International: All stories
Shaw criticises 'handful of countries'
17 Dec 2019
Climate minister James Shaw says a handful of countries are preventing the settling of rules governing global carbon markets.
Kyoto credits threaten Paris Agreement
13 Dec 2019
Allowing countries to carry Kyoto credits forward could effectively kill the Paris Agreement, negotiators are being told.
Australians might be told to evacuate their drought towns
13 Dec 2019
The NSW state government is considering evacuating the residents of as many as 90 towns seriously affected by drought.
China’s top climate negotiator steps down
13 Dec 2019
What is the legacy of Xie Zhenhua, a key architect of the Paris Agreement and one of the world’s longest-serving climate diplomats?
Indonesia forest fires cost $5.2 billion
13 Dec 2019
The total damage and economic loss from forest fires in Indonesia this year amounts to at least $5.2 billion, says the World Bank.
Shaw expects late move on carbon trading
12 Dec 2019
Any breakthrough in talks over rules governing international carbon trading is likely to come at the last minute, says climate minister James Shaw.
Europe Green Deal will change whole economy
12 Dec 2019
Nearly every major aspect of the European economy is to be re-evaluated in light of the imperatives of the climate and ecological emergency, according to sweeping new plans set out by the European Commission.
US seeks further block on climate compo
12 Dec 2019
The US government is pushing to ensure it can never be held accountable for the damage caused by climate change in vulnerable countries.
Court finds Exxon not guilty of fraud
11 Dec 2019
Exxon Mobil has prevailed in a lawsuit in which the energy giant was accused of downplaying the toll climate change regulations could take on its business.
How to design a forest fit to heal the planet
11 Dec 2019
There's more than one way to plant a tree – and some of the most widely used techniques aren’t up to scratch.
The climate is in trouble, but it's not all doom and gloom
11 Dec 2019
Global temperatures are on course to rise by 3deg to 5deg by the end of the century and global emissions continue to increase. But there are genuine reasons for hope.
At last, wildlife TV is engaging with the climate
11 Dec 2019
The BBC’s new wildlife television series featuring David Attenborough, Seven Worlds, One Planet, marks a drastic departure from previous programmes.
This small German town took back the power
11 Dec 2019
The case for ambitious and transformative environmental policy is being made with increasing fervour and a series of “Green New Deals” have been proposed.
NZ might sit with 2030 emissions' cuts target
10 Dec 2019
New Zealand might not increase its 2030 emissions reduction target next year.
Denmark adopts climate law to cut emissions
10 Dec 2019
Denmark’s parliament has adopted a new climate law, committing to reach 70 per cent below its 1990 emissions in the next 11 years.
Australia risks being dumping ground for cars with potent gas
10 Dec 2019
Australia is at risk of becoming a dumping ground for cars pre-charged with a greenhouse gas 1400 times more potent than carbon dioxide, industry groups warn.
Cool ideas needed to sooth scorching cities
10 Dec 2019
International urban environment experts are gathering in Adelaide this week to tackle the challenge of climate change in increasingly hotter cities.
Chile delays emissions goal boost at its own talks
9 Dec 2019
Chile has walked back a plan to announce an enhanced climate target during the Cop25 climate talks it is leading.
Seas losing oxygen at unprecedented rate, say experts
9 Dec 2019
Oxygen in the oceans is being lost at an unprecedented rate, with “dead zones” proliferating and hundreds more areas showing oxygen dangerously depleted, experts have warned.
Texas fossil fuel support paves the way for 'carbon timebomb'
9 Dec 2019
Texas is leading the way to a “looming carbon timebomb” as US output of oil and gas is forecast to rise by 25 per cent over the next decade.
ESSAY: Living with fire and facing the fear
9 Dec 2019
By DANIELLE CLODE | It is only mid-November but we have to walk early to avoid the heat.
Climate 'challenge of civilisation', says Pope
6 Dec 2019
Pope Francis has called on COP 25 leaders meeting in Madrid to show political will to safeguard healthy planet.
Climate change important to me, says Trump
6 Dec 2019
US president Donald Trump has described climate change as important to him, saying clean air and clean water were top of his environmental agenda.
Biodiversity 2020: the biggest threats and opportunities
6 Dec 2019
Scientists and conservation professionals predict mosquito-killing fungi and a kelp crisis could be among the trends affecting living things next year.
Warming world throws family burden on women
6 Dec 2019
In many countries men are often migrating further to find work, leaving the entire burden of maintaining the family on women.
Iceland does an Ardern on green priority
6 Dec 2019
Iceland Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir has urged governments to adopt green and family-friendly priorities, instead of just focusing on economic growth figures.
Climate models have got it right, study finds
5 Dec 2019
Climate models have accurately predicted global heating for the past 50 years, a study has found.
We're heading for the hottest decade on record
4 Dec 2019
The past decade is almost certain to be the hottest on record, weather experts have warned, painting a bleak picture of vanishing sea ice, devastating heatwaves and encroaching seas.
Kerry declares war on climate with some help from Hollywood
4 Dec 2019
FORMER US Secretary of State John Kerry has declared World War Zero by forming a bipartisan coalition of Hollywood stars, world leaders and military brass to push for public action on climate change.
Race is on to find wild relatives of food plants
4 Dec 2019
Seeds from 400 wild relatives of food crops such as bananas, rice and aubergines have been collected to save their valuable genetic diversity before it is lost.
Why science and art should work together
4 Dec 2019
It’s no secret that scientists often struggle to explain their research in the most approachable way.
Why the rulebook matters for us at Madrid talks
3 Dec 2019
New Zealand’s plan to use carbon credits to meet part of its emissions reduction target means the country has a big stake in international climate negotiations now under way in Madrid.
MADRID MESSAGE: Forget Trump, we'll join climate fight
3 Dec 2019
The US will take action on greenhouse gases and engage with other countries on the climate emergency despite Donald Trump, a Congress delegation has told the UN climate conference in Madrid.
ARTICLE 6: The issue that will keep them exercised in Madrid
3 Dec 2019
It has proven the hardest part of the Paris Agreement to create rules for, with warnings a weak decision could undermine the accord. Now it will dominate UN talks in Madrid.
Where will the climate refugees go?
3 Dec 2019
In the near future, global warming is expected to create millions of climate refugees, and individuals and organisations are already searching for ways to help them.
Work begins on Adelaide green hydrogen plant
3 Dec 2019
Construction has begun on a pioneering hydrogen production facility in Adelaide, which will play a major role in South Australia’s bid to become a global leader in certified green hydrogen.
Warming world could bring earlier babies
3 Dec 2019
Babies could be born up to two weeks’ earlier as the climate warms.
Madrid climate talks to split nations
2 Dec 2019
The Chilean and Spanish governments hope to use UN climate talks, which begin in Madrid today, to assemble an alliance of countries that will pledge to curtail carbon emissions and pile pressure on laggards.
Amazon fires are melting Andes glaciers
2 Dec 2019
Black carbon from Amazon rainforest fires is settling on Andes glaciers and making them melt faster, according to new research.
Bolsosnaro accuses DiCaprio: You're burning the Amazon
2 Dec 2019
Brazil president Jair Bolsonaro has accused actor Leonardo DiCaprio of bankrolling the deliberate incineration of the Amazon rainforest.
Paris targets need to be five times stronger
29 Nov 2019
In almost exactly a year’s time, nearly 200 countries will have the chance to go back to the drawing board and make revisions to their Paris Agreement commitments.
EU parliament declares climate emergency
29 Nov 2019
The European parliament has declared a global “climate and environmental emergency” as it urged all EU countries to commit to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Axa vows to cut ties with coal industry
29 Nov 2019
Insurer Axa has promised to sever ties with the coal industry as part of a climate strategy to phase out the group’s multibillion pound investments and insurance underwriting of companies that back the fossil fuel.
New EU chief flags climate policy as top issue
28 Nov 2019
European Commission Presiden Ursula von der Leyen has cited climate policy as the most pressing issue facing her new executive team.
Big Energy boosts coal in Philippines
28 Nov 2019
Coal expansion by the Philippines’ biggest energy companies could lead to the fossil fuel’s share of the energy mix growing from 52 per cent today to a whopping 75 per cent by 2025.
Why fossil fuel divestment won't work
27 Nov 2019
Divestment doesn't affect global demand for oil, it just transfers power to state-run oil companies – which have higher carbon footprints. But there are other things we can do.
EU split on declaring climate emergency
27 Nov 2019
The European parliament is split over whether to declare a global climate emergency before next week’s crucial UN summit.
Most Americans say US should do more
27 Nov 2019
A majority of Americans believe the government must do more to address pollution and climate concerns, according to a new study.
It took a 60-year drought to end ancient Assyrian empire
27 Nov 2019
It took only a 60-year drought to lay low one of the first superpowers. It crumbled when harvests withered over two millennia ago.
Climate-heating greenhouse gases hit new high,
26 Nov 2019
The concentration of climate-heating greenhouse gases has hit a record high, according to a report from the UN’s World Meteorological Organisation.
“There was so much death.” A toxic algal bloom is ravaging Australia’s southern coast – warming waters are to blame
Fri 29 Aug 2025
Three ingredients are required for an algal bloom to get going – temperature, the right conditions and food. South Australia had all the preconditions necessary, thanks to climate change.
We used to stash gold in Fort Knox. What if we did the same with carbon?
Fri 29 Aug 2025
If we could convince the masses that waste carbon dioxide is sacred and worth hoarding — like gold — one of our most existential problems might solve itself.
China's carbon market to introduce absolute emissions caps from 2027
Wed 27 Aug 2025
China will tighten its carbon trading market by introducing absolute emissions caps in some industries for the first time starting by 2027.
Apple Watch not a 'CO2-neutral product,' German court finds
Thu 28 Aug 2025
Apple can no longer advertise its Apple Watch as a "CO2-neutral product" in Germany, following a court ruling on Tuesday that upheld a complaint from environmentalists, finding that the U.S. tech company had misled consumers.
What happens to net zero if the trees don’t survive?
20 Aug 2025
When climate change undermines the climate plan.
Challenges persist in bid to mine the deep sea, even after boost from Trump
29 Jul 2025
After years of delay, the deep-sea mining plans of Canadian firm The Metals Company (TMC) now appear to be progressing as it pursues a controversial new path to securing a license to mine in international waters under U.S. jurisdiction.
Singapore seals carbon credit deal with Thailand, its first South-east Asian partner
Thu 28 Aug 2025
The agreement, the eighth for Singapore, helps both nations meet climate targets under the Paris Agreement, directing finance to Thai projects.
Rise in dengue fever outbreaks across the Pacific driven by the climate crisis, experts say
13 Aug 2025
Samoa, Fiji and Tonga among the worst affected amid warning the disease and others will become ‘more common and more serious’ as the planet warms.
Iconic Antarctic species at risk amid 'regime shift', with 'rapid and self-perpetuating changes'
22 Aug 2025
Scientists say there is emerging evidence of abrupt and potentially unstoppable changes in the Antarctic environment.
Is Africa about to see the solar energy boom it needs?
Thu 28 Aug 2025
African countries imported a record number of solar panels in the past year, which could be the beginning of a green energy boom on the continent.
Lessons from the Incas: How llamas, terraces and trees could help the Andes survive climate change
Thu 28 Aug 2025
New research suggests solutions may lie in environmental knowledge that the Incas and their predecessors developed centuries ago.
Brazil issues last-ditch plea for countries to submit climate plans ahead of COP30
20 Aug 2025
Only 28 countries have submitted carbon-cutting proposals to the UN, with some of the biggest emitters yet to produce plans.
