Lack of public access to key information about fossil fuel projects around Australia is a major obstacle in the path to protecting our fragile climate....
Environmental Defenders Office Ltd
Making the EDO’s fossil fuel tracker publicly available
GOAL
$106,180
australia > NATIONWIDE > Metro and regional
01/07/2024 > 30/06/2025
FIELD OF INTEREST
- Environment conservation and climate change
- Social inclusion and justice
TARGET POPULATION
- General population
PROJECT SUMMARY
Lack of public access to key information about fossil fuel projects around Australia is a major obstacle in the path to protecting our fragile climate.
The UN has stated that no new fossil fuel projects can be approved if we want to avoid the worst impacts of dangerous climate change. However, Australia remains the largest exporter of coal and LNG globally, and the third-largest fossil fuel exporter in the world, despite Australia’s Paris commitment to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
Since early 2022, the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) has forensically monitored and documented Australian fossil fuel projects in the regulatory pipeline using an in-house Fossil Fuel Tracker. EDO is the only organisation in Australia conducting this in-depth tracking of coal, oil and gas projects nationally, and analysing this data from a legal perspective.
The Fossil Fuel Tracker is currently used in-house, and the data is used to support legal outreach to affected communities early in the assessment process, providing opportunities for informed participation.
Our goal is to make the Tracker a publicly available interactive map to give communities around Australia access to accurate and timely information about fossil fuel projects in their area. This is critical to ensure citizens can exercise their public participation rights and work together to tackle dangerous climate change. We know that when the public is involved in environmental decision making, the outcomes are better for people, nature, and the planet.
PROJECT OUTCOMES
Australia is warming at a faster rate than most other places on Earth and we are almost halfway through this critical decade to stop runaway climate change. Science is clear that the mining and burning of fossil fuels is exacerbating catastrophic climate change and there is no time to waste.
By making the Fossil Fuel Tracker publicly available and updated weekly, it will act as an early warning system for affected communities. The Tracker provides evidence that will strengthen community campaigns in the fight for a safe climate and become a crucial resource for citizens, lawmakers, conservationists, and campaigning organisations.
Once published, the Tracker will allow affected communities to identify projects early and to exercise their public participation rights by objecting to fossil fuel projects at critical moments. To do this, we require a specialist role to update the Tracker weekly, develop it as a public-facing online tool, and make it known and available to affected communities.
Environmental Defenders Office Ltd
The Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) is an environmental law firm. We seek to achieve systemic legal change by representing clients in ground-breaking legal cases and by advocating for legislative reform that will realise our vision of a world where nature thrives.
On behalf of our clients, we also scrutinise and challenge resource developments and regulatory proposals that jeopardise nature and a livable climate. EDO began as a small group of lawyers in 1985 responding to the growth in community groups seeking legal representation to oppose major developments. By the mid-1990s EDO had formed offices in each Australian state and territory, operating as separate legal entities in a loosely affiliated network. In 2019, nine offices merged into one powerhouse environmental legal defence organisation. Almost four decades on from humble beginnings, EDO is now the most impactful environmental legal service in the Australia-Pacific region.
BUDGET BREAKDOWN
TOTAL BUDGET: $186,180
FUNDING
| Funding source | Amount |
|---|---|
| Anonymous foundation (confirmed) | $50,000 |
| EDO financial contribution – Fossil Fuel Tracker interactive design (confirmed) | $10,000 |
| In-kind contribution – community campaigning partner (confirmed) | $20,000 |
| Funding gap (unconfirmed) | $106,180 |
EXPENSES
| Expense item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Fossil Fuel Tracker specialist (1FTE, includes on-costs) | $141,180 |
| Public-facing Fossil Fuel Tracker interactive design | $10,000 |
| Community campaigning costs | $20,000 |
| Promotion of Fossil Fuel Tracker | $15,000 |
Support Making the EDO’s fossil fuel tracker publicly available
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