International: All stories
China mining ban adds to Bitcoin's environmental footprint: study
28 Feb 2022
Despite a crackdown on Bitcoin in China last year, mining the largest cryptocurrency actually got much dirtier and emits around the same amount of CO2 annually as a country the size of Greece, a new study shows.
African nations forced to spend on climate adaptation
28 Feb 2022
African countries are having to spend up to five percent of their annual economic output to shield themselves against the impacts of climate change, even though they emit the least greenhouse gases in the world, a report released Saturday said.
Panama enacts a rights of nature law
28 Feb 2022
PANAMA is the latest country to recognize the legal rights of nature, giving environmentalists a new tool to fight ecological harm.
Using land to tackle climate change could have ‘adverse impacts’ on global hunger
28 Feb 2022
Relying heavily on land use to tackle climate change could slow the decline in global hunger, according to new research published in Nature Food.
UN report warns climate change could spur 50% more wildfires by 2100
25 Feb 2022
A UN report has found governments are spending too much money on fire suppression and not enough on prevention.
'A journey with no end': Angola's climate refugees
25 Feb 2022
SOUTHWEST ANGOLA has been experiencing its worst drought for the past 40 years. It has forced thousands of people to flock to neighbouring Namibia after failed harvests and rising food prices worsened food shortages across the region.
Massive timber residential building planned for Toronto
25 Feb 2022
Architecture studio Adjaye Associates has designed a plant-covered building called Timber House as part of a developement on Toronto's waterfront that will include buildings by Alison Brooks Architects and Henning Larsen.
EU wants to reward farmers and foresters for nature-based carbon removals
25 Feb 2022
By 2030, the European Commission wants a complete overhaul of Europe’s natural landscapes – switching from unhealthy ecosystems at risk of emitting carbon to restored homes for biodiversity that capture and store carbon.
Russia’s climate posture offers clues on its Ukraine mindset
25 Feb 2022
Western leaders looking to respond to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine might learn something from Moscow’s history of climate negotiations.
Australia’s gas and mining emissions higher than estimated: report
25 Feb 2022
Gas and mining projects in Australia are emitting significantly more greenhouse gases than their operators promised, with an environmental group reporting Thursday that one pipeline was releasing 20 times the initial estimate.
EPA says U.S. met Obama-era climate pledge
24 Feb 2022
The United States met its Obama-era commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions at least 17% compared with 2005 levels by 2020.
Fossils emit 70% more methane than governments report: IEA Tracker
24 Feb 2022
Emissions of climate-busting methane from fossil fuel operations are 70% higher than national governments are reporting, according to the 2022 edition of the Global Methane Tracker released this morning by the International Energy Agency (IEA).
290 million new city dwellers benefit China's climate balance
24 Feb 2022
Contrary to popular belief, China's massive emigration from rural areas to cities has been shown to have a positive effect on China's carbon stocks. Urbanization can even play a role in attaining climate neutrality. This is the conclusion of University of Copenhagen researchers based upon analyses of vast amounts of satellite data.
Guinness aims to brew good by cutting the carbon footprint of its barley
24 Feb 2022
My goodness — my Guinness is going green. The Irish brewery is launching an agricultural program to make its iconic stouts more sustainable.
Why plant-based biofuels are not the silver bullet to Europe's carbon problem
24 Feb 2022
Crop fuels are "fake solutions" to the pressing problem of reducing carbon emissions, concludes a new study commissioned by Environmental Action Germany (DUH).
Plant-based meats barely make dent to overall market
24 Feb 2022
A new study showed that increased demand for plant-based meat only drove a 1.2% decline in ground beef production—which amounts to a 0.15% decline in US cattle production.
Antarctica will likely set an alarming new record this year: new data
23 Feb 2022
As surging global temperatures alter the landscape of the Arctic, scientists are observing what's shaping up to be a new record at the other end of the globe.
Targeting the super-rich could contribute to net zero
23 Feb 2022
The wealthiest 10% of the global population is responsible for almost half of individual carbon emissions. Targeting these high-income consumers could significantly reduce the carbon footprint of households.
Church of England fossil fuel ties revealed
23 Feb 2022
Senior figures in charge of the Church of England’s investments have close current or past ties to high-carbon companies including Shell, Drax and BP, DeSmog can report.
Climate change is sickening, literally!
23 Feb 2022
Climate change has a major role in the shifting of range and seasonality of several diseases, the most prominent of which includes Lyme disease.
Aircraft CO2 emissions hit all time low
23 Feb 2022
New figures from UK aviation consultancy IBA show that CO2 emissions in the commercial sector averaged 143.7 grams per seat mile last month.
Climate change activists block Hamburg port bridge
22 Feb 2022
"Uprising of the Last Generation" is protesting Germany's high level of food waste, among other issues. The group said they have taken to more drastic measures after years of marching the streets and signing petitions.
Irish opposition demands scrapping of carbon tax increase to fight cost of living crisis
22 Feb 2022
Opposition party Sinn Féin will this week table a motion to scrap the increase in carbon tax scheduled for this spring in response to Ireland’s cost of living crisis.
Covid shutdown linked to record rainfall in China
22 Feb 2022
Scientists say that a rapid drop in emissions because of Covid played a key role in record rainfall in China in 2020. The decline in greenhouse gases and small particles called aerosols caused atmospheric changes that intensified the downpours.
Court ruling on social cost of carbon upends Biden’s climate plans
22 Feb 2022
A recent court ruling that bars the Biden administration from accounting for the real-world costs of climate change has created temporary chaos at federal agencies, upending everything from planned oil and gas lease sales to infrastructure spending.
Island states meet to discuss suing Global North over climate change
21 Feb 2022
Leaders of small island nations met on Tuesday to discuss suing countries in the Global North for the damage caused by emissions.
Climate-boosted drought in western US worst in 1,200 years
21 Feb 2022
The megadrought that has parched southwestern United States and parts of Mexico over the last two decades is the worst to hit the region in at least 1,200 years, researchers said Monday.
Three banks join initiative for voluntary carbon market platform
21 Feb 2022
Three more banks have joined an initiative to develop a new platform for settling transactions of voluntary carbon credits.
Hydrogen hype gets real with big Japanese tender
21 Feb 2022
Australia’s grand hydrogen export ambition faces its first market test with Japan’s largest power generator calling for competitive bids to supply the hydrogen product ammonia as it attempts to cut carbon emissions in its coal-fired power plants
Colonialism distorts efforts to save climate-threatened heritage: report
21 Feb 2022
Climate change threatens to destroy invaluable heritage sites and traditions in marginalized countries — but empowering local people is key to adaptation.
Climate change expert calls for UN watchdog to monitor weather-modifying methods
18 Feb 2022
Efforts to change local weather should be the responsibility of a United Nations watchdog to prevent conflict, an expert on climate change has warned governments across the world.
US to offer $3B to boost battery production, recycling
18 Feb 2022
The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced plans to provide nearly $3 billion to a pair of programs designed to spur domestic production of advanced batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage.
German NGOs call on govt to soon start returning CO2 price revenues to citizens
18 Feb 2022
Germany’s government should soon introduce a so-called climate premium (“Klimageld”) to return the revenues from the national carbon price on transport and heating fuels to citizens, said a group of civil society groups including Friends of the Earth Germany (BUND) and Germanwatch.
How Minecraft is teaching kids to face the threat of climate change
18 Feb 2022
In classrooms all over the world, children are being taught about the world they're going to inherit. Large-scale erosion, melting ice caps, population growth and deforestation fill the pages of geography textbooks, but for some students in elementary school, it's not only hard to imagine -- it's terrifying.
Ganni’s carbon rethink: Offsetting is out. Insetting is the future
18 Feb 2022
Carbon offsets are out and insetting is in for Ganni, which is changing tact in how it tackles the biggest, most challenging sources of emissions in a bid to decarbonise its supply chain.
Carbon credits outperforming bitcoin, in the bet on a longer energy transition
18 Feb 2022
The price of European carbon credits - a core holding of two newly launched ETFs - has outperformed popular investments like bitcoin over the past year. Analysts see the price continuing to climb as governments put more pressure on industries to go green.
Lead EU lawmaker proposes carbon market rules to respond to price spikes
17 Feb 2022
The European Parliament's lead lawmaker on reforms to the EU carbon market on Wednesday proposed rules to make it easier for policymakers to intervene in the scheme if prices rise too fast.
Canada says U.S. solar tariffs violate trade pact
17 Feb 2022
Canada prevailed on Tuesday in a challenge to U.S. solar panel tariffs under the trade pact between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, its trade minister said on Tuesday, ahead of planned talks with Washington over the dispute.
Could ‘carbon clubs’ supercharge climate action?
17 Feb 2022
There's growing support for the idea of "carbon clubs." Nations in a carbon club place taxes, called a border carbon adjustment (BCA), on imported goods based on the carbon emissions it took to make those goods. Covering everything from cars to rice, proponents say such a mechanism would have benefits for the environment, the economy, and the consumer.
Climate crisis reaches ‘code red’ status
17 Feb 2022
The US coastline is expected to experience up to a foot (30 centimeters) of sea-level rise by the year 2050 because of climate change, making damaging floods far more common than today, a US government study says.
Shell’s Quest blue hydrogen plant emits more carbon than it captures
17 Feb 2022
Just 48% of the plant’s carbon emissions were captured over a five-year period, falling far short of the 90% carbon capture rate promised by the industry, finds research by NGO Global Witness.
Poland calls on EU to remove 'speculators' from its carbon market
16 Feb 2022
Poland has urged the European Union to introduce "control mechanisms" to the bloc's carbon market and curb financial speculators' participation in the scheme, the Polish government said on Tuesday.
A growing wave of litigation spurs climate action
16 Feb 2022
A new report suggests that lawsuits alleging false or misleading “climate-washing” claims are increasing and “pushing the cause forward.”
New IPCC report will strengthen science on links between biodiversity loss, climate change: UNEP
16 Feb 2022
The Working Group II report of the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment (AR6), to be released at the end of the month, will strengthen science on the links between biodiversity loss and climate change, according to Inger Andersen, executive director, UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
Big banks pump cash into coal industry in spite of net zero pledges
16 Feb 2022
Big banks are channelling billions into the coal industry in spite of their own net zero targets, according to a new report from a group of 28 environmental campaign groups
This fuel plant will use agricultural waste to combat climate change
16 Feb 2022
A startup plans to build a new type of fuel-producing plant in California’s fertile Central Valley that would, if it works as hoped, continually capture and bury carbon dioxide.
A child born today needs to emit 10 times less than their grandparents
16 Feb 2022
Children born today will emit 10 times less carbon during their lifetimes than their grandparents if the world achieves the goal of reducing global emissions to net zero by 2050.
Judge bars Biden from using "social cost of carbon" metric
15 Feb 2022
A Trump-appointed judge dealt another blow to Biden's climate agenda on Friday, barring the administration from using a metric that estimates the societal cost of carbon emissions.
German transport ministry opposes raising ambition in EU fleet emission target
15 Feb 2022
The German transport ministry wants to prevent attempts to step up the climate ambitions of the EU's future car fleet emission targets, reports Der Spiegel.
Amazon deforestation: Record high destruction of trees in January
15 Feb 2022
The number of trees cut down in the Brazilian Amazon in January far exceeded deforestation for the same month last year, according to government satellite data.
Companies could have profits from breaking environment laws stripped under Australian reforms
Thu 23 Oct 2025
The Albanese government wants the power to strip companies of any financial gains made from breaking environment laws, as part of a package of landmark reforms to be put before parliament in the next two weeks.
Why Democrats aren’t talking about climate change much anymore
Fri 24 Oct 2025
Nearly a year after the 2024 election, Democrats are still trying to figure out what went wrong. In the midst of this soul-searching, a new piece of advice has appeared: “Don’t say climate change.”
In China, climate litigation starts with the state
16 Oct 2025
With thousands of dedicated courts and more than a million recent cases, environmental and climate litigation is booming in China, but it often looks different to the trend seen elsewhere.
'It was the start of a new movement': The Dutch rewilding project that took a dark turn
Fri 24 Oct 2025
In 2018, thousands of dead animals, emaciated from starvation, lay strewn across a famous Dutch rewilding project. Was it animal cruelty or just nature taking its course?
UK Prime Minister will attend Brazil climate summit
Tue 21 Oct 2025
Keir Starmer will travel to the Amazon rainforest for the COP30 United Nations climate summit next month, Downing Street has confirmed, after weeks of speculation that he would not.
Renewables are a global economic engine, not a culture war threat
2 Oct 2025
Energy companies are learning this lesson faster than Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.
Indonesia restarts international carbon trade after four years
17 Oct 2025
Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto has issued a new decree to restart international carbon emission trading after a four year hiatus.
Mystery heatwave warms Pacific Ocean to new record
Tue 21 Oct 2025
The waters of the north Pacific have had their warmest summer on record, according to BBC analysis of a mysterious marine heatwave that has confounded climate scientists.
Scientists discovered something alarming seeping out from beneath the ocean around Antarctica
13 Oct 2025
Planet-heating methane is escaping from cracks in the Antarctic seabed as the region warms, with new seeps being discovered at an “astonishing rate".
Angola lowers climate ambition in blow to spirit of Paris Agreement
14 Oct 2025
Angola has scaled back its targets for reducing emissions in its new national climate plan, saying it chose “realism and implementability” over the Paris Agreement's calls for governments to set progressively more ambitious goals.
Brazil's Indigenous battle with a dry Amazon rainforest
Thu 23 Oct 2025
As pastures and thirsty crops dry up the Amazon, Indigenous people try to adapt traditional farming methods.
Super-warming methane gas is being tackled too slowly, UN says ahead of COP30
Fri 24 Oct 2025
Almost 90% of satellite-detected methane leaks flagged to governments and oil and gas companies are not being acknowledged, the UN said Wednesday ahead of the COP30 climate talks next month.
