International: All stories
China and allies challenge UN chief’s climate vision
20 Aug 2019
Emerging economies have called on rich countries to meet their pre-2020 climate targets and ramp up climate finance.
Magnets could help rid oceans of microplastics
19 Aug 2019
An army of tiny magnetic coils could dissolve microplastics from water, and possibly help us clean up waterways and oceans.
Green groups challenge US ban on scientists
19 Aug 2019
US Environmental groups have appealed a court decision in their attempt to end the Environmental Protection Agency’s policy of excluding certain scientists from serving on its advisory boards.
Boris Johnson’s partner pressures politicians
19 Aug 2019
Boris Johnson’s partner Carrie Symonds said politicians had a “gigantic responsibility to make the right decisions” over the climate crisis, in her first solo public appearance since moving into Downing Street.
Can Morrison deliver on Pacific climate promises?
16 Aug 2019
This week’s Pacific Islands Forum comes at an important time in the overall trajectory of Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s very personal commitment to an Australian “stepping up” in the Pacific.
Greta's young fans hungry for books about activists
16 Aug 2019
The soaring popularity of the feisty, outspoken environmental advocate Greta Thunberg – who is only 16 – has caused a rise in young people seeking stories about saving the planet.
How Europe could power the world
16 Aug 2019
Europe has enough space to create millions of wind turbines that could power the entire world until 2050, according to a new scientific analysis.
Warming worsens China's pollution problems
16 Aug 2019
Efforts to curb air pollution in China, a country already facing dire health impacts from high levels of soot and smog, will likely become increasingly difficult as the planet warms, a new study shows.
Surf's still up but climate is changing Hawaiian beaches
16 Aug 2019
Climate change is taking the fun out of surfing, swimming, and snorkeling in Hawaii.
Plastic, poverty and paradox ... the sad story of a great river
15 Aug 2019
India’s most sacred river is also its most polluted, with plastic a major culprit. Now moves are afoot to monitor the flow of rubbish and assess its link to poverty.
Australia sets 50% e-car target by 2035
15 Aug 2019
Modelling by the Australian Government shows 50 per cent of new domestic vehicle sales will be electric by 2035.
Australia seeks to water down Tuvalu declaration
14 Aug 2019
Australia is trying to water down a declaration on the urgent need for climate action at the South Pacific Forum meeting about to get under way in Tuvalu.
Changing climate traumatises Greenlanders
14 Aug 2019
The climate crisis is causing unprecedented levels of stress and anxiety to people in Greenland who are struggling to reconcile the traumatic impact of global heating with their traditional way of life.
Whatever feeds these young minds, it won't be beefburgers
14 Aug 2019
A university has banned the sale of beef in campus food outlets in order to help to tackle the climate emergency.
Australia puts $500m into Pacific climate fund
13 Aug 2019
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison will unveil a $500m climate change and oceans funding package for the Pacific region when he attends the Pacific Islands Forum in Tuvalu this week.
Winds of change driving Antarctic ice melt
13 Aug 2019
Global warming is driving a shift in regional winds around the edges of Antarctica, and that's speeding up the meltdown of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, new research shows.
Germany pulls millions in Amazon funding
13 Aug 2019
Germany will suspend $39 million in funds sent to Brazil to finance projects aimed at preserving the Amazon forest.
China makes way for even more coal mines
12 Aug 2019
Approvals for new coal mine construction in China have surged in 2019, with Beijing expecting consumption of the commodity to rise in the coming years.
Toxic mercury in fish rising with climate change
12 Aug 2019
Climate change and overfishing are increasing levels of toxic mercury in fish which can cause neurological disorders in children and babies.
Your reusable coffee cup may be no better than a disposable
12 Aug 2019
Is any item more symbolic of our modern, disposable culture than the single-use coffee cup?
Glasgow likely host of 2020 climate summit
12 Aug 2019
The UK government has announced the Scottish city of Glasgow would be the stage for next year’s UN climate talks.
Global report hurts farmers' emissions case
9 Aug 2019
Farmers fighting a push for substantial cuts in methane emissions have been dealt a blow by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Fiji calls world leaders selfish and irresponsible
8 Aug 2019
Fiji will introduce one of the world’s most ambitious legislative programmes to tackle the climate crisis, and has labelled the global community grossly irresponsible and selfish.
China busily expanding its UN presence
8 Aug 2019
As the United States withdraws from the international arena, China is playing for dominance in United Nations spaces.
Green growth is trusted fix – here’s the problem with that
8 Aug 2019
You might have missed it, but a recent report declared that the main strategy of world leaders for tackling climate change won’t work.
DRONE ALONE: Ocean-going science in the southern seas
7 Aug 2019
New Zealand scientists have played a major role in the voyage of a wind-powered surface vehicle called a saildrone that is the first unmanned system to circumnavigate Antarctica.
Southeast Asia drowning in electronic waste
7 Aug 2019
As awareness of the toxic fall-out of Southeast Asia's e-waste crisis grows, what's being done to defuse an environmental timebomb in the making?
We might be expecting too much of the Amazon
7 Aug 2019
The Amazon might not be sequestering as much carbon dioxide as we think, scientists say.
China Oil threatens major African nature reserve
7 Aug 2019
One of the largest nature reserves on continental Africa might soon be destroyed by the China National Petroleum Corporation in the name of oil exploration.
BHP threatens to quit Minerals Council
6 Aug 2019
Big miner BHP is again reviewing its membership of the Minerals Council of Australia lobby group following disagreements over environmental policy.
Artificial snow could save the world, but there's a downside
6 Aug 2019
In theory, artificial snow could save the ice caps and limit sea level rise. The downside is that rescuing civilisation this way would sacrifice Antarctica.
We must change food production, says IPCC
5 Aug 2019
Attempts to solve the climate crisis by cutting carbon emissions from only cars, factories and power plants are doomed to failure, scientists will warn this week.
Arctic wildfires: How bad are they and what caused them?
5 Aug 2019
Wildfires are ravaging parts of the Arctic, with areas of Siberia, Alaska, Greenland and Canada engulfed in flames and smoke.
NZ stays out of islands' beef with Australia
2 Aug 2019
New Zealand is not joining other Pacific countries in criticising Australia’s plans to use Kyoto credits to meet its Paris Agreement target.
Capitalism part of solution, says Carney
2 Aug 2019
Capitalism is “very much part of the solution” to tackling the climate crisis, according to the governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney.
The Med is Europe’s most waste-polluted sea
2 Aug 2019
The Mediterranean Sea is the most waste-polluted sea in Europe, according to a 20-year study.
Ethiopia gets busy and plants 350 million trees in one day
2 Aug 2019
Ethiopia has set a new world mark by planting more than 350 million trees in just one day.
Pacific leaders serve Australia with blunt warning
1 Aug 2019
Pacific leaders have called on Australia to abandon plans to use carry-over credits to meet Paris climate targets and to immediately stop new coalmining, warning some of their countries could be uninhabitable as soon as 2030.
Can China electrify all new cars by 2030?
1 Aug 2019
Electric vehicles are taking off in China but a long road lies ahead before they displace conventional vehicles.
Airport expansion stalls on climate grounds
1 Aug 2019
Marseille Provence Airport has been forced to revisit expansion plans, after the environment authority questioned how they fit with France’s climate targets.
This week, we passed Earth's resources point of no return
1 Aug 2019
Researchers can calculate the exact day of the year which we have surpassed the resources Earth can regenerate annually … this year that date was July 29.
China likely to meet climate change goals early
31 Jul 2019
China appears to be on track to reach its carbon goals up to nine years earlier than planned under the Paris Agreement.
Boris has plans for UK nuclear power tax
31 Jul 2019
All electricity consumers in Britain will pay a new UK nuclear tax, a levy on their bills to finance the construction of nuclear power plants under a scheme announced by the government.
Philippines now deadliest place for green warriors
31 Jul 2019
The Philippines has replaced Brazil as the most murderous country in the world for people defending their land and environment.
At the garbage cafe, pay for your curry with plastic waste
31 Jul 2019
No money … no problem. Bring plastic waste and get a free curry at India's first “garbage café”.
Experts call for ban on glass skyscrapers
30 Jul 2019
Leading architects and engineers are calling for all-glass skyscrapers to be banned because they are too difficult and expensive to cool.
Storms damage nearly half Australia's seaboard
30 Jul 2019
Extreme climate events such as heatwaves, floods and drought damaged 45 per cent of the marine ecosystems along Australia’s coast in a seven-year period.
Tokyo turns to e-waste for fashionable Olympic medals
30 Jul 2019
Medals awarded at next year's Tokyo Olympics will be made from metals recycled directly from cell phones, computers and other electronic waste.
European bank looks to cut all fossil fuel projects
29 Jul 2019
The European Investment Bank has vowed to end its multibillion euro financing for fossil fuel projects by the end of next year.
TRAVEL TIP: Note the famous views tourists likely to lose
29 Jul 2019
Tourists who question scientific evidence of the climate crisis are being shown graphic images of famous views we’ll lose.
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.
States sue to stop Trump cancellation of $7 billion solar grant program
Tue 21 Oct 2025
Nearly two dozen states are suing the Trump administration over its cancellation of a $7 billion grant program aimed at expanding solar energy in low-income communities, according to court papers.
In China, climate litigation starts with the state
Thu 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.
How one country’s Russian gas crisis became a green energy boom
Tue 21 Oct 2025
When Russia invaded Ukraine, Moldova quickly empowered its small towns to produce their own renewable energy so no one could push it around.
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.
Four Brazilians to watch at COP30
15 Oct 2025
Influential Brazilians, from government figures to Indigenous activists, will take center stage during UN climate talks in the Amazon next month.
New UN carbon market rules could reshape how investors value nature
Mon 20 Oct 2025
A debate over carbon permanence – how long CO2 must stay stored to count towards offsetting emissions – is reshaping global carbon markets and could determine whether nature remains investable.
