New fossil fuel projects in Western Australia's north have triggered climate protests on the other side of the world, but some say the benefits of developments should be acknowledged.
Greenpeace Germany has coordinated several protests in recent months, with one aimed at disrupting the delivery of equipment vital to Woodside's new Australian operations.
About 20 activists blocked the Emma Oldendorff, a ship transporting pipes to build the 430-kilometre pipeline for Woodside's Scarborough gas project off the Burrup Peninsula.
The waters off the Burrup are home to a unique marine environment with humpback whales, turtles, and a coral reef.
The area also hosts heavy industrial processing and multiple offshore gas fields, including the proposed $16 billion Scarborough project.
The operation is expected to export its first LNG shipment in 2026 and will emit millions of tonnes of carbon.
Greenpeace Germany campaigner Manfred Santen was involved in the August protest and said the activists stopped the ship for "half a day".
"[We] made it clear that we think the damage or the potential damage to the marine environment in Australia is such a big risk that they have to step out of these projects," he said.
Mr Sanfred said the environmental group was targeting German energy companies RWE and Uniper, who have entered into deals to purchase gas from Woodside.
In July, Greenpeace projected an image of the Ningaloo reef featuring a mother humpback whale and her calf on the side of an RWE gas power plant in Lingen.
Activists protested outside Uniper's headquarters in Dusseldorf and RWE's headquarters in Essen to highlight the potential threat gas developments posed to whales.
Uniper spokesperson Oliver Roeder said the company was looking for alternative gas supplies because it usually relied on the Ukraine market, which is being affected by the Russian invasion.
Mr Roeder said Woodside was working to ensure environmental standards were met for its Scarborough gas field.
"Due to the state-of-the-art infrastructure, we expect comparatively low CO2 and methane emissions," he said.
RWE said, while it had entered a contract with Woodside to receive LNG from its global supply, it had not agreed to purchase gas from Scarborough.
Community contributions
Woodside declined requests for an interview and statement but sent the ABC documents relating to its contributions to the community.
The North West Shelf Project on the Burrup Peninsula injected $1.9 billion into the Australian economy last year, according to the documents.
The company said 545 employees who worked on Woodside facilities in Karratha were residential, with their families also contributing to the local economy.
Jignesh Patel is the president of the Baynton Lions Cricket Club, which is one of the local sporting groups sponsored by Woodside.
He said the company helped build Karratha into the city it is today.
"I moved here 10 years ago and there were no traffic lights … and now you can see the transformation," he said.
Mr Jignesh said he did not know much about the protests in Germany but said it was important to acknowledge some of the benefits arising from new developments.
"Every business or every government decision is going to impact half [of the] community and a half of the community [is] going to get a benefit," he said.
"They're building projects so at the moment a lot of workers are getting jobs there … but in the other way you can see it's affecting marine life."
Global pressure grows
Curtin University sustainability expert Peter Newman said the international attention was the beginning of a "continual series of protests" about the Scarborough project.
"The world is moving away from all forms of fossil fuels … gas is not a transition fuel anymore, it is simply a fossil fuel that needs to be banned and removed from the planet," he said.
Professor Newman, who is also a lead author on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, said the protests would be concerning gas companies.
"They are worried because this is a continuation of a growing phenomenon that has got right into their shareholder meetings and boards," he said.
"We need to be aware that this massive investment that's beginning in the Pilbara for gas is likely to be stranded."
Greenpeace Australia's Jess Panegyres said the group's global activism would not be slowing down.
"People are so concerned about the climate and biodiversity impacts of this project, it's globally significant that people on the other side of the world are protesting this," she said.
"This is contributing to a global climate disaster."
