International: All stories
How US companies export industrial pollution
24 May 2017
US firms have been found to be improving their own environmental performance by moving more-polluting activities overseas, where regulations are more lax.
Swiss referendum votes in favour of renewables
24 May 2017
Swiss voters have said yes to the government’s plan to provide billions of dollars in subsidies for renewables, in addition to banning nuclear power.
OPINION: Falling in love with our natural world is the future
24 May 2017
By MARK BOYLE | We’re domesticating areas instead of protecting them. Living without technology I’ve found my place in the natural world – and this path could be our salvation.
Hong Kong charts road to green future
24 May 2017
Hong Kong will host its largest conference on sustainable buildings and urban development next month, with tackling climate change in the face of rapid urbanisation the key theme.
UK companies better to stay with European ETS
23 May 2017
An international carbon trading organisation says British companies should stay in the European Emissions Trading Scheme until at least 2020, despite Brexit.
Shell shareholders to vote for new climate goals
23 May 2017
Shell shareholders including the Church of England, European pension funds and Dutch activists will send a signal to the board of the Anglo-Dutch company this week by voting for it to set new climate-change goals.
Climate change is turning Antarctica green
23 May 2017
A new study has found a steady growth of moss in Antarctica over the past 50 years as temperatures increased as a result of climate change
NZ gives Fiji million-dollar handout for UN talks
22 May 2017
New Zealand is giving Fiji $1.3 million and the services of our top climate ambassador to help to chair international climate negotiations later this year.
Bonn reaches murky compromise on fossil fuels
22 May 2017
Developing countries and green groups want to limit conflicts of interest in the global climate talks. Corporate lobbyists and rich countries oppose the plan.
Climate talks end in call for solidarity
22 May 2017
A fortnight of climate talks in Bonn ran smoothly enough, but political tensions await the Pacific islands presidency at the next summit in November.
ICE AGE: Is the disintegration of Antarctica unstoppable?
22 May 2017
Scientists fear that Antarctica’s ice sheet might have entered the early stages of an unstoppable disintegration.
How Adani could damage climate, health, tourism
22 May 2017
The Climate Council is warning of serious risks to the environment, public health and North Queensland tourism, if plans for Australia’s largest coal mine go ahead.
'Climate heroes' fight EU land and forest rules
19 May 2017
Former climate heroes France, Finland, Sweden and Austria are fighting tooth and nail to weaken EU land accounting rules, also known as the LULUCF Regulation.
IT'S A WORRY: Changing world is bringing on ecoanxiety
19 May 2017
People around the world are sufferng from ecoanxiety, a feeling of impending environmental doom.
Supermarket giant commits to 100% renewables
19 May 2017
Multinational supermarket Tesco has pledged to source all of its electricity from renewables by 2030 in addition to cutting its emissions by 60 per cent by 2025.
TRUMP TACTICS: What Americans really, really want
18 May 2017
Fewer than a third of Americans support President Donald Trump’s rollback of clean energy plans, a new survey shows.
Is Pacific climate message missing the God factor?
18 May 2017
Well-meaning nations who find their Pacific aid projects don't work out might find the reason, in part, is the sidelining of God.
HUNGRY CATERPILLAR: Beware, armyworms are on the march
18 May 2017
A plague of armyworms is marching across Africa, devastating crops, and claiming new territory at an alarming rate
Shell paid university for say on curriculum
18 May 2017
Funding from Shell and other oil majors has turned a prestigious Dutch University into a conduit for fossil fuel policy gambits, according to an explosive new report.
38 million pieces of plastic waste found on Pacific island
17 May 2017
Henderson Island, part of the Pitcairn group, is covered by 18 tonnes of plastic – the highest density of anthropogenic debris recorded anywhere in the world
Why meat eaters should think more about soil
17 May 2017
If over-grazing continues to cause soil degradation, we won’t be able to feed people in the future. The answer? Eat grass-fed sustainable meat – or none at all.
Warm Arctic fuels second-hottest April
17 May 2017
An unusually warm Arctic spring fueled the second-hottest April on record globally.
China promises green investment strategy
17 May 2017
China will seize opportunities for clean energy and boost science cooperation through its overseas investment strategy, president Xi Jinping said on Monday.
Why 2deg warming is worse for Australia than 1.5deg
17 May 2017
How will extreme weather events change Australia with more warming in the future? Will they become more frequent? Will they become more severe?
Asian coal cuts will ease Trump rollbacks
16 May 2017
SWEEPING climate policy rollbacks by US President Donald Trump will be outweighed by cuts to coal consumption in India and China, a new analysis shows.
Australia’s biggest emitters opt to wait and see
16 May 2017
Many of Australia’s most carbon-intensive companies are either not participating in the federal government’s flagship Emissions Reduction Fund, or are adopting a wait-and-see approach.
THE EYES HAVE IT: Now they can measure climate stress
16 May 2017
An eye-tracking study reveals that stress levels affect how much attention people pay to climate change imagery, even if they are supportive of environmental issues.
Solar keeps farmers' beer cold out in the boondocks
16 May 2017
Along the remote southern coastline of Western Australia, the locals have cottoned on to a new, surefire way to keep their beer cold.
US signs treaty to protect Arctic
15 May 2017
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has signed a commitment to curb greenhouse gas emissions and to extend scientific cooperation in the Arctic region.
Coffee belt gets the jitters
15 May 2017
If global warming continues at its current pace, growing the beans in coffee-proud South American countries could be impossible in as little as 50 years.
Global search finds ‘lost’ forests
15 May 2017
A new global analysis of the distribution of forests and woodlands has “found” 467 million hectares of previously unreported forest – an area equivalent to 60 per cent of the size of Australia.
Clothiers must cut microfibre pollution
15 May 2017
Over the past few years, evidence has been mounting that synthetic textiles such as polyester and acrylic, which make up much of our clothing, are a major source of pollution in the world’s oceans.
Republicans fail to repeal methane regulations
12 May 2017
A Republican move to undo limits on the emission of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, has suffered an unexpected defeat in the Senate.
California could inspire Australia's energy future
12 May 2017
Australia could emulate California on climate change policy by bringing in improved energy and fuel efficiency standards to drive large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, a new report says.
Canberra axes climate research unit funding
12 May 2017
The Australian government has axed funding for the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility, an agency that provides information on how best to manage the risks of climate change and sea level rise.
The good news is that good news works
12 May 2017
When nature makes the news these days, the story usually revolves around wildlife on the brink, record-setting climate extremes or ruined landscapes.
Young women bring new look to life down on the farm
12 May 2017
Women have long played a silent role in agriculture in Australia – now a new generation of female farmers is stepping forward.
Trump to make Paris decision after G7 summit
11 May 2017
President Donald Trump will not make a decision on whether to pull the United States out of the Paris climate agreement until after he returns from the May 26-27 Group of Seven summit.
Australia doesn't need Adani mine, says Westpac
11 May 2017
The Adani Carmichael coalmine is not needed to support the economy, the Westpac chief executive has said in defence of his bank’s decision not to finance the mine.
COOL IDEA: Sydney to spend $8m on trees
11 May 2017
Sydney City is planting $8 million worth of trees to try to keep the city cool.
China busy planning ahead for life after coal
11 May 2017
China's energy policies give the world hope that the country can free itself of dirty coal, and that this day may come sooner rather than later.
EU countries paying coal companies to stick around
11 May 2017
EU countries are using the low carbon transition to justify new subsidies to the coal industry, instead of investing in clean alternatives.
COFFEE TO GO: Would you like sustainability with that?
11 May 2017
Our daily brew is creating an environmental disaster, but social enterprises are coming up with new ideas for cups, pods and coffee grinds.
One thing's for sure, climate change is not short on laws
11 May 2017
Nations around the world have adopted more than 1200 laws to curb climate change, up from about 60 two decades ago, a sign of widening efforts to limit rising temperatures.
OPINION: We must plan for climate refugees
10 May 2017
What will New Zealand do when 12,000 climate refugees from Tuvalu arrive on its doorstep?
What can we expect from the Bonn climate talks?
10 May 2017
A much-anticipated meeting of nearly 200 nations began in Bonn, Germany, yesterday to push forward global climate change action at a time when the United States is poised to do the opposite.
White House advisers postpone Paris pact talks
10 May 2017
A key meeting of White House advisers to discuss the Paris climate change agreement won't happen today as planned.
Global warming could speed up if the Pacific Ocean gets cranky
10 May 2017
Conditions in the Pacific Ocean over the coming decades will determine how fast we get to 1.5deg global warming.
Asthma patients urge EU to back air quality
10 May 2017
Organisations representing asthma patients have called on the EU governments to stick to their air quality commitments to protect citizens’ health and public budgets.
World Bank presses NZ on climate refugees
9 May 2017
The World Bank says New Zealand should accept more migrants from the Pacific to pre-empt a flood of climate refugees.
Australian governments subsidising fossil fuel use by more than $30,000 a minute, analysis finds
Fri 13 Mar 2026
Australian federal and state government subsidies that encourage fossil fuel use and help drive the climate crisis will reach $16.3bn this year after leaping by nearly 10%, according to a new analysis.
Trump administration sues California over the state’s nation-leading vehicle-emission rules
Today 11:00am
The Trump administration ramped up a battle with California over the state’s nation-leading vehicle-emission standards Thursday, suing air regulators over rules aimed at curbing pollution from cars.
What does China’s 15th ‘five-year plan’ mean for climate change?
10 Mar 2026
China’s leadership has published a draft of its 15th five-year plan setting the strategic direction for the nation out to 2030, including support for clean energy and energy security.
Germany misses climate targets as emissions barely fall in 2025
Today 11:00am
Greenhouse gas emissions in Germany have again missed targets set by the Climate Protection Act and barely fell at all in 2025.
UK emissions fall 2.4% in 2025 as coal hits 400-year low
9 Mar 2026
The UK’s greenhouse gas emissions fell by 2.4% in 2025 to their lowest level in more than 150 years, according to new analysis.
Mark Carney just picked his lane on climate change
17 Feb 2026
COMMENT: Mark Carney's time as prime minister has been defined in part by his decision to roll back Trudeau-era climate policies.
'The situation is dire': War on Iran squeezes India's cooking-gas supplies
Mon 16 Mar 2026
The shockwaves of a war being fought nearly 3,000km away are now reaching India's kitchens.
Vanuatu moves forward with UN climate resolution despite Trump opposition
9 Mar 2026
The Trump administration’s attempt to sink a UN resolution demanding countries act on the climate crisis has caused cuts to the proposal but hasn’t entirely killed it, according to the tiny Pacific island country spearheading the effort.
Limiting warming to 2C is ‘crucial’ to protect pristine Antarctic Peninsula
24 Feb 2026
Keeping global warming to less than 2C above pre-industrial temperatures is “crucial” for limiting damage to the Antarctic Peninsula’s unique ecosystems, according to a new study.
'Blackwater' lakes and rivers in the Congo Basin are now emitting ancient carbon into the atmosphere
Mon 16 Mar 2026
Carbon that has been buried in the Congo Basin's peatlands for millennia is seeping into lakes and rivers. Why this is happening remains unclear, but researchers warn that tropical peatlands could be nearing a tipping point.
Companies – including Blackrock – retired 2 million carbon credits after Verra suspended project
Thu 12 Mar 2026
Verra suspended the Pacajai REDD project in Brazil in September 2023, pending an investigation into the project’s validity. That didn’t stop Mastercard, BlackRock, Philip Morris International from retiring carbon credits from the project to offset their greenhouse gas emissions.
Summit aims to revive stalled UN talks on phasing out fossil fuels
Wed 11 Mar 2026
Colombia and the Netherlands have set out three priorities for a conference on phasing out fossil fuels they will co-host in Colombia in April.
