International: All stories
Guterres fights to save the climate ... and the UN
1 Jul 2019
When UN chief António Guterres posed knee-deep in a Pacific island lagoon for a Time magazine photographer, he wanted the world to see his determination to tackle the climate crisis.
Denmark raises climate to highest priority
1 Jul 2019
In a deal with other left parties, Denmark's new Social Democrat government has agreed to raise the country’s climate targets and place the green transition at the heart of policy.
'Red alert' France records its hottest temperature in history
1 Jul 2019
A temperature of 45.1deg has been recorded in France, the hottest in the country’s history.
US makes renewable energy breakthrough
28 Jun 2019
The US in April generated more electricity from renewable sources than coal for the first time,, new federal government data has shown.
Doubting Saudis block key climate report
28 Jun 2019
A major report on 1.5deg has been excluded from formal UN climate negotiations, after Saudi Arabia tried to discredit its scientific underpinnings.
Would you eat meat grown from cells in a laboratory?
28 Jun 2019
For those who want something closer to the real thing than fake meat made from plant-based materials, meat cells can be grown in a laboratory. Here’s how it works ...
World faces ‘climate apartheid’, says UN expert
27 Jun 2019
Climate change threatens to undo the past 50 years of development, global health and poverty reduction, a United Nations expert says, citing the risk of a new era of “climate apartheid” where the rich buy their way out of rising heat and hunger.
Investors with $34 trillion demand urgent action
27 Jun 2019
Investors managing more than $34 trillion in assets, nearly half the world’s invested capital, are demanding urgent action from governments on climate change.
Temperatures on the rise ... and so is the rat population
27 Jun 2019
The warmer weather creeping into cities across America is cause for international concern, but there’s one group that loves it– rats.
Greenland could be ice-free in 1000 years
27 Jun 2019
By the year 3000 Greenland could simply be green, with rocky outcrops and its icy mountains will have vanished.
Your coverage unacceptable, climate protesters tell media
26 Jun 2019
More than 70 protesters have been arrested outside the New York Times building as they called for more effective media coverage of the dangers of climate change.
Science looks at turning carbon dioxide into cash
26 Jun 2019
Scientists from around the world are meeting in Germany to improve ways of making money from carbon dioxide.
Labour plans major climate role for Bank of England
25 Jun 2019
UK Labour plans to give the Bank of England powers to help to check the readiness of City firms to cut carbon emissions and invest responsibly to tackle the climate emergency.
Why pursuit of profit won’t solve climate crisis
25 Jun 2019
Resolving the climate crisis demands radical political change, a British author argues: the end of free market capitalism.
Trump buries studies showing dangers to food supply
25 Jun 2019
The Trump administration has stopped promoting US government-funded research into how higher temperatures can damage crops and pose health risks.
Is this the best way yet to tell the global warming story?
25 Jun 2019
One of the biggest problems with global warming has been the failure of science to communicate to people that it is actually happening.
Four countries block EU climate deal
24 Jun 2019
The European Council has failed to agree on a landmark climate strategy for 2050 as the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary and Poland baulked at the mention of a specific date.
Vanuatu eyes ban on disposable nappies
24 Jun 2019
Vanuatu, which has already introduced one of the toughest single-use plastic bans , is believed to be the first nation to propose a ban on disposable nappies.
Gas-guzzling US military one of the world's biggest emitters
24 Jun 2019
Scientists have identified the US military as one of the world’s great emitters of greenhouse gases, an agency which buys as much fuel as Portugal or Peru and emits more carbon dioxide than all of Romania.
Will born-again materials be fashion’s next big thing?
24 Jun 2019
The $2.5 trillion fashion business produces more carbon emissions than aviation and shipping combined.
Trudeau signs off on fuel pipeline - again
21 Jun 2019
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has given the green light for a second time to a $5.5 billion pipeline expansion that has attracted strong opposition from environmentalists and some indigenous groups.
US seawalls come with $416 billion price tag
21 Jun 2019
Defending against rising seas could cost US communities $416 billion in the next 20 years, according to a new report.
Australia's north has a powerhouse vision
21 Jun 2019
Australia's Northern Territory has a multi-billion dollar opportunity to invest massively in renewables, create a new hydrogen export industry, and create thousands of jobs, says a new report.
Leftover spy satellites reveal Himalayas melt
21 Jun 2019
US spy satellites that secretly kept watch over the Himalayas during the Cold War are helping researchers piece together the most detailed view yet of the region's accelerating ice loss.
The good, the bad, and the ugly of climate battle
20 Jun 2019
Morocco, Gambia, Bhutan, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, India and the Philippines are the good guys.
New York approves ambitious climate plan
20 Jun 2019
New York politicians have reached a deal to create one of the most ambitious climate bills in the US, putting the progressive state on the front lines of fight over the environment.
UK to host critical 2020 UN climate summit
20 Jun 2019
The UK is set to host a critical global summit on the climate crisis at the end of 2020, at which the world’s 190 nations must commit to deep cuts in emissions.
Can Australia avoid drifting into a slow, painful decline?
20 Jun 2019
Australia has been warned it risks "drifting into the future" if it fails to respond to challenges in a fast-changing world.
Floridians set record for underwater cleanup
20 Jun 2019
The Florida city of Deerfield has put 633 divers into the water in what it claims is the world’s largest underwater clean-up.
More countries back EU neutrality goal
19 Jun 2019
Germany, Greece, Italy and Slovenia have added their names to a growing list of EU countries supporting a carbon neutrality objective for 2050, increasing the chances that a deal will be struck at a summit later this week.
Deaths rise among reporters telling environment stories
19 Jun 2019
Thirteen journalists who were investigating damage to the environment have been killed in recent years and many more are suffering violence, harassment, intimidation and lawsuits.
Warmer world will be more dangerous
18 Jun 2019
A warmer world will be more dangerous. As the thermometer rises, so does the risk of conflict and bloodshed in more vulnerable regions.
Ireland has bold plan to tackle climate crisis
18 Jun 2019
Ireland has unveiled an ambitious plan to tackle the climate emergency by weaning the state, businesses, farms and households off fossil fuels.
Drought forces Namibia to sell wild animals to highest bidder
18 Jun 2019
Drought-hit Namibia has authorised the sale of at least 1000 wild animals – including elephants and giraffes – to limit loss of life and to raise money for conservation.
Poor nations could be future species guardians
18 Jun 2019
Developing countries are better than richer nations at promising to protect important agricultural species in the future, but do less well in safeguarding existing biodiversity.
Arctic permafrost melting 70 years ahead of time
17 Jun 2019
Permafrost has begun thawing in the Canadian Arctic more than 70 years early because of climate change, according to new research.
Australia gives go-ahead to Adani mine
14 Jun 2019
Australia has given the final approval for construction to begin on a controversial coal mine to be built by Indian company Adani.
Coal-dependent Japan sets neutral goal
14 Jun 2019
Heavy on tech, light on any plans to tackle its coal dependency, Japan has released its climate legislation.
UK commits to 2050 emissions target
13 Jun 2019
Greenhouse gas emissions in the UK will be cut to almost zero by 2050, under the terms of a new government plan to tackle climate change.
African city heat set to grow intolerably
13 Jun 2019
The entire African continent faces lethal weather conditions for many of its people.
Thirty years to climate meltdown – or not?
12 Jun 2019
How much of a threat is climate meltdown? Should we treat it as the biggest danger to life in the 21st century, or as one of many problems − serious, but manageable?
Brazil leader guts environmental agencies
12 Jun 2019
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro appears intent on decriminalizing Amazon deforestation, ending most fines, straitjacketing law enforcement, and gutting environmental agencies with mass firings.
Survey finds number of plant extinctions is 'frightening'
12 Jun 2019
Human destruction of the living world is causing a “frightening” number of plant extinctions, according to scientists who have completed the first global analysis of the issue.
At this rate, we'll have more plastic than fish in the ocean
11 Jun 2019
If humanity continues dumping plastics into nature at the current rate, there will be more plastic than fish in the world’s seas by 2050.
Bloomberg mission is to close all US coal plants
11 Jun 2019
Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has a new $500 million mission - to close every coal plant in the US by 2030.
What's worrying the plastics industry?
10 Jun 2019
This year’s Global Plastics Summit revealed an industry that sees big growth ahead but also serious challenges, from plastics in the ocean to climate impact.
Trump disses climate change after meeting Charles
10 Jun 2019
US President Donald Trump dismissed climate change as “a change in weather” just hours after holding talks on the issue with Prince Charles.
Some day soon, people might be queueing to get to Siberia
10 Jun 2019
Siberia, currently one of the most sparsely populated places in the northern hemisphere, could become a target for mass migration as the climate warms.
There’s more CO2 in the atmosphere than you think
7 Jun 2019
Carbon dioxide levels recorded last month at the Mauna Loa atmospheric observatory in Hawaii reached an average of 414.7 parts per million. But in truth, the amount of greenhouse gas in our atmosphere is higher still.
Australia's rising emissions spark row
7 Jun 2019
Data showing the latest increase in Australia's greenhouse emissions was released late, in defiance of a Senate order, but leaked to a major newspaper.
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.
