International: All stories
Pollution-recording gear can't cope with off-the-dial Delhi
19 Jun 2018
Smog more toxic than can be measured by monitoring devices blanketing New Delhi, months before the start of the city's traditional pollution season.
Global warming set to exceed 1.5deg by 2040
18 Jun 2018
Global warming is on course to exceed the most stringent goal set in the Paris agreement by around 2040, threatening economic growth, according to a draft report that is the UN’s starkest warning yet of the risks of climate change.
SICK CITIES: Can a skin cream really help you face the streets?
18 Jun 2018
The booming market for products for ‘urban skin’ reflects anxieties about the health impacts of living in cities – but is it all just a marketing gimmick?
McDonald's bows to customer demands over straws
18 Jun 2018
McDonald’s will end the use of plastic straws in its British restaurants next year, after nearly half a million people called on the company to ditch them.
Rising emissions big step backwards, says BP
15 Jun 2018
The renewed upward march of global carbon emissions is worrying and a big step backwards in the fight against climate change, according to BP.
OPINION: Earth will survive ... we might not
15 Jun 2018
By ADAM FRANK | In 1968, the astronaut William Anders looked out from his moon-circling Apollo 8 capsule and saw the mottled blue Earth emerging over the gray lunar horizon.
Scotland takes pride in emissions cuts
15 Jun 2018
The Scottish Government says that as of 2016 the country has managed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 49 per cent compared to 1990.
Elon Musk cuts Tesla's work force
15 Jun 2018
Elon Musk will cut his work force by about 9 per cent, or roughly 3500 of Tesla's 37,500 employees, as part of a company-wide restructuring.
Gas-guzzler Australia on road to becoming the next Cuba
15 Jun 2018
Australia's reluctance to recognise electric vehicles could mean that eventually it will join Cuba as the globe's Jurassic Park for cars.
Antarctic melt just the tip of the iceberg
14 Jun 2018
Antarctica has lost three trillion tonnes of ice over the past 25 years, raising sea levels 7.6mm.
Universal basic income and rewilding can do the trick
14 Jun 2018
Enough concrete has been produced to cover the entire surface of the Earth in a layer two millimetres thick.
Climate pressure could hurt major corn regions
14 Jun 2018
Two new studies looking at corn and vegetables warn of a rising risk of food shocks and malnutrition with unchecked global warming.
Israel to top up drying Sea of Galilee
14 Jun 2018
The shrinking Sea of Galilee, the inland lake where Christians believe Jesus walked on water, is to be topped up with desalinated seawater.
Giant baobabs die suddenly after thousands of years
14 Jun 2018
Climate change is the suspect in the abrupt deaths in the past decade of some of Africa’s 2500-year-old baobab trees.
Investor seeks removal of eight company chairs
13 Jun 2018
Britain’s biggest asset manager wants to remove the chairmen of the board at eight companies worldwide, which it says have failed to confront the threats posed by climate change.
EU closes in on clean energy package
13 Jun 2018
The EU is near agreement on measures to put its 2030 climate target into action, with a meeting of energy ministers swinging towards more ambition.
Society needs to flip its disaster spending
13 Jun 2018
Communities would get more value by spending before a disaster, instead of after, says an insurance industry leader.
Worsening drought pushes farmers to the brink
13 Jun 2018
On NSW's Liverpool plains, cows are being slaughtered because there is no way of feeding them after years of extreme weather.
Fifa's World Cup carbon offset offer looks flawed, say critics
13 Jun 2018
Soccer fans travelling to Russia for the World Cup beginning this week are being encouraged to offset their emissions through a UN scheme that critics describe as fundamentally flawed.
How $6 trillion of fossil fuel investments got dumped
12 Jun 2018
Divestment from fossil fuels has become one of the fastest growing political campaigns in human history, surpassing similar battles against the tobacco industry and the fight against apartheid in South Africa.
We can do global green ... with an effort
12 Jun 2018
Energy efficiency, radical changes to diet, and renewable energy can together save the planet, an internationsal team of scientists says.
Campaigners to take climate change message to the world
12 Jun 2018
Campaigners are planning a wave of climate demonstrations across the world in September to spur leaders into action and demand greater climate commitments.
Green steel king vows cheap power for Aussies
12 Jun 2018
UK “green steel” billionaire Sanjeev Gupta has unveiled a landmark agreement to provide cheap solar power to five major South Australian companies, promising to slash their electricity costs by up to 50 per cent.
Cities advance climate policies without saying so
12 Jun 2018
Leadership in addressing climate change in the United States has shifted away from the national capital Washington.
Sweet turns sour as sugar takes on solar
12 Jun 2018
As solar farms spread across the central agricultural regions of Queensland, opponents are becoming increasingly vocal.
Pope tells oil bosses to leave it in the ground
11 Jun 2018
Pope Francis has told oil company chiefs that the world must switch to clean energy because climate change risks destroying humanity.
Australian beats Elon Musk to $820,000 Global Energy Prize
11 Jun 2018
Australia’s “father of PV”, Professor Martin Green, has been awarded the 2018 Global Energy Prize, beating out a shortlist that included Tesla’s Elon Musk.
Marine heatwaves getting hotter and more damaging
11 Jun 2018
Climate change is warming ocean waters and causing shifts in the distribution and abundance of seaweeds, corals, fish and other marine species.
Plastic waste reaches last wilderness
8 Jun 2018
Plastic and traces of hazardous chemicals have been found in one of the world’s last great wildernesses.
One Koch brother is calling it quits
8 Jun 2018
Billionaire industrialist David H. Koch is stepping away from his political and business interests because of declining health.
Rich nations spend $100 billion a year on fossil fuels
7 Jun 2018
The major industrial nations spend at least $100 billion each year to prop up oil, gas and coal consumption, despite vows to end fossil fuel subsidies by 2025, a new report says.
The Great Canadian Paris-pipeline paradox
7 Jun 2018
The Canadian government’s decision to purchase Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline project shortly after ratifying the Paris Agreement on climate change creates an interesting paradox and a national challenge.
Hawaii signs to become carbon neutral by 2045
7 Jun 2018
Hawaii has set the most ambitious climate goal in the US by signing a bill to become carbon neutral by 2045.
India approves massive solar farm
7 Jun 2018
The Indian Government has given planning permission for a huge new solar project which is set to become one of the largest in the world.
How 'carbon bubble' could spark financial crisis
6 Jun 2018
Plunging prices for renewable energy and rapidly increasing investment in low-carbon technologies could leave fossil fuel companies with trillions in stranded assets and spark a global financial crisis, a new study has found.
Bayer swallows Monsanto ... but chokes on the name
6 Jun 2018
German chemicals and pharmaceuticals giant Bayer will discard the name Monsanto when it takes over the controversial US seeds and pesticides producer this week.
Trump orders action to save power plants
6 Jun 2018
President Trump has ordered his energy secretary to take immediate action to stem US power plant closures, arguing that a decline in coal and nuclear electricity is putting the nation’s security at risk.
California strikes e-vehicle gold
6 Jun 2018
California has been given the go-ahead to expand electric vehicle infrastructure and rebate programmes with a total budget of more than $750 million.
No meat, no dairy ... the best thing you can do
5 Jun 2018
Avoiding meat and dairy products is the single biggest way to reduce your environmental impact on the planet, according to the scientists behind the most comprehensive analysis to date of the damage farming does to the planet.
Pope invites Big Oil to Vatican for chat about climate change
5 Jun 2018
The Vatican will host executives of the world’s top oil companies for a conference this week on climate change and the transition away from fossil fuels.
Coal's all the rage in Indonesia
1 Jun 2018
Indonesia’s coal industry is enjoying a resurgence, driven both by rising demand from China and a push by Jakarta to build more coal-fired power plants.
Meat and fish firms 'jeopardising Paris'
1 Jun 2018
Meat and fish companies might be putting the implementation of the Paris Agreement in jeopardy by failing to properly report their climate emissions, says a new report.
Asia-Pacific dragging the chain, says UN
31 May 2018
The Asia-Pacific region is falling behind on climate action and conservation, according to the United Nations.
Scum of the sea is a no-see
31 May 2018
An invisible layer of scum on the sea surface can reduce carbon dioxide exchange between the atmosphere and the oceans by up to 50 per cent, scientists have discovered.
OVER TO YOU: Cricket (and its fans) must bowl climate change
31 May 2018
Cricket has a responsibility to tackle climate change because the game and its followers have an emotional and physical bond with the land in a way that few other field sports do.
Big US banks resume lending to coal companies
30 May 2018
An environmental group’s analysis shows the five largest United States banks have started lending to coal companies again now that they’re out of bankruptcy.
Dutch government appeals emissions ruling
30 May 2018
The Dutch government has launched a bid to overturn a landmark climate ruling, arguing that judges in The Hague “sidelined democracy” when they ordered a 25 per cent cut in carbon emissions by 2020.
Why it pays to invest in biodiversity
30 May 2018
In 2010, 193 countries stepped up to halt the global decline of biodiversity by 2020 as part of their commitment to the Convention on Biological Diversity.
SUPER SWIM: Bold Ben takes plunge to protest at plastics
30 May 2018
American Ben Lecomte tomorrow begins a 8800km swim across the Pacific Ocean to draw global attention to plastics pollution.
Scotland wants to be among first to carbon zero
29 May 2018
New targets will set Scotland on course to become one of the first countries in the world to achieve a 100 per cent reduction in carbon emissions, the government has claimed.
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.
