Approval of Woodside’s North West Shelf extension contradicts urgent need to reduce climate harming emissions

The Biodiversity Council is deeply disappointed by the Federal Government’s approval of Woodside’s North West Shelf extension — a project that will lock in decades of climate pollution at a time when Australia’s biodiversity and communities are already experiencing the devastating effects of a heating planet.

Climate change is a major driver of extinction and ecosystem collapse in Australia. It combines with other major threats with devastating consequences. Rising temperatures, intensifying fires, prolonged droughts, and warming oceans are destroying the habitats of our most iconic and vulnerable species — from ancient Gondwanan rainforests and alpine ecosystems, to the Great Barrier Reef and the Ningaloo coast. This decision puts these irreplaceable ecosystems under even greater threat.

Extending fossil fuel extraction at this scale contradicts the urgent need for a rapid transition to net zero emissions. It undermines efforts to restore nature, adapt to climate impacts, and build resilience in our communities — particularly Indigenous and regional communities who are already on the frontlines of the climate and biodiversity crises.

The Albanese government has committed to nature positive reforms and to halting the decline of Australia's environment. These promises ring hollow when decisions are made that accelerate climate harm and jeopardise the future of Australia's unique wildlife and natural heritage.

Now is the time for bold leadership. The Biodiversity Council calls on the government to uphold its environmental commitments and drive meaningful reform that puts our society and economy on a path to sustainability. Reforms that ensure decisions about our future are guided by science, Indigenous knowledge, intergenerational equity, and the urgent need to protect life across this incredible continent.