International: All stories
COP 24 OPENS: The world at a crossroads
3 Dec 2018
Four senior figures behind efforts to limit climate change have warned that the planet "is at a crossroads" as key talks opened a day early in Poland.
Thousands of Aussie kids take to the streets
3 Dec 2018
Thousands of schoolchildren across Australia walked out of class on Friday to demand action by the federal government on climate change.
It's just worst-case stuff, says Trump
3 Dec 2018
The Trump administration is minimising warnings from scientists by arguing that they are exaggerated and based on the worst-case scenario.
Happy birthday, big battery
3 Dec 2018
By most accounts, Adelaide's giant lithium-ion battery - the world's largest - has been a remarkable success. But there are some concerns that have so far escaped scrutiny.
GOOD COP: You've got to know your NDCs from your LMDCs
3 Dec 2018
International climate talks are fiendishly complex and stacked with jargon. Here's a glossary of the key concepts, forums and alliances you need to navigate the UN negotiations which started today in Katowice and the diplomacy that surrounds them.
Why China must lead to save life on Earth
30 Nov 2018
China must play a leading role if the world is to draw up a new and more effective strategy to halt the collapse of life on Earth, according to senior delegates at the close of this week’s UN biodiversity conference.
Global food system is broken, say world’s science academies
30 Nov 2018
The global food system is broken, leaving billions of people either underfed or overweight and driving the planet to climate catastrophe, scientists say.
France sets up independent climate council
30 Nov 2018
France has set up independent climate council, a group of 13 experts which will hold the government to account for aligning with the Paris Agreement.
Heat threatens hospital systems, says Lancet
30 Nov 2018
The recent impact of climate change on heat-related diseases should be seen as a harbinger of future dangers including the threat of a systemic failure of hospitals, says a Lancet report.
EU plan calls for ‘climate neutrality’ by 2050
29 Nov 2018
The European Commission today will unveil its much-anticipated plan for a “climate-neutral Europe” in an effort to show EU countries how to stick to the goals of the Paris Agreement and endorse a shared long-term strategy.
Brazil pulls offer to host COP 25 summit
29 Nov 2018
Brazil has withdrawn its offer to host the COP 25 UN climate summit next year, citing budgetary constraints and the transition to a new government.
Wild plant ancestors need more protection
29 Nov 2018
Everything that humans eat or drink comes directly or indirectly from plants. Many wild plant ancestors, of even the most precious species, could be at risk.
Everest's glaciers sensitive to climate change
29 Nov 2018
It's not only glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica that are feeling the effects of a changing climate.
We must triple efforts or face catastrophe, says UN
28 Nov 2018
Countries are failing to take the action needed to stave off the worst effects of climate change, a UN report has found, and the commitments made in the Paris Agreement will not be met unless governments urgently introduce additional measures.
China drags chain on emissions trading scheme
28 Nov 2018
China still needs to do a lot of work before it can fully launch its long-awaited nationwide carbon emissions trading scheme.
Mishap forces Pacific garbage patch swimmer to give up
28 Nov 2018
A plastics-pollution campaigner has given up his attempt to swim across the Pacific - a trip that was to take him through 1600km of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Gas demand spurs race to build tankers
28 Nov 2018
Busy shipyards along the coasts of South Korea, China and Japan are competing for lucrative contracts to build liquefied natural gas carriers.
End of an era as Ireland closes its peat bogs
28 Nov 2018
When the semi-state company that harvests Ireland’s peatlands recently announced the closure of 17 bogs, the news was greeted as the end of an era.
Draft G20 statement waters down Paris stand
27 Nov 2018
A draft communique from the leaders of the G20 shows that resolve to stand up for the Paris climate agreement against critical voices, such as the US, might be weakening.
Labor’s smashing win tonic for clean energy
27 Nov 2018
The relief from Victoria’s stunning election result last weekend was palpable.
Trailblazing UK climate change act a global model
27 Nov 2018
Ten years after its creation, the landmark UK climate change legislation has many lessons for other countries as they look for ways to turn the Paris deal into national action.
Scientist unveils blueprint to save bees and enrich farmers
27 Nov 2018
The collapse in bee populations can be reversed if countries adopt a new farmer-friendly strategy, says the architect of a new masterplan for pollinators.
Morrison tells striking schoolkids to butt out
27 Nov 2018
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been labelled “out of touch” for angrily condemning a national student strike to protest government inaction on climate change.
Hunt begins for 'detergent' to clean up the sky
26 Nov 2018
Antarctic ice records pre-industrial levels of a chemical that scrubs the atmosphere of greenhouses gases.
Risks are spiraling, warns US weather scientists
26 Nov 2018
The US government's own climate scientists have issued a blunt warning that global warming is a growing threat to human life, property and ecosystems across the country, and that the economic damage will spiral in the coming decades.
Report over the top, say Trump's people
26 Nov 2018
The Trump administration has tried to downplay the stark findings of its own climate change assessment, as Democrats sought to pressure the White House to avert looming economic and public health disaster.
Europe, too, will feel the heat
26 Nov 2018
Unrestrained global warming and a hotter climate will cost Europe dear in lives lost and economies squeezed. Even if it’s limited, there’ll be a price to pay.
She trolled Trump, but can she lead green wave across Europe?
26 Nov 2018
Swedish minister Isabella Lövin found fame in a jibe aimed at the White House. Now she aims for change beyond Twitter.
Climate-heating gases at record levels, says UN
23 Nov 2018
The main greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change have all reached record levels, UN experts have reported.
Chinese money will make or break climate fight
23 Nov 2018
Despite its claims of being green, most of China's Belt and Road Initiative money is still flowing into fossil fuel projects and traditional transport.
Vanuatu eyes climate action against fossil fuel companies
23 Nov 2018
Vanuatu says it will explore whether it can take legal action against fossil fuel companies and countries for their role in causing climate change.
Polish government split over coal
23 Nov 2018
Poland’s energy ministry has come out fighting for the coal sector, ahead of UN climate talks in Katowice next month.
US exporters find new coal friend in India
23 Nov 2018
US coal exporters have effectively lost a promising market in China since the imposition of tariffs but have managed to find other buyers in Asia, chiefly India.
UK advised to look at hydrogen heating
23 Nov 2018
Millions of gas boilers will need to be replaced with hydrogen alternatives and coupled with electric heating devices if Britain is to hit its carbon targets at the lowest cost.
Mangroves are on the march
23 Nov 2018
Mangrove forests could be adapting to climate change by growing beyond their usual range, according to a recent study.
Ten EU countries demand net-zero goal
22 Nov 2018
Ministers from 10 EU countries have urged the European Commission to chart a “credible and detailed” path towards net-zero emissions in 2050, ahead of the launch of a landmark climate strategy next week.
Attenborough to speak for the people at UN climate summit
22 Nov 2018
Sir David Attenborough will address the UN’s climate change summit in Poland next month, taking up a newly established “people’s seat” at the negotiations.
Oceans could be facing mass extinctions
22 Nov 2018
The world’s oceans have lost more than 2 per cent of their dissolved oxygen reservoir over the past five decades.
Marshalls first to submit new climate targets
22 Nov 2018
The Marshall Islands is the first country to submit new, binding climate targets to the United Nations this week, sending a signal to other countries to commit to more ambitious emissions cuts.
UN environment chief resigns
22 Nov 2018
The UN’s environment chief, Erik Solheim, has resigned following severe criticism of his global travels and internal rule-breaking which led some nations to withhold their funding.
We need to act 'today', says new IPCC report
21 Nov 2018
Action on climate change must be stepped up if the climate crisis is to be averted, the International Panel on Climate Change is warning.
How Antarctic melt could slow temperature rise
21 Nov 2018
Cold meltwater running off Antarctica’s ice sheets and into the ocean could dampen the pace of global temperature rise, a new study suggests.
Hungary wants end to coal power by 2030
21 Nov 2018
Hungary is eyeing an end to coal-fired power generation by 2030, in a move that could shake the EU region most staunchly opposed to tougher climate change measures.
Ardern talks climate on Asia-Pacific swing
20 Nov 2018
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern used international talks in Papua New Zealand and Singapore to push for action on climate change, her office says.
Europe could face migration chaos, says Kerry
20 Nov 2018
Europe faces deeper political turmoil and the possibility of mass migration from Africa unless the world urgently addresses the threat of climate change, says former US secretary of state John Kerry.
What exactly is the Green New Deal?
20 Nov 2018
In a Democratic clash on Capitol Hill, progressives are pushing an ambitious plan to wean the U.S off fossil fuels. Meet the "Green New Deal."
Climate changes threaten navy shipyards
20 Nov 2018
Damage from climate change to key US military shipyards would undermine the Pentagon’s ability to respond to military crises and counter China’s ambitions.
China, Russia and Canada policies a threat
19 Nov 2018
China, Russia and Canada’s current climate policies would drive the world above a catastrophic 5deg of warming by the end of the century, according to a study that ranks the climate goals of different countries.
Crucial Antarctic current is changing
19 Nov 2018
The Antarctic Circumpolar Current is the strongest ocean current on our planet and is vital for Earth’s health. It is also changing as the climate warms.
Trump plans coal sideshow at Katowice
19 Nov 2018
The Trump administration plans to set up a side-event promoting fossil fuels at the UN climate talks in Katowice, Poland, next month.
Darwin methane leak ‘covered up’ by gas companies and regulators
Today 11:30am
At the heart of the project that heralded northern Australia’s gas boom — Darwin’s first liquefied natural gas plant — was a storage tank that operators hailed as a major feat of engineering.
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.
EU’s record wildfire emissions highlight threat to forest carbon sinks
Mon 1 Sep 2025
As carbon emissions from forest fires spike in Europe, experts warn that wildfires pose a growing risk to national efforts to meet climate goals.
UK Conservatives pledge to get all oil and gas out of North Sea
Today 11:30am
Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch has said her party will remove all net zero requirements on oil and gas companies drilling in the North Sea if elected.
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.
Liberia has a new plan to protect its rainforests. Can it work?
Today 11:30am
Half of West Africa’s remaining rainforests are in Liberia, but in 2024, it lost more than 38,000 hectares (94,000 acres) of humid primary forest, according to Global Forest Watch.
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.
