International: All stories
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.
Australia closes in on hydrogen economy
8 Apr 2020
Australia says it is a step closer to a hydrogen economy, with new research into a “nanobelt” catalyst for breaking down water.
Tropical forest damage spreads catastrophically
8 Apr 2020
Human inroads into tropical forests stretch far beyond oil plantations or the edge of cattle ranches and are a wider threat to conservation.
Oceans could rebound in 30 years — if we act now
7 Apr 2020
The glory of the world’s oceans could be restored within a generation, according to a major new scientific review.
Poles attract marine life avoiding rising heat
7 Apr 2020
In a warming ocean, some species will swim, others sink. But all agree: the poles attract marine life without exception.
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.
