International: All stories
Global energy markets in unpheaval
4 May 2020
The world’s energy markets are in upheaval, as experts report an historic fall in global fossil fuel demand.
Morrison offers $300m to boost hydrogen
4 May 2020
The Morrison government will change the investment mandate of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, directing it to make up to $300m available for a new Advancing Hydrogen Fund as part of the national hydrogen strategy.
Shopping online better for planet, says Bezos
4 May 2020
Amazon chief Jeff Bezos says that shopping online is “inherently” more efficient, from a carbon emissions perspective, than going to the store.
Auckland air pollution quickly back in business
1 May 2020
Auckland’s air pollution is higher than ever, suggesting any cut in greenhouse gas emissions as a result of the covid-19 pandemic shutdown will be short-lived.
North America’s fracking boom flounders
1 May 2020
The shale industry made the US a major producer once again. But Covid-19 looks likely to ruin many prospectors.
Germany offers 20 years of climate lessons
1 May 2020
Twenty years ago, before climate change was as widely seen as the existential threat it is today, Germany embarked on an ambitious program to transform the way it produced electric power.
Threats to the insect world are growing
1 May 2020
The Earth’s land-based insects are in steady decline, their numbers falling by around a quarter every three decades.
VW set for Dieselgate legal showdown
30 Apr 2020
Germany’s main court for civil and criminal matters will hear a diesel emissions scandal case for the first time next week.
Germany defends €10 billion airline bailout
30 Apr 2020
Germany’s environment minister has defended a planned bailout of the country’s largest airline to protect jobs in the short term, insisting the next phase of post-coronavirus recovery will be green.
Michael Moore film dangerous, say campaigners
30 Apr 2020
A new Michael Moore documentary that takes aim at the supposed hypocrisy of the green movement is “dangerous, misleading and destructive” and should be removed from public viewing, according to climate scientists and campaigners.
North Pole may be clear water by mid-century
30 Apr 2020
Within 30 years, there could be clear blue water over the North Pole – not good news for most of the planet.
Developers might find spare land is drying up
30 Apr 2020
Developers might struggle to find enough land to offset the biodiversity impacts of future development, scientists say.
Unexpected breather offers sport a chance
30 Apr 2020
AROUND THE WORLD, athletes are taking a forced break and wondering what the future holds for their sports.
Germany and Britain call for green recovery
29 Apr 2020
Germany and Britain say that efforts to revive the global economy in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic must ensure a ‘green recovery’ that helps the world to tackle climate change.
Trump wants to mine Grand Canyon
29 Apr 2020
The Trump administration, seeking to restore America’s “competitive nuclear advantage,” wants to mine uranium on land bordering the Grand Canyon.
Big Plastic asks Congress for $1b bailout
29 Apr 2020
The plastics industry is asking Congress for $1 billion to bail out plastic recycling during the coronavirus crisis.
Dutch to act on emissions after court ruling
28 Apr 2020
The Dutch government has announced measures including huge cuts to coal use, garden greening and limits on livestock herds as part of its plan to lower emissions to comply with a supreme court ruling.
'We need to hear these poor trees scream'
28 Apr 2020
New studies show drought and heat waves will cause massive die-offs, killing most trees alive today.
It’s a galloping goodbye to Europe’s coal
28 Apr 2020
The energy that has powered Europe for several hundred years, driving its industry, fighting its wars and keeping its people warm, is on the way out, fast.
Michael Moore takes a swipe at green A-listers
28 Apr 2020
A new film from the Michael Moore stable takes a pop at green, liberal A-listers such as Al Gore – but doesn’t dare criticise Greta Thunberg.
Indonesia puts new jungle capital on hold
28 Apr 2020
The Indonesian government’s plan to relocate the country’s capital from Java to the jungles of Borneo has hit a wall.
Climate fighter Gore throws weight behind Biden
24 Apr 2020
Climate champion and former US vice-president Al Gore has endorsed Joe Biden's presidential candidacy.
Our e-waste mountain is an outrage
24 Apr 2020
Unrepairable phones and laptops are one of the scandals of our throwaway society. But the pushback is building – and the coronavirus crisis has added more pressure for change.
UK plutonium stockpile is a costly headache
24 Apr 2020
For 70 years Britain has been dissolving spent nuclear fuel in acid, separating the plutonium and uranium it contains and stockpiling the plutonium in the hope of finding some peaceful use for it, to no avail: all it has to show today is a UK plutonium stockpile.
Economic rescue could take path to decarbonisation
23 Apr 2020
As states contemplate how to restart the global economy after the pandemic, it’s important to remember that we’ve been here before.
Will climate change end waterfront living?
23 Apr 2020
Developers are creating waterfront homes in Boston with innovative seawall defences but is this a model for other cities? Or a sign of climate gentrification?
'Horrible hybrids' give plastics recyclers nightmares
23 Apr 2020
From singing birthday cards to baby food pouches, a growing trend of mixing materials is making recycling even harder.
France wants public buildings to be 50% wood
23 Apr 2020
The French Government is set to require that all new public buildings must be made at least 50 per cent from wood or other sustainable materials from 2022 as it pushes for sustainable urban development.
How are negative oil prices even possible?
22 Apr 2020
It’s hard to believe that the price of any commodity, let alone oil, can dip into negative territory. But that’s just what’s happened to oil prices.
Climate change greatest threat to humanity, say experts
22 Apr 2020
A new group of eminent Australian policy experts and academics have warned that climate change is one of the greatest threats to the long-term survival of human society.
Halve the farmland, save nature, feed the world
22 Apr 2020
If we farm efficiently, scientists say, we can cut climate change, slow extinction and feed the world even as it asks for more.
France, Germany join call for green recovery
21 Apr 2020
Paris and Berlin have added their names to a growing list of EU capitals asking for the European Green Deal to be placed at the heart of the EU’s post-pandemic recovery plan.
Norway's a-ha moment made electric cars the answer
21 Apr 2020
Norway, a country fuelled by hydropower, has become the world’s electric vehicle leader.
BoE under fire for deal with oil companies
20 Apr 2020
The Bank of England has been accused of failing to live up to its tough talk on the climate crisis after it revealed it would buy debt from oil companies as part of its coronavirus stimulus programme.
Everything points to a megadrought
20 Apr 2020
Climate change could be pushing the US west and northern Mexico towards the most severe and most extended period of drought observed in a thousand years of US history, a full-blown megadrought.
Their world is wasted veges and empty shelves
20 Apr 2020
Climate change and covid-19 are testing a food system that critics say has lost its resilience.
South Korea to implement Green New Deal
17 Apr 2020
South Korea is on track to set a 2050 carbon neutrality goal and end coal financing after its ruling Democratic Party won an absolute majority in the country’s parliamentary elections on Wednesday.
TEXAS OIL: We will disappear as an industry
16 Apr 2020
Texas just did something that only recently might have been unthinkable. The state whose name is synonymous with American oil took the unusual step of formally considering statewide production cuts.
Greenland sheds ice at record rate
16 Apr 2020
The Greenland ice sheet melted at a near-record rate in 2019, and much faster than the average of previous decades, scientists have revealed.
Here’s why soil smells so good after it rains
16 Apr 2020
That smell you detect after it rains is part of a chemical language between bacteria and animals.
EU hires BlackRock to advise on green bank rules
15 Apr 2020
BlackRock, one of the world’s largest investors in banks and fossil fuel companies, has been hired by the EU to work on potential new environmental rules for banks.
Paris failure carries costs in the trillions
15 Apr 2020
Failing to meet the Paris Agreement could cost the world hundreds of trillions of dollars this century, a new report says.
SHIFTING GEARS: Protest in the age of coronavirus
15 Apr 2020
For more than a year, just about every Friday at noon, Invaliden Park in downtown Berlin was transformed into a vivacious, noisy, swarming hubbub with teenage speakers, bands, and live dance acts — as well as Germany’s top climate scientists — all sharing a makeshift stage and a microphone.
Have humans evolved beyond nature?
15 Apr 2020
Our society has evolved so much, can we still say that we are part of Nature? If not, should we worry – and what should we do about it?
Biden must convince climate voters he's a believer
14 Apr 2020
Bernie Sanders’ departure from the US presidential race left hardcore climate change activists in mourning—and wondering where former vice-president Joe Biden stands.
It's positively alpine!: Cities taste fresh air
14 Apr 2020
Many of the world's major cities are enjoying improved air quality since restrictions were introduced due to the covid-19 coronavirus.
Chile sets new target of peak emissions by 2025
14 Apr 2020
Chile has committed to peaking its greenhouse gas emissions by 2025, in an updated national plan presented virtually to the UN.
Whole ecosystems could fail within 10 years
9 Apr 2020
Global warming is about to tear big holes into Earth's delicate web of life, pushing temperatures beyond the tolerance of thousands of animals at the same time.
Hamilton wants covid cash for raft of projects
8 Apr 2020
Hamilton is going after a $1.5 billion share of the Government’s covid-19 recovery package with a suite of environmental projects.
Atmospheric methane increase greatest in five years
8 Apr 2020
The average level of methane in the atmosphere increased last year by the highest amount in five years, according to new data.
Australian rainforests no longer a carbon sink – study
Fri 17 Oct 2025
Australia's tropical rainforests are among the first in the world to start emitting more carbon dioxide than they absorb, scientists said Thursday, linking the "very concerning" trend to climate change.
Trump is pushing allies to buy US gas. It’s bad economics – and a catastrophe for the climate
Wed 22 Oct 2025
The price of partnership with the United States has changed. Washington is now using assurances of defence and trade access to pressure allies in Europe and Asia to buy more of its fossil fuels under decades-long contracts.
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.
EU plans deforestation delay only for small businesses
Wed 22 Oct 2025
The proposal will need approval of co-legislators, EU countries at the Council and MEPs, who can still push for more changes to the legislation.
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
Fri 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 greenlights oil drilling in Amazon as environmentalists raise alarm
Wed 22 Oct 2025
Conservationists argue president’s oil expansion plans clash with his image as a global leader on climate change.
UN pushes for worldwide disaster alerts as extreme weather ‘spirals’
Wed 22 Oct 2025
Climate-related hazards have killed more than 2 million people in 50 years, said the UN’s meteorological agency, 90 percent of them in developing countries.
