people power

Sometimes people power wins against big oil and the politicians supporting the fossil fuel industry.

Norwegian oil company Equinor has pulled out of drilling in the Great Australian Bight.

This is a big win in Australia for environmentalists, indigenous peoples, local South Australian communities and industries, and anyone who loves nature. Such a beautiful, wild and pristine marine environment and whale breeding sanctuary has been saved. It’s been a long, ongoing protest for so many people. Late last year there was a collective sense of dread that drilling was inevitable given the current Coalition government’s support and the approval for the project by the national offshore petroleum watchdog NOPSEMA. There were still more hurdles for Equinor to jump and the Wilderness Society took legal action against NOPSEMA over their consulting (or lack of) process. But Equinor has bailed and there’s now a push to have the Great Australian Bight Marine Park placed on the World Heritage List.

An amazing win. And a HUGE relief.