<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/aug/13/wa-museum-partnership-with-woodside-criticised-as-record-breaking-marine-heatwave-decimates-coral-reefs-ntwfb>
"The Western Australian Greens and the state’s peak conservation body have
condemned the extension of a research partnership between the Western
Australian Museum and Woodside, as the state reels from a record-breaking
marine heatwave that has killed corals over a 1,500km stretch of ocean.
The five-year continuation of the “longstanding collaboration”, in which the
gas giant supports the museum’s biodiversity research along the WA coastline,
would allow for further targeted research along the Gascoyne coast, according
to announcements.
In a post on its LinkedIn page, the museum wrote that “to mark the milestone”
Woodside was supporting free general admission to the WA Maritime Museum on
Sunday 17 August for the “Woodside Energy Open Day” and the event would feature
“family-friendly activities all about marine science” as part of National
Science Week.
The new deal – which extends the 28-year partnership – and the open day have
been promoted in front-page advertisements in WA media this week.
It has prompted fury from climate advocates and the WA Greens as it coincides
with the release of research about the extent of the damage caused by a
record-breaking, climate-change fuelled marine heatwave to the state’s coral
reefs.
The heatwave, which started to build off the north-west WA coast in August
2024, has been called “the most severe coral bleaching on record for Western
Australian coral reefs”.
It killed coral throughout an area that stretches 1,500km, according to a group
of scientists from state and federal government departments, agencies and
universities who worked on this week’s report."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
