International: All stories
BIRDS EMBATTLED; Europe faces biodiversity oblivion
23 Mar 2018
Intensive farming and pesticides could turn Europe’s farmland into a desert that ultimately imperils all humans, say the authors of report on the decline of bird numbers.
Ocean heatwave caused massive gas release
23 Mar 2018
A severe heatwave off Western Australia eight years ago hammered the world's largest region of seagrass, triggering the release of as much as nine million tonnes of carbon dioxide.
Figueres wants green bonds to hit $1t by 2020
23 Mar 2018
Green bonds issuance needs to hit $1 trillion a year by 2020 to support international climate goals, says former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres.
Ocean economy set to reach $3t by 2030
23 Mar 2018
A major new report for the UK Government has highlighted the huge economic potential presented by the world’s oceans.
What a difference half a degree of temperature would make
22 Mar 2018
A difference of just half a degree of global warming, from 1.5deg to 2deg, would mean that an additional five million people worldwide will have the land where their homes are located permanently submerged underwater.
Can climate litigation save the world?
22 Mar 2018
Courts are a new front line of climate action with cases against governments and oil firms spiralling, and while victories have so far been rare the pressure for change is growing.
World’s largest green bond fund aims for $2b pot
22 Mar 2018
The world’s largest green bond fund has been launched with the intention of building a $2 billion purse.
Oil threat looms over national park land
22 Mar 2018
More than 71,000 hectares of protected countryside, including national park land, in the south-east of England are at risk from a new wave of oil drilling.
SOUTHERN SHOCK: Where has all the ice gone?
21 Mar 2018
The absence of sea ice near Antarctica over the past six weeks has astonished scientists aboard the research vessel Tangaroa.
OPINION: The Paris Agreement is deeply flawed
21 Mar 2018
THE PARIS accord is built on speculative tech fantasies. It can not save us from climate catastrophe, says Dr JASON HICKEL of the University of London.
Millions on the move will head for border hotspots and slums
21 Mar 2018
Climate change will result in a massive movement of people inside countries and across borders, creating “hotspots” where tens of millions pour into already crowded slums, according to the World Bank.
London leads new global green finance rankings
21 Mar 2018
London’s reputation as a leading financial centre has now extended to include the field of sustainability.
Climate champion Weatherill chucks it in
20 Mar 2018
The Turnbull government is one step closer to being able to implement its proposed national energy guarantee, courtesy of Jay Weatherill’s departure as the South Australian premier after Saturday’s state election.
Farmers to be given first targets on soil health
20 Mar 2018
A bill will be brought before the UK parliament this year mandating, for the first time, measures and targets to preserve and improve the health of the nation's soils.
Antarctica needs massive engineering works
19 Mar 2018
.Mammoth engineering projects are planned in Antarctica and Greenland to help slow down the disintegration of the planet’s main glaciers.
Europe goes for two-speed approach to sustainable finance
19 Mar 2018
Europe is quickly adopting an imbalanced, two-speed approach to sustainable finance, in which the “green” is moving much faster than the “social”.
Changing climate threatens Easter Island's mighty moai
19 Mar 2018
Rising sea levels are eroding Easter Island and its many archaeological sites, including its iconic moai statues and village remains.
New York commits $1.4b to renewable energy work
16 Mar 2018
New York has said it will spend $1.4 billion on 26 renewable projects, including 22 solar farms, three wind farms, and one hydroelectric project.
Nervous about nukes? Don't worry, just swallow this pill
16 Mar 2018
Belgian pharmacies will provide radiation-busting iodine tablets free of charge to anyone as part of the country’s new nuclear strategy,
UN forest project doing more harm than good
16 Mar 2018
The harm a UN forest project in Africa is doing to local people is greater than the good it is managing to achieve for them, researchers say.
Coffee cups and food packaging could face levy
16 Mar 2018
Single-useplastic items such as disposable coffee cups, takeaway boxes and polystyrene packaging could be hit with charges in the UK akin to the 5p levy on plastic bags.
Schwarzenegger planning to sue oil companies
15 Mar 2018
Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is planning to sue oil companies, alleging they are "knowingly killing people all over the world".
Pompeo is a buddy of the Koch brothers
15 Mar 2018
Mike Pompeo, Donald Trump's choice to replace Rex Tillerson as US foreign affairs chief, is an ally of the Koch brothers and a critic of the Paris climate agreement.
Krill fishing poses serious threat to Antarctic
15 Mar 2018
Industrial fishing for krill in the pristine waters around Antarctica is threatening the future of one of the world’s last great wildernesses, says a new report.
World’s great forests could lose half of all wildlife
15 Mar 2018
The world’s greatest forests could lose more than half of their plant species by the end of the century unless nations ramp up efforts to tackle climate change, says a new report.
Germany’s new government deal fails Paris test
14 Mar 2018
With the coalition agreement for a new German government under Angela Merkel, a major opportunity to realign German climate policy to the challenges of the Paris climate change agreement has passed.
What is biodiversity and why does it matter?
14 Mar 2018
The air you breathe, the water you drink and the food you eat all rely on biodiversity, but right now it is in crisis – because of us.
Greens want to end sale of fossil fuel cars by 2030
14 Mar 2018
The Ausralian Greens have proposed introducing mandatory fuel efficiency standards, ending the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, and imposing a four-year 17 per cent tax on luxury vehicles.
Europe, too, likes the look of circular economy
13 Mar 2018
As the EU doubles down on its waste management efforts and sets its sights on tackling plastic waste, the idea of a circular economy and internal market for recycling is gathering momentum.
Climate change is a disaster foretold (just like World War I)
13 Mar 2018
The warnings about an unfolding climate catastrophe are getting more desperate, yet the march to destruction continues.
Landmark case challenges NT land clearing
13 Mar 2018
A landmark court case in the Northern Territory is set to consider a challenge to a massive land-clearing approval based on its impacts on climate change.
EC unveils new action plan on sustainable finance
13 Mar 2018
The European Commission has produced its strategy to make sustainability a key component of the financial sector within Europe for years to come.
Heart attacks can rise during extremes of heat
13 Mar 2018
Extremes of heat are dangerous. Just how dangerous is still being established. But since heat waves are on the way, city-dwellers need to know.
Canberra politicians ride the golden escalator
12 Mar 2018
More than 180 individuals have moved between senior public service roles and the fossil fuel industry in Australia over the past decade - providing a golden escalator for former senior politicians.
False emissions ratings cost UK more than £2b a year
12 Mar 2018
False emissions ratings for cars based on lab tests have cost the UK more than £2bn a year in lost tax revenue, according to the Green party.
Demand for rare metals brings new risks
12 Mar 2018
The increasing global demand for rare earth metals is bringing new risks.
Cities study reveals much bigger carbon footprints
9 Mar 2018
Cities are generating up to 60 per cent more greenhouse gases than thought, thanks to their reliance on goods and services from outside their borders.
UK carbon emissions at lowest level since 1890
9 Mar 2018
Fresh analysis has highlighted the dramatic fall in carbon emissions within the UK, reaching a new low unseen in normal times for 128 years.
Brazil fights emissions cap for shipping
9 Mar 2018
Brazil is seeking to water down prospective climate targets for the shipping sector.
Central banks threat to green energy boom
9 Mar 2018
Central banks are emerging as a bigger threat to the green-energy revolution than Donald Trump.
Women coming off second best in the world of climate change
9 Mar 2018
Women are more likely than men to be affected by climate change, new studies show.
Luxembourg home to half world’s green bonds
9 Mar 2018
Luxembourg and its very international stock exchange are well positioned to become the standard bearer that leads the green and sustainable finance industry of the future.
Auckland City eyes green bonds issue
8 Mar 2018
Auckland Council could issue green bonds to cover the cost of cutting emissions and adapting to climate change.
BIG SEAS: Damaged coral could mean islands face giant waves
8 Mar 2018
Damage to coral reefs could mean that by 2100 some Pacific Islands could experience waves reaching the shore at more than twice the height of today’s seas.
Fiji's climate talks presidency turns messy
8 Mar 2018
Fiji's Nazhat Shameem Khan has been removed from her role in the UN climate talks presidency after what observers say was a protracted power struggle with Australian and European advisers.
Spanish bank announces €100 billion climate plan
8 Mar 2018
The second-largest bank in Spain has launched a 100 billion euros initiative to support sustainable development and combat climate change.
We must cut down on meat, says Greenpeace
8 Mar 2018
The world needs to cut the production and consumption of meat in half by 2050 in order to meet the climate goals of the Paris Agreement, a new Greenpeace report says.
Bloomberg has new climate job at the UN
8 Mar 2018
Former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg has landed a new job as UN special envoy for climate change.
Record means Australia's solar future looks bright
8 Mar 2018
The future of Australia’s solar industry is looking bright after a record 3.5m panels were installed on rooftops last year, giving the equivalent output of a medium-sized coal-fired power station.
Life after plastic? We have inventions out there that promise a cleaner world
7 Mar 2018
As the backlash against plastic waste grows, industry is replacing and redesigning single-use products, from recyclable bottles to biodegradable film.
“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.
