‘It’s going to be messy’: advocates balance climate action and conservation amid Queensland’s green energy boom

Conservationists at the site of the proposed Wooroora Station wind farm in far north Queensland that was blocked by the federal environment minister, Tanya Plibersek. Photograph: Lucy Graham

A map of operating windfarms in Queensland does not take too long to survey – of the 100 or so across Australia, only six of them are in the sunshine state.

But this is about to change in a very big way. According to state government data, there are 46 separate proposals for windfarms in Queensland with four more already under construction.