International: All stories
Europe, too, will feel the heat
26 Nov 2018
Unrestrained global warming and a hotter climate will cost Europe dear in lives lost and economies squeezed. Even if it’s limited, there’ll be a price to pay.
She trolled Trump, but can she lead green wave across Europe?
26 Nov 2018
Swedish minister Isabella Lövin found fame in a jibe aimed at the White House. Now she aims for change beyond Twitter.
Climate-heating gases at record levels, says UN
23 Nov 2018
The main greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change have all reached record levels, UN experts have reported.
Chinese money will make or break climate fight
23 Nov 2018
Despite its claims of being green, most of China's Belt and Road Initiative money is still flowing into fossil fuel projects and traditional transport.
Vanuatu eyes climate action against fossil fuel companies
23 Nov 2018
Vanuatu says it will explore whether it can take legal action against fossil fuel companies and countries for their role in causing climate change.
Polish government split over coal
23 Nov 2018
Poland’s energy ministry has come out fighting for the coal sector, ahead of UN climate talks in Katowice next month.
US exporters find new coal friend in India
23 Nov 2018
US coal exporters have effectively lost a promising market in China since the imposition of tariffs but have managed to find other buyers in Asia, chiefly India.
UK advised to look at hydrogen heating
23 Nov 2018
Millions of gas boilers will need to be replaced with hydrogen alternatives and coupled with electric heating devices if Britain is to hit its carbon targets at the lowest cost.
Mangroves are on the march
23 Nov 2018
Mangrove forests could be adapting to climate change by growing beyond their usual range, according to a recent study.
Ten EU countries demand net-zero goal
22 Nov 2018
Ministers from 10 EU countries have urged the European Commission to chart a “credible and detailed” path towards net-zero emissions in 2050, ahead of the launch of a landmark climate strategy next week.
Attenborough to speak for the people at UN climate summit
22 Nov 2018
Sir David Attenborough will address the UN’s climate change summit in Poland next month, taking up a newly established “people’s seat” at the negotiations.
Oceans could be facing mass extinctions
22 Nov 2018
The world’s oceans have lost more than 2 per cent of their dissolved oxygen reservoir over the past five decades.
Marshalls first to submit new climate targets
22 Nov 2018
The Marshall Islands is the first country to submit new, binding climate targets to the United Nations this week, sending a signal to other countries to commit to more ambitious emissions cuts.
UN environment chief resigns
22 Nov 2018
The UN’s environment chief, Erik Solheim, has resigned following severe criticism of his global travels and internal rule-breaking which led some nations to withhold their funding.
We need to act 'today', says new IPCC report
21 Nov 2018
Action on climate change must be stepped up if the climate crisis is to be averted, the International Panel on Climate Change is warning.
How Antarctic melt could slow temperature rise
21 Nov 2018
Cold meltwater running off Antarctica’s ice sheets and into the ocean could dampen the pace of global temperature rise, a new study suggests.
Hungary wants end to coal power by 2030
21 Nov 2018
Hungary is eyeing an end to coal-fired power generation by 2030, in a move that could shake the EU region most staunchly opposed to tougher climate change measures.
Ardern talks climate on Asia-Pacific swing
20 Nov 2018
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern used international talks in Papua New Zealand and Singapore to push for action on climate change, her office says.
Europe could face migration chaos, says Kerry
20 Nov 2018
Europe faces deeper political turmoil and the possibility of mass migration from Africa unless the world urgently addresses the threat of climate change, says former US secretary of state John Kerry.
What exactly is the Green New Deal?
20 Nov 2018
In a Democratic clash on Capitol Hill, progressives are pushing an ambitious plan to wean the U.S off fossil fuels. Meet the "Green New Deal."
Climate changes threaten navy shipyards
20 Nov 2018
Damage from climate change to key US military shipyards would undermine the Pentagon’s ability to respond to military crises and counter China’s ambitions.
China, Russia and Canada policies a threat
19 Nov 2018
China, Russia and Canada’s current climate policies would drive the world above a catastrophic 5deg of warming by the end of the century, according to a study that ranks the climate goals of different countries.
Crucial Antarctic current is changing
19 Nov 2018
The Antarctic Circumpolar Current is the strongest ocean current on our planet and is vital for Earth’s health. It is also changing as the climate warms.
Trump plans coal sideshow at Katowice
19 Nov 2018
The Trump administration plans to set up a side-event promoting fossil fuels at the UN climate talks in Katowice, Poland, next month.
Bolsonaro names climate denier as key minister
19 Nov 2018
Brazil’s president-elect Jair Bolsonaro has named an anti-globalist diplomat to lead on foreign affairs and his country’s relationship to the Paris Agreement.
Fires become more complex, nuanced ... and alarming
19 Nov 2018
Why do wildfires seem to be escalating? Despite president Donald Trump’s tweet that the California fires were caused by “gross mismanagement” of forests, the answer is more complex, nuanced, and alarming.
Crab fishers sue fossil fuel industry
19 Nov 2018
The largest US West Coast commercial fishing association is suing 30 fossil fuel companies it says are accountable for harming shellfish and livelihoods as the ocean warms.
Spy in the sky spots households wasting heat
16 Nov 2018
People in the UK who waste heat by failing to ensure their homes, offices and factories are leak-proof will soon have the prospect of a spy in the sky to persuade them to mend their ways.
France acts to ban deforestation imports
16 Nov 2018
France intends to stop importing soy, palm oil, beef, wood and other products linked to deforestation and unsustainable agriculture by 2030, shooting ahead of the rest of the EU.
Anti-fossil fuel campaigns contain lessons
16 Nov 2018
Compared with so much ineffective climate activism, the present wave of anti-fossil fuel politics has an important advantage: it resonates better with ordinary people.
Carmakers slam new Spanish climate law
16 Nov 2018
The Spanish car lobby has hit back at the draft of the country’s first climate law published this week, which proposes to ban the sale and registration of lighter diesel and petrol vehicles from 2040.
Greenland crater points to another climate-changing asteroid collision
16 Nov 2018
A massive crater under Greenland’s ice points to a previously unknown climate-altering asteroid impact in the time of humans.
Bolsonaro already at work in the Amazon
15 Nov 2018
Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon jumped almost 50 per cent during the three-month electoral season that brought Jair Bolsonaro to power, according to preliminary official figures.
Trump plans to target heavy trucks
15 Nov 2018
The Trump administration plans to cut air pollution from heavy-duty trucks, marking one of its first moves to regulate US industry rather than roll back environmental standards.
Venice flooding is getting worse
15 Nov 2018
The spectacular centrepiece of Venice, St Mark’s Square, now floods more than 60 times a year, up from four times a year in 1900.
Sweet taste of chocolate has turned sour for orangutans
15 Nov 2018
Cadbury chocolate maker Mondelçz International has destroyed more than 25,000 hectares of orangutan habitat in Indonesia, says a new report from Greenpeace.
Heatwaves can hurt male insect fertility
15 Nov 2018
A new study of beetles could explain their global decline – and also be a warning to humankind.
We have no capacity to absorb new fossil fuel plants
14 Nov 2018
The world has so many existing fossil fuel projects that it cannot afford to build any more polluting infrastructure without busting international climate change goals, the global energy watchdog has warned.
EU states call for tough action on deforestation
14 Nov 2018
The UK, France and Germany have called on the European Commission to launch tough new action to halt deforestation by the end of the year.
Can Teresa Ribera transform Spain?
14 Nov 2018
In recent years, Spain has been a graveyard for climate-friendly policies. But there are signs the dead may be twitching back to life.
Bruised Iraq now has climate-change worries
14 Nov 2018
It’s been invaded and bombed, had a third of its territory taken over by terrorist groups, hundreds of thousands have been killed and much of its infrastructure has been destroyed. Now, Iraq has climate change to worry about.
PROBLEM PLASTIC: What's behind our sudden rage and will it make a difference?
14 Nov 2018
Decades after plastic became part of the fabric of our lives, a worldwide revolt against its use is under way.
Shaw heads south to check out ice-melt threat
13 Nov 2018
Climate minister James Shaw is heading to Antarctica as scientists warn we already might have triggered tipping points leading to irreversible melting of the polar ice sheets.
Big Oil spent 1% on green energy in 2018
13 Nov 2018
Top oil and gas companies jointly spent around 1 per cent of their 2018 budgets on clean energy, a new study shows.
Environment crusaders head to Congress
13 Nov 2018
They’ve taken on polluters and built climate solutions. Now they’re bringing activism to Congress in one of the most diverse freshmen classes in US House history.
Why 2018 will see record for carbon emissions
13 Nov 2018
In 2018, humanity will pump more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than ever, and yet last year was a record year for renewable energy. What gives?
Amazon is adapting, but not fast enough
13 Nov 2018
A 30-year analysis of Amazonian trees finds the world’s largest rainforest is already adapting to climate change, but probably not fast enough.
Britain's new climate could bring wine bonanza
13 Nov 2018
Could rain-sodden Britain become the hot new wine producer?
How the US interior department became a tool of big business
13 Nov 2018
Since his first day on the job, when he surrounded himself with a police escort and rode through Washington on a horse named Tonto, US Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has exhibited a flair for ostentation.
How fund managers could help save Amazon
12 Nov 2018
Large asset managers could play a pivotal role in safeguarding the Amazon forest, a new report shows, amid concerns Brazil’s president-elect Jair Bolsonaro could strip the planet of its lungs.
Australian governments subsidising fossil fuel use by more than $30,000 a minute, analysis finds
Fri 13 Mar 2026
Australian federal and state government subsidies that encourage fossil fuel use and help drive the climate crisis will reach $16.3bn this year after leaping by nearly 10%, according to a new analysis.
Trump administration sues California over the state’s nation-leading vehicle-emission rules
Tue 17 Mar 2026
The Trump administration ramped up a battle with California over the state’s nation-leading vehicle-emission standards Thursday, suing air regulators over rules aimed at curbing pollution from cars.
What does China’s 15th ‘five-year plan’ mean for climate change?
10 Mar 2026
China’s leadership has published a draft of its 15th five-year plan setting the strategic direction for the nation out to 2030, including support for clean energy and energy security.
Germany misses climate targets as emissions barely fall in 2025
Tue 17 Mar 2026
Greenhouse gas emissions in Germany have again missed targets set by the Climate Protection Act and barely fell at all in 2025.
UK emissions fall 2.4% in 2025 as coal hits 400-year low
9 Mar 2026
The UK’s greenhouse gas emissions fell by 2.4% in 2025 to their lowest level in more than 150 years, according to new analysis.
Mark Carney just picked his lane on climate change
17 Feb 2026
COMMENT: Mark Carney's time as prime minister has been defined in part by his decision to roll back Trudeau-era climate policies.
'The situation is dire': War on Iran squeezes India's cooking-gas supplies
Mon 16 Mar 2026
The shockwaves of a war being fought nearly 3,000km away are now reaching India's kitchens.
Vanuatu moves forward with UN climate resolution despite Trump opposition
9 Mar 2026
The Trump administration’s attempt to sink a UN resolution demanding countries act on the climate crisis has caused cuts to the proposal but hasn’t entirely killed it, according to the tiny Pacific island country spearheading the effort.
Limiting warming to 2C is ‘crucial’ to protect pristine Antarctic Peninsula
24 Feb 2026
Keeping global warming to less than 2C above pre-industrial temperatures is “crucial” for limiting damage to the Antarctic Peninsula’s unique ecosystems, according to a new study.
'Blackwater' lakes and rivers in the Congo Basin are now emitting ancient carbon into the atmosphere
Mon 16 Mar 2026
Carbon that has been buried in the Congo Basin's peatlands for millennia is seeping into lakes and rivers. Why this is happening remains unclear, but researchers warn that tropical peatlands could be nearing a tipping point.
Companies – including Blackrock – retired 2 million carbon credits after Verra suspended project
Thu 12 Mar 2026
Verra suspended the Pacajai REDD project in Brazil in September 2023, pending an investigation into the project’s validity. That didn’t stop Mastercard, BlackRock, Philip Morris International from retiring carbon credits from the project to offset their greenhouse gas emissions.
Summit aims to revive stalled UN talks on phasing out fossil fuels
11 Mar 2026
Colombia and the Netherlands have set out three priorities for a conference on phasing out fossil fuels they will co-host in Colombia in April.
