International: All stories
Even with Paris, droughts could worsen
26 Jul 2018
The risk of long-lasting droughts seems to increase strongly in large parts of the world even if we do reach the goals of the Paris Agreement, a recent study shows.
Washington’s political lobbying shackles science
26 Jul 2018
Money talks, says a study of Washington’s political lobbying and its influence on climate change law. Most of the most vocal money comes from big energy.
Germany finds reaching climate targets hard work
26 Jul 2018
The German government will introduce a climate protection law to ensure the country reaches its 2030 climate targets.
Waste crisis could become a design opportunity
26 Jul 2018
Researchers are looking for ways to re-purpose expanded polystyrene, taking advantage of this very useful material and keeping it out of landfills.
How Penzance became the UK's first plastics-free town
26 Jul 2018
The Cornwall community of Penzance last December became the UK's first plastics-free town. Now, 330 towns aim to follow suit.
Suicide rates rise with the temperature
25 Jul 2018
Rising temperatures are linked to increasing rates of suicide, according to a large new study.
Rich countries pushing dirty energy in Africa
25 Jul 2018
WEALTHY governments have been accused of promoting fossil fuel development in Africa at the expense of clean energy.
Why China must show stronger climate leadership
25 Jul 2018
A new report from Columbia University has provided a clear assessment of China’s role in responding to climate change.
World Bank sets $20b record for climate financing
25 Jul 2018
The World Bank invested $20.5 billion during the 2018 fiscal year on projects which address the impacts of climate change.
How the age of ‘yeah, but’ stalls much green progress
25 Jul 2018
There’s one aspect of people’s resistance to change that has major implications for every environmental initiative. Let’s call it the “yeah, but” mentality.
Large chunk of supermarket plastic not recyclable
25 Jul 2018
An investigation by a consumer body has found mixed results on the levels of recyclable plastic in the UK’s largest supermarkets.
NZ birds feature in species loss study
24 Jul 2018
A new study which included kokako and saddlebacks in its research data shows that the steadily warming climate is driving species loss.
UN pact offers hope to climate refugees
24 Jul 2018
Communities at risk of climate displacement have won vital protection now that their plight has been recognised in a global pact on migration.
Greedy Earth chomping through resources
24 Jul 2018
Humanity is devouring our planet’s resources in increasingly destructive volumes, according to a new study that reveals we have consumed a year’s worth of carbon, food, water, fibre, land and timber in a record 212 days.
Do the young have anything new to offer climate fight?
24 Jul 2018
Young people have become noisy advocates for action on climate change. But what new methods are they bringing to the table and are children really a source of hope for an issue on which adults have failed?
It's hot alright ... and we can't blame it all on climate change
24 Jul 2018
The northern hemisphere is having a baking summer – and it’s not just down to climate change.
Are we getting climate finance all wrong?
23 Jul 2018
Long-term thinking about climate change is challenging widely held assumptions about how we spend money today.
Officals block Sydney waste-power incinerator
23 Jul 2018
A plan for a massive waste-to-energy incinerator in western Sydney has been blocked, after the New South Wales Independent Planning Commission ruled there was “uncertainty” over human health and environmental impacts.
Baltimore sues 26 fossil fuels companies ...
23 Jul 2018
Baltimore's waterfront revitalisation has become a model for urban development, but sea level rise and extreme weather are putting its future at risk.
... and judge pours cold water on New York hopes
23 Jul 2018
A federal judge has dismissed New York City's lawsuit against five of the world's largest oil companies, dealing a setback to local governments that are trying to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for climate change.
Meat and dairy set to pass oil as biggest polluter
20 Jul 2018
Meat and dairy companies are on track to be the world’s biggest contributors to climate change, outpacing even the fossil fuel industry, according to a new report.
California's mega farms display their dark side
20 Jul 2018
The floor of California's Central Valley is slumping, and there is arsenic in the tap water. It seems the two problems are connected.
Palau plans the fastest-ever shift to renewable energy
20 Jul 2018
Palau plans to stop buying diesel and go 100 per cent solar by the end of 2019 - offering a blueprint for other Pacific nations to do the same.
UN and Google team up to monitor enviro damage
20 Jul 2018
UN Environment and Google have joind forces to provide trackable data on human impacts on the environment.
Singapore battles addiction to plastic
20 Jul 2018
The average Singaporean uses an unconscionable 13 plastic bags a day. With its only landfill site fast filling up, what are consumers and businesses doing to defuse the nation's plastic waste timebomb?
Burning of waste set to overtake recycling in England
20 Jul 2018
England is on the brink of burning more of its rubbish in incinerators than it recycles for the first time, according to a new analysis.
Spotlight goes on NZ climate aid to Pacific
19 Jul 2018
New Zealand’s support for Pacific countries threatened by climate change will be under the spotlight in Fiji next week.
EU-Japan trade deal first to carry Paris pact clause
19 Jul 2018
Europe’s massive free-trade deal with Japan is the first the EU has struck with a specific provision on the Paris climate agreement.
Internet under threat from rise in sea levels
19 Jul 2018
The rise in sea levels will put vital internet infrastructure at risk, new research suggests.
Native peoples have key role in conservation
19 Jul 2018
Indigenous peoples are crucial for global conservation and for living with climate change – after all, a quarter of all land is in their hands.
A billion people struggle to stay cool as the world warms
19 Jul 2018
More than a billion people are at risk from a lack of air conditioning and refrigeration to keep them cool and to preserve food and medicines as global warming brings more high temperatures, a new study shows.
EU and China agree on climate change action
18 Jul 2018
Climate change will become a “main pillar” of the relationship between the European Union and China, leaders said yesterday.
How Trump’s trade war could be used to fight climate change
18 Jul 2018
What if countries responded to US President Donald Trump’s tariffs by taxing imports based on their carbon footprint instead?
Europe keeps on setting clean-energy records
18 Jul 2018
Two of the biggest economies in Europe last week set new records for clean energy.
Why Central American farmers are jumping ship
18 Jul 2018
As immigration issues along the US southern border continue to roil the country, one driving force of migration from troubled Central American countries has received relatively little notice: climate change.
It's red alert time, says Paris Agreement leader
17 Jul 2018
The world community has taken action against climate change but it must “triple its efforts” to reduce emissions, says the man who presided over the Paris Agreement.
SCIENCE UNDER SIEGE: Behind the scenes at the EPA
17 Jul 2018
Uncertainty, hostility and irrelevance are now part of daily life for scientists at the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Can Norway solve the plastic crisis, one bottle at a time?
17 Jul 2018
A bottle deposit hub on the outskirts of Oslo has had a stream of high-level international visitors. Can its success be replicated worldwide?
Pence’s failed gas stations cost taxpayer $20M
17 Jul 2018
The gas station chain that was owned by US Vice-President Mike Pence's family has left more than $20 million worth of environmental remediation costs for Indiana taxpayers.
Prolonged heatwave brings record high temperatures
16 Jul 2018
Record high temperatures have been set across much of the world as an unusually prolonged and broad heatwave intensifies concerns about climate change.
Ireland's vote highlights global divestments
16 Jul 2018
Nearly 900 institutions have committed to some level of divestment from oil, gas and coal. Others believe they can push climate action more effectively as investors.
UK can go low-carbon at no extra cost, say advisers
16 Jul 2018
The UK can have low-carbon electricity, heat and transport in 2050 at the same cost as today’s high-carbon energy system, according to infrastructure advisers.
These countries have not ratified the Paris Agreement
16 Jul 2018
Nearly three years after the Paris Agreement was reached, more than a tenth of global emissions are generated in countries that have not formally adopted the deal.
Huge iceberg threatens Greenland village
16 Jul 2018
A 100-metre high iceberg has drifted close to a village on Greenland’s west coast, prompting fears of a tsunami if it breaks up.
Ireland first country to divest from fossil fuels
13 Jul 2018
Ireland will become the first country to sell off its investments in fossil fuel companies, after a bill was passed with all-party support in the lower house of parliament.
Germany powers to renewables record
13 Jul 2018
Germany has set a record for renewable power production during the first six months of 2018.
Heatwave could be making Americans think
13 Jul 2018
Record-breaking high temperatures across much of North America appear to be shaping people’s thinking, a survey finds.
Plastic waste makes floating pleasure park
13 Jul 2018
More than 1000 square feet of plastic ultimately destined to pollute the ocean is getting a second lease on life in Rotterdam.
China and EU can lead on climate action
12 Jul 2018
After the US surrendered its influence, the EU-China summit in Beijing next week will be yet another moment for both economies to show leadership on climate action.
Chinese lead green bonds charge
12 Jul 2018
China issued $30 billion in green bonds in 2017, remaining the world leader in the market.
Australian rainforests no longer a carbon sink – study
Fri 17 Oct 2025
Australia's tropical rainforests are among the first in the world to start emitting more carbon dioxide than they absorb, scientists said Thursday, linking the "very concerning" trend to climate change.
'We’re in God’s hands now': A dispatch from Western Alaska
Mon 20 Oct 2025
An immense disaster has wrought deep trauma on Western Alaska’s Indigenous residents and is raising existential questions about the future of their low-lying communities amid a changing climate and a tightening state budget.
In China, climate litigation starts with the state
Thu 16 Oct 2025
With thousands of dedicated courts and more than a million recent cases, environmental and climate litigation is booming in China, but it often looks different to the trend seen elsewhere.
EU plans support for countries affected by carbon border levy
Mon 20 Oct 2025
The European Union will offer development funding to countries affected by the bloc's carbon border tariff, the European Commission said on Thursday, as it attempts to soothe developing economies' concerns over the policy.
Government told to prepare for 2C warming by 2050
Thu 16 Oct 2025
The UK should be prepared to cope with weather extremes as a result of at least 2C of global warming by 2050, independent climate advisers have said.
Renewables are a global economic engine, not a culture war threat
2 Oct 2025
Energy companies are learning this lesson faster than Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.
Indonesia restarts international carbon trade after four years
Fri 17 Oct 2025
Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto has issued a new decree to restart international carbon emission trading after a four year hiatus.
Familiar tensions emerge at the Pacific Islands Forum
26 Sep 2025
With China-Taiwan rivalry, China-Western competition, and big carbon emitters at odds with the islands on climate policy, there is plenty of tension to go around.
Scientists discovered something alarming seeping out from beneath the ocean around Antarctica
13 Oct 2025
Planet-heating methane is escaping from cracks in the Antarctic seabed as the region warms, with new seeps being discovered at an “astonishing rate".
Angola lowers climate ambition in blow to spirit of Paris Agreement
14 Oct 2025
Angola has scaled back its targets for reducing emissions in its new national climate plan, saying it chose “realism and implementability” over the Paris Agreement's calls for governments to set progressively more ambitious goals.
Four Brazilians to watch at COP30
Wed 15 Oct 2025
Influential Brazilians, from government figures to Indigenous activists, will take center stage during UN climate talks in the Amazon next month.
New UN carbon market rules could reshape how investors value nature
Mon 20 Oct 2025
A debate over carbon permanence – how long CO2 must stay stored to count towards offsetting emissions – is reshaping global carbon markets and could determine whether nature remains investable.
