As offshore drilling threatens some of Australia’s most biodiverse waters, a new tool gives communities the knowledge and power to have their say.
A new interactive map, developed by the Environmental Defenders Office, has been launched on World Oceans Day to help Australians understand the scale of offshore fossil fuel expansion in their waters, find projects near them, and exercise their legal rights to participate in decisions that will shape the future of our oceans and climate.
“The decisions being made right now about offshore fossil fuel projects will shape the future of our oceans and our climate,” Environmental Defenders Office CEO Jo Shulman said.
“Australia is home to some of the most extraordinary ocean environments on Earth,” Ms Shulman said. “Our oceans are woven into our stories, traditions and identity.
“This new project is a logical extension of EDO’s core purpose — helping communities understand their rights and participate in environmental decision making that affects their lives and the places they love.”
New tool puts power in the hands of the public
The new interactive map is designed to help people across Australia understand what is happening in their oceans and how to get involved.
It allows users to find offshore fossil fuel projects near them, learn what is at stake, and understand how to exercise their legal rights to have their say.
“Public participation is a fundamental part of a healthy democracy,” Ms Shulman said. “When people engage with major decisions and make their voices heard, our our laws arestrengthened and the places we all depend on are better protected.”
“Designing, researching and building this map is the result of hundreds of hours of work from EDO’s legal, science and communications teams with more than 40 years of experience helping people protect the reefs, oceans and coastlines they love.”
Offshore fossil fuel expansion – a growing threat
The offshore fossil fuel industry is expanding around Australia, and the northwest and southeast regions face the greatest risk. The potential impacts are severe:
- Deep sea drilling can cause leaks and spills that smother plants and animals, and coat waterways and beaches with toxic oil or gas.
- Seismic blasting can damage hearing in marine animals, including whales and dolphins.
- Dredging, trenching and pipelaying can disturb migratory pathways, damage the seabed, and pollute important habitats.
“Every new project locks in decades of emissions — at the worst possible time, when our marine ecosystems are already under pressure from climate change and Australia is not on track to meet its Paris Agreement goals,” Ms Shulman said.
What’s at stake: Australia’s world-class oceans and marine biodiversity
Home to more than 33,000 species — many found nowhere else on the planet — our waters support globally significant reefs, wetlands, mangroves, seagrass meadows and kelp forests that regulate our climate, protect coastlines, reduce flood risk, and provide critical habitat for marine life.
On the east coast, the Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest reef system one of the most biodiverse places on Earth, home to about 9,000 species including 1,500 types of coral, 136 species of sharks and rays, and more than 30 species of whales and dolphins.
In Australia’s northwest, Scott Reef and Ningaloo Reef are among the nation’s most important coral ecosystems, sheltering whale sharks, humpback whales, dugongs, and hawksbill and loggerhead turtles.
In the southeast, the Gippsland and Otway Basins off Victoria and Tasmania are critical refuges for endangered southern right whales and pygmy blue whales, as well as sea lions, white sharks and penguins.
More than 87% of Australians live within 50km of the coast and our oceans generate significant jobs and economic activity.
About EDO
The Environmental Defenders Office uses the power of law to deliver legal solutions for nature, climate and people, driven by our vision of a world where nature thrives. We began as a small group of lawyers in 1985 who were responding to the growth in community groups seeking legal representation to oppose the environmental impacts of major developments. By the mid-1990s, EDO had formed offices in each Australian state and territory, operating as separate legal entities but part of a larger network. In 2019, eight offices merged into what is now the largest environmental legal service in the Australia-Pacific region.
Images
- Portrait shot of EDO CEO Jo Shulman
- Copyright-free ocean images, try Ocean Image Bank
Media enquiries
Brooke Wylie | [email protected] | 07 2104 1460
