AEGN

Climate change advocacy

Climate change affects us all and we urgently need to scale up action and phase out damaging activities.

Funders can help to advocate for change and call on government to dedicate funds to make it happen. Funders can also invest in transition industries and technologies, influence boards and companies to divest from fossil fuels, support affected communities, and build capacity within civil society organisations working to ensure that the transition is fast, fair and sustainable.

Climate action & just transition

  

What’s been happening?

International

  • COP29 wound up in Baku – read our insight blog. You can also read a summary of outcomes from the UNFCCC and Carbon Brief.
  • The UK government has pledged to reduce emissions by 81% of 1995 levels by 2035. The deadline for other countries to submit revised 2035 NDCs has been extended to September 2025.
  • The UK Supreme Court ruled that the EU’s Environment Impact Assessment Directive requires decision makers to consider the impacts of downstream greenhouse gas emissions of fossil fuel extraction projects (Scope 3 emissions)
  • The European Court of Human Rights ruled that the Swiss government had violated the human rights of its citizens by failing to do enough to combat climate change (analysis of implications for Australia)
  • The International Court of Justice is hearing evidence for its Advisory Opinion regarding nations’ obligations on climate action (get updates here)

National

States and Territories

What’s coming up?

What is the AEGN doing?
  • Updating members on climate and environment laws, regional planning initiatives for renewables / transition minerals, contested projects and any related litigation
  • Coordinating member collaboration in support of COP31
  • Facilitating member discussions about carbon offsets and gas
  • Promoting use of the Climate Change Funding Framework and Climate Lens to all funders (and updating the gaps & opportunities chapter to reflect current priorities)
  • Supporting Climate Funders and Just Transitions Working Groups to discuss approaches to transition planning that maximise benefits for climate, nature, communities, and cultural heritage protections
  • Working with partner organisations to promote activities calling on Federal and State governments to increase their climate ambition in the lead up to COP31

What can AEGN members do?

Major projects  

A number of key fossil fuel projects will be a focus of community-led campaigns in 2024, highlighting their carbon impact (in addition to other environmental and cultural impacts) and the potential for a few big projects to undermine achievement of climate targets. These include:

  • Middle Arm & Beetaloo Basin

With financial support from the Commonwealth government, the NT government is progressing the Middle Arm Industrial Precinct in Darwin Harbour. The Precinct, which will include gas and petrochemical processing and export facilities, is opposed by traditional owners and environmental organisations.

  • Burrup Hub

Woodside’s LNG Burrup Hub – including the Scarborough, NorthWest and Browse plants – is estimated to produce 6 billion tonnes of carbon pollution across its 50-year lifetime, making it Australia’s most polluting project. In addition to the climate and health impacts, there are concerns about impacts on indigenous songlines and world heritage nominated Aboriginal rock art on the Burrup Peninsula (Murujuga)

  • Barossa Gas

Santos is operating the offshore LNG gas project within the Barossa field (285km northwest of Darwin), drilling up to 8 sub-sea wells and transporting gas through an undersea pipeline to a Darwin processing facility.

  • Narrabri  

Gas fields at Narrabri will drill more than 800 coal seam gas wells across sites within the Pilliga forest and farming land on Gamilaroi country.  It is being opposed on the basis of cultural impacts, impacts on aquifers, and climate impacts.

What’s been happening?

What’s coming up?

What is the AEGN doing?
  • Ensuring First Nations voices are centred in events and debate relating to gas projects
  • Hosting field trips to explore the impacts of significant fossil fuel projects
  • Updating members on legal outcomes, campaign and advocacy projects, including opportunities to make submissions or lobby decision makers
What can AEGN members do?

Become a member

It’s been exciting to see the growth in sophistication of how the AEGN operates. For the benefit of all.

Hayley Morris, Morris Family Foundation