The US miner's extraction of bauxite near Perth is facing significant public scrutiny for the first time, and many are resisting what is happening to their beloved jarrah forest.
In The Hague this week, Australia worked hard to minimise the legal liability of major emitters and fossil fuel exporters for their contribution to climate change.
Australia has told the International Court of Justice it is "resolutely committed" to uphold the Paris Agreement in a landmark hearing brought by Vanuatu.
The environmental watchdog is set to remove restrictions on climate pollution in months but is much slower looking into concerns about quarantine and turtles on the Barrow Island nature reserve.
WA hydrogen minister Alannah MacTiernan believes a viable green hydrogen industry will build community support for the State's economy relying less on gas.
WA's EPA is now restraining growth in carbon emissions from industry but it and State and Federal Governments need to do more to keep the State attractive to increasingly climate-concerned investors.
Thirty per cent of Australia's emissions come from industry like LNG and the Federal Government needs to start pushing change now to have any hope of achieving net-zero by 2050.
Santos wants to approve its $2.8B Dorado oil project off WA in mid-2022 but science and the law will provide hurdles to its 165 million tonnes of carbon pollution.
Andrew Forrest's Squadron Energy is pulling out of plans to frack the Kimberley for gas citing climate concerns, but the minor partner may continue the work.
The latest science is clear: "Every fraction of a degree of global warming increases the likelihood and severity of many extremes...every effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions matters."
TotalEnergies shipped a carbon-neutral LNG cargo from Ichthys in late 2020 when the Inpex-operated project had massive flaring of gas but will not confirm if the above normal emissions were offset.
