International: All stories
Britain seeks to abandon green goals
6 Apr 2017
Britain is looking for ways to scrap its 2020 clean energy targets while maintaining everyday trade in Europe’s energy market.
After 25 years of trying, why aren’t we more sustainable?
5 Apr 2017
In 1992, more than 170 countries came together at the Rio Earth Summit and agreed to pursue sustainable development, protect biological diversity, prevent dangerous interference with climate systems, and conserve forests.
Extreme heat threat rises for megacities
5 Apr 2017
The area of the world, and the numbers of city dwellers, exposed to serious risk from extreme heat will multiply later this century even if the world’s nations keep their promise and contain global warming to 2deg or less, according to new research.
Australia in ‘disaster alley’ for climate refugees
5 Apr 2017
Australia could be on the frontline of a new wave of climate refugees displaced by extreme weather events, droughts and rising seas.
EU takes next step in reform of trading scheme
5 Apr 2017
The next step in the European Emissions Trading Scheme reform process is under way.
Australia looks at benefits of social impact investing
4 Apr 2017
Governments, communities and industries are grappling with issues such as climate change, inequality and social justice – and how to mobilise more funding to tackle these issues. One possible solution is impact investing.
Rush for sapphires wrecks Madagascar rainforests
4 Apr 2017
A “sapphire rush” has brought tens of thousands of people into the remote rainforests of eastern Madagascar, disfiguring a protected environmental area and prompting calls for military intervention.
Brazil halves environment budget
4 Apr 2017
The Brazilian government is cutting its environment ministry budget by 51 per cent as part of a bid to limit the country’s spiralling deficit.
South Australia gets billion-dollar solar farm
3 Apr 2017
A huge $1bn solar farm and battery project will be built and ready to operate in South Australia’s Riverland region by the end of the year.
Trump names May for decision on Paris pact
3 Apr 2017
President Donald Trump is planning to decide by late May on whether the US should stay in the Paris climate change agreement.
Singapore gets tough to meet environment goals
3 Apr 2017
SINGAPORE is set to introduce a series of new regulations in a bid to speed up progress towards the city-state’s environment commitments.
The crazy story of airline food and why so much is dumped
3 Apr 2017
Airlines generated 5.2 million tonnes of waste in 2016, most of which went to landfill or incineration – and it cost them more than $NZ700 million.
Wildlife reshuffle will have huge impact on humanity
31 Mar 2017
Mass migration of species to cooler climes has profound implications for society, pushing disease-carrying insects, crop pests and crucial pollinators into new areas.
Exit Hazelwood ... and the myth of cheap fossil fuels
31 Mar 2017
Australia's giant Hazelwood brown coal generator shut down the last of its eight units at 4pm yesterday, the latest and the most powerful symbol of the vast and rapid change in the nation's energy system.
Only three EU states on track to meet Paris goals
31 Mar 2017
Only three European countries are on course to achieve the Paris Agreement targets, according to research which ranks the UK in fifth position on its progress towards the landmark climate treaty.
KILLER TOYS: How thousand die for Western consumers
31 Mar 2017
Western consumers who buy cheap imported toys, clothes and mobile phones are indirectly contributing to tens of thousands of pollution-related deaths in the countries where the goods are produced.
Europe readies to take global lead on climate efforts
30 Mar 2017
The European Union has led criticism of Donald Trump’s effort to unravel Barack Obama’s measures to combat climate change, suggesting that Europe will now take the lead in global efforts.
Sydney looks at 2050 to be carbon neutral
30 Mar 2017
Sydney has a plan to be carbon-neutral by 2050.
EU countries abuse forestry credits loophole
30 Mar 2017
European Union countries exploited loopholes in United Nations forestry rules to pocket carbon credits worth €600 million and the equivalent of global-warming emissions from 114 million cars.
Debbie could teach us a thing or two
30 Mar 2017
Despite knowing, approximately, where cyclones tend to occur, we've never thought about adjusting our cities to their effects.
Wildlife changing to keep up with climate
30 Mar 2017
Climate change is one of the greatest threats facing Australia’s wildlife, plants and ecosystems, a point driven home by two consecutive years of mass coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef.
Trump climate moves undermine Paris Agreement
29 Mar 2017
President Trump has launched an all-out assault on Barack Obama’s climate change legacy with a sweeping executive order that undermines America’s commitment to the Paris agreement.
Communities retreat as oceans swell and coasts erode
29 Mar 2017
Erosion, rising seas, ferocious storms and other coastal perils have prompted the resettlement of more than one million people worldwide.
Trump about to undo Obama's clean power plans
28 Mar 2017
President Trump is set to sign a sweeping executive order today aimed at promoting domestic oil, coal and natural gas by reversing much of his predecessor’s efforts to address climate change.
BILL McKIBBEN: Adani mine is the line in the sand
28 Mar 2017
There is nowhere else on the planet right now where the dichotomy between two potential futures is playing out in such a dramatic and explosive way as Australia.
Changing climate damages world's reefs beyond repair
28 Mar 2017
The Great Barrier Reef might never fully recover from the combined effects of global warming and an El Niño year, according to a new study.
UN acknowledges retreat on climate campaigns
27 Mar 2017
The United Nations is acknowledging that some countries might be retreating in the effort to fight climate change, recognising an emerging fissure in the landmark Paris Agreement as US President Donald Trump moves forward with plans to gut environmental programmes.
YUK! How disgust stops us from living sustainably
27 Mar 2017
Imagine, for a second, that the slice of delectable cake melting in your mouth was made with flour ground from insects not grains.
Oil theft provides billions for terrorists and drug cartels
24 Mar 2017
Oil theft is fuelling terrorist groups and drug cartels around the world, according to a new analysis.
Australia to shut big-polluting power station
24 Mar 2017
Australia's most polluting power station, Hazelwood, is set to become the ninth coal-fired power station to close its doors, as the nation’s transition from fossil fuels to clean renewable energy continues.
Arctic ice falls to record winter low
24 Mar 2017
The extent of Arctic ice has fallen to a new wintertime low, as climate change drives freakishly high temperatures in the polar regions.
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.
Battery subsidy scheme set for 'urgent' overhaul as costs run out of control
16 Dec 2025
Australian Energy Minister Chris Bowen has announced big changes to the government's battery subsidy scheme amid claims most of its $2.3 billion budget has been spent in just six months.
EPA erases references to human-caused climate change from websites
19 Dec 2025
EPA has scrubbed references to people’s contribution to rising temperatures from some of its climate change webpages.
Verra cancels four tree planting projects in China. And starts reviews of 45 more projects
16 Dec 2025
“Multiple carbon projects in China are facing serious allegations regarding the authenticity of government approval documents."
France updates its 2050 carbon neutrality roadmap
17 Dec 2025
To mark the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, France released a revamped climate plan promising to phase out oil and gas and sharply increase electricity use.
Net-zero scenario is ‘cheapest option’ for UK, says energy system operator
15 Dec 2025
A scenario that meets the “net-zero by 2050” goal would be the “cheapest” option for the UK, according to modelling by the National Energy System Operator (NESO).
The ecological havens flourishing beneath power lines
19 Dec 2025
Initiatives to foster native wildflowers, grasses and shrubs are turning utility corridors into wildlife corridors.
‘Not normal’: Climate crisis supercharged deadly monsoon floods in Asia
12 Dec 2025
Cyclones like those in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Malaysia that killed 1,750 are ‘alarming new reality’.
Pacific fisheries summit gives a boost to albacore and seabirds
19 Dec 2025
Much of the world’s albacore tuna catch, which usually ends up in a can, comes from the southwestern Pacific Ocean, where fishery managers just passed a new set of conservation rules.
Arctic endured year of record heat as climate scientists warn of ‘winter being redefined’
18 Dec 2025
Region known as ‘world’s refrigerator’ is heating up as much as four times as quickly as global average, Noaa experts say.
Are rainforests now a cause of, rather than the answer to, climate change?
15 Dec 2025
A new study finds that Africa’s forests, responsible for one-fifth of global carbon removal, are beginning to generate carbon as the result of human activity.
Thousands of climate disasters are not included in official reports from Amazonian countries
12 Dec 2025
More than 12,500 extreme weather events impacted the Amazon and its population in 10 years, but countries have not generated enough information about it, according to a new scientific study.
UN environment report 'hijacked' by US and others over fossil fuels, top scientist says
11 Dec 2025
A key UN report on the state of the global environment has been "hijacked" by the United States and other countries who were unwilling to go along with the scientific findings, the co-chair has told the BBC.
