International: All stories
Rich nations spend $100 billion a year on fossil fuels
7 Jun 2018
The major industrial nations spend at least $100 billion each year to prop up oil, gas and coal consumption, despite vows to end fossil fuel subsidies by 2025, a new report says.
The Great Canadian Paris-pipeline paradox
7 Jun 2018
The Canadian government’s decision to purchase Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline project shortly after ratifying the Paris Agreement on climate change creates an interesting paradox and a national challenge.
Hawaii signs to become carbon neutral by 2045
7 Jun 2018
Hawaii has set the most ambitious climate goal in the US by signing a bill to become carbon neutral by 2045.
India approves massive solar farm
7 Jun 2018
The Indian Government has given planning permission for a huge new solar project which is set to become one of the largest in the world.
How 'carbon bubble' could spark financial crisis
6 Jun 2018
Plunging prices for renewable energy and rapidly increasing investment in low-carbon technologies could leave fossil fuel companies with trillions in stranded assets and spark a global financial crisis, a new study has found.
Bayer swallows Monsanto ... but chokes on the name
6 Jun 2018
German chemicals and pharmaceuticals giant Bayer will discard the name Monsanto when it takes over the controversial US seeds and pesticides producer this week.
Trump orders action to save power plants
6 Jun 2018
President Trump has ordered his energy secretary to take immediate action to stem US power plant closures, arguing that a decline in coal and nuclear electricity is putting the nation’s security at risk.
California strikes e-vehicle gold
6 Jun 2018
California has been given the go-ahead to expand electric vehicle infrastructure and rebate programmes with a total budget of more than $750 million.
No meat, no dairy ... the best thing you can do
5 Jun 2018
Avoiding meat and dairy products is the single biggest way to reduce your environmental impact on the planet, according to the scientists behind the most comprehensive analysis to date of the damage farming does to the planet.
Pope invites Big Oil to Vatican for chat about climate change
5 Jun 2018
The Vatican will host executives of the world’s top oil companies for a conference this week on climate change and the transition away from fossil fuels.
Coal's all the rage in Indonesia
1 Jun 2018
Indonesia’s coal industry is enjoying a resurgence, driven both by rising demand from China and a push by Jakarta to build more coal-fired power plants.
Meat and fish firms 'jeopardising Paris'
1 Jun 2018
Meat and fish companies might be putting the implementation of the Paris Agreement in jeopardy by failing to properly report their climate emissions, says a new report.
Asia-Pacific dragging the chain, says UN
31 May 2018
The Asia-Pacific region is falling behind on climate action and conservation, according to the United Nations.
Scum of the sea is a no-see
31 May 2018
An invisible layer of scum on the sea surface can reduce carbon dioxide exchange between the atmosphere and the oceans by up to 50 per cent, scientists have discovered.
OVER TO YOU: Cricket (and its fans) must bowl climate change
31 May 2018
Cricket has a responsibility to tackle climate change because the game and its followers have an emotional and physical bond with the land in a way that few other field sports do.
Big US banks resume lending to coal companies
30 May 2018
An environmental group’s analysis shows the five largest United States banks have started lending to coal companies again now that they’re out of bankruptcy.
Dutch government appeals emissions ruling
30 May 2018
The Dutch government has launched a bid to overturn a landmark climate ruling, arguing that judges in The Hague “sidelined democracy” when they ordered a 25 per cent cut in carbon emissions by 2020.
Why it pays to invest in biodiversity
30 May 2018
In 2010, 193 countries stepped up to halt the global decline of biodiversity by 2020 as part of their commitment to the Convention on Biological Diversity.
SUPER SWIM: Bold Ben takes plunge to protest at plastics
30 May 2018
American Ben Lecomte tomorrow begins a 8800km swim across the Pacific Ocean to draw global attention to plastics pollution.
Scotland wants to be among first to carbon zero
29 May 2018
New targets will set Scotland on course to become one of the first countries in the world to achieve a 100 per cent reduction in carbon emissions, the government has claimed.
'We can't see a future' group takes EU to court
29 May 2018
Litigants from eight countries are claiming EU institutions are not protecting their fundamental rights.
Five ways hospitals can reduce their carbon footprint
29 May 2018
Picture this: Iron ore from Western Australia is shipped to China and smelted, fashioned into stainless steel surgical instruments in Pakistan and exported as single-use instruments. Clinicians use these instruments once, then discard them.
TEA TROUBLE: Weather changes could put Darjeeling in danger
29 May 2018
Gradual change in temperature and rainfall patterns in India's Darjeeling hills is beginning to affect production of one of the country's most famous teas.
New rules make investors report on e-risks
28 May 2018
The European Commission has released fresh proposals to ensure the financial sector contributes to combating climate change.
Exxon sets new targets to reduce gas emissions
28 May 2018
ExxonMobil, the world’s largest public oil producer, is planning to reduce its methane emissions by 15 per cent by 2020.
Changing climate might be killing off bees
28 May 2018
Beekeepers in the US have reported an increase in honeybee deaths over the past year, possibly the result of erratic weather patterns brought on by a changing climate.
WEASEL WORRY: It's important to have the right winter clothes
28 May 2018
Finding oneself improperly dressed for the weather can have fatal consequences – just ask a white-coated weasel.
EPA ‘secret science’ proposal alarms health experts
25 May 2018
The EPA this month could finalise a controversial rule to limit what scientific research the agency can use in writing US environmental regulations.
Shell sees off vote on climate change
25 May 2018
Royal Dutch Shell has seen off the two most debated issues at its shareholder meeting this week - the boss’s pay and responsibility in tackling climate change.
Climate change a clear and present danger to Australia
25 May 2018
The changing climate means Australia is facing a range of important domestic and international security implications, a Senate report has found.
Indian police kill 11 pollution protesters
25 May 2018
At least 11 people were killed and 80 wounded when police fired at protesters calling for the closure of a copper smelter in southern India.
Humans threaten third of nature reserves
24 May 2018
Roughly one-third of the global protected area estate - a staggering six million square kilometres - is under intense human pressure, a new study reveals.
How dry rivers can add to carbon emissions
24 May 2018
Dry rivers can emit significant amounts of carbon dioxide when water starts to flow, new research shows.
Policy makers dragging the chain, say scientists
23 May 2018
An increasing number of reports are identifying limiting global warming to 1.5deg as critical for the future of humans and nature.
Proud Norfolk wants to remake itself as seas rise
23 May 2018
US Navy town Norfolk sees itself as a living lab for coastal resilience, one in desperate need of solutions as flooding worsens. Not every neighborhood will be saved.
Ex-coal plant to try new carbon capture system
23 May 2018
A former coal plant in the north of England will become the test site for a new way to remove carbon dioxide from electricity generation.
New York wants to end coal-fired power
23 May 2018
New York State has proposed telling coal plants to change the way they operate, or close down.
Shareholders put pressure on Shell
22 May 2018
Royal Dutch Shell faces a shareholder challenge over climate change this week, as investors insist oil and gas firms should offer more transparency and action on carbon emissions.
Brexit could wreck green agenda, says UN
22 May 2018
The United Nations has warned the UK government that the country's reputation is at risk over plans that would significantly weaken protections for the environment after Brexit.
Almost everything you know about e-waste is wrong
22 May 2018
Electronic devices need to be repaired - and upgraded - if we are to slow our production of e-waste.
Kelp forests under threat from acid seas
22 May 2018
The kelp forests – those towering submarine tangles of brown seaweeds – might not survive the steady change of ocean chemistry.
Birds go hungry as warmth means earlier springs
22 May 2018
Climate change means warmer and earlier springs. And that may be of no help to those bird species that get the timing wrong.
Oil-rich Alaska plans to tackle climate change
21 May 2018
Alaska, a major oil and gas producer, is crafting a plan to address climate change.
The world according to GOP ...
21 May 2018
The Earth is not warming. The White Cliffs of Dover are tumbling into the sea and causing sea levels to rise. Global warming is helping grow the Antarctic ice sheet. Those are some of the skeptical assertions echoed by Republicans in the US House of Representatives last week.
Middle of nowhere ... yet it’s still awash with microplastics
21 May 2018
Point Nemo in the Pacific is so far flung that the nearest humans are often those aboard the International Space Station. But even that hasn’t saved it from the scourge of microplastics.
Scientists detect mysterious rise in ozone-eater
18 May 2018
Scientists have detected a sharp and mysterious rise in emissions of a key ozone-destroying chemical centred somewhere in east Asia.
Green economy can create 24 million jobs by 2030
18 May 2018
The Paris climate agreement will create 24 million jobs by 2030, according to a report released by the International Labor Organisation
India eyes hybrid solar-wind power plants
18 May 2018
India has released a draft policy for setting up hybrid wind-solar plants where both windmills and panels are put up on the same piece of land.
London considering car-free days
18 May 2018
London is considering introducing car-free days in an attempt to tackle the city’s air pollution crisis that experts say is responsible for thousands of early deaths each year.
GAS BYPASS: UK could go from coal to clean
17 May 2018
The UK has been told there's no need to build large gas-fired power stations to replace the coal plants that the government has pledged to switch off by 2025.
Australia’s biggest gas advocates are quietly swapping out peaking gas plans for big batteries
Mon 1 Sep 2025
Big batteries are rapidly displacing plans for gas peaking plants, as cost and commercial factors prompt a rethink on how much the owners of these sites want to spend.
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.
What happens to net zero if the trees don’t survive?
20 Aug 2025
When climate change undermines the climate plan.
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.
Is Africa about to see the solar energy boom it needs?
Thu 28 Aug 2025
African countries imported a record number of solar panels in the past year, which could be the beginning of a green energy boom on the continent.
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.
