International: All stories
HISTORY OF HEAT: Scientists say we've been here before
8 Aug 2018
During the rise of mammals, Earth's temperatures spiked in a scary way that the planet might experience again soon. In New Zealand, life endured mean annual temperatures of up to 29deg ... 15deg warmer than modern times.
Life in our oceans is in deep crisis
8 Aug 2018
Wildlife in most of the lawless high seas faces an existential threat from fishing, shipping and the military. Next month, a landmark UN conference could finally bring hope.
EPA wants to redefine the dangers of soot
8 Aug 2018
Against all prevailing science, the US Environmental Protection Agency is suggesting a “safe” threshold for particulate pollution.
Forest methane uptake falls by 77%, says study
8 Aug 2018
The amount of methane absorbed by forest soils has fallen by an average of 77 per cent in the northern hemisphere over the past 27 years, a new study finds.
Heatwave impact on soils could be worse than thought
8 Aug 2018
Climate change is altering the makeup of soil, with widespread impacts on plants, ecosystems and food security, according to scientists.
Battery makers fight for foothold in Europe
8 Aug 2018
Battery manufacturers are jostling for a leadership position in Europe as electric vehicle sales gather momentum.
GOP and Big Oil can't escape the blame for climate change
7 Aug 2018
The New York Times magazine has devoted an issue to a single story that explores how close we came to an international climate agreement in 1989 ... and why we failed.
Ireland sees need to increase carbon tax
7 Aug 2018
The Irish Government is planning to increase the country’s carbon tax in a bid to meet its climate-change goals.
Most Australians want more renewables
7 Aug 2018
More than 70 per cent of Australians want the government to set a high renewable energy target to put downward pressure on power prices, according to a new poll.
Latest figures show peak coal is getting closer
7 Aug 2018
Total global coal capacity continues to inch up, but a peak is on the horizon, new research shows.
Natural waste holds promise of safe plastic
7 Aug 2018
The good news is that safe plastic is not an impossible dream. Novel ways to tackle the tide of discarded material engulfing the planet are under development.
Why compostable plastics might be no better
7 Aug 2018
As companies move to get rid of single-use plastic bags and bans on microbeads are coming into force, new biodegradable or compostable plastic products seem to offer an alternative. But they might be no better for the environment.
How Big Oil lost control of its misinformation machine
6 Aug 2018
One of the longest and most consequential campaigns against science in modern history is becoming more extreme—and turning against its originators.
Time running out for Paris rulebook, warns Tyndall
6 Aug 2018
Climate negotiators need to “crank up the pace” on writing the rulebook for the Paris climate pact, co-chair New Zealander Jo Tyndall said as plans to streamline the process were published last week.
Clothing rental could be key to sustainable fashion industry
6 Aug 2018
Overconsumption and the inevitable disposal of unwanted clothing has become a worrying global problem – and in many cases, this clothing is unnecessarily thrown away. Instead, it could be repaired or recycled.
Cities can work with nature when droughts hit
6 Aug 2018
Faced with a drought, it’s tempting for city managers to reduce the amount of space that needs water. Parks, public areas and private gardens are usually the first to go.
Landmark churches turn to renewable energy
6 Aug 2018
Some of the UK’s oldest and most prominent church buildings are making the switch to 100 per cent renewable energy.
California vows to fight as EPA acts to scrap car rules
3 Aug 2018
The Trump administration has moved to weaken US vehicle emissions standards and has set up a major confrontation with California by scrapping its ability to enact stricter pollution rules.
Cross-party MPs urge May to go carbon free
3 Aug 2018
A cross-party group of British MPs has called on the government to create a net-zero emissions target before 2050.
MANURE COUTURE: Startup is making shirts out of cow poo
3 Aug 2018
Would you buy a shirt that has been through the back end of a cow? This could be a future fabric choice, according to a startup which is extracting cellulose from cowpats.
Why are there no blockbusters about climate change?
3 Aug 2018
Hollywood has generally relished existential threats to humanity so it’s a bit odd it has studiously ignored the biggest actual threat to humanity there is.
Last year warmest without an El Niño event
2 Aug 2018
Last year was the warmest recorded on Earth that didn’t feature an El Niño weather event, according to the annual state of the climate report by 500 climate scientists.
New Chinese-led banks missing the point
2 Aug 2018
Both less than five years old, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and Brics Bank are failing to back sustainable development models.
German farmers want $1b in drought aid
2 Aug 2018
Farmers in the north and east of Germany are seeking more than $1 billion in aid for unprecedented losses as a result of continued high temperatures and lack of rain.
Smart cities can also cost the environment
2 Aug 2018
The Australian government has allocated $50 million for the Smarter Cities and Suburbs Program to encourage projects that “improve the livability, productivity and sustainability of cities and towns”.
Quite soon, this crowded part of China will be unsurvivable
2 Aug 2018
The deadliest place on the planet for extreme future heatwaves will be the north China plain, one of the most densely populated regions in the world and the most important food-producing area in the huge nation.
Experts fear the age of extreme fire has arrived
1 Aug 2018
California's increasingly ferocious wildfires are not an aberration – they are the new reality, experts believe.
Philippines kills off green campaigners
1 Aug 2018
A shocking 48 killings of green campaigners were reported in the Philippines last year, which was the worst on record for activist murders globally.
Small modular reactors hardly top of the pops
1 Aug 2018
On both sides of the Atlantic billions of dollars are being poured into developing small modular reactors. But it seems increasingly unlikely that they will ever be commercially viable.
‘Green mountaineers’ clean up Everest
1 Aug 2018
The bottom of the ocean and the roof of the world have something in common other than being extreme and inhospitable environments - they’re also polluted.
Largest king penguin colony declines by 90%
1 Aug 2018
The planet’s largest colony of king penguins has declined by nearly 90 per cent in three decades, researchers say.
US spends $20b a year on fossil fuel subsidies
31 Jul 2018
While most of the world recognises the need to leave fossil fuels in the ground, the US is giving the fossil fuel industry billions to extract more.
Forest carbon emissions are set to grow
31 Jul 2018
Accelerating climate change is likely to result in growing forest carbon emissions, with serious consequences both for the creatures that find shelter there, and for the global atmosphere.
HOT NEWS: How the media has reported the northern heatwave
31 Jul 2018
This year’s northern-hemisphere summer has seen a succession of heatwaves. How has the media reported the extreme weather and how has the coverage referenced climate change?
Heat goes on in (already) steamy Sri Lanka
31 Jul 2018
Steamy Colombo is expected to be one of the South Asian cities hardest hit by temperature hikes linked to climate change.
Northern heat could be strongest climate signal yet
30 Jul 2018
Global warming fever has spiked to deadly new highs across the Northern Hemisphere this summer, and the results are being felt.
Dry countries face disaster, warns UN
30 Jul 2018
Dry countries face famine and food insecurity, loss of livelihoods and life, and the displacement of millions, the United Nations has warned.
Imran vows to green Pakistan by planting 10 billion trees
30 Jul 2018
Imran Khan has vowed to plant 10 billion trees in five years as prime minister of Pakistan.
Penang is drowning in its own development
30 Jul 2018
The Malaysian island of Penang is paying a heavy price for putting development above the environment.
SICK SEAS: Human impact has damaged almost every ocean
27 Jul 2018
Outside the remotest areas of the Pacific and the poles, virtually no ocean is left harbouring naturally high levels of marine wildlife, a new report says.
Feel free to ruin public land, Trump tells miners
27 Jul 2018
The Trump administration will no longer require oil drillers, miners and other industries to compensate for damage they cause to public lands.
Australia energy plan might breach Paris Agreement
27 Jul 2018
An Australian government plan to lock in electricity emissions targets might breach a key commitment to the Paris Agreement.
West's clunker cars carry climate problems
27 Jul 2018
Old, ill-maintained and often malfunctioning vehicles dumped by the west in poor countries become energy guzzlers and emit high levels of heat-trapping gases.
Anchovies, the fish that gave too much
27 Jul 2018
The Italian fish sauce colatura is made from anchovies and literally adds the Med into the famously healthy Mediterranean diet. So many good things, however, have a downside.
Mary Robinson eyes feminist solution for climate change
26 Jul 2018
Women leading the fight against climate damage will be highlighted by former Irish president Mary Robinson who wants to get a global movement behind “a feminist solution for climate change”.
Even with Paris, droughts could worsen
26 Jul 2018
The risk of long-lasting droughts seems to increase strongly in large parts of the world even if we do reach the goals of the Paris Agreement, a recent study shows.
Washington’s political lobbying shackles science
26 Jul 2018
Money talks, says a study of Washington’s political lobbying and its influence on climate change law. Most of the most vocal money comes from big energy.
Germany finds reaching climate targets hard work
26 Jul 2018
The German government will introduce a climate protection law to ensure the country reaches its 2030 climate targets.
Waste crisis could become a design opportunity
26 Jul 2018
Researchers are looking for ways to re-purpose expanded polystyrene, taking advantage of this very useful material and keeping it out of landfills.
How Penzance became the UK's first plastics-free town
26 Jul 2018
The Cornwall community of Penzance last December became the UK's first plastics-free town. Now, 330 towns aim to follow suit.
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.
