International: All stories
GOING UP? Modern elevators are being given a green lift
30 Apr 2018
Elevator companies have begun to explore a wide and somewhat outlandish array of green alternatives to the traditional rope-and-pulley systems of 100 years ago.
EU votes to ban bee-killing pesticide
30 Apr 2018
The EU has overwhelmingly voted for a ban on the use of a pesticide known to be harmful to bees.
Starbucks customers like reusable cups
30 Apr 2018
A survey in UK Starbucks stores shows that reusable cup usage has surged by 156 per cent since the intoduction of a 5p charge.
Climate will empty islands in just decades, warns report
27 Apr 2018
Low-lying atolls around the world will be overtaken by sea-level rises within a few decades, according to a new study.
DRASTIC PLASTIC: Kenya grounds the flying toilet
27 Apr 2018
KENYA'S tough plastics laws appear to be working. Waterways are clearer, the food chain is less contaminated – and there are fewer “flying toilets”.
Globalisation might be better for environment
27 Apr 2018
The increasing pace of globalization and how it affects the environment has been a major global concern.
Hands up those companies making an effort
26 Apr 2018
An analysis of more than 600 top US companies has found that those seeing the effects of global warming first-hand are taking the most concrete actions.
EU backs new circular economy measures
26 Apr 2018
The EU has taken a significant step towards principles which make an asset out of waste.
BP chief urges Cambridge not to divest
26 Apr 2018
BP chief executive Bob Dudley has come under fire from campaigners after he urged Cambridge University not to drop its fossil fuel investments.
Company averts climate chocolate threat
26 Apr 2018
Fears that the supply of cocoa beans would dry up have led a confectionery giant to help farmers to avert a climate chocolate threat.
Bloomberg vows to pay America's Paris dues
24 Apr 2018
Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has said he will write a $4.5m cheque to cover this year’s US commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement.
Blockchains could tackle our waste problems
24 Apr 2018
Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin might fill news headlines, but attention has been shifting to the technology that underpins them - blockchains.
California must live with whiplash events
24 Apr 2018
California is likely to swing from drought to extreme rainfall and flooding more often in the future, a new report says.
Off the Green and into the Blue
24 Apr 2018
A staggering number of golf balls wind up in the ocean. What happens to them?
HSBC to stop financing most new coal plants
23 Apr 2018
Europe’s largest bank, HSBC, says it will mostly stop funding new coal power plants, oil sands and arctic drilling.
Miami mans the pumps to beat sea level
23 Apr 2018
Miami Beach's $500 million attempt to elevate and pump itself out of sea level rise's path has drawn criticism, but an expert panel says the city's doing what it needs to survive.
The grass might be greener on the other side – but is death?
23 Apr 2018
The funeral industry is catering for the growing number of people who want to deal with their mortal remains in an environmentally sound way.
Long-lived civilisation might be a dream
23 Apr 2018
Humanity’s cherished hope that we are building a long-lived civilisation may be nothing more than a pipe-dream.
Churches call on Commonwealth to get tough
20 Apr 2018
More than 170 religious leaders from all over the world have urged governments from the Commonwealth to “turn words into action” and stop dangerous climate change.
Put your trust me, says Shell chief
20 Apr 2018
Shell CEO Ben van Beurden has the same message for activists and investors: Trust me.
Labor states won't compromise on renewables
20 Apr 2018
Australia's Labor states will seek a watertight undertaking that their renewable energy schemes and targets will remain undisturbed by the Turnbull government’s proposed national energy guarantee at a critical meeting today.
Dear sir, I'd like to order some e-vehicles ... 10,000 would do
20 Apr 2018
Indian ride-hailing firm Ola will add 10,000 electric three-wheelers to its fleet over the next 12 months.
Japan has a renewable energy puzzle
20 Apr 2018
As Japan rushes to cut carbon emissions by 26 per cent, campaigners worry that forests and wildlife are being trampled.
Turnbull might allow power firms to buy offsets
19 Apr 2018
The Turnbull government is hedging its bets on whether to allow Australian energy companies to buy offsets to comply with their new 26 per cent emissions reduction target.
Tidal power comes of age with Scottish project
19 Apr 2018
The potential for the tides to generate clean, reliable electricity has taken a significant step with the completion of a flagship project in Scottish waters.
UK seeks advice on strengthening climate goal
19 Apr 2018
The UK government has announced that it wants official advice on the “implications” of aligning its climate goals with the Paris Agreement.
Trudeau vows to push ahead with pipeline plans
19 Apr 2018
Justin Trudeau has said Canada’s government is prepared to use taxpayer dollars to push forward plans for a controversial pipeline expansion, despite protests and efforts by a provincial government to halt the project.
I kept plastic for a year – the 4490 items made me rethink
19 Apr 2018
Daniel Webb accrued a mountain of plastic – all 4490 items of it – and made it into a mural, now on display in the UK.
Scientists stumble across mutation that eats plastic
18 Apr 2018
Scientists have created - by accident - a mutant enzyme that breaks down plastic drinks bottles.
Australia's gas boom is getting out of whack
18 Apr 2018
The massive growth of Australia’s natural gas industry is inconsistent with the country's Paris commitments.
Commonwealth heads meet amid inequality claims
18 Apr 2018
Commonwealth heads of state will begin meeting in London, amid concerns over the unequal effects of climate change and efforts to fight it.
Carbon markets pay off for US states
18 Apr 2018
Nine years after its launch, the US's first mandatory carbon-trading programme is still boosting the economy and creating jobs in its nine-state region.
Nature best weapon against flood damage
18 Apr 2018
Scientists have found nature is the most cost-effective way of reducing the impacts of extreme weather events.
More than 95% of people breathe dangerous air
18 Apr 2018
More than 95 per cent of the world’s population breathe unsafe air and the burden is falling hardest on the poorest communities,
Six metals are key to a low-carbon future
17 Apr 2018
Low-carbon technologies currently rely on a handful of key metals, some of which have been little-used to date.
How the evolving climate is messing with your dinner
17 Apr 2018
An evolving climate means big changes for people who grow, catch and rear for a living, and everyone else who buys and eats what they produce.
ACT takes lead on electric vehicles
17 Apr 2018
The Australian Capital Territory government has announced the country’s most ambitious transition plan to electric vehicles.
Coal lobbyist becomes No2 official at EPA
16 Apr 2018
Former coal industry lobbyist Andrew Wheeler has been confirmed as second in command at the the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Seas rising too fast to save much of Mississippi Delta
16 Apr 2018
Louisiana is proceeding with ambitious plans to redirect the Mississippi River — but even this massive intervention might not be enough to save the most threatened lands from fast-rising seas.
Early action has big effect on rising sea levels
16 Apr 2018
Acting early to lower greenhouse gas emissions can slow the rise in sea levels, say scientists in two new studies.
China builds a road so smart it will change the face of driving
16 Apr 2018
The road to China’s autonomous-driving future is paved with solar panels, mapping sensors and electric-battery rechargers as the nation tests an “intelligent highway” that could speed the transformation of the global transportation industry.
Drug waste clogs global river systems
16 Apr 2018
Rivers around the world are coursing with over-the-counter and prescription drugs waste dangerous the environment, researchers have found.
The most important climate treaty you've never heard of
13 Apr 2018
Raise a hand if you've heard of the Gothenburg Protocol. No? Well, you're in good company.
Atlantic Ocean conveyor belt stages a go-slow
13 Apr 2018
The Atlantic current that brings warm water to Europe from the tropics has weakened by 15 per cent since the middle of the last century, new research suggests.
Nestlé vows to act on plastic packaging
13 Apr 2018
Nestlé has joined the growing number of multinational companies, which are recognising their role in reducing the amount of global plastic waste.
ROBOT CITIES: Three urban prototypes for future living
13 Apr 2018
Governments have started to see automation as the key to brighter urban futures. But what will this look like?
Playcentre surfaces put the heat on kids
13 Apr 2018
Some children spend many hours of the day in childcare centres where artificial surfaces can become dangerously hot.
Countries inch towards ‘minimum’ shipping target
12 Apr 2018
Negotiations over a long-term climate strategy for the global shipping industry are growing fractious as countries battle over the level of ambition.
Why aren't we changing the way we produce food?
12 Apr 2018
As the world races towards a projected nine billion inhabitants, the failings of dominant food systems are impossible to deny.
SPY IN THE SKY: Birds could keep an eye on illegal fishers
12 Apr 2018
Albatrosses wearing trackers could be a weapon against illegal fishing.
“There was so much death.” A toxic algal bloom is ravaging Australia’s southern coast – warming waters are to blame
Today 10:45am
Three ingredients are required for an algal bloom to get going – temperature, the right conditions and food. South Australia had all the preconditions necessary, thanks to climate change.
We used to stash gold in Fort Knox. What if we did the same with carbon?
Today 10:45am
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.
Apple Watch not a 'CO2-neutral product,' German court finds
Thu 28 Aug 2025
Apple can no longer advertise its Apple Watch as a "CO2-neutral product" in Germany, following a court ruling on Tuesday that upheld a complaint from environmentalists, finding that the U.S. tech company had misled consumers.
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.
