International: All stories
American climate refugees likely to flee inland
28 Apr 2017
The population of inland American cities will alter drastically if predictions of dramatic sea level rises by 2100 are correct, a new report suggests.
Bangladesh ... a climate tragedy waiting to happen
28 Apr 2017
A three-foot rise in sea level would submerge almost 20 per cent of Bangladesh and displace more than 30 million people - and the actual rise by 2100 could be significantly more.
Arctic melt increases fears of sea level rise
27 Apr 2017
Global sea level rise could happen at nearly twice the rate previously projected by the UN, according to a new report.
DRY DAYS: Good news for termites ... bad news for us
27 Apr 2017
In what may be good news only for cactus, termites and drought-resistant grasses, subtropical dry areas are going to expand over large parts of the Earth as the climate warms.
Ignore Trump, Bloomberg tells world leaders
26 Apr 2017
Former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg has urged world leaders not to follow Donald Trump’s lead on climate change, and declared his own intention to stave off the “tragedy” that would be the collapse of the Paris climate deal.
Vulnerable nations call on G20 to end subsidies
26 Apr 2017
Ministers from countries on the front line of climate change have urged rich nations to stop pouring money into the coal, oil and gas industries.
One old rock has development of solar cells on a roll
26 Apr 2017
After a 170-year delay, the discovery of a strange, metallic-looking rock found in the Ural Mountains in Russia in 1839 has ignited a global technology race for a cheaper, more efficient solar cell.
Green Investment Bank sale a disaster, say critics
21 Apr 2017
The UK government’s decision to sell the Green Investment Bank to Australian bank Macquarie for £2.3bn has been attacked by critics including the Liberal Democrats and Greenpeace as “politically dubious” and a “disaster.
China gets tough on shipping emissions
21 Apr 2017
Every year, more than 60 per cent of the world’s seaborne cargoes and 30 per cent of the world’s shipping containers pass through China’s ports, creating an air pollution problem Beijing is now trying to solve.
Trump's people postpone Paris decision
21 Apr 2017
Trump administration officials have postponed a meeting scheduled for this week to discuss the US government’s position on the Paris climate change agreement.
Brazil MPs bid to cut protection for huge forest
20 Apr 2017
A committee of Brazil’s Congress has approved proposals to roll back protections on 1.1 million hectares of forest and national park.
CLOSE OF PLAY: Cricket is facing a climate crisis
20 Apr 2017
From the ochre-coloured Australian outback to the windswept Scottish coast, cricket is defined almost entirely by the weather conditions. If they change, so does the essence of the game.
22,000 years of history goes down the drain
20 Apr 2017
A freezer malfunction at a university has melted part of the world’s largest collection of ice cores from the Canadian Arctic, reducing some of the ancient ice into puddles.
Stop swooning over Justin Trudeau ... he's a disaster
19 Apr 2017
Donald Trump is a creep and unpleasant to look at, but at least he’s not a stunning hypocrite when it comes to climate change, says climate activist Bill McKibben.
DEATH METAL: Nickel had role in our worst mass extinction
19 Apr 2017
Around 250 million years ago, life on Earth nearly came to an end, in a mass extinction between the Permian and Triassic periods known as the Great Dying.
ON THE MARCH: Why angry scientists are fighting back
18 Apr 2017
Next Saturday, in Washington, and in hundreds of rallies around the world (including New Zealand), scientists and their supporters will stage what is likely to be the largest gathering of its kind in history.
White House showdown looms on Paris Agreement
18 Apr 2017
President Trump's most senior advisers will huddle this week to resolve long-simmering tensions over whether the United States should stay in the Paris climate change agreement.
Turnbull tells Adani native title won't stop mine
13 Apr 2017
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has assured the Indian billionaire hoping to build Australia’s largest coal mine in Queensland that native title issues will not stop the $16 billion project.
Whales could help to save Pacific from carbon pollution
13 Apr 2017
If conservation efforts pay off, whales could help Pacific islands to meet their emissions reductions targets.
Barrier bleaching could set back Queensland by $1b
13 Apr 2017
Queensland's economy and tourism sector could suffer a billion-dollar hit, if extreme coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef continues, says a new report.
More fish dinners now ... but not as much nutrition
13 Apr 2017
People in Bangladesh are eating 30 per cent more fish than they did 20 years ago, but they are getting a smaller amount of important nutrients from it.
Auckland says yes to ethical investments
12 Apr 2017
Auckland Council has joined the fossil-fuel divestment movement.
US causes delay in G7 climate statement
12 Apr 2017
Nations attending a G7 summit could not release a joint climate statement at the end of a meeting this week because the Trump administration is reviewing its policies.
Former climate chief sets 2020 as cuts deadline
12 Apr 2017
Global policymakers should set their sights on 2020 as the deadline for delivering the rapid emissions cuts needed to save the world from dangerous global warming, according to a new campaign spearheaded by former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres.
US again shrinks electricity’s carbon footprint
12 Apr 2017
Carbon emissions from US electric power plants have fallen by about 5 per cent for the second year in a row.
Are neonicotinoids killing you?
12 Apr 2017
Traces of pesticides known as neonicotinoids for the first time have been found drinking water.
SEE YOU IN COURT: Activists get ready to fight Trump
11 Apr 2017
Environmental campaigners have promised to wage fierce and protracted legal battles against “outrageous and wrong-headed” Trump administration moves.
HIGH TIDE: Rising waters threaten China’s rising cities
11 Apr 2017
In China's Pearl River Delta, breakneck development is colliding with the effects of climate change.
Beating the heat for apartment dwellers
11 Apr 2017
Heatwaves could be deadly for many Australian apartment dwellers if the grid fails, so architects are coming up with ways to manage temperatures passively.
Three Australian banks review exposure to fossil fuels
10 Apr 2017
Three of Australia’s big four banks are reviewing their exposure to fossil fuels, including their lending practices to households and farmers, in response to climate change.
Complacency threatens climate change action
10 Apr 2017
The world is “meandering into a failed future” because of its unwillingness to take decisive action on climate change, a leading UK academic has warned.
Arctic meltwater ponds feed climate concerns
10 Apr 2017
Even in the white-out world of ice, the Arctic is growing greener. Plankton blooms below the frozen ocean and in Greenland’s icy mountains meltwater ponds become little ecosystems that will eventually enrich the ocean.
Nine-year-old sues over climate change inaction
10 Apr 2017
A nine-year-old girl has filed a lawsuit against the Indian government for failing to take action on climate change.
States gang up to challenge Trump over climate actions
7 Apr 2017
A coalition of 17 US states has filed a legal challenge against efforts by President Trump’s administration to roll back climate change regulations.
Debbie shows up dangers of concentrated cropping
7 Apr 2017
The damage wrought by cyclone Debbie raises broader questions about the resilience of Australia’s fresh vegetable supply, much of which comes from a relatively small number of areas that are under pressure from climate and land use change.
Open letter urges Turnbull to deliver energy reforms
7 Apr 2017
Former Australian Liberal party leader John Hewson and sustainable energy entrepreneur Simon Holmes à Court are among the signatories to a new open letter urging Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to implement three urgent reforms to the energy market.
Memo Australia: There'll be many more Debbies
6 Apr 2017
Climate change will continue to amplify extreme weather events in Australia, including intense heavy rainfall and flooding, like that triggered by cyclone Debbie.
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.
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.
