International: All stories
UK steps towards zero-carbon economy
17 Oct 2018
The UK is taking a tentative step towards a radical "green" future with zero emissions of greenhouse gases.
There's something there, says Trump
17 Oct 2018
US President Donald Trump, speaking during a hurricane recovery briefing in Georgia, said he believes "there is something there" when asked about climate change, but once again cast doubt on the overwhelming scientific consensus that climate change is caused by human activity.
We're cutting down the tree of life, warn scientists
17 Oct 2018
More than 300 mammal species have been eradicated by human activities, say researchers.
TROUBLE BREWING: Climate could cause beer shortages
17 Oct 2018
Trouble is brewing for the world’s beer drinkers, with climate change set to cause dramatic price spikes and supply shortages, according to new research.
IPCC report too soft, say some scientists
16 Oct 2018
The IPCC 1.5deg report wasn't strong enough and downplayed the full extent of the real climate threat, some scientists believe.
Fracking part of the deal, says UK minister
16 Oct 2018
As she considers setting a date for the UK emissions to hit net-zero, UK energy and clean growth minister Claire Perry said fracking for new gas resources remained “pragmatic policy”.
Australia needs a plan, says chief scientist
16 Oct 2018
Australia’s chief scientist Alan Finkel says the question facing the nation’s energy future is not about renewables versus coal but how best to create “a whole-of-economy emissions reduction strategy”.
It's time to put away the mower and let the front lawn run wild
16 Oct 2018
The lush green lawns surrounding many homes, businesses, parks and other outdoor spaces might not be the greatest idea, according to scientists.
Top climate scientist blasts fracking plans
15 Oct 2018
One of the world’s leading climate scientists, James Hansen, has launched a scathing attack on the UK government’s fracking programme, accusing ministers of aping Donald Trump and ignoring scientific evidence.
Reality bites for Australian farmers
15 Oct 2018
A new study shows that 43 per cent of Ausralian farmers accept climate change poses a risk to their region, compared with just 32 per cent five years ago.
BBC to show first climate film since 2007
15 Oct 2018
A 90-minute film with the working title Two Degrees will be shown on BBC television next March. It will be the first time BBC One has aired a primetime documentary dedicated to the topic of climate change since 2007.
And the worst plastics polluter is ... Coca-Cola
12 Oct 2018
Sugary drinks giant Coca-Cola, a company valued at $US56.4 billion, has emerged as by far the most common brand in audits of plastic debris found on beaches and in waterways, parks and streets.
Why we must drastically cut amount of meat we eat
12 Oct 2018
A major study finds huge changes to farming are needed to avoid destroying Earth’s ability to feed its population.
Climate strategy has Trudeau firmly on back foot
12 Oct 2018
When Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau swept into power in 2015, he pledged to make fighting climate change a top priority for his government.
‘Disappointed’ EU ministers agree on CO2 cuts
12 Oct 2018
Some EU environment ministers admitted they were disappointed with the outcome after they voted to agree on a 35 per cent cut in car and van CO2 emission for 2030.
Vehicle made from recycled plastic to explore the ice
12 Oct 2018
A vehicle powered by the sun and made out of plastic waste is set to explore Antarctica.
Trump says he'll have a look at IPCC report
11 Oct 2018
US President Donald Trump says he ‘will be looking at’ the UN report warning that unprecedented changes are needed to avoid extreme heat, floods and poverty.
Now near 100m bpd, when will oil demand peak?
11 Oct 2018
Sometime in the next few weeks, global oil consumption will reach 100 million barrels per day - more than twice what it was 50 years ago - and it shows no immediate sign of falling.
Likely Brazil leader is full of climate threats
11 Oct 2018
No more Paris Agreement. No more ministry of environment. A paved highway cutting through the Amazon. That's what Jair Bolsonaro will bring to the presidency of Brazil.
ROBOBEES: Scientists say they can make drones to take over
11 Oct 2018
Dutch scientists say they can create swarms of bee-like drones to take over if the insects die out.
Dutch court shoots down government appeal
11 Oct 2018
The Dutch government must stick to a tougher climate target, after an appeals judge upheld a historic court ruling.
Global energy sector's emissions keep growing
10 Oct 2018
Carbon emissions from the energy sector are on track to grow for the second year running, in a major blow to hopes the world might have turned the corner on tackling climate change.
Australia rejects IPCC call to dump coal
10 Oct 2018
The Australian government has rejected the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report’s call to phase out coal power by 2050, claiming renewable energy cannot replace baseload coal power.
TIMELINE: How the climate panel got to 1.5deg threshold
10 Oct 2018
Five reports and an agreement ... the IPCC has been raising the climate alarm for 30 years.
Nobel goes to father of 2deg warming limit
10 Oct 2018
A Nobel Prize has been awarded to American academic William Nordhaus who originated the idea of a 2deg global warming limit but last year cast doubt on our ability to reach it.
OPINION: We've all been set a very clear target
9 Oct 2018
By NICHOLAS STERN | The authoritative new report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change sets the world a clear target.
Little-known 2016 treaty could help delay climate catastrophe
9 Oct 2018
From the beginning of next year, a global pact will take effect that could have a profound impact on climate change, cutting harmful greenhouse gas emissions by amounts that could help stave off some of the worst impacts predicted by the IPCC.
Morrison says no more money for climate fund
9 Oct 2018
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has resisted conservatives’ calls to withdraw Australia from the Paris Climate Agreement but ruled out providing more money to the global climate fund.
Palm oil giant vows to cut deforestation
9 Oct 2018
The world’s largest palm oil company has unveiled a plan to cut deforestation and labour abuses out of its supply chain within two years.
IPCC: Farming and tourism put on notice
8 Oct 2018
The International Panel on Climate Change’s 1.5deg report delivers a wake-up call for two of New Zealand’s biggest industries – agriculture and tourism.
IPCC: Reaching 1.5deg is no easy task
8 Oct 2018
Keeping global warming to no more than 1.5deg is possible and sensible, but it will not be easy, the International Panel on Climate Change says.
Frozen Arctic moves seawards in hectic melt
8 Oct 2018
Once trapped in a Russian ice cap north of Siberia, the frozen Arctic is moving fast, racing in decades from metres to kilometres a year.
Labour’s low-carbon plan is a good start
8 Oct 2018
The UK Labour Party’s plan for a low-carbon Britain breaks new ground and could offer a lifeline to a clean energy sector hit by the withdrawal of subsidies.
Protesters celebrate German forest's reprieve
8 Oct 2018
Thousands of demonstrators have descended on Germany’s Hambach forest to celebrate an unexpected court victory over a coal mine.
I sued the state of Washington because I can't breathe there
8 Oct 2018
Summers in my home city of Seattle didn’t use to be smoggy to the point that they make me and my friends sick. Now they are – and that violates our rights.
Labor says Australia can remain energy 'superpower'
5 Oct 2018
Australia is in a position to replace thermal coal exports with the export of renewable energy technologies if the parliament can settle an energy policy and end a decade of policy chaos, Labor frontbencher Pat Conroy says.
Denmark ban plan includes hybrid cars
5 Oct 2018
Denmark has proposed a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 and hybrid from 2035.
New pact bans fishing across much of Arctic
5 Oct 2018
Commercial fishing will be banned across much of the Arctic under a new agreement just signed in Greenland.
US critique sets stage for Incheon showdown
4 Oct 2018
Confidential US comments on a landmark global warming report raise doubts about the science behind it, warn that it risks crimping economic development and advocate for carbon-catching technologies.
MEPs vote for 40% cut in car emissions by 2030
4 Oct 2018
MEPs have voted for a 40 per cent cut in car emissions by 2030, in a rebuke to more cautious proposals by the European commission that signals tough negotiations with national governments ahead.
Paris builds zero-carbon future with a conscience
4 Oct 2018
Paris is pioneering an “eco-district” aimed at slashing emissions while also providing affordable housing.
German official backs clearing forest for coal mine
4 Oct 2018
Controversial plans to chop down a German forest to build a coal mine should proceed because Germany needs the polluting fuel to keep the lights on, according to a senior official.
Climate scientists consider 'life changing' report
3 Oct 2018
Leading scientists are meeting in South Korea this week to see if global temperatures can be kept from rising by more than 1.5deg this century.
Trump administration sees a 7deg rise
3 Oct 2018
Last month, deep in a 500-page environmental impact statement, the Trump administration made a startling assumption - on its current course, the planet will warm a disastrous 7deg by the end of this century.
Victoria renewables boom opens up jobs
3 Oct 2018
The renewable energy construction boom in Victoria is on track to create more than 6000 annual jobs, according to a new analysis.
Meet the man who beat Monsanto
3 Oct 2018
A jury ruled that agrochemical company Monsanto caused Dewayne Johnson’s cancer.
Which cities will sink into the sea first?
2 Oct 2018
The Earth isn’t solid – which makes it hard to predict how the submerging of our coastlines will unfold.
We're nowhere near hitting 1.5deg, says UN
1 Oct 2018
Governments are “nowhere near on track” to meet their commitment to avoid global warming of more than 1.5deg, according to an author of a key UN report.
Australia’s gas emissions climb again
1 Oct 2018
Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, fuelled by expansion in gas exports and production, according to new figures.
Nineteen nations team up to go carbon neutral
1 Oct 2018
The UK, Canada, Denmark and Spain joined a coalition to slash emissions to net zero on the sidelines of the UN general assembly in New York.
Oil refinery fire at key Victoria facility
16 Apr 2026
Explosions and towering flames were reported as a significant fire broke out at one of Australia’s major oil refineries.
Trump takes a ‘wrecking ball’ to independent scientific advisory board
Thu 30 Apr 2026
Without the impartial oversight of its board, the National Science Foundation is now “fully at the behest of the White House,” experts warn.
China’s leadership calls for ‘strict control’ of fossil fuels
Tue 28 Apr 2026
Chinese government leaders published a policy document on 22 April – Earth Day – calling for stricter controls on fossil-fuel consumption and greater oversight of heavy emitters.
EU faces ‘China shock’ as EV imports drive Beijing’s record surplus with bloc
Fri 1 May 2026
The EU is experiencing a prolonged “China shock” as a flood of Chinese EVs into Europe helped push Beijing to a record surplus with the bloc.
UK scientists to fire salt water into the sky in bid to tackle climate crisis
Fri 1 May 2026
Government supporting new geoengineering techniques as race against unregulated companies seeking to capitalise on need for climate cooling tech heats up.
Canada, Alberta close in on carbon price agreement, sources say
Wed 29 Apr 2026
Canada and Alberta are expected to strike a deal in the next two weeks that will increase the price on carbon for the province's industrial emitters, but a broader agreement to tackle oil sands greenhouse gases and green-light a new crude oil export pipeline remains elusive.
India submits new climate action pledges to UN body, flags condition to fulfil promise
Wed 29 Apr 2026
India has formally submitted its pledge to the UN climate body, underline importing conditions noting the developing countries' committments cannot be fulfilled without adequate support in terms of finance and technology transfer.
Tuvalu to host world leaders before COP31 summit
16 Apr 2026
Tuvalu, the Pacific nation at the forefront of the global climate crisis, will host a special meeting of world leaders before this year’s Cop31 summit, as the conference president expresses “complete faith” in Chris Bowen to lead tough negotiations.
Drowned chicks and food scarcity: Emperor penguin and Antarctic fur seal now endangered
13 Apr 2026
The primary drivers are shrinking sea ice and warming oceans driven by climate change.
Rationing power and diluting petrol – how African countries are coping with effects of Iran war
30 Mar 2026
Countries across Africa have taken measures such as diluting petrol and restricting electricity consumption to cope with the fuel crisis triggered by the US and Israel's war in Iran.
Beef production drives 40% of agriculture-linked forest destruction, Brazil leads
26 Mar 2026
Beef production is the leading driver of agriculture-linked deforestation, accounting for 40% of all forest clearing done to open space for food production, according to details of a study released on Tuesday.
Extreme heat threatens global food systems, UN agencies warn
23 Apr 2026
Extreme heat is pushing global agrifood systems to the brink, threatening the livelihoods and health of more than a billion people, according to a new report by the U.N.'s food and weather agencies.
