The Climate Council is calling on the Federal Government to pause project approvals until the Parliament has dealt with upcoming reforms to the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act).
The Government has promised a stronger EPBC Act. But while the reform process stretches on with no legislation in sight, new fossil fuel projects are being approved and more loom in the pipeline.
This comes after Western Australia’s Environmental Protection Authority reaffirmed its recommendation to give Woodside’s Pilbara gas processing facility a 50-year extension to operate until 2070. This is in spite of more than 750 appeals filed against the proposal, reflecting deep-seated public concern about the project’s contribution to dangerous climate change.
This extension could underpin new gas fields including Scarborough and Browse, which are among the 22 fossil fuel proposals sitting in the EPBC pipeline right now that could be approved at any time.
The Climate Council said if Woodside’s plans would be extended into the second half of this century, it would herald Australia’s largest global contribution to climate change, swamping any other national efforts to cut harmful emissions.
Climate Council CEO Amanda McKenzie said: “Australia’s main national environmental law currently fails to protect our precious species and ecosystems from the biggest threat they face: escalating climate change.
“The EPBC Act has a gaping hole at its heart because it does not explicitly require the government to protect a safe and liveable climate for us all, or directly consider the destructive impact of harmful carbon pollution.
“Project approvals should be paused until our Parliament has a chance to deal with it.”
Dr Jennifer Rayner, Head of Advocacy at the Climate Council said leaving climate out of our main national environment law leaves the environment dangerously exposed.
“Without a strong and effective EPBC Act, fossil fuel projects will keep getting the go-ahead, putting Australian communities and our environment alike at risk from more bushfires, floods and extreme weather fuelled by climate change.
“The Albanese Government needs to step on the accelerator with its reforms and bring a bill to Parliament so we can have the debate Australia needs about properly protecting our climate.”
