International: All stories
Coastal flooding erasing billions in property values
1 Mar 2019
Rising seas have eroded coastal property values from Maine to Mississippi by billions of dollars as buyers pay less for homes in neighborhoods where high-tide flooding is creeping in.
Deep waters become 'ultimate sink' for plastic
1 Mar 2019
The world’s deepest ocean trenches are becoming “the ultimate sink” for plastic waste, according to a study that reveals contamination of animals even in these dark, remote regions of the planet.
Plastic trash will get youngsters a free book in southern Italy
1 Mar 2019
An Italian who run a bookshop cafe is giving free books to children in exchange for plastic bottles and aluminum cans.
We've made concrete the most destructive material on Earth
28 Feb 2019
After water, concrete is the most widely used substance on Earth. If the cement industry were a country, it would be the third largest carbon dioxide emitter in the world with up to 2.8 billion tonnes, surpassed only by China and the US.
And the Nobel Prize for climate change goes to …
28 Feb 2019
A move is under way to create a Nobel Prize for climate change and raise as much as $40 million in contributions to fund a climate prize.
Women ‘uniquely placed’ to inspire climate action
28 Feb 2019
Women’s untapped communication skills make them uniquely placed to explain the damaging impacts of an overheating planet and spur climate action by the public, according to city leaders.
Costa Rica aims to show world the way
28 Feb 2019
Costa Rica has launched an economy-wide plan to “decarbonize” the country by 2050, as the Central American nation aims to show other nations what is possible to address climate change.
World might hit 56m year carbon level by 2159
27 Feb 2019
Long ago, the polar ice vanished and tropical animals swam the Arctic. Greenhouse gases could reach that 56m year carbon level again in 140 years.
EU experts eye trillion-euro climate pact
27 Feb 2019
A group of experts has published a draft treaty for a sweeping European climate finance pact, to inject more than a trillion euros into the fight against global warming.
Plastics the new coal in Appalachia
27 Feb 2019
Thousands of workers are assembling an ethane cracker plant in the Ohio River Valley - conspicuous symbol of a petrochemical and plastics future looming across the Appalachian region.
Germany eyes net-zero emissions by 2050
26 Feb 2019
The German environment ministry is calling for an ambitious goal to cut emissions by “at least 95 per cent” by 2050 and remove the remainder from the atmosphere.
Theresa May gets a message from Moon
26 Feb 2019
Ban Ki-moon has urged Britain to stop funding fossil fuel projects overseas, in what he said would mark a test of Theresa May’s commitment to act on climate change.
What happens to our world if all of the insects disappear?
26 Feb 2019
Insects are ecologically important and if they were to disappear, the consequences for agriculture and wildlife would be dire.
China eyes solar power stations in space
25 Feb 2019
China wants to be the first country to launch power stations into space that capture the Sun’s energy and beam it back down to Earth.
Morrison adopts $2b 'climate solutions' fund
25 Feb 2019
Australian leader Scott Morrison will attempt to appeal to voters by rebadging Tony Abbott’s emissions reduction fund as a “climate solutions” fund – with $2bn to be rolled out over 10 years.
Back the science, Greta tells EU politicians
25 Feb 2019
Schoolkids are on climate strike “because we have done our homework” and listened to science, 16-year-old green activist Greta Thunberg has told EU policymakers in Brussels. “Just unite behind the science, that is our demand,” she said.
South Africa set to introduce carbon tax
22 Feb 2019
South Africa is on course to put a price on carbon pollution, after the National Assembly this week passed a long-awaited Carbon Tax Bill.
Now it's the teachers' turn to strike for climate
22 Feb 2019
Teachers will follow on the heels of striking UK students tomorrow with a protestto demand the national curriculum be reformed to make the climate and ecological crisis an educational priority.
How the world got hooked on palm oil
22 Feb 2019
It’s the miracle ingredient in everything from biscuits to shampoo. But our dependence on palm oil has devastating environmental consequences. Is it too late to break the habit?
US cities will see their climate heading south
22 Feb 2019
Climate change means a big shift for city dwellers worldwide. Americans can look ahead to very different cities as the US climate heads south.
DON'T FEED THE MONSTER: People stop buying new clothes
22 Feb 2019
A growing movement eschews fast fashion in favour of secondhand clothing. Is this the biggest personal change that can be made for the environment?
Scientist made global warming a household term
21 Feb 2019
The scientist who made “global warming” a household term as he fought to popularise the view that greenhouse gases could lead to a dramatic climate change has died aged 87.
TISSUE ISSUE: Are our ancient forests paying a heavy price?
21 Feb 2019
The world’s largest tissue-paper companies are being accused of exacerbating climate change and destroying ancient forests to make toilet rolls.
Majority of European firms have no reduction targets
20 Feb 2019
Most European companies have no target for reducing their greenhouse gas emissions even though 80% see climate change as a business risk, a survey has found.
Florida is drowning ... but they're still building condos
20 Feb 2019
People tend to respond to immediate threats and financial consequences – and Florida’s coastal real estate might be on the cusp of delivering that harsh wake-up call.
UK plans to make plastic producers pay
20 Feb 2019
Britain is about to set out plans to overhaul its recycling system, including making plastic packaging producers pay the full cost of dealing with their waste.
Our biggest animals are being hunted to extinction
20 Feb 2019
The world’s biggest animals – the largest birds, the bigger mammals and even reptiles, sharks and amphibians – are in increasing danger of extinction.
Angry islanders reject rights swap idea
19 Feb 2019
Tuvalu Prime Minister Enele Sopoaga has angril rejected the idea that islanders would exchange maritime rights for Australian citizenship, telling Canberra to focus on breaking its coal addiction
Ireland lays ground for stronger climate action
19 Feb 2019
Ireland’s struggle with climate change cuts to the heart of people’s daily lives and reflects the country’s revival after recession: more cars on the road and thriving cattle farms.
Ice voyage will explore ocean hidden for 100,000 years
19 Feb 2019
Scientists are setting out to explore an Antarctic marine realm that was hidden from the Sun for more than 100,000 years.
Scientists feel under attack over Adani work
19 Feb 2019
Australian scientists say relentless, sustained, and needlessly personal media attacks on those analysing the impacts of the Adani coalmine undermines the role of science.
Sharp rise in methane threatens climate targets
18 Feb 2019
Dramatic rises in atmospheric methane are threatening to derail plans to hold global temperature rises to 2deg, scientists have warned.
Climate-disasters bill $650b over three years
18 Feb 2019
Climate-related disasters have cost the world $650 billion over the past three years, according to a new report.
Trump’s wall violates conservation laws
18 Feb 2019
US President Donald Trump (https://inhabitat.com/tag/trump) is moving forward with the construction of his Mexican border wall, even if it means sidestepping important environmental laws.
In this Siberian town, the snow - and the future - is black
18 Feb 2019
Residents of a coalmining region in Siberia have been posting videos online showing entire streets and districts covered in toxic black snow that critics say highlight a manmade ecological catastrophe.
Young protesters ask: If not us, who?
15 Feb 2019
As a movement grows across the world, young people say they want politicians to protect their interests.
Why Australia won’t meet Paris targets
15 Feb 2019
There’s no way Australia achieve the targets five years early without major policy changes, which are unlikely under the current government, says a leading climate scientist.
How forest managers might pick the brains of clever trees
15 Feb 2019
The discovery that some trees can “remember” heatwaves could help forest managers to deal with the impacts of climate change.
Savage heat engulfs temperate Tasmania
15 Feb 2019
Australia has been going through one of its hottest and stormiest summers on record and usually temperate Tasmania, its island state (https://tinyurl.com/y4snt4pg), has taken a battering.
World is halfway through its hottest decade
14 Feb 2019
Here is a climate forecast that climate scientists, meteorologists, politicians, voters and even climate sceptics can check: the next five years will be warm, and will probably help to complete the hottest decade ever.
Buy organic to help insects, say scientists
14 Feb 2019
Buying organic food is among the actions people can take to curb the global decline in insects, according to leading scientists.
Race is on to define Green New Deal
14 Feb 2019
The decision by US Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) to bring up the Green New Deal for a Senate vote is prompting a rush to define the terms of progressive Democrats' ambitious proposal to tackle climate change.
BAMBOO BOOM: There's a bold new look in building materials
14 Feb 2019
The market for environmentally sound building materials is changing. If you think bamboo can just be used to grow beans up in your garden, think again.
China and India lead greening of landscape
13 Feb 2019
China and India are leading the world in greening the landscape, a study finds, with the two countries accounting for one-third of the new forests, croplands and other types of vegetation observed globally since 2000.
Sweden puts deadline on fossil-free ships
13 Feb 2019
Sweden’s shipping sector is preparing to end the use of fossil fuels domestically by 2045, in line with national climate goals.
How emissions reporting is set to change
13 Feb 2019
A new project hopes to show how emissions reporting should be done, but building trust looks set to play a huge part in overcoming the challenge.
Islands declare emergency after invasion by hungry polar bears
13 Feb 2019
Russian environmental authorities have deployed a team of specialists to a remote Arctic region to sedate and remove dozens of hungry polar bears that have besieged the people living there.
Ambitious Danish island ends fossil fuel use
13 Feb 2019
A small Danish island ends fossil fuel use by combining ambitious aims with ensuring that local people have a say in cleaner replacements.
Plummeting insect numbers threaten collapse of nature
12 Feb 2019
The world’s insects are hurtling down the path to extinction, threatening a “catastrophic collapse of nature’s ecosystems”, according to the first global scientific review.
Australia could be 100% renewables by 2032
12 Feb 2019
Australia could reach the equivalent of 100 per cent renewables by 2032, if the current rates of installation of wind and solar continue, says a new report.
Australia opens first carbon refinery, making new products from captured CO2
Today 11:30am
Australia’s first carbon refinery opened in New South Wales, capturing carbon dioxide from explosives giant Orica's ammonia-making operations on Kooragang Island and turning it into products such as concrete, paper and glass.
US defence spending on critical minerals surges in the last decade
Mon 22 Jun 2026
Members of communities affected by some of these projects said that U.S. state backing has meant projects are being fast-tracked without the necessary social and environmental checks or meaningful consultation.
China to raise power prices for energy-intensive sectors in green transition push
Fri 19 Jun 2026
Beijing’s latest road map aims to cut carbon emissions by 200 million tonnes by 2028 – but analysts say implementation may vary across regions.
Half of France under red heat alert as alcohol banned at street music festival
Tue 23 Jun 2026
France has issued red heatwave alerts for around half the country including Paris for Monday as a heatwave pushes temperatures towards record levels.
UK heatwave: 40C in June must be wake-up call on climate crisis, scientists warn
Today 11:30am
Scientists are warning that politicians are failing to appreciate the magnitude of the climate crisis after the Met Office forecast that temperatures in the UK could hit 40C for just the second time since records began.
Canada signs landmark LNG energy deal with Germany
29 May 2026
Canada has announced a landmark energy agreement with Germany that will see the first-ever long-term shipments of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Canada to Europe in the coming years.
Asia warming nearly twice as fast as before
Fri 19 Jun 2026
A new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) highlights record ocean heat, accelerating glacier loss and a series of extreme weather events causing significant human and economic losses across Asia.
‘Those blocking climate science are not our friends': Pacific leaders warn at Bonn talks
Tue 23 Jun 2026
Pacific nations and civil society groups have united at UN climate talks, pushing back against efforts to weaken agreed language on global temperature limits as negotiations continue behind closed doors.
Antarctica’s west coast missing an area of sea ice the size of France as temperatures peak 20C above average
16 Jun 2026
A vast area of the Bellingshausen Sea should be covered by sea ice by now, with one expert calling the loss of ice ‘depressing’.
Mombasa ocean summit drives progress on marine protection, but threats persist
Tue 23 Jun 2026
At the 11th Our Ocean conference in Kenya, its founder John Kerry says the ocean must become central to climate solutions and needs to be looked after.
Colombia’s climate crossroads: Trumpism casts shadow over presidential battle
26 May 2026
Colombia is a global leader in climate activism. Could US influence drag country to a future of mining and fracking?
Bonn climate talks end in “gridlock” on adaptation and emissions-cutting
Mon 22 Jun 2026
After two weeks of climate negotiations riven by arguments over finance and science, the UN climate chief expressed disappointment and denounced governments for “cherry-picking” commitments they have already made and waiting for others to move first.
