International: All stories
Political 'retreat' on climate action harms all nations, says UN climate chief
7 Oct 2020
Rich nations are failing on promises to help poorer ones meet the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change, even though such help would be “not charity but a global act of self-interest”, says United Nations climate chief Patricia Espinosa.
Nigeria, Jamaica bring closure to the Kyoto Protocol era
6 Oct 2020
The Doha Amendment will come into force this year after Nigeria became the 144th country to ratify the climate treaty, in a last-minute scramble to tie the loose ends of the Kyoto Protocol era.
Greenland’s ice loss likely to hit 12,000-year high
6 Oct 2020
By the end of this century Greenland’s ice loss will probably be higher than in any century during the last 12,000 years.
Second Trump term would be 'game over' for the climate, says scientist
5 Oct 2020
Michael Mann, one of the most eminent climate scientists in the world, believes averting climate catastrophe on a global scale would be “essentially impossible” if Donald Trump is re-elected.
NextEra overtakes Exxon as US' largest energy company
5 Oct 2020
If you had invested in Florida-based utility NextEra Energy a decade ago, your total return through this week, including dividends, would have been 600 per cent.
York's green-home revolution
5 Oct 2020
The English city of York plans to build Britain’s biggest zero-carbon housing project, boasting 600 homes in car-free cycling paradises full of fruit trees and allotments.
Socialist Cuba wants to go carbon trading
5 Oct 2020
Cuba has suggested it wants to get paid to reduce emissions if a controversial global carbon credit scheme is set up.
Is Europe cheating on its emissions plan?
2 Oct 2020
The European Commission's plans to use carbon storage in forests and soils to help meet its 2030 emissions reduction target of a 55 per cent cut on 1990 levels is under fire.
South Korea sets net-zero goal
1 Oct 2020
South Korea has declared a climate crisis, and established a non-binding goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, making it the second East Asian nation this week to set a tougher climate target.
Stamps reveal climate message when heated
1 Oct 2020
Stamps by Finnish studio Berry Creative feature images of birds and snow clouds that turn into skeletons and thunderstorms when heated to send a message about the consequences of climate change.
China's new climate goal could transform global heating
30 Sep 2020
If China hits its new emissions goal of going carbon-neutral before 2060, it will bring down global warming projections by around 0.2deg to 0.3 degrees Celsius, says Carbon Action Tracker.
Court considers whether Canada's carbon tax is legal
30 Sep 2020
After two days of hearing arguments for and against the federal government's carbon tax, the Supreme Court of Canada has adjourned without a decision.
NZ joins pledge that includes increasing 2030 emissions target
29 Sep 2020
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is among 64 world leaders committing to “meaningful” action to halt global environmental destruction - including increasing 2030 emissions reduction targets.
The low-down on Australia's low-emissions roadmap
29 Sep 2020
Picking winners has been anathema to Australian policy-making for decades. The federal government’s technology investment roadmap bucks the trend, targeting public investments in specific low-emissions technologies.
Resources spokesman threatens to quit ALP over climate target
29 Sep 2020
Veteran New South Wales Labor right-winger Joel Fitzgibbon has threatened to quit the shadow cabinet if the opposition adopts a medium-term emissions reduction target he cannot live with.
Poland to phase out coal-mining by mid-century
29 Sep 2020
Poland is moving closer to ending its heavy reliance on coal as the Government and miners’ unions agree a landmark plan to phase out mines by 2049.
ScoMo refuses to commit to net-zero emissions by 2050
21 Sep 2020
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has declined to sign up to a net-zero target by 2050 because he is “more interested in the doing”.
EU under fire for including carbon sinks in climate goals
21 Sep 2020
The European Commission is defending its plan to bring carbon removals from agriculture, land use and forestry into the EU’s updated climate target for 2030, saying this is in line with UNFCCC standards.
Union Square clock counts the time we're wasting
21 Sep 2020
New York’s Union Square Metronome clock is being turned into a giant climate clock tracking the time left to transform the world’s economy and energy systems to avoid catastrophic levels of climate change.
China considers going ‘carbon neutral’, peaking emissions
18 Sep 2020
China is considering carbon neutrality as part of its long term climate plan, the country’s foreign ministry announced following a summit with EU leaders.
Australia can hit net-zero by 2050 by investing in gas, says oil exec
17 Sep 2020
Corporate heavyweight Andrew Liveris, the Morrison government’s special adviser on manufacturing, has declared Australia and the world can hit net zero emissions by 2050 by significantly expanding the supply and domestic use of gas – despite gas being a fossil fuel with “roughly 60 per cent of the emissions of coal”.
Energy companies keep right to sue states in private courts
17 Sep 2020
Negotiators have ruled out an overhaul of private courts that allow energy companies to sue national governments when climate change policies hurt their profits.
Melting Arctic needs new name to match reality
17 Sep 2020
Change in the far north is happening so fast that soon the Arctic won’t be arctic any more.
Mass migration set to increase as world warms
16 Sep 2020
There is strong evidence that deteriorating environments caused by climate change are driving millions of people to resort to mass migration in their search for a better life, both within countries and across borders.
Facebook and Google say they will go carbon-neutral
16 Sep 2020
Facebook and Google are becoming carbon neutral businesses, joining competitors Apple and Microsoft in committing to put no excess carbon into the atmosphere, both companies have independently announced.
Australia’s biggest solar farm sends first output to the grid
16 Sep 2020
What will be Australia’s biggest solar farm once commissioning is complete – the 275MW Darlington project in south-west NSW – has sent its first output to the grid as it begins the lengthy journey to full production.
Sir David Attenborough makes stark warning about species extinction
15 Sep 2020
SIR DAVID ATTENBOROUGH returns to television screens this with a landmark new production - but the tone is very different from his usual work.
Asian multilateral bank to end coal-related financing
15 Sep 2020
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is promising to end all coal financing, but has yet to write this into policy.
Warming could pass 1.5deg before 2030, warns UN
14 Sep 2020
Global temperatures could exceed the 1.5deg limit set in the Paris Agreement in the next decade, according to a World Meteorological Society report for the United Nations.
Public figures defend XR against 'organised crime' classification
14 Sep 2020
Stephen Fry, Mark Rylance and a former Archbishop of Canterbury are among 150 public figures to hit back at government moves to classify the climate protesters of Extinction Rebellion as an “organised crime group”.
EU lawmakers vote for 60% climate target for 2030
14 Sep 2020
The European Parliament's environment committee has voted for a new EU-wide target to reduce carbon emissions 60 per cent by 2030, setting the stage for tough negotiations with EU countries and the European Commission, which is expected to propose a 55 per cent goal next week.
US wildfires could spark financial crisis
11 Sep 2020
The devastating wildfires now sweeping across the western United States are among the sparks from climate change that could ignite a financial crisis by damaging home values, state tourism and local government budgets, says an advisory panel to a US markets regulator.
Australia’s gas plans could use quarter of world’s carbon budget
11 Sep 2020
A push to develop Australia’s gas resources could jeopardise global efforts keep global warming to safe levels, eating up more than a quarter of the world’s remaining carbon budget, a new report suggests.
France seeks German collaboration on hydrogen in EU green recovery
11 Sep 2020
France hopes to collaborate with Germany on clean hydrogen projects as part of Europe’s green recovery from the pandemic, the country’s finance minister has said ahead of a meeting with his German counterpart today.
CONSERVATION CRISIS: two reports bring bad news for wildlife
11 Sep 2020
International conservation organisation WWF says the world's populations of wildlife have fallen 68 per cent since 1978, and a leaked United Nations report shows that none of the 2020 biodiversity goals have been met.
‘Obsolete’ treaty must be reformed or ditched, lawmakers say
10 Sep 2020
The 1991 Energy Charter Treaty must be profoundly overhauled in order to remove all “obsolete” provisions protecting fossil fuel investments and hindering climate action, lawmakers from Europe across say.
A fifth of CO2 emissions comes from multinationals
10 Sep 2020
The global supply chains of multinational companies such as BP, Coca-Cola and Walmart are responsible for nearly a fifth of climate-changing carbon dioxide emissions, according to a new study.
Biden would push allies on climate, says adviser
8 Sep 2020
Joe Biden will not pull any punches with allies including Australia in seeking to build international momentum for stronger action on the climate crisis, an adviser to the United States presidential candidate has said.
Germany's CDU/CSU seek new ‘climate man’ as Greens rise in polls
8 Sep 2020
Germany’s conservative CDU/CSU Union has admitted to its own shortcomings when it comes to climate policy and is now searching for a new chairman and candidate for the chancellor’s spot, which will shape the union’s course on environmental policy.
IPCC: the dirty tricks faced by scientists over three decades
7 Sep 2020
Thirty years ago, in a small Swedish city called Sundsvall, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its first major report.
Young activists go to court over climate change
7 Sep 2020
Six young Portuguese activists are taking a European human rights case against 33 countries in the latest legal effort to force governments to step up their fight against climate change.
City sues fossil-fuel companies over climate change
4 Sep 2020
The city of Hoboken, New Jersey, has filed a lawsuit seeking damages from ExxonMobil and other major oil and gas companies for misleading the public about the harmful climate-related impacts such as sea level rise they knew would be caused by burning fossil fuels.
Countries promise green recovery but keep quiet on fossil bailouts
4 Sep 2020
Major economies promised to recover green after covid-19 and accelerate climate action during a virtual ministerial meeting hosted by Japan overnight.
Writers rebel against London thinktanks
4 Sep 2020
A group of artists and writers including Zadie Smith and Sir Mark Rylance have spoken out against the thinktanks and lobbyists at the heart of Westminster, gathering with hundreds of protesters near their offices on Wednesday night.
Only 80 countries likely to update national climate plans this year
4 Sep 2020
Most nations including top emitter China are likely to miss a 2020 deadline to upgrade national plans for fighting global warming, according to the UN’s climate chief.
Call for film industry to cut its emissions
3 Sep 2020
Big-budget blockbusters produce 2840 tonnes of carbon dioxide, although their environmental impact is often ‘underreported’, a study reveals.
BHP chooses solar to power Queensland mines
3 Sep 2020
Global mining giant BHP has signed a five year contract to use wind and solar to deliver up to half of the power needs for its coal mining operations in Queensland.
Australia's biggest emitters offset only a fraction of emissions
1 Sep 2020
Only 1.2 per cent of the greenhouse gas emissions released by Australia’s top 65 emitting companies had to be offset under federal and state laws last financial year, an analysis has found.
Rewilding the heart of New York
1 Sep 2020
Biodiversity and effects of climate change can be significantly affected by small-scale rewilding projects, argues designer and environmentalist Julia Watson, who has temporarily covered New York's Rockefeller Center plaza and ice rinks with native plants.
Australia 'woefully unprepared', say business, farming and environment heads
31 Aug 2020
Business, industry, farming and environmental leaders have joined forces to warn Australia is “woefully unprepared” for the impact of climate change over the coming decades and to urge the Morrison Government to do far more to cut emissions and improve the country’s resilience.
Battery subsidy scheme set for 'urgent' overhaul as costs run out of control
16 Dec 2025
Australian Energy Minister Chris Bowen has announced big changes to the government's battery subsidy scheme amid claims most of its $2.3 billion budget has been spent in just six months.
EPA erases references to human-caused climate change from websites
19 Dec 2025
EPA has scrubbed references to people’s contribution to rising temperatures from some of its climate change webpages.
Verra cancels four tree planting projects in China. And starts reviews of 45 more projects
16 Dec 2025
“Multiple carbon projects in China are facing serious allegations regarding the authenticity of government approval documents."
France updates its 2050 carbon neutrality roadmap
17 Dec 2025
To mark the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, France released a revamped climate plan promising to phase out oil and gas and sharply increase electricity use.
Net-zero scenario is ‘cheapest option’ for UK, says energy system operator
15 Dec 2025
A scenario that meets the “net-zero by 2050” goal would be the “cheapest” option for the UK, according to modelling by the National Energy System Operator (NESO).
The ecological havens flourishing beneath power lines
19 Dec 2025
Initiatives to foster native wildflowers, grasses and shrubs are turning utility corridors into wildlife corridors.
‘Not normal’: Climate crisis supercharged deadly monsoon floods in Asia
12 Dec 2025
Cyclones like those in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Malaysia that killed 1,750 are ‘alarming new reality’.
Pacific fisheries summit gives a boost to albacore and seabirds
19 Dec 2025
Much of the world’s albacore tuna catch, which usually ends up in a can, comes from the southwestern Pacific Ocean, where fishery managers just passed a new set of conservation rules.
Arctic endured year of record heat as climate scientists warn of ‘winter being redefined’
18 Dec 2025
Region known as ‘world’s refrigerator’ is heating up as much as four times as quickly as global average, Noaa experts say.
Are rainforests now a cause of, rather than the answer to, climate change?
15 Dec 2025
A new study finds that Africa’s forests, responsible for one-fifth of global carbon removal, are beginning to generate carbon as the result of human activity.
Thousands of climate disasters are not included in official reports from Amazonian countries
12 Dec 2025
More than 12,500 extreme weather events impacted the Amazon and its population in 10 years, but countries have not generated enough information about it, according to a new scientific study.
UN environment report 'hijacked' by US and others over fossil fuels, top scientist says
11 Dec 2025
A key UN report on the state of the global environment has been "hijacked" by the United States and other countries who were unwilling to go along with the scientific findings, the co-chair has told the BBC.
