Climate change activists staged a massive protest on Thursday during the annual general meeting of oil and gas giant Woodside Energy at the Crown Towers in Perth.
Greenpeace Australia Pacific urged shareholders to reject Woodside’s plans to drill for gas near Scott Reef.
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Woodside’s own investors also contributed to the backlash, with Australian superannuation funds HESTA and Aware lodging protest votes against its director charged with climate risk oversight.
Greenpeace has vowed to keep pressing Woodside to protect climate and nature.
Greenpeace Australia CEO David Ritter said, “Woodside chairman Richard Goyder treated Greenpeace representatives at the AGM with unnecessary antagonism and evasiveness, but we will not relent on rigorous democratic scrutiny to hold Woodside accountable for its plans to wreck WA’s pristine oceans, Scott Reef, and our climate.
“From the proceedings at recent Woodside AGMs, it is abundantly clear that many Western Australians and Woodside shareholders are deeply concerned about the devastating potential impact of Woodside’s plans on our oceans, climate, health, and cultural heritage—and that Woodside is feeling the heat.
“Instead of responding to valid concern and scrutiny with antagonism, Woodside should focus on ensuring its plans align with what the science demands on nature protection and emissions reduction.”
Woodside chair Richard Goyder said in his address to shareholders, “We are determined for Woodside to play a constructive role in the global response to climate change, and are taking meaningful steps to achieve this.
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“At the same time, our climate strategy is well suited for current political and market realities, which indicates the energy transition is likely to unfold in a way that is not linear or uniform across the globe.
“We are operating a complex business and making significant decisions in a time of geopolitical uncertainty, with the energy transition central to that.”
