International: All stories
California insists on electric buses
20 Dec 2018
The Californian Air Resources Board has revealed its plan to have an all-electric bus fleet in California by 2040.
Warming pause didn't happen, say experts
20 Dec 2018
Claims of a global warming ‘pause’ in observed temperatures early this century are unfounded and lack statistical significance, researchers say.
Watch plastic toys, Christmas shoppers warned
20 Dec 2018
Christmas shoppers in Europe are being warned to avoid plastic toys after they appeared in more than half of EU intergovernmental alerts for products containing banned chemicals this year.
Stage set for humanity’s two most crucial years
19 Dec 2018
Decisions made from now to 2020 will determine to what extent Earth remains habitable.
EU agrees deal to cut emissions from cars
19 Dec 2018
The European Union has agreed to a goal of cutting carbon emissions from cars by 37.5 per cent in a decade, finally settling differences between vehicle-producing countries and environmentally-conscious lawmakers.
BBC under pressure to tell climate story
19 Dec 2018
A pressure group has called on the BBC, as Britain's public broadcaster, to convey the severity of the climate and ecological emergency.
NZ and Europe to strengthen market cooperation
18 Dec 2018
New Zealand is to strengthen its carbon market ties with Europe.
Anti-climate change strongmen still on the outer
18 Dec 2018
The COP24 talks just ended in Poland have shown that global warming treaties can survive the era of the anti-climate strongman.
Protesters to up pressure on governments
18 Dec 2018
Civil society groups have pledged growing international protests to drive rapid action on global warming after the UN climate summit in Poland.
Climate passports might come in handy
18 Dec 2018
As climate change leads to the flooding of whole countries a “climate passport” might allow the most distressed to settle in countries that have been largely responsible for the impact.
GOOD HEALTH: Let's hear it for yew trees and Gila monsters
18 Dec 2018
The Pacific yew tree and the Gila monster have an unlikely connection ... and that's good news for the future of the human race.
There's no problem a billion cockroaches can't handle
18 Dec 2018
China is producing so much food waste it has had to come up with some out-of-the-box thinking — like using a billion cockroaches to take care of the problem.
Shaw hopes for carbon market rules next year
17 Dec 2018
Climate minister James Shaw is optimistic that rules governing carbon markets will be settled next year.
What was agreed and why did it take so long?
17 Dec 2018
Fractious UN climate change talks in Poland ended with a deal on putting the Paris agreement into practice – but much else left unresolved
Sydney and Melbourne vow to ditch coal power
17 Dec 2018
Sydney and Melbourne have committed themselves to phasing out coal, in a move at odds with the Australia’s aggressively pro-coal national government.
London mayor unveils climate change plan
17 Dec 2018
London mayor Sadiq Khan has outlined his new climate change plan, designed to protect people from floods, fires and political upheaval.
Meet the Australian farmer with 240 million trees to his name
17 Dec 2018
Through the cacophony of the UN’s global climate talks, an Australian farmer is quietly spreading his plan to reforest the world.
That small patch of bush might be saving a species
17 Dec 2018
It might not look like a pristine expanse of Amazon rainforest or an African savannah, but the patch of bush at the end of the street could be one of the only places on the planet that harbours a particular species of endangered animal or plant.
Shaw has high hopes for Katowice success
14 Dec 2018
Climate minister James Shaw is confident a Paris Agreement rule book and agreement about limiting warming to 1.5deg will come out of bogged-down talks in Poland.
China says it's open to ‘uniform’ climate rules
14 Dec 2018
China has signalled it is open to following “uniform” global climate change rules, shifting from its usual push for a clear division of responsibilities for rich and poor countries.
Instead, let’s focus on the cost of avoiding climate change
14 Dec 2018
As delegates at the UN climate summit in Poland discuss the possibility of restraining global warming to 1.5deg, it might sound like a reasonable question to ask how much money it will cost if they fail.
Better land use could slash emissions
14 Dec 2018
US scientists have found a new way to cut or offset 22% of the greenhouse gas emissions from American factory chimneys, car exhausts and power stations -- better land use.
SILENT REVOLUTION: It's all power to the e-bus in this city
14 Dec 2018
All 16,000 buses in the fast-growing Chinese megacity of Shenzhen are now electric, and soon all 22,000 taxis will be, too.
Why Whyalla faces a bright new future
14 Dec 2018
Whyalla’s death notice has been written a number of times but the South Australian industrial town's future took a big step forward in 2017 when British-based industrialist Sanjeev Gupta bought the steelworks.
UN chief in bid to revive flagging talks
13 Dec 2018
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has made a dramatic intervention to revive flagging climate talks in Poland by flying back to the conference and preparing a personal call to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Saudi falls foul of developing countries
13 Dec 2018
Competing visions of climate justice have alienated Saudi Arabia from other developing countries at UN climate talks in Poland.
They're trying to save us, so why do we punish activists?
13 Dec 2018
Green activists are fighting to save us all – so why do their sacrifices warrant punishment?
We're making progress - towards 3deg warming
12 Dec 2018
If all governments achieve their largely insufficient climate targets, the world will see 3deg of warming by 2100, twice the 1.5deg limit they agreed in Paris three years ago, says the Climate Action Tracker’s annual update, delivered today at the climate talks in Katowice.
Indigenous peoples clinch climate deal
12 Dec 2018
Indigenous peoples clinched a deal in Poland that will give them a voice in global climate change negotiations, but only after conceding to a push to put national sovereignty above their rights.
Vietnam milk boom leads to billions of cartons on beaches
12 Dec 2018
More than eight billion Tetra Paks are sold every year in Vietnam – and only a few percent are recycled. It’s having a devastating effect on the environment.
Patagonia gives $10m tax cut to the cimate cause
12 Dec 2018
Outdoor clothing company Patagonia will be giving to the planet the $10 million it made as a result of President Trump's tax cuts.
Australia's silence shocks delegates
11 Dec 2018
Australia has been accused of tacitly supporting oil allies’ rejection of the UN's latest science report at the climate summit in Katowice.
US is still very much in the game
11 Dec 2018
Forget Donald Trump’s rejection of the Paris Agreement. The US is still very much in and zealously setting the tone of international climate change negotiations.
Bolsonaro appoints 'beef caucus' minister
11 Dec 2018
Brazil’s far right president-elect Jair Bolsonaro has named Ricardo de Aquino Salles, a 43-year-old lawyer and a staunch ‘beef caucus’ ally to lead his environment department.
Climate plans pushed to 2041 in UN draft
11 Dec 2018
The start date of an important element of the Paris Agreement would be set 23 years in the future under a proposal from major emerging economies.
Global investors call for more action
10 Dec 2018
The largest-ever group of institutional investors has called on governments around the world to urgently increase their efforts to meet the Paris climate change agreement goals.
Oil producerrs scrap over UN climate report
10 Dec 2018
Four big oil and gas producers blocked UN climate talks from welcoming the most influential climate science report in years, as a meeting in Poland descended into acrimony.
California plans coastal retreat as sea starts swallowing homes
10 Dec 2018
Ocean-front homes could be demolished along California's coastline under a groundbreaking proposal to preserve the state's made-for-movies beaches before they're destroyed by rising seawater.
War hero president MIA in early climate battles
10 Dec 2018
Among the tributes paid to former US president George H.W. Bush has been plenty of reflection on his war record – but less on how he handled himself during the early skirmishes of the climate battle.
Climate control could save millions of lives, says WHO
7 Dec 2018
Beating climate change would save at least a million lives a year, the World Health Organisation has told the UN climate summit in Poland, making it a moral imperative.
Indonesia manages to fly below the radar
7 Dec 2018
International leaders are in Katowice debating the world's warming climate - but seldom mentioned is Indonesia, one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases.
Parched world watches as water vanishes
7 Dec 2018
This parched world’s landlocked basins – they make up a fifth of the Earth’s surface – have lost at least 100 billion tonnes of water every year since the century began.
Greenland ice melt is in overdrive
7 Dec 2018
Melting on Greenland's ice sheet has gone into overdrive, with meltwater runoff increasing 50 per cent since the start of the industrial era and continuing to accelerate, new research shows.
To feed 10 billion people we'll have to lay off the steak meals
7 Dec 2018
People in rich nations will have to make big cuts to the amount of beef and lamb they eat if the world is to be able to feed 10 billion people, says a new report.
Emissions jump to all-time high in 2018
6 Dec 2018
Global carbon emissions will jump to a record high in 2018, says a report released at the Katowice climate summit, dashing hopes a plateau of recent years would be maintained.
Why we can’t trust finance with the planet
6 Dec 2018
Private finance and large investors will play a central role at the COP24 in Katowice. But before we pin our hopes on finance to solve climate change, there are some things we need to ask ourselves.
Four things that must be done at Katowice
6 Dec 2018
The urgency for decisive action is the imperative for COP24. The UN must press on with four major strands for meeting the Paris 1.5deg target.
World Bank to invest $200b in climate fight
6 Dec 2018
The World Bank will make about $200 billion available to fund action on climate change from 2021-25, helping countries to adapt to the effects of warming and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Australia eyes role as clean-energy exporter
6 Dec 2018
Politicians around Australia are proposing ambitious plans to export renewable energy from Australia, using high-voltage power lines laid under the oceans.
Pure electrics shine as China shows off cars of the future
6 Dec 2018
China has seen a bumper year for electric car sales, so it’s no surprise that a number “new energy vehicles”, as EVs are referred to in China, were the stars of the Guangzhou Auto Show.
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.
