International: All stories
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.
Tokelau comes under the Paris Agreement umbrella
17 Nov 2016
New Zealand is extending its ratification of the Paris Agreement to include Tokelau.
World needs major emissions cuts by 2020, says report
17 Nov 2016
All key sectors– including commercial agriculture – must have major emissions cuts under way by 2020 if the world is to keep global warming within the Paris Agreement’s 1.5deg limit, a new report says.
Military urges Trump to see climate as security threat
17 Nov 2016
A bipartisan group of defence experts and former military leaders sent Donald Trump’s transition team a briefing book urging the president-elect to consider climate change as a grave threat to national security.
Meet the man nobody wants at Marrakech
17 Nov 2016
An awful lot of people at the Marrakech climate talks would really like it if Benjamin Sporton went home and never came back.
Second-warmest October cements hottest year
17 Nov 2016
October was the second hottest on record for the planet, says NASA. The month was the latest in a string of record- and near record-warm months that will see 2016 easily take the title of hottest year in the books.
Canada gives $3b subsidies to fossil fuel producers
17 Nov 2016
Canada’s attempt to act on climate change is being undermined by $3.3b in government subsidies flowing to oil and gas producers in the country a year, a new report has warned.
MARRAKECH MESSAGE: We've got enough clean credits
16 Nov 2016
New Zealand is likely to use 38.1 million tonnes of its surplus carbon credits to meet its next emissions reduction target and will not need access to international markets, climate change talks in Morocco have heard.
NEW VIEW: Carbon is not the enemy
16 Nov 2016
World-renowned architect William McDonough says we should exploit carbon as an asset, not demonise it as a liability
Obama’s climate envoys fight back
16 Nov 2016
US climate negotiators emerged from their post-election silence in Marrakech with a bellicose message that their legacy was beyond reach of Donald Trump.
Marrakech officials want hope for coal miners
16 Nov 2016
If the shift away from fossil fuels is not carefully managed, it will create left-behind communities and resentment, officials warn at COP22 climate talks.
Natural disasters push millions into poverty each year
16 Nov 2016
Earthquakes, tsunamis, floods and other extreme natural disasters push 26 million people into poverty each year and cost the global economy more than half a trillion dollars in lost consumption, the World Bank has said.
Sydney solar power project seeks public money
16 Nov 2016
The company responsible for Australia’s biggest CBD solar installation has invited public investment, making it the first community renewables project in Australia with a public share offering.
Africa suffers most from changing climate
16 Nov 2016
Africa has been the continent hardest hit by extreme weather events over the past 20 years, according to the latest Global Climate Risk Index.
Marrakech nations wield carrots, not sticks
15 Nov 2016
Across the UN climate talks in Marrakech, countries are emphasising the benefits to the US of staying in the Paris Agreement.
This year will be the hottest on record, UN says
15 Nov 2016
This year will very likely be the hottest on record and a new high for the third year in a row, according to the UN. It means 16 of the 17 hottest years on record will have been this century.
Extraordinary climate lawsuit awaits new president
15 Nov 2016
A sweeping climate change lawsuit filed against the Obama Administration will move forward, a judged ruled late last week, setting up an extraordinary legal battle between environmentalists and President-elect Donald Trump.
Trump presidency a disaster for the planet, say scientists
14 Nov 2016
The ripples from a new American president are far-reaching, but never before has the arrival of a White House administration placed the livability of Earth at stake.
Nations have one week to save Marrakech talks
14 Nov 2016
Climate diplomats in Marrakech are working furiously behind the scenes to send a message to Donald Trump that the world remains a place of pluralism and cooperation.
Trump’s climate contrarian takes on the EPA
14 Nov 2016
In looking for someone to follow through on his campaign vow to dismantle one of the Obama administration’s signature climate change policies, President-elect DonaldTrump probably could not have found a better candidate for the job than Myron Ebell.
Other nations might obstruct Paris climate deal
14 Nov 2016
Concerns are mounting that Donald Trump’s victory could embolden some fossil fuel-rich countries to try unpicking the historic Paris climate agreement, which came into force last week.
American Muslims ditch fossil fuels investments
14 Nov 2016
As representatives of many of the world’s main religions join financial leaders in calling for a switch of investment from polluting energy to renewables, a prominent Islamic organisation says it will do just that, in a landmark divestment commitment from a Muslim institution.
Germany to cut emissions by up to 95% by 2050
14 Nov 2016
Germany’s coalition government has reached an agreement on a climate change action plan which involves reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent to 95 per cent by 2050.
What Trump means for the future of energy and climate
11 Nov 2016
President … Donald … Trump. For those on both sides of the aisle who vowed “Never Trump!,” that’s going to take some getting used to.
Australia ratifies, under a large Trump-shaped shadow
11 Nov 2016
Australia has announced that it is to ratify the Paris climate agreement, which entered into force last Friday.
How trade could help to green the economy
11 Nov 2016
Governments should take a closer look at the ways in which trade can help to spread the use of green technologies to tackle climate change, says United Nations trade chief Dr Mukhisa Kituyi.
PLEASE EXPLAIN: NZ under scrutiny in Marrakech
10 Nov 2016
New Zealand's progress on cutting greenhouse gas emissions will come under international scrutiny at climate talks in Marrakech on Monday.
Marrakech climate talks have no Plan B
10 Nov 2016
Delegates gathered at the COP22 United Nations climate conference in Morocco did not expect a United States election upset.
In Trump, US puts a climate denier in its highest office and all climate action in limbo
10 Nov 2016
Donald Trump's astonishing victory has turned the world of climate action upside down, setting back US environmental policy and threatening the international drive to cut carbon pollution and slow global warming.
Today's record heat will be normal by 2030
10 Nov 2016
Generation Y has grown up in a rapidly warming world. According to the US National Climate Data Centre, every month since February 1985 has seen above average global temperatures, compared with the 20th century.
Deforestation forces up Brazil’s carbon emissions
10 Nov 2016
In 2015, Brazil told the world it would make significant reductions in its emissions of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas driving global warming. Its emissions are, however, heading in the opposite direction.
Churches call for fossil fuel funds divestments
9 Nov 2016
The world’s churches – including some in New Zealand – are calling on governments to get their countries’ pension funds out of fossil fuels.
Choice of president not the only critical vote today
9 Nov 2016
The odd and often bitter battle for the White House has for months overshadowed the fact that, today voters won’t just elect the next president -- they will also shape the Senate at a critical time for addressing climate change.
Aust industry finally sees potential in wind and solar
9 Nov 2016
It has taken years of fierce resistance and catastrophising about the supposed cost and economic impacts from the shift from fossil fuels, but it seems that Australian industry is finally waking up to the possibilities of wind and solar.
Global 'greening' has slowed rise of CO2 in atmosphere
9 Nov 2016
A global “greening” of the planet has significantly slowed the rise of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere since the start of the century, according to new research.
Climate change momentum begins today with Marrakech
8 Nov 2016
The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Marrakech has started - just three days after the Paris Agreement entered into force.
The day the world shut the door on disaster
8 Nov 2016
PATRICIA ESPINOSA, UNFCCC Executive Secretary and SALAHEDDINE MEZOUAR, President of COP22 and Morocco Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation look at the UN climate conference which opened today in Marrakech:
Fossil fuel majors strut their stuff for Marrakech
8 Nov 2016
The oil industry has been in damage limitation mode ahead of this week’s climate change talks in the Moroccan city of Marrakech.
Australian unions call for 'just transition' from coal
8 Nov 2016
Australian unions have thrown their weight behind a transition away from coal-generated electricity, calling for a new statutory authority to manage a “just transition”, supporting workers and communities that rely on fossil fuel-related jobs.
Paris will not kill fossil fuels, says ex-Saudi oil chief
8 Nov 2016
The oil and gas industry will thrive despite the UN’s new greenhouse gas slashing pact, says former Saudi oil chief and lead climate negotiator Ali Al-Naimi.
Rio's famed beaches take battering from storm surge
8 Nov 2016
Scientists in Rio de Janeiro have warned that the city’s sea defences might not be able to cope with the effects of climate change after a record storm surge swamped beaches, dumping hundreds of tonnes of sand across roads and buildings.
China pledges 18% cut in carbon emissions
7 Nov 2016
China has issued a new climate plan targeting an 18 per cent cut in carbon emissions by 2020 compared with 2015 levels.
Canada's official buildings to go green by 2025
7 Nov 2016
The Canadian federal government has pledged to run all its operations on renewable energy by 2025, says environment minister Catherine McKenna.
What nations need to achieve in Marrakech
4 Nov 2016
The past 12 months have been a relatively good year for global climate policy. Next week, the world’s countries meet in Marrakech to follow up on the gains made at Paris last year and to try to reconcile these two facts.
UK government loses air pollution court case
4 Nov 2016
Environmental campaigners in the United Kingdom have won a High Court legal battle over the government’s failure to tackle air pollution and meet European standards.
US election outcome likely to dominate Marrakech summit
3 Nov 2016
After a year of celebrating the Paris climate agreement, the hangover is about to kick in for the 195 countries who helped to deliver the deal last December.
Climate on the ballot in Washington and Florida
3 Nov 2016
As US election day nears, voters in two states will weigh in on climate-related ballot measures that could reverberate throughout the country.
Climate champion Carney to stay at Bank of England
2 Nov 2016
Canadian banker Mark Carney's climate risk warnings have won him praise from campaigners, criticism from sceptics – but he’s with us for a while longer.
UNICEF: 300 million children breathe toxic air
2 Nov 2016
One in every seven children, 300 million, endure the world’s most toxic levels of outdoor air pollution – six or more times higher than international guidelines – and many die as a result, finds a new report.
Will US policy push fossil fuels or clean energy?
2 Nov 2016
The United States is blessed with many energy resources: huge fossil fuels reserves and substantial renewable energy potential, from offshore wind to geothermal power.
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.
