together under this agenda item,” he said.
COP31 Briefing: What to expect from the Antalya climate summit?
At this year’s UN General Assembly, Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah called for strong global action to ensure climate justice and proposed creating a Himalayan Climate Resilience Mechanism led by India, China and Nepal. It would share satellite data, monitor glacial slopes and lakes, strengthen early warning systems and coordinate cross-border disaster response.
Nepal has experienced significant infrastructure losses and human casualties from flooding every year since 2020. In late August, the collapse of a glacial slope on the border with Tibet caused a torrent of water and debris to course down the Bhote Koshi River, leaving more than 6,000 people dead or missing.
According to a government needs assessment, the disaster caused an estimated $2.7 billion in physical damage and economic losses, while around $4.8 billion will be required for recovery and reconstruction.
More research needed on threats
Although high mountain regions are known to be fragile ecosystems, especially as global warming accelerates glacier melt, the extent of their vulnerability is still not fully understood. When the devastating Bhote Koshi floods hit, it opened the eyes of the world to the risks.
Dhakal said the Bhote Koshi floods “have proved the impacts of climate change in the Himalayan region”, which were linked to rising temperatures by scientists with the World Weather Attribution group. “Therefore, Nepal wants scientific studies, research and political discussions on mountain climate risks to receive greater attention at international climate conferences,” he added.
Nepal has been making efforts on this front since 2009, when it held a cabinet meeting at Kalapatthar near Mount Everest. Since COP28 in Dubai, Nepal has organised high-level events and dialogues on mountain issues at COPs and is co-hosting one at COP31 with Bhutan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
Editor’s Desk: Nepal’s disaster has laid bare the world’s adaptation accountability gap
Dhakal said the dialogues held so far have raised awareness, but mountain concerns must become part of the formal UN climate process to unlock climate finance and technical support that can bolster countries’ capacity to tackle climate threats.
If specific indicators and priorities are developed for mountain regions, vulnerable developing countries like Nepal would have better access to finance to help them adapt to the climate warming they have done very little to cause, he added.
More detailed data would enable them to prepare stronger project proposals for international climate funds, including the Green Climate Fund (GCF). In 2025, the GCF backed a