Shark Bite 17

Two positive stories to share today – let’s get into them.

Indigenous community takes down big oil company in Australian court 

An Australian court delivered a huge win for an indigenous community in the Timor Sea, throwing out the federal government’s approval for Santos Limited to pursue a $3.6 billion offshore drilling project.

The court ruled in favor of Dennis Tipakalippa, an indigenous leader from the Tiwi Islands. He argued that his community was not consulted about the project that would threaten the Tiwi peoples’ food sources, culture, and way of life.

The oil company even went as far as arguing that the traditional owners from the Tiwi Islands were not relevant stakeholders in the project. 

 Ah, nothing quite like seeing big oil lose to the little guys. 

 But this is more than just a win for the planet. 

 Why?

 Because Australia has a terrible history of killing indigenous people and exploiting their resources. This rare win sets a precedent that indigenous groups have the right to fight against projects that damage their land. 

 Hoping to see more of this in the future. 

OceanShot, a pioneering coral restoration project, to launch in Antigua and Barbuda

OceanShot announced that Antigua and Barbuda will serve as the host for the launch of their tailor-made coral modules.

OceanShot is a pioneering coral reef restoration project that plans to mimic natural reefs to provide opportunities for colonization by coral and other marine life. As an added bonus, these artificial reefs will protect vulnerable coastal communities from storm surges and sea level rise. 

Though the project has its sights set on building reefs around the world, Antigua and Barbuda was chosen as the launch site because most of their corals have already been killed by ocean acidification and warming sea temperatures.

If the artificial reefs can effectively restore a coral ecosystem that’s 90% dead, Antigua and Barbuda will have a fighting chance against climate change. 

Even better, early success will create widespread adoption and these modules will be deployed across the world’s oceans to restore biodiversity and protect coastal communities. 

OceanShot is swinging for the fences here – we love to see it. Fingers crossed they hit it out of the park. 

See you next week. 

Kai

Co-Founder