International: All stories
Getting smarter could add $2 trillion to economy
22 Mar 2017
More sustainable use of materials and energy would not only cover the cost of keeping global warming below 2deg, but also add an extra $2 trillion to the global economy by 2050, says the United Nations.
Overheated world heads into uncharted territory
22 Mar 2017
The record-breaking heat that made 2016 the hottest year recorded has continued into 2017, pushing the world into “truly uncharted territory”, according to the World Meteorological Organisation.
US budget aims broadside at climate change
22 Mar 2017
If anything, it’s worse than expected: sweeping cutbacks to environmental programmes; an abandonment of efforts aimed at cleaning up air and water pollution around the US; and, most worrying for the world in general, an end to multimillion-dollar funding for satellite launches and other science projects aimed at tackling climate change.
SAHARA SAGA: If humans did this they could do it again
22 Mar 2017
Once upon a time, the Sahara was green. There were vast lakes. Hippos and giraffe lived there, and large human populations of fishers foraged for food alongside the lakeshores.
Nappies and tampons set to fuel power stations
22 Mar 2017
One of the UK’s trickiest waste problems is being tackled by turning the undesirable into the combustible – tampons and incontinence pads are being converted into dry, burnable bales.
Global emissions stay same for third year in row
21 Mar 2017
Carbon dioxide emissions from energy have not increased for three years in a row even as the global economy grew, the International Energy Agency says.
Kenya places complete ban on plastic bags
21 Mar 2017
Kenya has announced a ban on the use, manufacture and import of all plastic bags which will come into force in six months.
Pressure mounts on Finkel to consider pricing carbon
20 Mar 2017
The Liberal New South Wales government, major energy users, manufacturers and businesses have urged the Finkel review of the electricity market to consider a price on carbon or a market mechanism.
CARBON PAWPRINT: Pets can take heavy toll of environment
20 Mar 2017
Pets can have a large ecological footprint ... some sustainable living experts say that a medium-size dog could have a similar footprint to a large SUV.
Turnbull plan strikes at heart of fossil fuel industry
17 Mar 2017
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull wants to spend $2 billion on a hydro scheme that will potentially drive a stake through the heart of the country's fossil fuel generation industry.
China takes fresh approach to pollution
17 Mar 2017
China’s air pollution makes many of its towns and cities almost intolerable for their inhabitants. A 2015 report put the numbers killed daily by foul air at 4000 to 5000.
Climate reporting is honest ... and that's a fact
16 Mar 2017
The theory of human-induced climate change is based on the honest reporting of facts, says a new study into publication bias.
Measures of contentment still ignore the environment
16 Mar 2017
Without nature, humans could be neither healthy nor happy. And yet the natural world can be completely ransacked without causing even a tiny blip on our usual measures of economic progress or poverty.
Yes, California can go 100 per cent green
16 Mar 2017
California's Senate leader wants the Golden State to shift to 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2045, pushing it to lead the country in grabbing that green power goal.
Trump set to target vehicle emissions rules
15 Mar 2017
US President Donald Trump is set to formally announce a review of vehicle fuel efficiency rules locked in at the end of the Obama administration when he meets with automaker chiefs this week.
Cities outpace governments in climate action
15 Mar 2017
Cities from Oslo to Sydney are setting goals to curb climate change that exceed national targets, causing tensions with central governments about who controls policy over green energy and transport and construction.
CHANGE OF CLOTHES: Cotton adapting to a warmer world
15 Mar 2017
The cotton industry is turning to innovation to help it to weather challenging growing conditions ahead.
Fossil fuel industry tightens corporate grip on academia
14 Mar 2017
Corporate capture of academic research by the fossil fuel industry is an elephant in the room and a threat to tackling climate change.
Dump all fossil fuels, says Climate Council
14 Mar 2017
Australia’s Climate Council has called for a rapid move away from all fossil-fuelled power sources to reduce the nation’s rising carbon emissions and to protect against worsening extreme weather.
Costs of coastal climate damage set to climb
14 Mar 2017
By 2030, sea level rise driven by global warming could be costing the Netherlands city of Rotterdam $US240 million a year.
Anxious investors want to see price on carbon
13 Mar 2017
Australia should put a price on carbon or risk investors moving their money out of the country, says a group representing more than $1 trillion worth of investment in New Zealand and Australia.
Oceans are warming 13% faster than thought
13 Mar 2017
A new study improves estimates of the rate of ocean warming - a critical component of climate change.
EL DORADO: Rainforest pays high price for gold fever
13 Mar 2017
The legend of El Dorado lives on. The glistening treasure of Latin America, which five centuries ago drew the European conquistadores in search of gold and plunder, is still causing devastation in parts of the continent.
Charles’ book for kids a climate communications masterpiece
13 Mar 2017
With strong sales and positive coverage in the rightwing press, Prince Charkes' children’s book has found a way to speak across the divided politics of climate change.
How Europe’s coastal cities can cope with rising seas
13 Mar 2017
The average global sea level has risen by more than 20cm since 1980 – that’s a rate of 0.5mm per month – according to new research from the Basque Centre for Climate Change.
Pruitt stacks EPA with climate change sceptics
10 Mar 2017
The new head of the US Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, has moved to stock many of the agency's top offices with climate sceptics.
UK Budget cold-shoulders climate change
10 Mar 2017
Green businesses were left disappointed yesterday after UK Chancellor Philip Hammond delivered a budget that made no mention of climate change or the low-carbon economy.
Climate Institute runs out of money
10 Mar 2017
Australia's Climate Institute will shut its doors after 12 years of providing independent advocacy and research towards climate change solutions, citing lack of funding.
City goes 100% ... deep in the heart of Texas oil country
10 Mar 2017
Georgetown, Texas, is a conservative town in a conservative state. But it's one of the first cities in the United States to be entirely powered by renewable energy.
Climate battles are being fought, and won, in court
9 Mar 2017
Around the world courts are stepping in when politicians fail to act, with South Africa’s government the latest to lose a groundbreaking climate lawsuit with judges ruling against its plans for a new coal-fired power station.
Hawaii aims to be free of fossil fuels by 2045
9 Mar 2017
Hawaii is intent on going all-renewable by 2045, eliminating fossil fuels and using only electric cars.
Too much info can put people off sustainability
9 Mar 2017
Most people would agree that living more sustainably is something to strive for -- but it’s a lot easier said than done.
Barcelona bans bangers to tackle traffic pollution
9 Mar 2017
Barcelona will ban cars that are older than 20 years from the roads during the week to cut traffic emissions by 30 per cent over 15 years.
Farmers call for market mechanism to lower emissions
8 Mar 2017
Australian farmers have called for a market-based mechanism to secure clean and affordable energy.
Australia's angry summer rewrites the record books
8 Mar 2017
Australians endured another intense summer, with more than 200 record-breaking extreme weather events driven by climate change, a new Climate Council report says.
Climate impact on Australia might be irreversible
8 Mar 2017
An independent review of the state of Australia’s environment has found the impacts of climate change are increasing and some of the changes could be irreversible.
Carbon dioxide will reach 410ppm this month
8 Mar 2017
In the coming weeks, carbon dioxide will start to breach the 410 parts per million threshold on a daily basis at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii.
Agrihoods one way to revitalise urban centres
8 Mar 2017
Urban agrihoods could provide much-needed food, employment and green space to cities trying to revitalise.
Australian banks back fossil fuels over renewables
7 Mar 2017
Australia’s big four banks invested three times as much in global fossil fuels as they did in clean energy in 2016, despite pledging to help Australia transition to a low carbon economy.
Lessons from London’s 1952 fog could save millions today
7 Mar 2017
In December 1952, London experienced a catastrophe seemingly out of nowhere, as sunny blue skies suddenly gave way to a choking, blinding, fog that enveloped the city and was more severe than anything many had seen before.
Antarctic sea ice sets record low temperature
6 Mar 2017
A new record warm temperature for Antarctica has been confirmed by the World Meteorological Organisation as sea ice surrounding the continent has shrunk to a record low.
Maldives turns from climate threat to mass tourism
6 Mar 2017
The Maldives' new government says super resorts, not solar power, will create the money needed to adapt to climate change.
We need to get wise about our heated cities
3 Mar 2017
New Zealand needs to think about ways to keep its cities cool in the face of climate change – and the answer could be more trees, says an international planning expert due to speak here next month.
TRICKY TURNBULL: Trumpian disregard for energy facts
3 Mar 2017
Australian Prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has is own solar array and battery storage installation at his own home, and apparently likes to admire how much power is being produced, how much is being stored, and how much it is saving him on electricity bills.
White House wants to cut EPA staff by one-fifth
3 Mar 2017
The White House has proposed deep cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget that would reduce the agency’s staff by one-fifth in the first year and eliminate dozens of programmes.
Swiss ski resorts are running out of snow
3 Mar 2017
Switzerland, one of Europe’s principal winter sports destinations, expects the impact of climate change will leave many of its mountains short of snow cover by the end of the century.
Sydney not ready for super-heat, say scientists
3 Mar 2017
Scientists say Sydney is unprepared for the knock-on effects of a significant increase in average summer temperatures.
Burger chain buys animal food grown on stripped jungle land
2 Mar 2017
International hamburger chain Burger King has been buying animal feed produced in soy plantations carved out by the burning of tropical forests in Brazil and Bolivia, according to a new report.
Eye in the sky will spy on carbon cuts
2 Mar 2017
The world needs a way to verify that nations have made their promised carbon cuts in order to make the Paris agreement effective. And a sophisticated new satellite might be the answer.
Duterte signs Paris climate agreement
2 Mar 2017
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has signed the Paris Agreement on Climate Change putting the deal one step closer to ratification in the country.
‘Off like a rocket’: Battery rebate prompts massive rooftop power surge
Today 11:00am
The federal government’s home battery rebate has proved so popular it is adding the equivalent to South Australia’s big battery to the grid every 8.7 days.
Ørsted shares at all-time low after Trump halts work on US windfarm
Wed 27 Aug 2025
Shares drop by 17% after stop-work order on $1.5bn project off Rhode Island, which was 80% complete.
China's carbon market to introduce absolute emissions caps from 2027
Wed 27 Aug 2025
China will tighten its carbon trading market by introducing absolute emissions caps in some industries for the first time starting by 2027.
Apple Watch not a 'CO2-neutral product,' German court finds
Today 11:00am
Apple can no longer advertise its Apple Watch as a "CO2-neutral product" in Germany, following a court ruling on Tuesday that upheld a complaint from environmentalists, finding that the U.S. tech company had misled consumers.
What happens to net zero if the trees don’t survive?
20 Aug 2025
When climate change undermines the climate plan.
Challenges persist in bid to mine the deep sea, even after boost from Trump
29 Jul 2025
After years of delay, the deep-sea mining plans of Canadian firm The Metals Company (TMC) now appear to be progressing as it pursues a controversial new path to securing a license to mine in international waters under U.S. jurisdiction.
Singapore seals carbon credit deal with Thailand, its first South-east Asian partner
Today 11:00am
The agreement, the eighth for Singapore, helps both nations meet climate targets under the Paris Agreement, directing finance to Thai projects.
Rise in dengue fever outbreaks across the Pacific driven by the climate crisis, experts say
13 Aug 2025
Samoa, Fiji and Tonga among the worst affected amid warning the disease and others will become ‘more common and more serious’ as the planet warms.
Iconic Antarctic species at risk amid 'regime shift', with 'rapid and self-perpetuating changes'
Fri 22 Aug 2025
Scientists say there is emerging evidence of abrupt and potentially unstoppable changes in the Antarctic environment.
Is Africa about to see the solar energy boom it needs?
Today 11:00am
African countries imported a record number of solar panels in the past year, which could be the beginning of a green energy boom on the continent.
Lessons from the Incas: How llamas, terraces and trees could help the Andes survive climate change
Today 11:00am
New research suggests solutions may lie in environmental knowledge that the Incas and their predecessors developed centuries ago.
Brazil issues last-ditch plea for countries to submit climate plans ahead of COP30
20 Aug 2025
Only 28 countries have submitted carbon-cutting proposals to the UN, with some of the biggest emitters yet to produce plans.
