International: All stories
Biden taps Ocasio-Cortez and Kerry to fight climate
15 May 2020
Presidential hopeful Joe Biden has appointed Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the avatar of the Green New Deal, and former Secretary of State John Kerry, an architect of the Paris climate agreement, to his climate team.
Bangladesh to double fossil fuel imports
15 May 2020
Bangladesh is expected to double its imports of fossil fuels in the coming decade and will miss its 2020 clean-energy target.
How Australia can build a green economy
14 May 2020
As the Australian government prepares plans for economic recovery, investors and green groups alike say this is a once-only opportunity to move towards zero emissions.
Lessons from the rush on toilet paper
14 May 2020
The speed of official reaction to covid-19 has prompted some people to ask whether modern societies can act as fast to protect themselves, not only from another pandemic, but against a possible comparable global threat such as climate change.
Plastic waste now litters Antarctic shore
13 May 2020
British and German scientists have identified "sickening" levels of plastic waste in the Southern Ocean that washes around Antarctica.
World could lose half its sandy beaches
13 May 2020
Sea level rise fueled by man-made climate change threatens to consume half the world's sandy beaches by the end of the century, according to a new study.
Fossil fuel giants set for virus bailout bonanza
13 May 2020
Fossil fuel companies and coal-powered utilities in the US are set for a potential bonanza under federal government plans for a bond bailout, part of the rescue package for the coronavirus crisis.
Bolsonaro sends in his soldiers
13 May 2020
Brazil has deployed thousands of soldiers to protect the Amazon rainforest as the government mounts a response to surging deforestation ahead of the high season for forest fires.
Will the virus crisis trump the climate crisis?
12 May 2020
The battle over how to spend recovery funds — to quickly restore the old economy or invest in a greener one — will define the post-pandemic world.
Extreme heat set to trap millions indoors by 2060
12 May 2020
Extreme heat and humidity are increasing across the globe, threatening millions of lives and economies in places where it could become fatal to work outdoors.
Belt and Road backers failing to protect nature
12 May 2020
The financial backers of China’s Belt and Road Initiative are being accused of failing to require safeguards to protect nature.
Plastic piles up as covid sidelines pollution fight
12 May 2020
Green groups worry about a plastic "onslaught" in Southeast Asia as home deliveries during lockdowns add to mountains of waste.
Shareholders call for Rio Tinto to make stand
11 May 2020
Shareholders in global miner Rio Tinto have rebuked the company over its climate stance, with 37 per cent voting at a meeting in Australia for a resolution that would require it to set binding emissions targets.
How will we fly, drive, commute and ride?
11 May 2020
Social distancing rules will kill cities, experts warn – and the future of mass transit hangs in the balance.
We must save economy and climate together
11 May 2020
There’s growing agreement by economists and scientists: Covid-19 needs the world to rescue both economy and climate together.
Covid sees bikes pushing cars out of cities
11 May 2020
Curfews paralysed traffic as the covid-19 pandemic hit many cities, but now the cities have started to promote the bicycle revolution and ban cars.
Don't count out batteries in the future
11 May 2020
The clean energy sector of the future will need both batteries and electrolysers, says a new International Energy Agency report.
Judge rules feral horses must go
11 May 2020
The Australian federal court has ruled that feral horses can be removed from the Victorian high country.
Trump reverses nearly 100 green rules
8 May 2020
After three years in office, the Trump administration has dismantled most of the major climate and environmental policies the president promised to undo.
Infectious disease rates are skyrocketing
8 May 2020
A catastrophic loss in biodiversity, reckless destruction of wildland and warming temperatures have allowed disease to explode.
South Korea backs $2b bailout of coal company
8 May 2020
The South Korean government is backing a $2 billion bailout of the country’s biggest coal plant manufacturer, despite promises to end coal financing.
Virus hasn’t killed globalisation - it shows we need it
7 May 2020
Examining where the world went right or wrong in its covid-19 response might help to mitigate another global crisis, climate change.
Businesses see climate and virus recovery as one
7 May 2020
A leading Australian business group is calling for the two biggest economic challenges in memory – recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and cutting greenhouse gas emissions – to be addressed together, saying it would boost growth and put the country on a firm long-term footing.
Struggling farm workers face worsening heat
7 May 2020
Life is already bad enough for underpaid and overworked crop pickers in the US, but as lethal heat levels rise they will render outdoor labour in the harvest season increasingly impossible.
We’ve all had a taste of disrupted food supplies
7 May 2020
When our reliance on supermarkets is seriously disrupted – for example, by spikes in demand due to flooding of distribution centres panic buying or the flooding of distribution centres – we are left with few alternatives.
In 50 years, some cities will be too hot to handle
6 May 2020
Unless steps are taken to check global warming, up to three billion people will find themselves in areas too warm for human comfort, a new study finds.
How Dutch were forced into emissions cuts
6 May 2020
Last month, the Dutch government announced a bold set of climate policies designed to reduce annual carbon emissions by nearly 10 megatons.
Inside gas cookers are making us sick
6 May 2020
Gas cookers are making people sick and exposing tens of millions to air pollution levels that would be illegal if they were outside.
Living in the Rainbow Tree with 30,000 plants
6 May 2020
Assuming the Rainbow Tree is actually built, the greenery-covered timber tower will rise to an impressive height of 115 m in Cebu, the Philippines.
Westpac to stop funding coal for power
5 May 2020
Westpac says it will stop funding mining projects for coal to be used for power generation by 2030, as part of a broader commitment to reach a net-zero emissions business model by 2050.
Trump-friendly fuel firms get millions in aid
5 May 2020
US fossil fuel companies have taken at least $50m in taxpayer money they probably won’t have to pay back, according to a review of coronavirus aid meant for struggling small businesses.
Coal industry uses enough water for 5 million people
5 May 2020
Coal mining and coal-fired power stations in New South Wales and Queensland use the same amount of water as 5.2 million people, or more than the entire population of Greater Sydney, says a new report.
Warren Buffett dumps US airline stocks
4 May 2020
Legendary American investor Warren Buffett has sold his firm’s entire holdings in the four major US airlines, warning that the world has changed for the aviation industry because of the coronavirus crisis.
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.
Oil refinery fire at key Victoria facility
16 Apr 2026
Explosions and towering flames were reported as a significant fire broke out at one of Australia’s major oil refineries.
Trump takes a ‘wrecking ball’ to independent scientific advisory board
Thu 30 Apr 2026
Without the impartial oversight of its board, the National Science Foundation is now “fully at the behest of the White House,” experts warn.
China’s leadership calls for ‘strict control’ of fossil fuels
Tue 28 Apr 2026
Chinese government leaders published a policy document on 22 April – Earth Day – calling for stricter controls on fossil-fuel consumption and greater oversight of heavy emitters.
EU faces ‘China shock’ as EV imports drive Beijing’s record surplus with bloc
Fri 1 May 2026
The EU is experiencing a prolonged “China shock” as a flood of Chinese EVs into Europe helped push Beijing to a record surplus with the bloc.
UK scientists to fire salt water into the sky in bid to tackle climate crisis
Fri 1 May 2026
Government supporting new geoengineering techniques as race against unregulated companies seeking to capitalise on need for climate cooling tech heats up.
Canada, Alberta close in on carbon price agreement, sources say
Wed 29 Apr 2026
Canada and Alberta are expected to strike a deal in the next two weeks that will increase the price on carbon for the province's industrial emitters, but a broader agreement to tackle oil sands greenhouse gases and green-light a new crude oil export pipeline remains elusive.
India submits new climate action pledges to UN body, flags condition to fulfil promise
Wed 29 Apr 2026
India has formally submitted its pledge to the UN climate body, underline importing conditions noting the developing countries' committments cannot be fulfilled without adequate support in terms of finance and technology transfer.
Tuvalu to host world leaders before COP31 summit
16 Apr 2026
Tuvalu, the Pacific nation at the forefront of the global climate crisis, will host a special meeting of world leaders before this year’s Cop31 summit, as the conference president expresses “complete faith” in Chris Bowen to lead tough negotiations.
Drowned chicks and food scarcity: Emperor penguin and Antarctic fur seal now endangered
13 Apr 2026
The primary drivers are shrinking sea ice and warming oceans driven by climate change.
Rationing power and diluting petrol – how African countries are coping with effects of Iran war
30 Mar 2026
Countries across Africa have taken measures such as diluting petrol and restricting electricity consumption to cope with the fuel crisis triggered by the US and Israel's war in Iran.
Beef production drives 40% of agriculture-linked forest destruction, Brazil leads
26 Mar 2026
Beef production is the leading driver of agriculture-linked deforestation, accounting for 40% of all forest clearing done to open space for food production, according to details of a study released on Tuesday.
Extreme heat threatens global food systems, UN agencies warn
23 Apr 2026
Extreme heat is pushing global agrifood systems to the brink, threatening the livelihoods and health of more than a billion people, according to a new report by the U.N.'s food and weather agencies.
