International: All stories
How Big Ag bankrolled regenerative ranching
7 Mar 2022
Advocates of “regenerative ranching” methods claim they’re slashing the carbon footprint of the ranching industry — but they’re actually propping up a scam that Big Ag is bankrolling.
Truck maker Hino Motors reveals it faked emissions data
7 Mar 2022
Leading truck maker Hino Motors Ltd. admitted to falsifying the results of tests for exhaust emissions and fuel economy of three types of engines over a number of years
World agrees to negotiate a ‘historic’ treaty on plastic pollution
4 Mar 2022
World leaders concluded the fifth United Nations Environment Assembly on Wednesday with a promise to the world: By 2024, delegates will broker a binding, international treaty addressing the full life cycle of plastics — including its production and design.
Windfall for Aussie farmers as government changes carbon credit rules
4 Mar 2022
Australian carbon farmers and landholders are set for a potential windfall of almost $2.6 billion from a surprise Morrison government decision that allows them to tap into surging market demand for Australian Carbon Credit Units.
Timber giant quietly converts Congo logging sites to carbon schemes
4 Mar 2022
A major European logging firm may have illegally converted more than a dozen of its timber concessions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo into so-called conservation concessions, a new investigation can reveal.
Almost all climate-related corporate disclosures are inadequate: CDP
4 Mar 2022
Just 1% of companies who submit climate change-related data to nonprofit environmental disclosure platform CDP provide investors with the information they need to assess whether they have a credible plan for the transition to a low-carbon economy.
Low-carbon cement trial cuts CO2 emissions by 60%
4 Mar 2022
A UK Government-backed innovation and demonstration programme has successfully developed and trialled new low-carbon cements which have up to 60 per cent lower embodied CO2 emissions than Portland cement, the current market leader in the UK.
Climate risks are wake-up call for sovereign bonds
4 Mar 2022
The government bond market needs to wake up to climate-related risks, according to a report calling for more countries to follow Chile’s lead in issuing debt linked to sustainability targets.
EU carbon permit prices crash after Russian invasion of Ukraine
3 Mar 2022
The price of carbon permits in Europe has crashed dramatically following Russian’s invasion of Ukraine, lowering the cost of emitting carbon for the EU’s most polluting companies.
‘Atlas of Human Suffering’ only matters if countries take action
3 Mar 2022
After two days of absorbing, parsing, and reading analyses of this week’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on climate impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability, one conclusion shines through: the compendium that UN Secretary General António Guterres calls an “atlas of human suffering” will only matter if countries take action.
Climate stories don’t have to be depressing to be effective
3 Mar 2022
Stories in which characters take action with an intent to protect the climate make readers more likely to support climate policies and more likely to say they’ll take pro-environmental actions themselves, according to a new study.
Stilride uses "industrial origami" to create stainless steel electric scooter
3 Mar 2022
Swedish startup Stilride has unveiled the electric Sport Utility Scooter One, which is manufactured from stainless steel using an origami-like process that reduces the amount of material used.
Reaching peak carbon early could save hundreds of thousands of lives in China
3 Mar 2022
Reaching peak carbon emissions before its 2030 target could help China to avoid more 600,000 deaths from exposure to the most deadly small particles over the following two decades, a study has found.
‘One of the most extreme disasters in colonial Australian history’: climate scientist
3 Mar 2022
The deluge dumped on southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales this week has been catastrophic. Floodwaters peaked at around 14.4 metres high in Lismore – two metres higher than the city’s previous record.
The UN’s climate report highlights the dangers of natural solutions
2 Mar 2022
A variety of researchers have highlighted the potential to leverage nature to combat climate change, by planting trees or growing crops to suck carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
100% green power by 2035 – high hopes for Germany's next renewables reform
2 Mar 2022
Germany’s government has initiated the first steps of a wide-ranging renewables reform that should make the country’s power supply almost 100 percent renewable by 2035.
Tonga volcano eruptions have smaller cooling impact on climate change: study
2 Mar 2022
An analysis has revealed that the cooling effect of Tonga's volcano eruptions would be much smaller than initially thought and not strong enough to overwhelm longer-term global warming tendency.
Australian Carbon + Biodiversity projects starting to kick off
2 Mar 2022
FARMERS across Australia will see a boost to their financial and environmental bottom lines as the first tranche of successful Carbon + Biodiversity Pilot projects are starting to kick off.
As petrol prices rise, will carbon emissions come down?
2 Mar 2022
No one likes paying A$1.80 per litre for petrol. But amid forecasts of prices climbing to $2.10 as Russian’s invasion of Ukraine drags on, it’s possible some good could come of that pain – including greater energy independence and a faster path to net-zero emissions.
An "atlas of human suffering": Guterres
1 Mar 2022
"An atlas human of suffering" was UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres pithy summary of the latest climate report released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change yesterday.
Australian floods will become more common with climate change
1 Mar 2022
The severe floods in southeast Queensland this week have forced hundreds of residents to flee the town of Gympie and have cut off major roads, after intense rain battered the state for several days. The rain is expected to continue today, and travel south into New South Wales.
Kenyan farmers test insurance to ward off climate-driven hunger
1 Mar 2022
When drought ravaged her sorghum and bean crops five years ago, Kenyan farmer Ngina Kyalo did not need to stand in line for food handouts, as in previous years when the rains failed.
Cyclone risks are intensifying for India due to climate change
1 Mar 2022
Increasing temperatures in the north Indian Ocean is spurring more intense cyclones that spell trouble for India's densely-populated coastal regions. And climate change is to blame, according to a new study.
Deforestation emissions far higher than previously thought: study
1 Mar 2022
Carbon emissions from tropical deforestation this century are far higher than previously thought, doubling in just two decades and continuing to accelerate, according to a study.
Energy sector methane emissions 70% above national estimates: IEA
1 Mar 2022
Global methane emissions from the energy sector are about 70% greater than the amount national governments have officially reported, according to new IEA analysis released today, underlining the urgent need for enhanced monitoring efforts and stronger policy action to drive down emissions of the potent greenhouse gas.
California's carbon markets getting in the way of climate targets: report
1 Mar 2022
CALIFORNIA'S carbon market could be hurting the state’s chances of meeting its ambitious climate goals, while at the same time exacerbating pollution in already overburdened communities, two new reports warn.
New UN report set to paint stark picture of impacts of climate change
28 Feb 2022
A NEW UN science report [being released at midnight tonight NZ time] is set to send what may be the starkest warning yet about the impacts of climate change on people and the planet.
Russian official apologizes to Ukraine at climate science meeting
28 Feb 2022
A Russian government representative apologized to Ukraine and said there was no justification for his country's invasion during a meeting of climate scientists and governments on Sunday morning
Invasion tears Ukraine’s climate community away from life’s work
28 Feb 2022
As Russian troops move towards Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, climate scientists, campaigners and policymakers have been pulled away from their life’s work.
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.
A real ‘intergenerational equity’ budget would address Australia’s unceasing environmental decline
Today 11:30am
Labor has unveiled a budget designed to tackle intergenerational equity in Australia through bold tax reform.
Some inconvenient truths in bringing climate science to the judiciary
Thu 14 May 2026
OPINION: Climate science had been knocking on the courthouse doors for quite some time when the Supreme Court of the United States finally invited it into the realm of legal action in 2007.
China’s leadership calls for ‘strict control’ of fossil fuels
28 Apr 2026
Chinese government leaders published a policy document on 22 April – Earth Day – calling for stricter controls on fossil-fuel consumption and greater oversight of heavy emitters.
Inequality causing 100,000 extra deaths a year from heat and cold in Europe
Tue 12 May 2026
Economic inequality adds more than 100,000 deaths to the vast toll from heat and cold in Europe each year, research has found.
UK halves Green Climate Fund contribution, as it spends more on security
Today 11:30am
After promising £1.6 billion to the UN’s flagship climate fund in 2023, the UK government has now said it will only hand over half as much.
Carbon capture ‘doesn’t work’: Former British Columbia premier
8 May 2026
Former British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell warned the costly, troubled technology has failed to deliver, undercutting a central justification for billions in public subsidies and new oil infrastructure.
While the world hesitates, India must continue leading on climate
Thu 14 May 2026
India’s updated climate targets must translate into systems that secure growth, resilience, and autonomy.
How climate change threatens the economic backbone of the Pacific
4 May 2026
The vast Pacific Ocean and the islands dotted within it produce more than half of the world's tuna.
‘Triple whammy of climate chaos’: Why Antarctica's sea ice collapse is no longer a mystery
Mon 11 May 2026
Scientists have finally identified the ‘triple whammy’ behind Antarctica’s dramatic collapse, shedding new light on the chain reaction that has pushed its sea ice to record lows.
Africa secures major clean energy deals as France deepens investment push
Today 11:30am
French and African leaders have announced more than $11 billion in renewable energy investments across Africa, underscoring the continent’s growing importance in the global push for cleaner energy and industrial development.
The country where lethal hantavirus cases are on the rise. Experts blame climate change
Wed 13 May 2026
Experts believe environmental degradation caused by climate change and human activity is contributing to its spread by allowing the rodents that transmit the virus to thrive in new areas.
UN members prepare for pivotal vote on landmark ICJ climate justice ruling
Today 11:30am
If the resolution is passed, governments will recognise their legal responsibility to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
