International: All stories
Ice cracks again close Antarctic research station
2 Nov 2017
A British research station in Antarctica is being shut down for the second winter in a row following concerns over growing cracks in the 150-metre thick ice shelf on which it stands.
Merchants believe in the business case for bikes
2 Nov 2017
Merchants in an Oregon town believe new walking and biking infrastructure will attract cusatomers to their businesses.
Billion-dollar renewables boom boosts Queensland
1 Nov 2017
Queensland is a leader in Australia’s renewables boom, with more than $1.6 billion dollars invested in large-scale projects creating more than 1300 construction jobs.
Brazil’s carbon emissions rose 8.9% in 2016
1 Nov 2017
Despite Brazil’s worst recession in history, national greenhouse gases emissions are estimated to have risen 8.9 per cent in 2016 and reached the highest level since 2008.
Winter coming later ... and leaving earlier
1 Nov 2017
Across the United States, the year’s first freeze has been arriving further into the calendar, according to more than a century of measurements.
CARS CRUNCH: More and more cities say they don't want them
1 Nov 2017
After more than 100 years of living with cars, some cities are slowly starting to realize that the automobile doesn’t make a lot of sense in the urban context.
Heat stress, malnutrition ... climate change makes us sick
1 Nov 2017
Climate change is already having an impact on our health, by exposing people to dangerous heat waves and more extreme weather.
Global atmospheric CO2 levels hit record high
31 Oct 2017
The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increased at record speed last year to hit a level not seen for more than three million years.
Sea could rise 1.3m unless coal power ends by 2050
31 Oct 2017
Sea levels could rise 1.3m this century unless coal-generated electricity is virtually eliminated by 2050, according to a new paper that contains the latest understanding of Antarctica’s contribution.
Demand for fresh vegetables all year round is killing soils
31 Oct 2017
Consumers’ expectations that certain types of produce will be available all year round mean that farmers must engage in unsustainable and destructive practices.
Why California’s wine country fires were so destructive
31 Oct 2017
As of late October, more than a dozen wildfires north of San Francisco had killed more than 40 people, burned approximately 160,000 acres and destroyed more than 7000 structures.
Regional businesses use renewables to slash costs
31 Oct 2017
From solar to running generators, some regional businesses in Australia have quit the energy grid and several others are showing interest in defecting.
For cattle farmers in Brazil, money can’t buy love
31 Oct 2017
In regions of the Amazon where farmers could choose to grow more sustainable and lucrative crops like fruit or vegetables, ranchers persist in their low-income cattle business.
Climate change looms like a tragedy for Greeks
31 Oct 2017
Greece is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change in Europe, according to experts, and faces a gloomy future.
WHALE TALE: 100 years of protection and still hurting
31 Oct 2017
For some whale populations, even 100 years of protection is not long enough to recover from the excesses of commercial hunting.
Super-rich's supersonic private jets will be super-polluting
30 Oct 2017
Hundreds of supersonic jets could be flying businesspeople over Europe within 10 years, but documents show the EU preparing to cede oversight of their huge CO2 emissions.
Italy eyes a coal-free future with new energy strategy
30 Oct 2017
Italy plans to phase out coal power plants by 2025, the country’s industry minister said during a presentation of a new energy strategy.
Changing climate is blurring the lines for map makers
30 Oct 2017
As soon as cartographers had finished drawing the Arctic ice sheet in 2013, their map was already out of date.
Big sweet firms 'breaking promises over palm oil use'
30 Oct 2017
Nestlé, Mars and Hershey have been accused of breaking pledges to stop using conflict palm oil from deforested Indonesian jungles with the annual Halloween confectionery frenzy just around the corner.
Rising seas are flooding Virginia’s vast naval base
27 Oct 2017
The giant United States naval base at Norfolk is under threat by rising seas and sinking land - and little is being done to hold back the tides.
EPA scrubs website clean of ‘climate change’
27 Oct 2017
The US Environmental Protection Agency has removed dozens of online resources dedicated to helping local governments address climate change.
US unprepared to face costs of climate change
27 Oct 2017
The risks to the US are big, and they’re rising, a new report says - just as the Trump administration is changing how it calculates costs to make them look smaller.
If nothing is done, we will be 'toasted, roasted and grilled'
27 Oct 2017
If we don't do anything about climate change now, in 50 years we will be toasted, roasted and grilled, says International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde.
China’s carbon market exposes Australia’s energy paralysis
27 Oct 2017
When China’s national carbon market is launched later this year it will be the world’s second-largest carbon market, after the European emissions trading scheme.
Fewer poor means more climate work for the rich
26 Oct 2017
Ending poverty means the world’s rich will have to work harder to keep climate change under control, new research shows.
EU eyes green clause in trade deals (including ours)
26 Oct 2017
As Europe embarks on a new round of trade talks with New Zealand, Japan, Australia, and various South American countries, calls are growing for the EU to enforce environmental and social clauses in commercial agreements.
Pollution getting in the way of China's solar goals
26 Oct 2017
Although China is increasing its solar energy supply, air pollution is blocking sunlight and reducing energy output, according to a new study.
BBC apologises over interview with climate denier
26 Oct 2017
The BBC has apologised for an interview with climate change denier Lord Lawson after admitting it had breached its own editorial guidelines for allowing him to claim unchallenged that global temperatures have not risen in the past decade.
WINE WOBBLES: Production is heading for a 50-year low
26 Oct 2017
If you haven’t got a wine cellar, it’s time to get one and start stockpiling because global wine production is about to fall to its lowest level in more than 50 years.
LEAPING LIZARDS: Giants thrive in wasted oil palm plantations
26 Oct 2017
Of Borneo’s large native scavengers, a giant lizard is the only species that has successfully adapted to the land devastated by oil palm plantations.
Fires last year cost an area of forest the size of New Zealand
25 Oct 2017
Forest fires in Brazil and Indonesia contributed to a record loss in global tree cover in 2016, equivalent to the size of New Zealand.
KIRIBATI CRISIS: A long time waiting for the tide to turn
25 Oct 2017
The 33 islands of Kiribati are under threat from climate change. But the islanders have not given up hope.
Texas power giant to shut coal-fired plants
25 Oct 2017
Texas power generator Luminant has announced it will close three coal-fired plants in early 2018. Combined, they account for 12 per cent of the state's coal power plant capacity.
Corals clue to sudden bursts of ocean rise
25 Oct 2017
Fossilised corals off Texas show that in the past, sea level rose several meters in just decades, probably due to collapsing glaciers.
Car lobby wants better testing to combat emissions
25 Oct 2017
Australia’s motoring lobby wants “real-world” vehicle emissions testing, arguing the current system is misleading consumers and regulators.
Twelve major cities vow to buy zero-emissions buses
25 Oct 2017
Twelve major cities including London, Paris, Los Angeles and Cape Town have promised to buy only zero-emissions buses from 2025.
Dirty cars must pay for using London streets
25 Oct 2017
Drivers of the most polluting vehicles must from now on pay a daily charge of up to $NZ40 to drive into central London.
Global pollution kills 9m a year and threatens human survival
24 Oct 2017
Pollution kills at least nine million people and costs trillions of dollars every year, according to the most comprehensive global analysis to date, which warns the crisis “threatens the continuing survival of human societies”.
No China, so what happens now to world’s recycling?
24 Oct 2017
In the wake of China's announcement earlier this year that it would cut imports of the world's waste there are concerns that much of the lower grade materials will have nowhere else to go.
Development banks join forces to fight climate change
24 Oct 2017
Credit institutions worth $3000 billion have joined forces to throw their weight behind sustainable development.
UK hints at e-bike subsidy to get people moving
24 Oct 2017
The UK government might consider providing subsidies for electric bicycles and electric cars as part of a concerted policy effort to get more people cycling.
Brazilian Amazon loses 660,000ha of forest in one year
24 Oct 2017
The Brazilian Amazon lost 6,624 sq km of forest between August 2016 and July 2017.
How can we cook a more sustainable Sunday roast?
24 Oct 2017
Messing with the Sunday roast proably is a step too far for many people. So how might we create a more sustainable Sunday roast?
Fiji announces $100m ‘climate bond’ ahead of climate talks
20 Oct 2017
Fiji aims to raise $100 million ($NZ68m) to build resilience to climate change and support a shift to 100 per cent renewable energy.
Environmental activism no racket, rules judge
20 Oct 2017
A judge has dismissed a Canadian logging company's lawsuit against Greenpeace and another activist group that accused them of running a criminal enterprise through their environmental campaigns.
Hunger increasing thanks to wars and climate change
20 Oct 2017
Despite efforts to end food shortages, hunger is on the rise again after years of decline, a UN report says.
How Thailand built a top sustainable stock exchange
20 Oct 2017
Sustainability reporting is not mandatory in Thailand - and yet Thai firms outnumber their Asean peers in the latest Dow Jones Sustainability Indices.
Toxic firefighting chemicals public health challenge
20 Oct 2017
The contamination of drinking water by toxic firefighting chemicals is the most seminal public health challenge of coming decades, says a US environmental official.
Turnbull convinces party to unite on energy policy
19 Oct 2017
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has secured party-room backing to impose new reliability and emissions reduction guarantees on energy retailers and large energy users from 2020.
Planting the planet could cut as much carbon as halting oil
19 Oct 2017
Planting forests and other activities that harness the power of nature could play a major role in limiting global warming under the 2015 Paris agreement.
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.
