International: All stories
Runaway ice becomes a menace on the high seas
29 Mar 2018
As the planet warms, giant icebergs and sea ice that once would have remained trapped in the frozen Arctic are moving southward faster and more frequently, menacing shipping and oil and gas drilling operations.
One of the dirtiest oil sources wants to go green
29 Mar 2018
One of the most aggressive campaigns to fight global warming is happening in a Canadian province. There’s just one problem: the same place is also home to some of the dirtiest oil in the world.
Europe's carbon market finally doing its job
28 Mar 2018
Europe’s $38 billion a year carbon market is finally starting to work the way it was intended, reining in pollution with a minimum of squealing from industry.
What we're doing to the land is threatening human wellbeing
28 Mar 2018
Land degradation is undermining the wellbeing of two-fifths of humanity, raising the risks of migration and conflict, according to the most comprehensive global assessment of the problem to date.
US asks China to reconsider ban on foreign waste
28 Mar 2018
The US has requested China end its recent ban on receiving garbage from foreign countries, something it says is causing turmoil in the global market.
Destruction of nature as dangerous as climate change
27 Mar 2018
Human destruction of nature is rapidly eroding the world’s capacity to provide food, water and security to billions of people, according to the most comprehensive biodiversity study in more than a decade.
Pacific plastic garbage patch is much bigger than we thought
27 Mar 2018
A vast area of plastic waste in the ocean between California and Hawaii is much larger than previously estimated .. and it's growing rapidly.
UK rejects plans for new coal mine
27 Mar 2018
The UK has decided to stop plans for a new opencast coal mine because it would “adversely impact upon measures to limit climate change”.
US and China behave as global emissions increase
26 Mar 2018
While global carbon emissions crept upward in 2017 the trends were not entirely bad news - the world's two biggest emitters, China and the United States, made progress in their own ways.
Macron pushes for EU minimum carbon price
26 Mar 2018
Europe must set a minimum price for carbon, says French President Emmanuel Macron, something that would require a new tax on imports from non-EU countries that are not doing enough to tackle climate change.
Thousands rally against coal in Sydney
26 Mar 2018
Thousands of people have marched through Sydney calling for an end to coal seam gas and coal mining and a renewed focus on renewables.
Shippers fear fruit trade will be hurt
23 Mar 2018
The trade in avocados, cherries and blueberries could suffer from a proposed short-term measure to cut carbon emissions from shipping, according to Chile and Peru.
BIRDS EMBATTLED; Europe faces biodiversity oblivion
23 Mar 2018
Intensive farming and pesticides could turn Europe’s farmland into a desert that ultimately imperils all humans, say the authors of report on the decline of bird numbers.
Ocean heatwave caused massive gas release
23 Mar 2018
A severe heatwave off Western Australia eight years ago hammered the world's largest region of seagrass, triggering the release of as much as nine million tonnes of carbon dioxide.
Figueres wants green bonds to hit $1t by 2020
23 Mar 2018
Green bonds issuance needs to hit $1 trillion a year by 2020 to support international climate goals, says former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres.
Ocean economy set to reach $3t by 2030
23 Mar 2018
A major new report for the UK Government has highlighted the huge economic potential presented by the world’s oceans.
What a difference half a degree of temperature would make
22 Mar 2018
A difference of just half a degree of global warming, from 1.5deg to 2deg, would mean that an additional five million people worldwide will have the land where their homes are located permanently submerged underwater.
Can climate litigation save the world?
22 Mar 2018
Courts are a new front line of climate action with cases against governments and oil firms spiralling, and while victories have so far been rare the pressure for change is growing.
World’s largest green bond fund aims for $2b pot
22 Mar 2018
The world’s largest green bond fund has been launched with the intention of building a $2 billion purse.
Oil threat looms over national park land
22 Mar 2018
More than 71,000 hectares of protected countryside, including national park land, in the south-east of England are at risk from a new wave of oil drilling.
SOUTHERN SHOCK: Where has all the ice gone?
21 Mar 2018
The absence of sea ice near Antarctica over the past six weeks has astonished scientists aboard the research vessel Tangaroa.
OPINION: The Paris Agreement is deeply flawed
21 Mar 2018
THE PARIS accord is built on speculative tech fantasies. It can not save us from climate catastrophe, says Dr JASON HICKEL of the University of London.
Millions on the move will head for border hotspots and slums
21 Mar 2018
Climate change will result in a massive movement of people inside countries and across borders, creating “hotspots” where tens of millions pour into already crowded slums, according to the World Bank.
London leads new global green finance rankings
21 Mar 2018
London’s reputation as a leading financial centre has now extended to include the field of sustainability.
Climate champion Weatherill chucks it in
20 Mar 2018
The Turnbull government is one step closer to being able to implement its proposed national energy guarantee, courtesy of Jay Weatherill’s departure as the South Australian premier after Saturday’s state election.
Farmers to be given first targets on soil health
20 Mar 2018
A bill will be brought before the UK parliament this year mandating, for the first time, measures and targets to preserve and improve the health of the nation's soils.
Antarctica needs massive engineering works
19 Mar 2018
.Mammoth engineering projects are planned in Antarctica and Greenland to help slow down the disintegration of the planet’s main glaciers.
Europe goes for two-speed approach to sustainable finance
19 Mar 2018
Europe is quickly adopting an imbalanced, two-speed approach to sustainable finance, in which the “green” is moving much faster than the “social”.
Changing climate threatens Easter Island's mighty moai
19 Mar 2018
Rising sea levels are eroding Easter Island and its many archaeological sites, including its iconic moai statues and village remains.
Nervous about nukes? Don't worry, just swallow this pill
16 Mar 2018
Belgian pharmacies will provide radiation-busting iodine tablets free of charge to anyone as part of the country’s new nuclear strategy,
New York commits $1.4b to renewable energy work
16 Mar 2018
New York has said it will spend $1.4 billion on 26 renewable projects, including 22 solar farms, three wind farms, and one hydroelectric project.
UN forest project doing more harm than good
16 Mar 2018
The harm a UN forest project in Africa is doing to local people is greater than the good it is managing to achieve for them, researchers say.
Coffee cups and food packaging could face levy
16 Mar 2018
Single-useplastic items such as disposable coffee cups, takeaway boxes and polystyrene packaging could be hit with charges in the UK akin to the 5p levy on plastic bags.
Schwarzenegger planning to sue oil companies
15 Mar 2018
Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is planning to sue oil companies, alleging they are "knowingly killing people all over the world".
Pompeo is a buddy of the Koch brothers
15 Mar 2018
Mike Pompeo, Donald Trump's choice to replace Rex Tillerson as US foreign affairs chief, is an ally of the Koch brothers and a critic of the Paris climate agreement.
Krill fishing poses serious threat to Antarctic
15 Mar 2018
Industrial fishing for krill in the pristine waters around Antarctica is threatening the future of one of the world’s last great wildernesses, says a new report.
World’s great forests could lose half of all wildlife
15 Mar 2018
The world’s greatest forests could lose more than half of their plant species by the end of the century unless nations ramp up efforts to tackle climate change, says a new report.
Germany’s new government deal fails Paris test
14 Mar 2018
With the coalition agreement for a new German government under Angela Merkel, a major opportunity to realign German climate policy to the challenges of the Paris climate change agreement has passed.
What is biodiversity and why does it matter?
14 Mar 2018
The air you breathe, the water you drink and the food you eat all rely on biodiversity, but right now it is in crisis – because of us.
Greens want to end sale of fossil fuel cars by 2030
14 Mar 2018
The Ausralian Greens have proposed introducing mandatory fuel efficiency standards, ending the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, and imposing a four-year 17 per cent tax on luxury vehicles.
Europe, too, likes the look of circular economy
13 Mar 2018
As the EU doubles down on its waste management efforts and sets its sights on tackling plastic waste, the idea of a circular economy and internal market for recycling is gathering momentum.
Climate change is a disaster foretold (just like World War I)
13 Mar 2018
The warnings about an unfolding climate catastrophe are getting more desperate, yet the march to destruction continues.
Landmark case challenges NT land clearing
13 Mar 2018
A landmark court case in the Northern Territory is set to consider a challenge to a massive land-clearing approval based on its impacts on climate change.
EC unveils new action plan on sustainable finance
13 Mar 2018
The European Commission has produced its strategy to make sustainability a key component of the financial sector within Europe for years to come.
Heart attacks can rise during extremes of heat
13 Mar 2018
Extremes of heat are dangerous. Just how dangerous is still being established. But since heat waves are on the way, city-dwellers need to know.
Canberra politicians ride the golden escalator
12 Mar 2018
More than 180 individuals have moved between senior public service roles and the fossil fuel industry in Australia over the past decade - providing a golden escalator for former senior politicians.
False emissions ratings cost UK more than £2b a year
12 Mar 2018
False emissions ratings for cars based on lab tests have cost the UK more than £2bn a year in lost tax revenue, according to the Green party.
Demand for rare metals brings new risks
12 Mar 2018
The increasing global demand for rare earth metals is bringing new risks.
Cities study reveals much bigger carbon footprints
9 Mar 2018
Cities are generating up to 60 per cent more greenhouse gases than thought, thanks to their reliance on goods and services from outside their borders.
UK carbon emissions at lowest level since 1890
9 Mar 2018
Fresh analysis has highlighted the dramatic fall in carbon emissions within the UK, reaching a new low unseen in normal times for 128 years.
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.
