International: All stories
CEOs emerge unscathed by environment lawsuits
7 Mar 2016
Images of environmental damage caused by large corporations certainly stir public outrage; but new research shows that the chief executives of companies sued for environmental wrongdoing commonly suffer little reputational damage.
Why is 2016 smashing heat records?
7 Mar 2016
Yet another global heat record has been beaten. It appears January 2016 - the most abnormally hot month in history, according to Nasa - will be comprehensively trounced once official figures come in for February.
Cheap oil undermining nearly every climate plan
7 Mar 2016
The fate of what might prove to be the most important technology for solving global warming - carbon capture and storage - is floundering.
Canadians set outlines of carbon pricing deal
7 Mar 2016
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has persuaded the country's 10 provinces to accept the concept of putting a price on carbon but agreed the specific details could be worked out later.
Proposal to define wood-burning as carbon neutral
7 Mar 2016
US federal legislation promoting wood-burning power plants as a “carbon neutral” way to make energy is drawing criticism from some scientists.
Trudeau, Obama set to sign climate pact
4 Mar 2016
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is poised to sign on to a continental environment and climate-change strategy with outgoing US President Barack Obama when the two leaders hold their first formal bilateral meeting in the Oval Office next Thursday.
Anti-insect paint could cut aviation costs
4 Mar 2016
Insects might not seem the most obvious problem to tackle when trying to make aviation more sustainable. But avoiding them on takeoff could help to cut airlines’ fuel bills and emissions by up to 10 per cent.
Congo plans to open rainforest to loggers
4 Mar 2016
The Democratic Republic of Congo is planning to lift a ban on logging licences, to the concern of campaigners.
Recycled water could help to cut the food bills
3 Mar 2016
Australians eat a lot of water – the water that is used to produce food. New findings from the Foodprint Melbourne study estimate that more than 475 litres of water is used to grow each person’s food every day.
Canada delays new climate plan as provinces rebel
3 Mar 2016
Canada has delayed its promised climate strategy by six months as the government remains at odds with the country’s powerful provincial leaders.
UK solar developers lose case against cuts
3 Mar 2016
The UK Court of Appeal has dismissed claims against the premature closure of the Renewables Obligation support scheme, bringing to an end the long-fought dispute between UK solar developers and the government.
Oops! Google self-driver collides with bus
3 Mar 2016
One of Google’s self-driving cars has collided with a public bus in California, an accident report has revealed, in what appears to be the first example of one of the company’s prototype cars causing an accident.
Top lobbying group in green energy U-turn
2 Mar 2016
The UK’s biggest energy lobbying group has shifted its position on green energy and will start campaigning for low-carbon alternatives for the first time, in what environmental campaigners are describing as a watershed moment.
Al Gore's firm joins carbon pricing research push
2 Mar 2016
A partnership between Al Gore's Generation Investment Management and Ecofys aims to explore how carbon pricing can facilitate sustainable global economic growth.
Nissan gears up to install largest EV power system
2 Mar 2016
Nissan will soon be using its electric car technology to help power its new regional office in France, through the deployment of the world's largest grid-integrated electric vehicle system.
Biggest floating solar farm powers up near London
2 Mar 2016
On a vast manmade lake on the outskirts of London, work is nearing completion on what will soon be Europe’s largest floating solar power farm – and will briefly be the world’s biggest.
Cold light shines on Paris climate pledges
1 Mar 2016
New research finds signs that many countries are making serious attempts to stick to action pledges made at the Paris climate summit – but others are still lagging way behind.
Australia’s pollution rising while Canberra tinkers
1 Mar 2016
Federal government policies are making it harder for the electricity sector to swiftly transition to clean energy, according to the Australian Conservation Foundation, which has just released a report on the country's10 biggest climate polluters.
Capital first, people second, says cities report
1 Mar 2016
Developed cities are spending a much larger percentage of their GDP than poorer cities each year on measures to adapt to the impacts of climate change.
Japan to slash carbon emissions by 80%
1 Mar 2016
The Japanese government is planning to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by 2050 from current levels.
What makes DiCaprio a climate change warrior
1 Mar 2016
Leonardo DiCaprio captured a lot of attention at the Academy Awards yesterday with his plea for climate change action. The Guardian tells us how the actor became a champion for the cause.
Washington state eyes first US emissions tax
1 Mar 2016
Washington could become the first state in the nation to impose a direct tax on carbon emissions from fossil fuels such as coal, gasoline and natural gas.
Canada out of step as global clean investment soars
1 Mar 2016
Renewables attracted US$367 billion of investment worldwide despite low fossil fuel prices, but Canada bucked growth trend.
Australia acts on plastic waste in oceans
1 Mar 2016
The Australian Government will commit an immediate $60,000 to kick-start urgent research into the best way to reduce plastic pollution in oceans, reefs and waterways.
Canberra backs fossil fuel 'growth centre' with $15m
29 Feb 2016
Australia's Industry, Innovation and Science Minister, Christopher Pyne, has launched a new “growth centre” for the fossil fuel industry (and uranium), to be known as National Energy Resources Australia.
Ontario eyes cap-and-trade riches
29 Feb 2016
Ontario plans to raise $US1.4 billion a year from its proposed cap-and-trade programme starting in 2017 as it joins with Quebec and California to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Private equity smells money in troubled new energy
29 Feb 2016
A handful of private equity firms are buying up troubled clean-energy assets, restructuring debts and whole projects in an effort to gain rich rewards from some of the industry’s riskier investments.
LA leak spewed as much pollution as 600,000 cars
29 Feb 2016
A natural gas leak in the mountains above Los Angeles was one of the worst accidental discharges of greenhouse gases in US history. A new study shows the months-long disaster resulted in 97,100 tonnes of methane being dumped into the atmosphere.
Turn your home water heater into a battery
29 Feb 2016
New research suggests that in the future, one of the most lowly, boring, and ubiquitous of home appliances — the electric water heater — could come to perform a surprising array of new functions that help out the power grid, and potentially even save money on home electricity bills.
Urban sprawl is threatening Sydney’s foodbowl
26 Feb 2016
Sydney loves to talk about food, and the housing market. But rarely does the city talk about the threat that housing poses to the resilience of Sydney’s food system.
Oil industry must thwart divestment calls, say Saudis
26 Feb 2016
Big Oil must thwart the movement to leave fossil fuels in the ground, the world’s most powerful oilman has said.
CSIRO executives to face fresh scrutiny over cuts
26 Feb 2016
CSIRO executives are likely to face another grilling over their plans to lop 350 jobs, including many climate scientists, with a Senate committee planning a fresh inquiry next month.
Most of Honda's cars will be green by 2030
26 Feb 2016
Honda is aiming for new-energy vehicles to account for two-thirds of its line-up by 2030 from around 5 per cent now, as increasingly stringent global emissions regulations prompt automakers to make greener cars.
EV carsharing is changing one American city
26 Feb 2016
In the first three months of operation, Indianapolis' BlueIndy all-electric carsharing programme has attracted about 1000 members who took 7000 rides.
Kiwi trader poised and ready in Sydney
25 Feb 2016
Australia might not have a carbon market yet, but Auckland-based OMFinancial says it will be ready when Canberra moves.
Energy markets unlikely ally in the emissions effort
25 Feb 2016
In the aftermath of Paris climate talks, analysts lined up to point out why the celebrated agreement was simply not good enough.
China will 'far surpass' 2020 climate target
25 Feb 2016
China’s lead climate envoy has hinted the country could exceed planned greenhouse gas cuts for 2020 by up to 10 per cent, as the economy slows and coal use falls.
Your rubbish bin is an energy factory
25 Feb 2016
There's energy in your rubbish bin. A large part of it is renewable. And it works even when there is no wind or sun.
Indian city to make rooftop solar mandatory
25 Feb 2016
An Indian city is planning on becoming the second municipality to make rooftop solar mandatory on all buildings.
AGL boss: Get out of the 'emissions business'
24 Feb 2016
The boss of Australia’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases says his company needs to be out of the “CO2 emissions business” regardless of what they think of the science of climate change, simply to manage the financial risk.
You talk too much, market expert tells Canberra
24 Feb 2016
The Australian Government could restore certainty to the market if it did a better job of selling its climate change policy.
China finds capacity biggest trading hurdle
24 Feb 2016
Capacity is the biggest issue holding back the development of China’s national emissions trading market, says a new report.
Paris pact promotes but complicates carbon trading
24 Feb 2016
One out of every six molecules of climate pollution released to the atmosphere next year will be regulated under a cap-and-trade system, according a new global estimate that highlights the remarkable ongoing growth in carbon markets around the world.
US greenhouse gas emissions rise - a little
24 Feb 2016
United States greenhouse gas emissions increased by less than 1 per cent in 2014, according to new Environmental Protection Agency data.
Green investment bank excused green projects
24 Feb 2016
The bank set up by the British government to to fund green infrastructure and cited frequently by Prime Minister David Cameron as evidence of the UK’s leadership on climate change will no longer be required by law to invest in green schemes.
California spends millions on e-car stations
24 Feb 2016
Nearly $9 million in new funding has awarded by the California Energy Commission to four companies to build electric vehicle fast-charging stations along major routes in the state.
China to close more than 1000 coal mines in 2016
23 Feb 2016
China will aim to close more than 1000 coal mines over this year, with a total production capacity of 60 million tonnes, as part of its plans to tackle a price-sapping supply glut in the sector.
Why oil demand will likely peak by 2030
23 Feb 2016
Will global oil demand peak by 2030? Is peak oil demand the new peak oil supply? Many trends now point in the direction of this remarkable possibility.
Beijing raises 'red alert' threshold
23 Feb 2016
Beijing is to raise the thresholds for issuing its highest air pollution warnings, two months after acrid smog triggered the city’s first ever “red alert”.
Americans are driving more than ever
23 Feb 2016
Americans drove more miles than ever before in 2015, a departure from totals that have stayed mostly flat since 2004.
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
Mon 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
Mon 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.
