Whales Not Woodside: Rainbow Warrior reaches Perth

Greenpeace made a bold entrance to Fremantle on Thursday as its colourful ship, the Rainbow Warrior, docked in the tourist town to draw attention to the gas giant Woodside’s deep-sea drilling plans in the west.

Ahead of Woodside’s AGM today, investors are voicing their unrest over the oil and gas giant’s climate policies. While $5 billion has been earmarked for investment in new technologies, this is dwarfed by the money being spent on its expanding oil and gas operations which chief executive, Meg O’Neill, says are necessary for energy security and decarbonisation.

And following the release of the federal government’s EV strategy last week, electric vehicle manufacturers are concerned that proposed fuel efficiency standards do not align with those set by other countries and will hinder the federal government's aim to reach net zero emissions.

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Rainbow Warrior docks in Fremantle as Greenpeace labels Woodside's Scarborough project a 'major threat' to WA
The world's best-known environmental organisation has made its presence known in the WA port city of Fremantle ahead of Woodside's AGM tomorrow.

Woodside Energy facing investor unrest as concern over ‘failed’ climate policies grows
Australia’s biggest oil and gas company, Woodside Energy, will face investor unrest over its climate policies at Friday’s annual general meeting, with some unconvinced that they are either properly designed or achievable.

Electric vehicle manufacturers push for fuel efficiency standards to increase uptake of cars, hit net zero by 2050
Car manufacturers say Australia needs to urgently adopt fuel efficiency standards in line with other countries to help promote the uptake of electric vehicles, warning it will otherwise be unable to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

Electric vehicles 14 per cent of global new car sales, but less than 4 per cent in Australia: IEA
Global electric vehicle (EV) sales increased more than 50 per cent from 2021 to 2022, making up a total of 14 per cent of all new cars sold in the world yet in Australia, EVs accounted for about 3.8 per cent of all new vehicle sales.

Record levels of renewable energy help bring down Australia’s energy prices, says Aemo
Australia’s record levels of renewable energy helped extend the slide in wholesale power prices in the first three months of 2023, displacing fossil fuels and sending carbon emissions from the sector to new lows for the first quarter.

Ningaloo Reef coral crossbred for first time to improve resilience against warming waters
Researchers have crossbred coral from Western Australia's Ningaloo Reef for the first time as part of efforts to improve resilience against bleaching events caused rising water temperatures

Rare pygmy blue whale calf spotted off Cheynes Beach near Albany, WA
A pygmy blue whale calf has been spotted off Western Australia's rugged south coast in a rare discovery.

BP faces angry shareholders over climate plans
Energy giant BP on Thursday faces a shareholder revolt over its decision to slow its energy transition, with activist investors promising to block the re-election of the head of the board of directors.

Hunter Valley's Liddell Power Station closes in end of an era for Australia's oldest coal-fired plant
The coal-fired generator leaves behind a 52-year legacy of creating electricity for the country and creating employment for thousands of people in the NSW Hunter Valley. The final turbine will go offline today but experts have said the closure will have little impact on the grid.

Eraring power station workers say jobs are in doubt as calls grow for transition authority
With the country's oldest coal-fired power station set to close down tomorrow, calls have intensified for the federal government to set up a National Energy Transition Authority and allocate funding to it in next month's budget.