International: All stories
There’s a secret UN climate summit taking place in Mexico
8 Dec 2016
There’s a UN climate change meeting involving nearly 200 governments taking place right now in the Mexican holiday resort of Cancun.
Japan's emissions drop to five-year low
7 Dec 2016
Japan's greenhouse gas emissions fell 3 per cent to a five-year low in the financial year through March due to lower power demand, growing renewable energy and the restart of nuclear power plants.
Frydenberg backtracks on emissions trading
7 Dec 2016
Australia's energy and environment minister, Josh Frydenberg, has folded in the face of internal pressure, declaring the Turnbull government will not pursue emissions trading as part of adjusting its climate policy.
Climate change will stir ‘unimaginable’ crisis
7 Dec 2016
Climate change is set to cause a refugee crisis of “unimaginable scale,” according to senior military figures, who warn that global warming is the greatest security threat of the 21st century.
Fiji turns beauty queen into climate queen
7 Dec 2016
Miss Pacific Islands 2016, 23-year-old law graduate Anne Dunn, has been appointed Fiji’s ambassador for climate change and the environment.
Anxious investors plead for clear climate policy
6 Dec 2016
Australian investors want clear climate policy that delivers certainty – and access to international carbon markets, says the Investor Group on Climate Change.
Australian lines companies call for carbon trading
6 Dec 2016
Australia’s electricity and gas transmission industry is calling on the Turnbull government to implement a form of carbon trading in the national electricity market by 2022 and review the scope for economy-wide carbon pricing by 2027.
GORE on TRUMP: No time for despair
6 Dec 2016
The urgent threat of climate change means there is “no time to despair” over the election of Donald Trump, according to former vice-president Al Gore.
China sets 2020 target for clean air in big cities
6 Dec 2016
China aims to provide clean air in its largest cities for 80 per cent of each year, or more than nine-and-a-half months, by 2020, up from a figure of 76.7 per cent last year.
GRITTY GIFT: Windborne dust is Africa's export to the world
6 Dec 2016
Climate scientists have identified Africa’s single biggest export – the windborne dust that fertilises the Amazon forests, nourishes life in the Atlantic ocean and softens the noonday blaze of the sun.
Denmark slashes food waste by 25 per cent in just five years
6 Dec 2016
Denmark has cut food waste by 25 per cent in five years, thanks to a new approach to damaged and out-of-date food.
Canberra climate review to focus on emissions target
5 Dec 2016
The Turnbull government will maintain its blanket ban on the introduction of an emissions trading scheme and has ruled out an increase to the renewable energy target ahead of its long-awaited review of its climate change policy next year.
Soil holds 50 trillion kilograms of carbon
5 Dec 2016
More than 50 trillion kilograms of carbon could be released into the atmosphere from the soil by mid-century if no moves to mitigate climate change are successful, says a new report.
More and more people are getting into bigger trouble
2 Dec 2016
On average, one person is displaced each second by a disaster-related hazard. In global terms, that’s about 26 million people a year.
Why the world's cities need to go on a resource diet
2 Dec 2016
The importance of cities is only going to increase in coming decades as another 2.5 billion people move to urban centres.
Trading group hails EU climate strategy move
2 Dec 2016
The European Commission’s Winter Package is a further step toward harmonising the bloc’s climate and energy strategy, says the International Emissions Trading Association.
Antarctic search begins for world's oldest ice
1 Dec 2016
As the short Antarctic spring ends and long summer days approach, geoscientists are flocking to the frozen continent to start a new kind of exploration.
EU targets energy waste and coal in new climate deal
1 Dec 2016
Europe will begin phasing out coal subsidies and cut its energy use by 30 per cent before the end of the next decade, under a major clean energy package just announced.
Cement giants get €5b carbon market windfall
1 Dec 2016
The EU carbon market's generous handouts to industries deemed at risk of losing business abroad are undermining the system, a watchdog has warned.
How two clothing tycoons saved Patagonia
1 Dec 2016
Alongside her husband, Doug, Kris McDivitt Tompkins bought up vast swaths of Patagonia to save it from developers.
Paris deal needs US, warns White House
30 Nov 2016
The world will not achieve its climate goals without an active US administration leading on greenhouse gas cuts, the White House has warned.
Americans begin to fear for public lands
30 Nov 2016
Donald Trump’s election portends a major shift in how one of America’s greatest bulwarks against the impacts of climate change will be protected and used for fossil fuel development.
Antarctic ice sheet breaking from the inside out
30 Nov 2016
An ice sheet in West Antarctica is breaking from the inside out.
As envoys bicker, it’s time to focus on real climate action
29 Nov 2016
Countries have two years of arguing over the fine-print of the Paris climate deal ahead of them: it’s time to focus on what’s happening in the real world.
Weapons of war litter the ocean floor
29 Nov 2016
At least one million tonnes of chemical weapons were dumped in the oceans between 1919 and 1980. Now what?
Arctic ice melt could trigger uncontrollable global change
28 Nov 2016
Arctic scientists have warned that the increasingly rapid melting of the ice cap risks triggering 19 “tipping points” in the region that could have catastrophic consequences around the globe.
Sydney finds a use for billions of takeaway coffee cups
28 Nov 2016
Standalone bins for takeaway coffee cups could soon be a common sight in offices across Sydney as cups are collected and made into useful items.
Bolivia battles water crisis as glaciers vanish
28 Nov 2016
The government of Bolivia has been forced to declare a state of emergency as it faces its worst drought for at least 25 years.
Floods do an important job, so get out of their way
28 Nov 2016
Floods are often seen as a force of destruction, but river ecologists find it hard not to see a positive side to the events.
Fish found to thrive in high levels of CO2
28 Nov 2016
British scientists have identified a paradox in research on the impact of extra carbon dioxide on the world’s oceans.
Tesla powers entire Pacific island using solar energy
25 Nov 2016
American automaker and energy storage company Tesla Motors has powered the Pacific island Ta’u almost entirely from solar energy.
Can Americans turn Black Friday green?
25 Nov 2016
While shoppers scramble for Black Friday bargains this year, outdoor retailer REI is closing its 145 US stores. This is the second consecutive year the Seattle-based company will ignore the frenzy that traditionally marks the start of the holiday shopping season.
How seasonal weather can affect human health
25 Nov 2016
Melbourne has suffered what appears to be the most lethal episode of thunderstorm asthma on record.
Will China and Europe form a powerful climate bloc?
24 Nov 2016
It seems almost certain that US President-elect Donald Trump will walk away from the Paris climate agreement next year. In the absence of US leadership, the question is: who will step up?
Australia welcomes Trump's fossil fuels vow
24 Nov 2016
Australia’s environment and energy minister Josh Frydenberg has welcomed Donald Trump’s commitment to lift Obama administration’s restrictions on fossil fuel exploration within his first 100 days in the White House, saying the move will be a boon for consumers.
EU pollution rules could save 200,000 lives a year
24 Nov 2016
The European Parliament has voted in favour of new EU rules to cap air pollution, which will curb the single largest environmental cause of premature death in urban Europe.
Trump prioritises axing coal, oil and gas laws
23 Nov 2016
US president-elect Donald Trump says he will “cancel job-killing restrictions” on energy production, but keeps quiet on Paris Agreement.
Universities struggle to meet green goals
23 Nov 2016
UK universities are helping to lead the world on environmental research – but when it comes to their own back yard they appear to be falling behind.
NZ doctor gives Marrakech a message
22 Nov 2016
A New Zealand doctor told world leaders gathering in Marrakech that human rights must be protected as the world takes action on climate change.
Emissions to jump under NSW land-clearing laws
22 Nov 2016
Australia’s rising carbon emissions are expected to rise even further after the NSW government successfully passed controversial land-clearing legislation in state parliament.
Marrakech marks the start of a new era ... but going where?
21 Nov 2016
As dusk fell over Marrakech on Friday, a chill gripped the fast-emptying pavilions that housed the 2016 UN climate summit.
North Pole an insane 2.2deg warmer than normal
21 Nov 2016
As winter descends, sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is at a record low, and temperatures in the region are 2.2deg warmer that usual.
If Trump quits climate, California could go it alone
21 Nov 2016
If Donald Trump pulls the US out of the UN climate process in early 2017, California could try to go it alone.
Why global climate change hotspots matter
21 Nov 2016
The consequences of climate change are already being felt all over the globe. But some regions are particularly affected.
Musings from Marrakech ...
18 Nov 2016
Green Party MP Dr Kennedy Graham, a former diplomat and veteran of international climate change negotiations, reports from the latest round, in Marrakech.
Big business urges Trump to support climate deal
18 Nov 2016
Kelloggs, Mars and Levi Strauss have joined over 300 US businesses in writing an open letter to president-elect Donald Trump calling on him to support the green economy.
Three amigos launch beyond-Trump strategies
18 Nov 2016
The US, Canada and Mexico have joined Germany in releasing strategies for radically cutting their greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century.
Australia ranked among worst for climate action
18 Nov 2016
Australia has been singled out as a climate laggard, being ranked fifth-worst for emissions and policies among developed countries and among the six worst countries in the G20 when it comes to climate action.
Climate-fighting donations surge post-election
18 Nov 2016
Groups such as the Sierra Club, the Environmental Defense Fund and Citizens' Climate Lobby have seen a surge in donations and interest after Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election.
Cities run ahead of targets to cut emissions
18 Nov 2016
Cities are home to over half the world’s population and produce around 75 per cent of its carbon emissions, but they’re leading the way in the global fight against climate change.
Australian rainforests no longer a carbon sink – study
Fri 17 Oct 2025
Australia's tropical rainforests are among the first in the world to start emitting more carbon dioxide than they absorb, scientists said Thursday, linking the "very concerning" trend to climate change.
Climate scientists and republican lawyers are taking aim at Big Tech’s emissions
Fri 17 Oct 2025
Technology companies have long been one of the biggest investors in clean energy, but new accounting rules could upend that.
In China, climate litigation starts with the state
Thu 16 Oct 2025
With thousands of dedicated courts and more than a million recent cases, environmental and climate litigation is booming in China, but it often looks different to the trend seen elsewhere.
'Not up for discussion': Brussels rejects Washington's pressure on climate rules
13 Oct 2025
In response to US demands to roll back the EU's environmental legislation, the European Commission defended its autonomous power to adopt laws.
Government told to prepare for 2C warming by 2050
Thu 16 Oct 2025
The UK should be prepared to cope with weather extremes as a result of at least 2C of global warming by 2050, independent climate advisers have said.
Renewables are a global economic engine, not a culture war threat
2 Oct 2025
Energy companies are learning this lesson faster than Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.
Indonesia restarts international carbon trade after four years
Fri 17 Oct 2025
Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto has issued a new decree to restart international carbon emission trading after a four year hiatus.
Familiar tensions emerge at the Pacific Islands Forum
26 Sep 2025
With China-Taiwan rivalry, China-Western competition, and big carbon emitters at odds with the islands on climate policy, there is plenty of tension to go around.
Scientists discovered something alarming seeping out from beneath the ocean around Antarctica
13 Oct 2025
Planet-heating methane is escaping from cracks in the Antarctic seabed as the region warms, with new seeps being discovered at an “astonishing rate".
Angola lowers climate ambition in blow to spirit of Paris Agreement
Tue 14 Oct 2025
Angola has scaled back its targets for reducing emissions in its new national climate plan, saying it chose “realism and implementability” over the Paris Agreement's calls for governments to set progressively more ambitious goals.
Four Brazilians to watch at COP30
Wed 15 Oct 2025
Influential Brazilians, from government figures to Indigenous activists, will take center stage during UN climate talks in the Amazon next month.
UN agency says CO2 levels hit record high last year, causing more extreme weather
Fri 17 Oct 2025
Heat-trapping carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere jumped by the highest amount on record last year, soaring to a level not seen in human civilisation and “turbo-charging” the Earth’s climate and causing more extreme weather.
