Spoons up if you have taken a road trip to see the 12 Apostles in Australia? Yep, it’s a bucket list activity and one of the most photographic tourist destinations in the land of Vegemite.
For lovers of oceans and all great Aussie icon spots – we have some news that you are not going to like. The Australian Government has just launched a plan to open up 21 new offshore oil and gas drilling acreages, and one of those is just 5km’s away from the world famous Twelve Apostles on Victoria’s Great Ocean Road.
Just this week, the Australian Federal Government released 21 new oil and gas fields in Australian waters. This means over 80,000 square kilometres of new marine territory (this means areas of sea, close to land) were handed over to the oil and gas industry for exploration and fracking.
These areas have been chosen without consideration of climate, detailed environmental assessment, traditional owner engagement, or conversations with the communities that may be impacted by them. Not only is extracting gas and oil offshore incredible hazardous for marine life that call these oceans home but has the potential to ruin sacred places and pollute the water – ruining our way of life, and life for those that live in the sea. Just as bad, the oil and gas extracted will then be burned – and the fossil fuels emitted from this will continue to ruin our planet and drive our climate crisis.
We don’t want our planet melted and our icons ruined through gas fracking, which is why we think the Governments new gas plans stink. These plans are part of the $1 billion dollars in tax-payer dough being paid to the fossil fuel industry to open new gas fields and projects.
The world has told us time and again that we need to urgently stop burning fossil fuels and stop any new fossil fuel exploration and extraction. This is mission critical for the world right now – fossil fuels are rapidly driving our climate crisis and really, there is just not excuse to be using them anymore in a world where reliable and cheap clean energy alternatives exist. Australia can’t keep hitting the gas on fossil fuels, when the rest of the world is hitting the hand break.
We are joining others in demanding these spots be left without damaging oil and gas exploration – join Surfers for Climate to send a message opposing all new fossil fuel development in Australian waters right now!
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