Skip to content
Environment

“Sink or swim”: WA Gov hugely underestimating decline in regional gas demand while sleeping on green exports, new report finds

Greenpeace Australia Pacific 2 mins read

PERTH, Tuesday 13 October 2026 —  A new report from Greenpeace Australia Pacific and Springmount Advisory reveals green commodity exports are an untapped economic opportunity for Western Australia in a declining Asian gas market, while offering a genuine solution for decarbonising Asia.

From Gas to Green: Building Western Australia’s Future State is a comprehensive analysis of the declining gas market in Asia, and the untapped economic opportunity for WA to become a global leader in green commodity exports while driving the regional shift away from fossil fuels. 


The report offers key recommendations for the WA Government to support regional decarbonisation through an orderly phase out of gas exports in favour of green iron and other green exports. It comes as global climate leaders from across business, politics and advocacy prepare to meet for the
Global Citizen Now: Perth event focused on decarbonising WA.

Key findings:

  • Gas demand is falling across WA’s core markets in Asia: Gas demand fell in 2025 and is projected to continue to decline, driven by a combination of global geopolitical factors and domestic concerns. 

  • Policy shifts in key markets since the war on Iran now prioritise renewables and nuclear over gas: Japan, South Korea and China have legislated energy plans that prioritise renewables and nuclear over gas.

  • New WA gas would arrive in a saturated, uncertain Asian market filled with cheaper gas: The US is now the world’s largest liquefied gas producer and plans to double its capacity as it also targets Asian markets. 

  • Green commodities offer a real solution to sustain WA’s economy: WA can lead Australia's green commodity exports, which by 2060 could be worth almost a trillion dollars.

  • Exporting more WA gas is likely to delay or impede Asia decarbonisation: Despite claims by the gas industry, there is no evidence that WA gas is displacing coal in Asia, and in fact diverts resources from genuine decarbonisation options.

Geoff Bice, WA Campaign Lead at Greenpeace Australia Pacific said: “As our export partners in Asia shift away from expensive and polluting gas, the WA Government has a golden opportunity to pivot our economy to green exports, like green iron, which is the most effective way to help our region to decarbonise. 

“The writing is on the wall: gas is in decline, renewables are our future. In this context, it makes zero sense for the government to encourage high risk projects like Woodside’s reckless Browse gas proposal at Scott Reef. 

“This report clearly shows that the WA Government faces a choice: sink or swim. They can either allow the gas industry to keep ripping off West Australians and continue propping up its decline, or choose the path that will deliver enormous benefits to the state and the world by becoming a leader in the rapidly expanding green economy.” 


Tom Quinn,
Managing Director of Springmount Advisory: "Western Australia prospers when it looks to the future and builds for future demand. Twenty years from now, what the world needs is green commodities made using WAs abundant renewable resources.

 

"Just like it did with iron ore in the 1950s and gas in the 1970s, WA should look to the future and build what the world will need, not sunsetting industries like gas that are already past their peak."

-ENDS-


Contact details:

Kate O’Callaghan on 0406 231 892 or [email protected] 

Lucy Keller on 0491 135 308 or [email protected]

More from this category

  • Environment
  • 13/10/2026
  • 00:22
Onterris, Inc.

Onterris Rises to No. 5 Among the World’s Leading Pure-Play Environmental Firms

Independent industry ranking reflects continued growth, innovation and leadership in solving environmental challenges. LITTLE ROCK, Ark.–BUSINESS WIRE– Onterris (NYSE: ONT), a global environmental solutions…

  • Contains:
  • Energy, Environment
  • 12/10/2026
  • 11:01
Carbon Zero Initiative, Climate Council, Climate Energy Finance, Nature Conservation Council NSW,

Media Alert: Data Centres must BYO clean energy or households and businesses will pay

12 October 2026 A powerful coalition of industry, investor, climate, legal and public interest groups has declared that data centres must “Bring Your Own New Clean Energy” or households and businesses will pay. The rules must apply to all data centres in the development pipeline (including in the NT and QLD), bring genuinely new renewable energy online within three years of operation, and limit the role of offsets. As the Government drafts national AI laws, industry, investor, climate, legal, and public interest groups say every data centre must “bring your own new clean energy.” Without strong rules, the AI Data…

  • Agriculture Farming Rural, Environment
  • 12/10/2026
  • 10:06
1000 Hives

Food Prices Are Rising. One Australian Mum Took Action.

Key Facts: Adelaide Hills mother Danielle Munn has founded 1000 Hives, a bee conservation and pollination resilience network aimed at supporting Australian farmers as…

  • Contains:

Media Outreach made fast, easy, simple.

Feature your press release on Medianet's News Hub every time you distribute with Medianet. Pay per release or save with a subscription.