International: All stories
Tokyo admits rainforest timber used for stadium
1 Mar 2018
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics organising committee has confirmed that 87 per cent of the plywood panels used to build its new national stadium come from southeast Asian rainforests.
Brussels eyes free transport on bad air days
1 Mar 2018
Brussels has moved to make the city’s public transport and bike share system free on the smoggiest days in a bid to drive down pollution levels.
Terrifying phenomenon is pushing species to extinction
28 Feb 2018
Scientists are alarmed by a rise in mass mortality events – when species die in their thousands. Is it all down to climate change?
German court rules cities can ban vehicles to tackle pollution
28 Feb 2018
Germany’s highest administrative court has ruled that diesel and other vehicles can be banned from some city streets as part of efforts to improve air quality,
China must sign up to climate rules, says EU
28 Feb 2018
EU foreign ministers have set a collision course with China in a statement calling for the same rules to bind all countries under the Paris climate deal.
Mangroves making way for fish farms
28 Feb 2018
Deforestation – often to make way for fish farming – has seen the global area of mangroves decline by 2 per cent between 2000 and 2012.
OIL MYTHS: Seven tales the fossil fuel industry loves to tell
27 Feb 2018
In the past month, major fossil fuel players have made big announcements regarding climate change. But the idea of a “green” oil company producing “clean” fossil fuels is a dangerous myth.
China could become a leader in green finance
27 Feb 2018
Experts gathered in London have argued over whether China could dominate the green financing market in years to come.
Ireland to pump €22b into low-carbon economy
27 Feb 2018
The Irish Government has announced plans to spend €22 billion over the next four years to aid the country’s journey to a low-carbon economy.
How media framing limits public debate on oil exploration
27 Feb 2018
Some of the most important societal changes have been made because of direct action, but this isn’t always the story the mainstream media reports.
DiCaprio in deal to save chunk of Indian Ocean
26 Feb 2018
A foundation set up by actor Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the investors that worked on a deal that has led to the Seychelles creating protected areas "the size of Great Britain" in the Indian Ocean.
DO THE GRAPH: What's the weather future for your kids?
26 Feb 2018
Want to compare the average global temperatures you and your mother knew with those your children will experience? Make your own graph.
Take your brolly to Broome ... it's had 1.5m of rain this year
26 Feb 2018
It has been a soggy start to the year in the Western Australian town of Broome. In the two months of 2018, 1.5 metres of rain has fallen,
Climate will push European cities to breaking point
23 Feb 2018
A new study highlights the urgent need to adapt urban areas across Europe to cope with floods, droughts and heatwaves.
Ban Ki-Moon to lead global green growth push
23 Feb 2018
Former UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon will take over as head of a global organisation promoting sustainable economic growth.
Perfumes and soaps rival vehicles as smog source
23 Feb 2018
Everyday items such as soaps, perfume, paint and pesticides contribute as heavily to certain sorts of air pollution as cars and trucks.
Recyclability is the name of the plastics game
23 Feb 2018
The plastics industry is changing fast, and the way our food and products are packaged could look totally different in just a few years.
The world's loneliest tree tells secrets of the Anthropocene
22 Feb 2018
The Anthropocene began in 1965, according to signs left on Campbell Island by the world’s loneliest tree.
Common insects face growing threats
22 Feb 2018
The Earth’s largest animal group faces a new threat. Insects – not just rare species, but common insects, too – might become less genetically diverse.
Climate could change cricket
22 Feb 2018
Climate change is thundering down the pitch and could seriously affect the way cricket is played in the years ahead.
We're stuck with 1.2m sea level rise, say scientists
21 Feb 2018
The world is now locked into sea-level rise of up to 1.2 metres – and the number goes up 0.2m for every five years that emissions cuts are delayed, scientists say.
German carmakers nervous on eve of court's diesel ban ruling
21 Feb 2018
A court will decide tomorrow whether German cities can ban heavily polluting cars, potentially wiping hundreds of millions of euros off the value of diesel cars on the country’s roads.
Australia has a role for coal, says Shorten
21 Feb 2018
Labor Party leader Bill Shorten has declared there is a role for coal in Australia, and characterised the controversial Adani coalmine as just “another project”.
OECD urges nations to tax dirty energy
21 Feb 2018
The OECD has encouraged governments to start taxing CO2 emissions more aggressively while warning that current taxation levels are not enough to fight climate change effectively.
Singapore will charge carbon tax from next year
21 Feb 2018
Singapore will charge carbon polluters a new carbon tax from 2019.
Scotland aims to be renewables powerhouse
20 Feb 2018
Scotland is making progress towards becoming a world leader in renewable energy.
Canberra gives carbon emitters the go-ahead
20 Feb 2018
Nearly 60 Australian industrial sites have been given the green light to increase crbon emissions, cancelling out cuts paid for by the Coalition governmet using public money.
Meet the woman who defined the greenhouse effect
20 Feb 2018
Eunice Foote’s career highlights the subtle forms of discrimination that have kept women on the sidelines of science.
Ammonia emissions rise in Britain
20 Feb 2018
Emissions of ammonia have been on the rise in the UK even while the amount of other pollutants entering the atmosphere has fallen.
New apartment block will look like a forest
20 Feb 2018
Apartments to be built in the Dutch city of Eindhoven will be a 75m high skyscraper, which will include space for 125 trees, and 5200 plants.
Want to know about city pollution? Ask a pigeon
20 Feb 2018
Pigeons might be seen as the scourge of cities, but researchers say they could help us to explore a host of toxins in the air, from lead to pesticides.
Military brains warn of climate security threats ... soon
19 Feb 2018
US intelligence chiefs again have warned Congress about the global security risks from climate change ... and they weren't talking about far-off threats. US INTELLIGENCE chiefs again have warned Congress about the global security risks from climate change ... and they weren't just talking about far-off threats.
Sea level rise speeding up to 100mm per decade
19 Feb 2018
The rate of sea level rise is accelerating so fast that some coastal communities could confront an additional 100mm per decade by the end of the century
Cow dung overload brings call for cut in dairy herd numbers
19 Feb 2018
Dairy farms in the Netherlands are producing so much dung they can’t get rid of it safely. Now the WWF is calling for a 40 per cent cut in herd numbers.
Should we give up half of the Earth to wildlife?
19 Feb 2018
Populations of all kinds of wildlife are declining at alarming speed. One radical solution is to make 50 per cent of the planet a nature reserve.
Nordic nations usher in new era of green finance
19 Feb 2018
New research has highlighted how the Nordic countries are leading by example in the green finance market.
Germany takes close look at free public transport
16 Feb 2018
Germany is thinking of making public transport free as it scrambles to meet EU air pollution targets and avoid big fines.
One tiny creature threatens Antarctic wildlife
16 Feb 2018
The Antarctic, one of the last great wildernesses and home to animals such as whales, penguins and leopard seals, is being threatened by the plight of an animal just a few centimetres long.
Battery boom keeping Australia’s grid fully charged
16 Feb 2018
Australia’s love affair with clean energy and battery storage is only just beginning, with the nation on the verge of an energy storage boom.
Plastics pollute most remote areas of the ocean
16 Feb 2018
Microplastics have been found in some of the most remote and uncharted regions of the oceans raising more concerns over the global scale of plastic pollution.
How Iceland became the bitcoin miners’ paradise
15 Feb 2018
Iceland is the first nation to use more electricity on mining cryptocurriencies than on its households – thanks in part to its magma-fuelled power plants.
Amazon wildfires send emissions soaring
15 Feb 2018
Climate change-induced wildfires are now the biggest source of carbon emissions in Amazon forests.
Germany’s energy and climate policy is taking shape
15 Feb 2018
The coalition agreement between the German Conservatives and the Social Democrats outlines a relatively ambitious energy policy.
ROYAL BAN: Queen says no more plastic in my houses
15 Feb 2018
The Queen has banned plastic straws and bottles from being used across the various Royal homes and palaces.
Why we can't afford to miss the 1.5deg target
14 Feb 2018
A UN draft report says missing the 1.5deg warming target will multiply hunger, migration and conflict, but staying under will require unprecedented global cooperation.
Has China's growth shaken free of carbon?
14 Feb 2018
The annual debate over whether China has peaked its greenhouse gas emissions faces a watershed moment.
Major US emitters getting away with it
14 Feb 2018
The US Environmental Protection Agency’s enforcement activity against polluters has fallen to its lowest level in a decade.
Paris might take fuel companies to court
13 Feb 2018
Paris could become the first city in Europe to try to defray the cost of climate change by taking fossil fuel companies to court.
Australia's solar boom could almost double capacity in a year
13 Feb 2018
A record-breaking month of rooftop installations and a flood of large-scale solar farms could almost double Australia’s solar power capacity in a single year, industry analysts say.
Korea real cool, but the games are getting warmer
13 Feb 2018
PyeongChang turned on typical freezing South Korea weather for the first few days of the Winter Olympics … but overall the event is getting warmer.
Australia opens first carbon refinery, making new products from captured CO2
Wed 24 Jun 2026
Australia’s first carbon refinery opened in New South Wales, capturing carbon dioxide from explosives giant Orica's ammonia-making operations on Kooragang Island and turning it into products such as concrete, paper and glass.
US defence spending on critical minerals surges in the last decade
Mon 22 Jun 2026
Members of communities affected by some of these projects said that U.S. state backing has meant projects are being fast-tracked without the necessary social and environmental checks or meaningful consultation.
China to raise power prices for energy-intensive sectors in green transition push
Fri 19 Jun 2026
Beijing’s latest road map aims to cut carbon emissions by 200 million tonnes by 2028 – but analysts say implementation may vary across regions.
Half of France under red heat alert as alcohol banned at street music festival
Tue 23 Jun 2026
France has issued red heatwave alerts for around half the country including Paris for Monday as a heatwave pushes temperatures towards record levels.
UK heatwave: 40C in June must be wake-up call on climate crisis, scientists warn
Wed 24 Jun 2026
Scientists are warning that politicians are failing to appreciate the magnitude of the climate crisis after the Met Office forecast that temperatures in the UK could hit 40C for just the second time since records began.
Canada signs landmark LNG energy deal with Germany
29 May 2026
Canada has announced a landmark energy agreement with Germany that will see the first-ever long-term shipments of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Canada to Europe in the coming years.
Asia warming nearly twice as fast as before
Fri 19 Jun 2026
A new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) highlights record ocean heat, accelerating glacier loss and a series of extreme weather events causing significant human and economic losses across Asia.
‘Those blocking climate science are not our friends': Pacific leaders warn at Bonn talks
Tue 23 Jun 2026
Pacific nations and civil society groups have united at UN climate talks, pushing back against efforts to weaken agreed language on global temperature limits as negotiations continue behind closed doors.
Antarctica’s west coast missing an area of sea ice the size of France as temperatures peak 20C above average
16 Jun 2026
A vast area of the Bellingshausen Sea should be covered by sea ice by now, with one expert calling the loss of ice ‘depressing’.
Mombasa ocean summit drives progress on marine protection, but threats persist
Tue 23 Jun 2026
At the 11th Our Ocean conference in Kenya, its founder John Kerry says the ocean must become central to climate solutions and needs to be looked after.
Colombia’s climate crossroads: Trumpism casts shadow over presidential battle
26 May 2026
Colombia is a global leader in climate activism. Could US influence drag country to a future of mining and fracking?
Bonn climate talks end in “gridlock” on adaptation and emissions-cutting
Mon 22 Jun 2026
After two weeks of climate negotiations riven by arguments over finance and science, the UN climate chief expressed disappointment and denounced governments for “cherry-picking” commitments they have already made and waiting for others to move first.
