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4d ago

UNESCO to Vote on Murujuga Listing Without Industrial Emissions Conditions

With the vote imminent, traditional owners have warned that lifting emission controls would leave ancient petroglyphs vulnerable to further damage.

Aboriginal people worry about the impact of mining on heritage sites
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The North West Shelf venture is among Australia's largest emitters of greenhouse gas

Overview

  • Australia’s Environment Minister Murray Watt led lobbying at UNESCO’s 47th session in Paris to amend the draft decision and remove ICOMOS-recommended limits on nearby gas and industrial projects.
  • Eight World Heritage Committee members, including Kenya and Japan, co-sponsored an amendment to immediately inscribe Murujuga without the emission safeguards ICOMOS had sought.
  • A recent Bonn University study revealed lower pH rainwater from industrial emissions is accelerating the weathering of Murujuga’s petroglyph-bearing rocks.
  • Traditional custodians like Raelene Cooper are demanding a moratorium on further industrial expansions and legally enforceable heritage protections.
  • Inscription would activate new federal EPBC Act protections and conservation funding but would not automatically halt operations at Woodside’s Burrup Peninsula facilities.