The approval would allow Woodside’s Karratha gas processing plant to operate until 2070, releasing about 4 billion tonnes of CO2, equivalent to roughly 10 years of Australia’s annual emissions. The Australian Conservation Foundation and Friends of Australian Rock Art are running concurrent federal court challenges against Environment Minister Murray Watt’s 2025 approval of the North West Shelf extension, arguing he failed to properly consider climate impacts to protected areas and the erosion risks to the adjacent Murujuga indigenous rock art complex. UN special rapporteur Astrid Puentes Riaño has been granted leave to intervene as a friend of the court, submitting that Australia’s international law obligations include a duty to prevent significant harm to the climate system, citing the International Court of Justice’s landmark advisory opinion.