Climate disasters strain ADF logistics and response capacity.
Sea-level rise and extreme weather threaten military infrastructure.
Regional instability linked to resource scarcity and displacement.
Defence planning increasingly frames climate as a threat multiplier.
Climate Chaos Moves Into the War Room
When Australians picture national security, they may think of cyberattacks, military exercises, or maritime patrols.
But Australia’s top defence thinkers are now issuing warnings about a slower, more insidious threat: climate change.
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has been called on repeatedly in the last five years to respond not to foreign attacks but to fires, floods, and cyclones.
From the devastating Black Summer fires of 2019–2020 to the catastrophic east coast floods of 2022, troops are increasingly deployed on home soil for climate disaster response, placing sustained pressure on a military designed for combat, not climate aid.
According to the 2024 National Defence Strategy[1], climate change is now explicitly recognised as a “threat multiplier”—a factor that exacerbates existing risks and challenges, both domestically and abroad.
Infrastructure at Risk
Much of Australia's defence infrastructure—airbases, naval ports, training grounds—sits precariously on the coast.
Rising seas and intensifying storms are not distant possibilities.
They are material threats.
Take RAAF Base Darwin, located just metres above sea level.
A study by the Climate Council[2] found that dozens of critical ADF facilities are vulnerable to climate-driven hazards including inundation and bushfire smoke.
Equipment damage, reduced readiness, and costly repairs are already on the ledger.
Disaster Diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific
Beyond its borders, Australia faces growing responsibilities as a stabiliser in the climate-volatile Indo-Pacific.
Island nations like Tuvalu and Kiribati are on the frontline of rising seas and freshwater scarcity.
These environmental shifts are fuelling migration, political instability, and humanitarian crises.
As competition for influence in the Pacific intensifies—particularly between China and the U.S.—Australia must navigate climate diplomacy as geopolitics.
The ADF’s humanitarian missions in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga are now as critical to soft power as any treaty.
Conflicts Over Water and Food
Resource scarcity is no longer abstract.
In Australia’s interior, prolonged drought and heatwaves are tightening agricultural output, while water rights battles—such as those around the Murray-Darling Basin—become flashpoints.
Yet experts argue Australia still lacks a comprehensive Climate Security Strategy, leaving the nation reactive rather than proactive.
“We are playing catch-up in a rapidly destabilising environment,” warns Professor Michael Thomas of the Australian National University’s Climate Security Policy Centre[5]. “Resilience must now be baked into every tank, port, and policy.”
Conclusion
Climate change isn’t coming for national security; it’s already inside the perimeter.
Whether it’s burned landscapes, flooded runways, or political upheaval in neighbouring states, the line between climate impact and national defence is blurring fast.
The question is no longer whether climate will shape Australia’s security future, but whether the country will be ready in time.
Beyond the melting ice and raging heatwaves, climate change is quietly reshaping the world in stranger, more unsettling ways.
Climate's Hidden Effects
Earth’s axis is shifting
Jet streams are destabilising
Dead zones growing in oceans
Infectious fungi on the rise
Earthquakes from ice melt
Food nutrition is dropping
Mental health is deteriorating
1. The Planet’s Tilt Is Changing
As glaciers melt and water redistributes, Earth’s axis is wobbling—literally.
According to research published in Nature, the melting of Greenland and Antarctic ice has shifted the Earth's rotation by more than 4 meters since the 1990s1.
Though imperceptible to humans, these changes can disrupt satellite alignment and GPS systems, with geopolitical and logistical implications.
2. Jet Streams Are Breaking Down
Rising Arctic temperatures are weakening the polar jet stream, causing it to meander and stall.
This phenomenon has been linked to extreme, lingering weather events, like the deadly 2021 Texas freeze and the 2022 Pakistan floods.
Warmer oceans hold less oxygen, creating vast hypoxic zones where marine life suffocates3.
These dead zones have quadrupled in size since the 1950s, affecting fisheries and threatening marine biodiversity from the Gulf of Mexico to the Arabian Sea.
4. Fungi Are the Next Pandemic Threat
As global temperatures rise, previously rare fungi are adapting to human body temperatures.
One such example, Candida auris, has been spreading rapidly and resisting treatment.
The CDC warns this fungus emerged in part due to climate change's thermal pressures4.
5. Earthquakes Triggered by Ice Loss
When glaciers retreat, they lift pressure off the Earth’s crust, potentially triggering earthquakes and landslides.
In places like Alaska and the Himalayas, this “isostatic rebound” is becoming more common.
Higher CO2 levels are making crops grow faster—but less nutritious.
Studies show rice, wheat, and barley lose protein, zinc, and iron under elevated CO2.
Harvard researchers found this could affect over 600 million people in developing countries6.
7. Climate’s Toll on the Mind
Rising temperatures are also affecting our minds.
Extreme heat has been linked to higher rates of suicide, aggression, and cognitive decline.
A 2018 Stanford-led study found even a 1°C rise in monthly average temperatures leads to a measurable uptick in mental health-related ER visits7.
Why It Matters
While sea-level rise and record heatwaves dominate headlines, these lesser-known climate effects are equally urgent, and often more difficult to reverse.
The warming planet is not just changing our environment, but the inner workings of ecosystems, societies, and even ourselves.
Climate change isn’t just about energy—it’s also about habits,
investments, technology, and your voice at work. Below are eight strategies can help you shift the carbon curve.
We’ve all heard the standard tips: fly less, eat green, ditch plastic. But what if you’ve already made those changes? As climate change escalates, so should our solutions. From your lawn to your inbox, here are novel, science-backed actions anyone can take—and most are easier than you'd think.
1. Clean Up Your Inbox
Digital pollution is real. Every email generates emissions due to energy used by servers and data centres. In the UK, if every adult sent one fewer "thank you" email per day, it would save 16,433 tonnes of CO₂ annually1. Deleting old emails, unsubscribing from newsletters, and avoiding unnecessary replies can collectively make a dent.
2. Rethink Where Your Superannuation Sleeps
Your retirement fund might be financing oil, gas, or coal. A 2021 study found that shifting your investments to ethical portfolios can cut emissions 21 to 27 times more than lifestyle changes like flying less or reducing meat2. Explore sustainable superannuation options through platforms like RIAA.
💡 Summary
Email declutter → Cuts data centre emissions
Sustainable super → 27x more climate impact
Native gardens → Act as carbon sinks
Shopping trackers → Steer low-carbon purchases
Carbon removal → Verified CO₂ removal
Remote work → Cuts transport emissions
Workplace advocacy → Drives systemic change
Repair culture → Reduces manufacturing waste
3. Convert Your Lawn Into a Climate Asset
Mowing, watering, and fertilising traditional grass consumes water and emits greenhouse gases. Instead, switch to native ground covers or drought-tolerant species. Deep-rooted plants help sequester carbon and reduce runoff3. Plus, they boost biodiversity.
4. Use Apps That Track the Carbon Cost of Shopping
Try apps like Thoughtful orJoro that estimate emissions tied to your spending. These tools guide you toward low-impact brands, helping consumers reduce emissions by up to 30%4.
5. Pay for Carbon Removal—Not Just Offsets
Tree planting isn’t always reliable. Instead, companies like Climeworks and Charm Industrial offer verified carbon removal via direct air capture and bio-oil injection. These services permanently remove CO₂ from the atmosphere—something offsets can’t guarantee5.
6. Work Remote—But Smartly
Not everyone can work from home full-time, but even partial remote work cuts commute emissions. A 2020 report by theIEAsuggests remote work could reduce transport emissions globally by 54 million tonnes per year if managed efficiently6. Virtual co-working platforms help maintain productivity and community.
7. Influence Your Workplace from Within
Start where you work. Whether you're in HR or IT, you can help green your organisation—switching cloud providers, reducing office energy use, or making climate part of the corporate mission. Groups like ClimateAction.tech show how collective action inside companies creates real change7.
8. Join the Repair Revolution
Fix, don’t replace. Extending the life of a phone, appliance, or shirt significantly lowers your personal footprint. One study found that extending smartphone lifespan by just one year reduces emissions by 31%8. Support Right to Repair laws and visit local repair cafés.
In the age of artificial intelligence, how we seek answers has
fundamentally changed, whether for complex questions or just simple
inquiries.
What was once a matter of working through library bookshelves
transformed into sifting through Google search results and has now been
reduced to typed conversation with AI-powered platforms like ChatGPT,
Claude, and Gemini.
But as these tools become more central to how we
access information, their reliability — especially on urgent and
politically-charged topics like climate change — has come under intense
scrutiny.
The uncomfortable truth is that these models do not
always provide accurate and factual responses that we are looking for.
Large Language Models (LLMs) like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard
have been known to “hallucinate”
data — a polite way of saying they make things up.
That’s a huge
problem in our current age of misinformation, particularly for those who
willfully or overly trust AI-generated responses.
In a bit of a
confessional, I asked ChatGPT to give me some examples of information
it had shared on climate change in the past that was wrong, it happily
coughed up these:
1. “Climate models can’t be trusted — they’re too uncertain.”
ChatGPT
said this was incorrect framing. In earlier outputs, it admitted that
it sometimes gave too much weight to uncertainty, downplaying how
accurate and useful climate models actually are.
While they do have
uncertainties (especially about feedback and timing), their broad
projections have been remarkably accurate, especially about global
temperature rise.
2. “Individual actions like recycling are the key to stopping climate change.” Misleading emphasis.
ChatGPT
admitted to occasionally overstating the impact of individual choices
without making clear that systemic policy changes and industrial shifts
have far greater impact.
Recycling is good, but not enough without major
structural changes in energy, agriculture, and transportation.
3. “The effects of climate change are in the future.” Wrong timeline.
Major
confession here — ChatGPT used to refer to climate change impacts as
distant or future events, even as things like extreme heat waves,
floods, and wildfires were already escalating. That misrepresented how
present and urgent the crisis already is.
Now AI could just be
making these gaffes up to make me happy, but I doubt it’s that
sophisticated.
When ChatGPT first came out, it told a friend of mine
that it was alive, had a dog called Bailey, and believed in Jesus.
Though this was freaky, it demonstrates how far generative AI platforms
have come in a short span of time, as it won’t tell us that anymore.
Still,
not everyone sees AI as part of the problem. Some researchers believe
it could be the very tool we need to fight back against digital
deception.
Why Misinformation Matters
When
falsehoods about climate science circulate widely, people are far less
likely to make changes to their own behaviour — or support policies that
do.
As one expert at the Stockholm Resilience Centre
warns, “misinformation and conspiracy theories about wind energy farms
are already affecting the expansion of renewable energy negatively, and
thus the prospects for achieving a transition to zero-carbon energy
sources.”
We know that one popular myth is that wind farms are
killing thousands of whales; they are not. And while they are
responsible for millions of killed birds, the honest truth is that cats
kill more birds than turbines, but we don’t hear conspiracy theories
risking the ire of cat lovers by suggesting we get rid of cats!
In
other words, the spread of climate misinformation isn’t just confusing —
it’s selective and designed to actively undermine the building of a
more sustainable fossil-free future by weakening our determination and
will to act.
These narratives do not just emerge organically. Rather, they are fueled by industries with a lot to lose in a greener world. Oil and gas lobbyists,
with the help of some fossil-friendly politicians, rely heavily on
spreading doubt and confusion to delay climate regulations and maintain
their grip on both energy policy and the economy.
In this context,
disinformation — false information spread deliberately to mislead —
becomes a weapon to conflate and confuse scientific fact.
Between
eroding public trust in scientific consensus and fostering political
polarization, both misinformation and disinformation stop climate action
in its tracks and fuel a toxic status quo.
Misinformation,
and being told over and over again that our everything is fine, is what
put us into the current environmental situation we are in. The decline
in our planet’s health is because we listened to those that have a
direct interested in degrading our environment. Aidan Charron, Associate Director of Global Earth Day
The Dark Side of AI
The
very features that make AI so powerful — its speed, scalability, and
ability to generate human-like content — also make it a potent tool for
spreading climate misinformation.
Platforms like ChatGPT are trained on
enormous amounts of data pulled from across the internet, including
conspiracy theories, biased articles, and outdated information.
Without
proper oversight, they can easily end up repeating — or even amplifying —
misinformation.
A study by the Center for Countering Digital Hate tested Google’s AI chatbot Gemini
(formerly Bard) on 100 false narratives across several themes.
The
results? Gemini produced misinformation in 78 out of 100 cases, and it
generated falsehoods in all 10 climate-related narratives. That’s not
just an occasional slip-up; that’s a pattern with irrevocable
consequences.
As Asheley R. Landrum, an associate professor at
the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at
Arizona State University, pointed out in an email to DeSmog,
“malicious actors exploit LLMs … to create disinformation.”
That means
people — and corporations within polluting industries — can
intentionally use AI to spread lies, knowing that the authority of the
technology makes those lies more believable.
With just a few
prompts, AI can spin a conspiracy theory into a slick, emotionally
charged script, complete with fabricated “evidence,” sensationalized
language, and hooks tailored to specific demographics. Add dramatic
music, trending hashtags, and a charismatic creator, and the lie becomes
compelling content.
TikTok’s algorithm rewards engagement, not accuracy,
so the more provocative and polarizing the video, the more it gets
pushed to new viewers.
Suddenly, an absurd conspiracy theory — say, that
climate change was caused by the government to control us —- can rack
up millions of views, influence public opinion, and even change
someone’s vote before fact-checkers catch up.
There’s also a
deeper issue here: media literacy. We’ve become so used to letting AI
answer our questions that we’ve stopped doing the work ourselves.
Reliance on AI, particularly in academic settings, is weakening our
research and critical thinking skills — and making us more vulnerable to
digital deception in the process.
It’s not just that AI gets things
wrong. It’s that we trust it so much, to the point where we don’t even
realize it or feel the need to check the veracity of what it is saying
to us.
The Bright Side of AI
But
it’s not all doom and gloom.
AI can also be part of the solution,
especially when it’s used thoughtfully and with purpose.
One promising
example comes from John Cook, a senior research fellow at the Melbourne
Centre for Behaviour Change.
CARDS
uses a “fact-myth-fallacy-fact-debunking” structure to identify and
counter climate misinformation in real time.
It works like this:
identify the real fact, point out the fallacy behind the myth, and
explain how the fallacy misleads.
The goal is to make climate science
easier to understand while disarming harmful narratives in the process.
Interestingly,
the data CARDS was trained on came from climate denial blogs and
conservative think tanks — precisely the sources that have fueled much
of the online climate skepticism that the AI tool is trying to counter.
While the tool isn’t perfect (it still struggles with AI’s tendency to
hallucinate), it’s been shown to detect misinformation with almost 90%
accuracy. And the team isn’t stopping there; they’re aiming for 100%.
This
kind of innovation shows how AI can be repurposed as a solution.
Instead of being a mouthpiece for fossil fuel propaganda, it can be a
powerful ally in the fight against climate disinformation.
So, What Comes Next?
Clearly, we can’t just sit back and hope AI will magically sort itself out.
Regulation is going to be key.
A professor at UC Berkeley School of Law,
who specializes in AI, has expressed deep concern over the growing
distrust in science, particularly when it comes to climate change. With
the current administration shrinking NOAA and gutting its climate research programs, we’re already moving in the wrong direction.
She
believes we need laws that introduce incentives for social platforms to
do their own fact-checking.
One idea she’s been exploring is a
negligence standard: if a platform knowingly publishes false
information, it should be held financially accountable.
It’s a legal
approach to a digital-age problem — one that, with the right oversight,
can help slow the spread of climate lies.
She also emphasizes the
importance of personal responsibility.
Being mindful of how we browse,
share, and interact with content online can help prevent misinformation
from spreading across platforms.
Everyone has a role to play, from tech
companies to users, in protecting what she calls our “fundamental right
to truthfulness.”
Utilizing journalistic double sourcing,
peer-reviewed sources is the easiest and best step to limit repeating
any falsehoods AI tries to feed you.
A More Climate Literate Future Starts Now
What is clear is AI
isn’t going anywhere.
If anything, it is only becoming more embedded in
our daily lives and information ecosystems.
The real question is
whether we’ll let it drag us backward or push us forward. Projects like
CARDS prove that there’s still hope — that AI can be a force for good if
we’re willing to steer it in the right direction. But we can’t afford
to be passive.
Take action today by educating yourself on the
real science behind climate change and improving your environmental
literacy, starting right here on EARTHDAY.ORG.
The fight against climate misinformation is also a fight for a livable
future on the planet we call home.
And we need all the tools — and truth
— we can get.
CAAD – The AI Threats to Climate Change
Discusses the dual risk of AI: spreading climate disinformation and increasing carbon emissions due to high energy use.
The end of May saw severe flooding in NSW's mid-north coast, while parts of South Australia and Victoria were in a record drought. (NSW Police/ABC News: Jess Davs)
Outlook
The bureau's official winter outlook shows a warm winter is likely across all of Australia, but the rainfall prediction is less clear.
Fire authorities are warning there is an unseasonal increased fire risk this winter across parts of southern Australia.
Climate Driver
There are forecasts a major climate driver could swing into its wet phase over the coming months, helping to drive rainfall in late winter.
There are signs a major climate driver could shift into its "wet phase" over the coming months, boosting the chance of rain across large parts of Australia toward the end of winter.
It shows strong signs that winter will be warmer than normal, continuing on from what has been a record-warm start to the year for large parts of southern Australia.
Unfortunately, the long-range forecast offers few clues on what is to come for the next two months for the regions that rely on winter rainfall.
Across June and July, the model slightly favours wetter-than-normal weather through flood-affected parts of the east coast and some drought-affected parts of South Australia.
But for most of Australia's populated areas there is no clear sign that rainfall will veer from the average.
"What we're really saying is the dice aren't particularly loaded over the next three months for either wetter or drier conditions," BOM's national manager of climate services Karl Braganza said.
There is, however, a notable shift later in the season, with the rainy signal strengthening for large portions of the country from July to September.
This signal is strongest through northern and central parts of the country, but also extends through the majority of Queensland, into New South Wales away from the coast, and across much of South Australia.
Dr Braganza said this was consistent with forecasts that a major climate driver — known as the Indian Ocean Dipole — would swing into its wet phase over the coming months.
The Indian Ocean Dipole — or IOD — is often referred to as the cousin of the better-known El Niño and La Niña.
During a negative phase, warmer-than-normal waters concentrate near Australia's north-west, helping to create a moisture-rich atmosphere that the western winds can tap into as they move across the country from the north-west to the south-east.
"So, for the last couple of years now, we've had just really warm waters around the coast of Australia," Dr Braganza said.
"And we've seen that with some of the rain-bearing systems that we've had come through. They've tended to rain a lot, including the recent system that we had in the east over New South Wales."
"So those warm oceans are having an influence on the east of the continent, and they're having an influence over the north-west and inland parts of the continent as they bring moisture over the mainland."
Southern Australia desperate for rain
In South Australia and western Victoria, rain is desperately needed soon, according to agronomist Martin Colbert.
The soil is incredibly dry across drought-stricken areas. (ABC News: Jess Davis)
"We need above-average rainfall immediately just to get the crop to start," he said.
"If we get sub-average rainfall before spring, things will be so poor that, while rain will be nice, it won't save us."
Unfortunately, for drought-stricken parts of western Victoria, the prospect of above-average rainfall remains inconclusive even into the later part of the season.
It is the same for large parts of Western Australia and Tasmania, which have also been overwhelmingly dry and warm for the past year.
The ongoing dry conditions have forecast an unseasonal increased fire risk through large parts of South Australia and Victoria this winter.
"At this time of year, typically you don't get the really high temperatures, low humidity and wind speeds that cause a fire to rapidly spread," Dr Braganza said.
"So it's quite different to summer, but it's very dry out there with dry paddocks and other things. So grassfires and other fires could get going at this time of year."
The dry conditions in parts of southern Australia have caused authorities to warn of an unseasonal increased fire risk this winter. (Supplied: Australasian Fire & Emergency Service Authorities Council)
Another warm winter
One thing that is clear in the winter forecast is the temperature.
The entire country is strongly favoured to have warmer-than-normal day and night-time temperatures this season.
Warm winters are something that have become commonplace in recent decades. Of the 10 warmest winters on record, nine have occurred since 2010.
How much did yearly winter temperatures veer from the average?
Only two of the last 35 winters in Australia have been cooler than the 1960 to 1990 average.
Dr Braganza said the bureau's long-range model represented "conditions at the largest scale", such as pressure patterns and ocean conditions.
But it cannot pick up on individual systems and how much rain they will bring.
These individual systems can make a big difference to the outcome.
Australian National University hydro-climate scientist Chiara Holgate said studies of past droughts in southern Australia had shown the presence of just a "handful" of big, organised storms could be the difference between a wet and dry season.
Just a handful of strong winter cold fronts and storms can change the fortunes of southern Australia's season. (Supplied: Marcus Scott)
"We know from other studies that it's a handful of the heavier rain days, say about 10mm in a day, that can change the fortunes of a region of Australia," Dr Holgate said.
"So if there's 10 extra days compared to normal of those higher rain days, we can expect it would be a wet year. But if we didn't get those 10 or so heavy rain days, then that region would be at risk of entering drought."
The life of Woodside's Karratha Gas Plant will be extended after the project gained approval from the federal government. (Supplied: Woodside)
Climate
advocates have been left devastated by the federal government's
decision to sign off on an extension of Australia's largest oil and gas
project until 2070, describing it as a "dark day".
Federal environment minister Murray Watt has approved the decision to extend Woodside's North West Shelf project. (ABC News: Keane Bourke)
Newly
minted Environment Minister Murray Watt on Wednesday approved
Woodside's proposal to extend the life of its North West Shelf gas
project, after it sat on ice for six years.
Approval was granted under strict conditions, which the gas giant has 10 days to review and accept.
A
swathe of scientists have raised concerns about the project, including
the impact of emissions on the environment and ancient Aboriginal rock
art at the nearby Murujuga Cultural Landscape.
UN recommendation
Ms Rollins is concerned about the climate change ramifications. (ABC News: Courtney Withers)
Australian
Conservation Foundation campaigner Piper Rollins said there were no
conditions that could be imposed to address those concerns.
"We
know that this approval is going to be responsible for billions of
tonnes of carbon emissions emitted into our atmosphere," she said.
"This
state is going to suffer the most and this project is going to
disproportionately drive climate change and make it even worse."
The
UN recommended the government inform it of the intention to authorise
major projects which may affect the "outstanding universal value" of the
Murujuga site.
Greens MP Sophie McNeill says the decision left her 'speechless'. (ABC News: Courtney Withers)
Greens Upper House MP Sophie McNeill said the timing of Senator Watt's announcement was concerning.
"The
UN World Heritage listing of Murujuga's rock art is under threat from
Woodside industrial emissions," she said.
"That's the breaking news that came out
from UNESCO just this morning, and what we've seen is federal Labour
rush to get this decision out before the news about UNESCO does the
rounds.
"This
is a devastating, dark day and I know there will be many parents like
myself tonight having to tell my kids what happened today.
"We're just so devastated by this news, we're kind of speechless."
The Environment Minister Murray Watt has given Woodside the green light to extend the life of the Karratha Gas Plant. (ABC News: Charlie Mclean)
'See you in court'
Ms Cooper opposes the approval. (ABC News: Keane Bourke)
Her
court application had argued Woodside's industrial developments on the
Burrup Peninsula pose a threat to thousands of Aboriginal petroglyphs.
"See you in court," she said in a statement on Wednesday.
"I'm not on my own, I'm bringing warriors from this ngurra [home] with me."
Kaylene Daniel campaigned against an extension to the North West Shelf
gas project on the Burrup Peninsula, and said she wouldn't give up the
fight. (ABC News: Charlie Mclean)
Ngarluma Yindjibarndi woman Kaylene Daniel said the decision "saddened" her.
"Because
all through those years that me, my family and others out there have
talked about this place, protected this place Murujuga," she said.
"Murujuga meant so much to us."
Ms
Daniel described Murujuga as "like a library" full of First Nations
stories, songlines and rock art and said she would not give up fighting
to protect her country.
"I can't give up, it's not for me to give up, my family didn't give up," she said.
"I'm still going to speak out for this country, because this country is important, it's sacred and it's been passed on to me.
A crowd of protesters gathered outside Woodside Energy's annual general meeting in Perth earlier this month. (ABC News: Keane Bourke)
Australasian
Centre for Corporate Responsibility analyst Alex Hillman worked as
Woodside's climate change advisor for five years.
He
said there were merits to using gas as a transitional fossil fuel on
the path to greater renewable use, but said the world already had enough
of it for this purpose.
"We don't need any more gas to be developed," he said.
Mr Hillman also questioned if the project was in the best interests of Woodside shareholders.
"We don't see a compelling business case for Woodside to invest in any of the gas that would feed North West Shelf," he said.
Woodside reviewing approval
Ms O'Neill says Woodside was working closely with the government to understand the impact of its emissions. (ABC News: Elizabeth Pickering)
Woodside chief executive Meg O'Neill said the gas giant was currently reviewing the conditions of the approval.
"The
conditions relate to heritage and air quality, so our team is working
through with the department to understand what the conditions mean, and
we will respond and work with the department in coming days," she said.
Addressing
concerns around potential emissions damage to cultural heritage sites,
Ms O'Neill said Woodside believed "industry and heritage can coexist".
"We've
worked very closely with the government over many years to understand
what sort of emissions might cause an impact," she said.
Publican relieved
Mr Bond feels common sense has prevailed. (ABC News: Charlie Mclean)
Dampier publican Nick Bond said the decision brought "a sense of relief and optimism".
"It's going to give security and financial backing to the country for a long, long time to come," he said.
"It
gives us the security we need to be able to invest in new
accommodation, new infrastructure and make our asset better for the
community.
"The whole country's going to benefit from this decision."
Karratha local Elise Murray took a different view.
"I've lived there, I've grown up there, it's a beautiful place to be," the 18-year-old said.
"To
put it at risk by focusing on the money that it will bring in —
obviously it's amazing that it'll build so many jobs for local people,
but if you're ruining the environment in the first place, you're not
going to have enough people that want to live there by the end of it."
"It's really important that we look after the area and focus on a more renewable energy source."
Australia’s oldest land managers may hold the key to surviving its hottest future. Across the continent, Indigenous fire knowledge is making a comeback—and it’s reshaping how we think about bushfires, biodiversity, and resilience.
🔍 In Brief
Cultural burning: A low-intensity practice used by Aboriginal people for thousands of years to reduce fuel loads and support ecosystems.
Climate buffer: Helps prevent catastrophic fires, protect biodiversity, and rejuvenate native species post-burn.
Community-led programs: Firesticks Alliance and Indigenous ranger groups are scaling cultural fire practices.
Science alignment: Modern fire science increasingly supports Indigenous approaches as effective and sustainable.
Policy lag: Bureaucratic barriers and fragmented land tenures are slowing integration into national fire strategies.
Carbon potential: Cool burns may aid in carbon storage and reduce methane release from high-intensity wildfires.
Land justice link: Fire knowledge is tied to cultural identity, sovereignty, and long-term stewardship.
🔥 Fire, the Oldest Tool
Long before hazard reduction burns became policy, Aboriginal communities were using fire as a tool, not just for survival, but for care.
Known as “cultural burning”, these low, cool burns were designed to clear undergrowth, protect trees, and invite regrowth of food plants and medicinal species.
“Our fires speak the language of Country,” says Victor Steffensen, a Tagalaka fire practitioner. “When done properly, fire doesn’t destroy—it heals.”
After decades of suppression policies, this ancient knowledge is finally gaining ground again, especially as Australia faces hotter, longer bushfire seasons.
🌡️ Fire and a Warming Climate
Australia’s climate is becoming more fire-prone. The CSIRO warns that extreme fire weather days have increased since the 1970s, and fire seasons are starting earlier and ending later.
This puts more pressure on conventional hazard reduction methods. High winds, dry fuel loads, and erratic rain patterns make broadscale burning riskier.
But cultural burns, done at the right time and scale, offer a safer alternative.
Studies show these methods reduce catastrophic fire risk and even enhance biodiversity—especially in savannas and woodlands.
🌾 Reviving Knowledge, Rebuilding Country
Organizations like the Firesticks Alliance are working to train Indigenous rangers and landholders in cultural fire practices. In Arnhem Land and parts of Queensland, these burns are already being used to manage over 17 million hectares.
“This is about more than land—it’s about culture, ceremony, and healing,” says Walgett elder Narelle Long. “Fire knowledge connects us to our ancestors.”
But scaling these efforts faces roadblocks.
Land tenure issues, regulatory red tape, and lack of sustained government support make it hard to integrate traditional knowledge into national bushfire plans.
🌍 Carbon, Co-Benefits, and the Future
Beyond fire risk reduction, cultural burning offers climate co-benefits.
According to a 2021 study by the Climate Council, early-season cool burns can lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to late-season wildfires, which release more methane and nitrous oxide.
There’s also growing interest in the carbon market: Indigenous land managers may earn carbon credits for emissions avoided through cultural burning, providing economic incentives for climate-smart land care.
But to unlock these opportunities, Australia must commit to Indigenous-led fire programs—not just as a cultural gesture, but as core climate policy.
🧭 The Path Forward
Australia’s future will burn.
It’s a matter of how, when, and why.
If done right, fire can be an ally against ecological collapse.
But that means listening to those who’ve managed this land for 65,000 years.
“Cultural burning isn’t just about fire,” says Steffensen. “It’s about responsibility. It’s about reading Country. And it’s about time we put it at the centre of our resilience planning.”
