Australia

The Great Australian Bight covers hundreds of thousands of square kilometres of ocean bordering a crescent of raw, wind-lashed coastline running from east of Esperance, in Western Australia, to the tip of South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula. One of the world’s most pristine marine environments, with more biodiversity than the Great Barrier Reef, the Bight is a haven for endangered species including southern right whales, which calve off the Head of Bight in winter. Equinor was granted a petroleum title over areas in the Bight in 2011. The plans was met with huge public opposition including from indigenous leaders, surfers, local communities, national and international environmental organisations. In 2020, Equinor announced that it was cancelling its plans to drill in the Bight.