International: All stories
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.
Six rangers die in gorilla sanctuary ambush
12 Apr 2018
Six rangers have been ambushed and killed in a Democratic Republic of the Congo park that is home to silverback gorillas.
Marine heatwaves the new norm, say scientists
11 Apr 2018
The marine heatwave which has seen penguins, prions and other New Zealand birds dying this summer is part of a new “normal” caused by climate change, scientists say.
Why cement industry must act urgently
11 Apr 2018
Greenhouse gas emissions from cement production must be reduced sharply if the world is to meet the climate change goals set out in the Paris agreement, a new report has suggested.
Unilever developing technology to reuse plastics
11 Apr 2018
Unilever is working on pioneering technology to convert hard-to-recycle plastic back into high-quality packaging.
China makes a huge new green ministry
11 Apr 2018
China’s newly created mega-department, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, has absorbed the functions of many ministries and will boast a staff of about 500.
KOALA CRISIS: Don't blame urban sprawl for the deaths
11 Apr 2018
Tree clearing, not urban sprawl, is to blame for the deaths of thousands of koalas in Queensland, say environmentalists.
China has the boldest renewable energy plan
10 Apr 2018
The boldest plan to achieve the targets set by the 2015 Paris climate agreement comes from China.
Abandoned collieries could be key to heating homes
10 Apr 2018
Scientists are finalising plans to exploit the vast reservoir of warm water that fills a labyrinth of disused mines and porous rock layers underneath Glasgow.
Formula E racers find new way to add spark for the sport fan
10 Apr 2018
Formula E, the electric vehicle counterpart of Formula One and V8 Supercars, has come up an initiative that could change the way fans engage with their sports.
Selfridges to cut single-use plastic carbonated drinks
10 Apr 2018
The world-renowned department store Selfridges is to ditch single-use plastic carbonated drinks.
Carney warns of financial system catastrophe
9 Apr 2018
Bank of England governor Mark Carney has warned of the “catastrophic impact” climate change could have for the financial system unless firms do more to disclose their vulnerabilities.
IEA undermining shift from fossil fuels, says report
9 Apr 2018
The global shift from fossil fuels to renewables is being undermined by the very organisation that ought to be leading the charge, according to a scathing new critique of the International Energy Agency.
Lego billionaires plan new splurge on renewable energy
9 Apr 2018
The fund managing the wealth of the billionaires behind Lego is planning to step up investments in renewable energy.
Seattle wants to charge city drivers
9 Apr 2018
A Seattle proposal to make drivers pay a fee for coming downtown is a linchpin in a list of initiatives aimed at reducing carbon emissions from the city’s transportation sector.
How 1.5deg could prevent mass food shortages
6 Apr 2018
Food security is one of the major benefits of keeping global temperature rise to within 1.5deg, new reasearch says.
WORLD OF WORRY: Fear and loathing in the Anthropocene
6 Apr 2018
The effects of climate changes and ecological losses present significant direct and indirect threats to peoples' mental health and well-being.
IN THE DOCK: Fossil fuel companies on trial
6 Apr 2018
Some of the biggest oil and gas companies are embroiled in legal disputes with cities, states and children over the industry's role in global warming.
The UK needs a more ambitious Climate Change Act
6 Apr 2018
The UK Climate Change Act is a pioneering and far-sighted piece of legislation, but it is time to ask whether the central ambition of reducing carbon emissions by at least 80 per cent from 1990 levels by 2050 is still adequate.
Five lessons cities can learn from Cape Town
6 Apr 2018
Other cities can learn from Cape Town where water supplies remain at high risk because the long-term predictions for rainfall remain uncertain.
US to ease car and truck emissions standards
5 Apr 2018
US environmental regulators will ease emissions standards for cars and trucks, saying that a timeline put in place by President Obama was not appropriate and set standards “too high”.
Dutch group threatens take Shell to court
5 Apr 2018
Campaigners are threatening to take Royal Dutch Shell to court in the Netherlands unless it takes major climate action.
Walden Pond pilgrims pollute one of nature's sacred sites
5 Apr 2018
Even the waters of Walden Pond, where Henry David Thoreau famously retreated to try to understand nature, are not safe from climate change and human pollution.
'The Beach' off limits as Thais count cost of climate change
5 Apr 2018
Maya Bay, made famous in the film “The Beach”, will be off limits to tourists for part of the year as Thailand seeks to protect eco-systems crumbling from warming seas and unchecked sprawl.
Chocolate makers still have long way to go
5 Apr 2018
Chocolate companies still have “a huge amount of work to do” in implementing truly sustainable policies, says a new report.
Saudi Arabia plans gigantic solar project
5 Apr 2018
Saudi Arabia plans to work with Japanese-based SoftBank to build a massive solar project in the desert, which could be worth up to $200 billion.