Join Woodside Wednesdays to help mount public pressure against Scarborough gas

Woodside and BHP have a dirty secret… which is that their proposed Scarborough to Pluto gas project is the most polluting fossil fuel development currently being planned in Australia. 

If this project goes ahead, it will spew out a total of 1.69 billion tonnes of CO2 into our atmosphere, making it even more polluting than the Adani Carmichael coal mine.

So much for LNG being touted as ‘cleaner’ energy; emissions from the proposed Scarborough gas project will equate to over 15 coal fired power stations.

In an ideal world, there would be no government support for a climate-wrecking project like this. How does reality compare?

The WA Government finally released its own climate policy in November 2020, and has committed to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Whilst this seems positive, there is nothing in the Western Australian Climate Policy about enforcing fossil fuel corporations to reduce their emissions, or even phasing out government subsidies for fossil fuel projects, let alone scrapping all new fossil fuel projects as recommended by the International Energy Agency.

So then it’s no surprise that the new WA Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Commerce approved Woodside and BHP’s Greenhouse Gas Abatement Plan, which is the next step for the companies securing their expansion of the Pluto Gas project.

When governments and corporations fail to act responsibly, it’s up to us in the community to force change.

This is where the Woodside Wednesdays action comes in.

Activists outside Woodside HQ for the first ‘Woodside Wednesdays’ action on May 26, 2021

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Woodside Wednesdays is a tactic being used as part of the ‘No Need for Scarborough Gas’ campaign, which 350 Boorloo Perth is supporting.

It is a tactic that harks back to the ‘Save James Price Point’ campaign which ended with Woodside pulling out of its Kimberley gas development eight years ago.

So far we have had two Woodside Wednesdays events, the first where we outlined the campaign and spoke about its origins in the James Price Point campaign.

The second event demonstrated the sheer determination of folk who turned up in the freezing cold, in the wind and rain outside to let Woodside know that we’re not going anywhere. And despite the weather, there was cause for celebration because Fringe World has dumped Woodside as a sponsor!

The wind and rain will not deter the community from rallying against Scarborough gas.
Image credit: #MilesTweedyPhotography

 

You can watch all of the live-stream videos from the Woodside Wednesdays actions here!

By keeping pressure mounted from the outside we can signal to shareholders, investors, stakeholders and the Woodside board that the international, national and local communities do not want this project to go ahead.

Because there’s no need for Scarborough gas!

This is just the very beginning of our campaign, and we will be employing a diversity of tactics to end the project and make it no longer viable. The Conservation Council is an advocate for stopping this project and has just released a report on why Woodside’s Scarborough project cannot go ahead.

We want everyone to get on board in building the campaign and carry out your own tactics too. We will build a community to rally against this climate-wrecking project and we want you to be a part of it. 

If you’re keen to get involved, please sign up to volunteer with 350 Boorloo Perth, or email us at perth@350.org.au.

Follow the Woodside Come Clean Facebook page to keep up to date with future events and come to our next Woodside Wednesday on the 23rd of June, which will be outside the BHP building.

If your group or organisation would be happy to host a Woodside Wednesdays action in future weeks, email us and we can find a date which works best. 

You can write to both BHP’s and Woodside’s boards detailing your concerns with Scarborough gas.

If you have friends or family members within Woodside and BHP, talk to them about this project! If they are happy to have a confidential chat with us, put them in touch. Their identities will be kept anonymous and only known to a select few.

Staff at both companies have already reached out and the ways in which they have helped will remain confidential. We implore more workers at BHP and Woodside to get in touch and raise concerns internally as well. 

Let’s keep mounting pressure and put an end to Australia’s most polluting fossil fuel project before it gets off the ground.