Fossil Fuel Project Linked to Hundreds of Deaths and Unprecedented Heat

According to a new study published on October 13, 2025, emissions from the $16.5 billion Scarborough gas project being developed by Australian fossil fuel company Woodside could have significant climate impacts. The project, expected to start production off the northern Western Australian coast next year, is estimated to result in 876 million tons of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere over three decades.

Researchers from six universities have examined the climate impact of the Scarborough project, finding that the emissions would contribute 0.00039°C to global heating. This fraction of warming would expose an additional 516,000 people globally to unprecedented heat and result in the loss of an extra 16 million coral colonies in the Great Barrier Reef during future bleaching events. The study also suggests the project would push 356,000 people outside the "human climate niche" - the reasonable zone for human survival, with an upper limit for average annual temperature of 29°C.

Under a middle-of-the-road emissions scenario, the warming contributed by Scarborough would cause an additional 484 heat-related deaths in Europe alone by the end of the century, with a net contribution of 118 additional deaths after accounting for a reduction in cold-related deaths. The researchers say their approach could be used by governments and companies to assess the climate impacts of future fossil fuel projects and determine whether they should be approved.