International: All stories
CARBON PRICING: Five questions for Nicholas Stern
22 Nov 2017
Economist NICHOLAS STERN spoke in Oxford this month. The Conversation asked him about recent developments in the transition of the world toward an economy adapted to climate change.
Let's handle climate change the way we dealt with cigarettes
22 Nov 2017
What would happen if we treated climate change as a health problem rather than an environmental one?
Could this be beginning of the end for the beloved axolotl?
22 Nov 2017
Although abundant in captivity, the axolotl has nearly disappeared from its natural habitat - and that is a problem.
Former UN climate chief lobbies against Adani loan
21 Nov 2017
Former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres has made a rare intervention in Australian politics, urging the Turnbull government not to grant a controversial coal project a near A$1 billion loan.
Past climate lessons prompt present rethink
21 Nov 2017
European scientists have just reached two chilling conclusions about today’s Earth by studying past climate lessons.
Three ways cities are leading the climate change fight
21 Nov 2017
Cities account for 75 per cent of the world’s energy use and 76 per cent of carbon dioxide emissions.
Electric highway will link Norway and Italy
21 Nov 2017
A German utility is planning a string of electric vehicle fast chargers every 120 to 180 kilometers along highways in seven European countries, from Italy to Norway.
Indonesia to roll out 1000 eco-mosques
21 Nov 2017
Worshippers in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, are set to go green with a new initiative that aims to establish 1000 eco-mosques by 2020.
Climate pioneer calls for wave of lawsuits
20 Nov 2017
One of the fathers of climate science is calling for a wave of lawsuits against governments and fossil fuel companies that are delaying action on what he describes as the growing, mortal threat of global warming.
Bonn summit slow and steady but King Coal looms
20 Nov 2017
The climate talks in Bonn saw little drama other than some star turns and a pantomime villain. All eyes are now on Poland, the next summit host.
It's not a done deal, low-lying islands can shape a future
20 Nov 2017
While the plight of low-lying Pacific islands should not be ignored, it is just as damaging to assume that their fate is already sealed.
Norway’s wealth fund eyes divesting from fossil fuels
20 Nov 2017
Norway’s $1 trillion fund is to consider divesting from oil and gas stocks to protect the country's economy from oil price risk.
Australia a Top 10 nation - for cutting down trees
20 Nov 2017
Eastern Australia ranks in the top 10 of the world’s major deforestation fronts – the only area in a developed nation.
The inconvenient truth about smart cities
20 Nov 2017
Plans for more wired, networked, connected urban areas face challenges if they fail to account for existing, local, non-digital elements such as government and socioeconomic conditions.
Shaw commits NZ to leading on climate challenge
17 Nov 2017
New Zealand has just committed itself on the world stage to being carbon-neutral by 2050 and being a Pacific leader on climate change.
NZ signs up to cut methane and black carbon
17 Nov 2017
New Zealand has signed up to a plan to cut methane and black carbon emissions from agriculture and waste.
Global pledge to phase out coal gets full backing of NZ
17 Nov 2017
New Zealand is part of a new alliance launched at the Bonn climate talks that hopes to signal the end of coal.
Carbon markets back in vogue at Bonn
17 Nov 2017
Carbon markets have become a vital piece of common ground for defenders of the climate. The tool is gradually extending around the world, bringing with it higher revenues.
Indigenous groups win greater climate recognition
17 Nov 2017
Indigenous groups claimed a victory at the Bonn climate talks in Bonn as governments acknowledged for the first time that they can play a leadership role in protecting forests and keeping global temperatures at a safe level.
Wildfires are making Americans sick
17 Nov 2017
As climate change fuels large wildfires, the pollution they're releasing is making Americans sick and undermining decades of progress in cleaning the air.
MERKEL MESSAGE: Climate change decides our destiny
16 Nov 2017
“Climate change is an issue determining our destiny as mankind – it will determine the wellbeing of all of us,” the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, has told the world’s nations gathered at the Bonn climate summit.
Activists sue Norway over Arctic exploration plan
16 Nov 2017
The Norwegian government is being sued by climate activists over a decision to open up areas of the Arctic Ocean for oil exploration.
Global insurance plan aims to defuse bombshell
16 Nov 2017
A scheme unveiled at the Bonn climate summit aims to help to protect 400 million poor people from extreme weather by 2020 - but not everyone is convinced.
Brazil’s recession grows as emissions rise
16 Nov 2017
Brazil’s recession has earned it an unhappy distinction: it is the only major country in the world where damage to the climate is growing while people are becoming poorer.
CHOPPER STOPPER: Too much smog for the smog-fighters
16 Nov 2017
An ambitious plan to use helicopters to fight Delhi’s air pollution has been grounded because the aircraft cannot operate in the thick smog.
HOT SPOTS: Ice cameras reveal Antarctica’s warm underbelly
16 Nov 2017
A new map of the warmth coming up from rocks beneath the Antarctic provides key data for scientists to model how the ice sheet could react to climate change.
Bonn protesters savage Trump's coal push
15 Nov 2017
The Trump team was heckled and interrupted by a protest song at the UN’s climate change summit in Bonn after using its only official appearance to say fossil fuels were vital to reducing poverty around the world.
Medibank drops millions worth fossil-fuel investments
15 Nov 2017
Australia’s largest private health insurer, Medibank, will shed tens of millions of dollars in fossil-fuel investments because of the effects of climate change on human health.
Climate change is destroying the wonders of the world
15 Nov 2017
From the Everglades in the US to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, climate change is destroying the many of the greatest wonders of the natural world.
Cities could save billions while saving the planet
15 Nov 2017
Climate change action at the local level has the potential to save as much as £7 billion each year across the 50 largest cities in the UK.
GATESVILLE: Bill buys big bit of Arizona to build a smart city
15 Nov 2017
Bill Gates is buying 25,000 acres near Phoenix, Arizona, on which to build a high-tech smart city named Belmont.
What would happen if all Americans went vegan?
15 Nov 2017
To produce four US hamburger patties takes 25 kilogrammes of animal feed, 25 square metres of land, and about 220 litres of water.
It's about to get a whole lot worse, say scientists
14 Nov 2017
The world has been given a stark warning by some of its leading scientists: there is much worse climate change on the way.
Fossil-fuel burning set to hit record high this year
14 Nov 2017
The burning of fossil fuels is set to hit a record high in 2017, climate scientists have warned, following three years of flat growth that raised hopes a peak in global emissions had been reached.
CIRCA 2017: It is sure to be among the hottest on record
14 Nov 2017
The year has a bit to run yet, but we can already be sure that 2017 will be among the hottest years on record.
Alternative American group wants seat at the table
14 Nov 2017
The United Nations should give a “seat at the table” to a powerful group of US states, cities, tribes and businesses that are committed to taking action on climate change, Michael Bloomberg has urged.
Direct democracy could offer a third climate way
14 Nov 2017
With political agreement on climate change making slow progress and direct action becoming more dangerous, we must find alternatives.
POISON PUSH: Warming helps toxins to thrive
14 Nov 2017
Many of the world’s poorest people are being poisoned by their basic foods – and global warming helps toxins to multiply.
CLIMATE CRISIS? No need to fear, the Cote d'Ivoire is here
14 Nov 2017
Just over 19,000 delegates and officials are attending the UN climate talks in Bonn. The largest party - 493 - comes from the Cote d'Ivoire.
Big cities sign emissions pledge (but not ours)
13 Nov 2017
The mayors of 25 cities with more than 150 million citizens between them say they will start cutting emissions before 2020 and will be carbon neutral by 2050.
EU strikes deal on carbon market reform
13 Nov 2017
European Union negotiators have agreed to a compromise on carbon market reforms, with the bloc keen for a deal this week to show leadership at UN climate talks in Bonn.
Fiji told it must spend billions to adapt to climate change
13 Nov 2017
Fiji must spend an amount equivalent to its entire yearly gross domestic product over the next 10 years to counter the challenges of a changing climate.
Geo-engineering can work ... if the world wants it
13 Nov 2017
Climate scientists now know that geo-engineering – in principle at least – would halt global warming and keep the world at the temperatures it will reach by 2020.
MILLIONS ON MOVE: Climate victims need refugee status
13 Nov 2017
Since 2008, about 26 million people have been displaced each year due to natural disasters, says a troubling Oxfam report.
ETS changes win us an award at Bonn talks
10 Nov 2017
Changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme have won New Zealand a Carbon Pricing Champion Award at international climate negotiations in Bonn.
The seven megatrends that could beat global warming
10 Nov 2017
With the climate tipping point just years away, the tide is turning, thanks to innovations ranging from cheap renewables to lab-grown meat and electric aircraft.
Coal-fired plant sent $1b offshore while pocketing public's $117m
10 Nov 2017
The owner of one of Australia’s dirtiest coal-fired power plants quietly moved $1bn offshore within days of pocketing $117m from taxpayers.
Germany's dirty coalmines focus for direct action
10 Nov 2017
A giant black mark on Germany’s environmental record is scarred on the land an hour’s drive from the venue of this year’s UN climate talks in Bonn.
Victory for forests as nations vow to stop death by chocolate
10 Nov 2017
Ghana and the Ivory Coast are formulating plans to immediately put a stop to all new deforestation after an investigation found that the cocoa industry was destroying their rainforests.
Risk growing for Pacific islands, says study
10 Nov 2017
Many nations have become less vulnerable to natural disasters ranging from cyclones to earthquakes because of improved preparedness, but Pacific island states remain most at risk, a new study shows.
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
Today 11:00am
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
Today 11:00am
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
Wed 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.
