International: All stories
Hurricane Katrina: what have we learned?
31 Aug 2015
Two academic papers inspired a media firestorm, polarising popular opinion and scientists, on whether global warming was in some way responsible for Hurricane Katrina.
Scientists rate Australia even worse than NZ
31 Aug 2015
Australia has got an even worse review from an international coalition of climate scientists for its post-2020 emissions reduction target than New Zealand got.
What in the world's going on ...
31 Aug 2015
* What does China’s Black Monday mean for the climate? * Total brings down the curtain on coal operations * You can fight climate change and grow the economy, says Lord Stern * Government accused of failing to protect waterways from farm pollution * In just three years all Dutch trains will run on windpower * US Navy invests in world’s largest solar farm
Islamic climate experts urge 1.5° limit on warming
24 Aug 2015
A far-reaching call to avoid runaway climate change and to build a more just and sustainable global society has been launched by Islamic leaders.
Sydney sets energy sights on saving $600 million
24 Aug 2015
A new energy efficiency plan is set to save Sydney more than $600 million in power bills by 2030.
What in the world's going on ...
24 Aug 2015
* Feeling the heat: Earth in July was hottest month on record * Norwegian fund divests from four Asian companies over palm oil * How coal giant Adani charmed Australia's political elite * 1000 square miles of England to be opened up for fracking * Artificial leaf could one day power the world with clean energy * Groundwater pumping in California drought causes land to sink faster * How Carbon Tracker changed the climate debate * Philippines plans huge bet on coal
The quest to find sanitation solutions for Africa
24 Aug 2015
In a bid to get closer to the Millennium Development Goal of halving the 2.5 billion people without sanitation access, innovative solutions are being tested across the globe.
Australia's 'weak' emissions targets don't add up
17 Aug 2015
Australia has a huge gap between its projected and target 2030 emissions, an analyst is warning.
Frustrated Sydney gets climate act together
17 Aug 2015
Sydney is acting to protect itself against heat waves, floods, storms and energy shortages as a result of climate change.
Why promoting green ways in Africa might be bad
17 Aug 2015
Inadequate infrastructure is widely recognised to be holding back Africa’s development and lowering the quality of life of its citizens.
What in the world's going on ...
17 Aug 2015
* IPCC chair election: 5 candidates, 8 weeks to go * Fifteen states seek to block Obama power plan * UK to trial under-road wireless charging for EVs * How Japan pushes coal on the world * Reporting your company's carbon footprint can save millions * The lowly lightbulb outshines solar and wind * Scottish motorists get millions to buy e-cars
Obama plan opens door to real action in Paris
10 Aug 2015
President Obama’s determination to reduce US carbon emissions by 32% below 2005 levels by 2030 sends a message to the rest of the world’s leaders that the UN climate talks in Paris could succeed in saving the planet from overheating.
A carbon tax for South Africa: why a pragmatic approach makes sense
10 Aug 2015
The furore over the carbon tax in South Africa that is playing itself out both in public and behind closed doors is leading to an impasse.
What in the world's going on ...
10 Aug 2015
* Mafia and multinationals milk Italy's green energy boom * Labour hopeful demands solar panels on every rooftop * Shell to leave US anti-carbon lobbying group * Eleven events that will shape the Paris climate deal * Abbott warns against sabotaging Carmichael coalmine * Wind-powered kites could signal step-change for renewable energy * Wind-powered kites could signal step-change for renewable energy * Tiny grains of rice hold big promise for gas reductions * Tech tells you how much...
Australia's worst emitters look like dodging the bullet
3 Aug 2015
None of Australia’s 20 largest emitting facilities is expected to be accountable for emissions, despite almost all being forecast to grow emissions over the next 10 years.
Clinton stakes out safe political ground with energy and climate plan
3 Aug 2015
US presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton has begun to unveil components of her policy agenda on energy and climate change.
Half of climate safety level has gone, say scientists
3 Aug 2015
Global temperatures have risen by 1°C in the past 150 years, and scientists say doubling that level could unleash catastrophic sea level rise this century.
Sustainable oil from algae: the technology is ready, but what about the politics?
3 Aug 2015
Ultimately, all of the oil we use to power our modern lives comes from living creatures such as algae – albeit ones that lived 3.5 billion years ago, before gradually morphing into fossil fuel.
Message in a bottle: wine industry gives farmers a taste of what's to come
3 Aug 2015
Wine seems to be a handy way to galvanise concerns about the future ill-effects of climate change.
WORLD WEEK: Coal hard facts
3 Aug 2015
* World Bank rejects notion that coal can cure poverty * Green groups express concern over Tory policies in letter to PM * France targets carbon tax in energy transition law * Drought might stunt forests’ ability to capture carbon * Polaris introduces electric motorcycle, beating Harley to market * Figures confirm wind delivers lion's share of UK clean energy * Iran’s thirst for energy draws in wind developers * Leak shows US spying on Japan over climate change
One year on from the carbon price experiment, the rebound in emissions is clear
27 Jul 2015
Just over a year ago, Australia concluded a unique public policy experiment. For the preceding two years and two weeks, it had put a price on a range of greenhouse gas emitting activities, most significantly power generation.
Why economic changes are needed to tackle climate crisis
27 Jul 2015
The president of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, says the world needs a whole new economic framework to tackle the consequences of the warming caused by emissions of greenhouse gases.
WORLD WEEK
27 Jul 2015
* Australia's dirtiest power station considers clean energy biomass burning option * Fresh negotiating text promises strong foundation for Paris Climate Summit * Startup bets e-scooters can give urban power grids a makeover * UK suspends ban on pesticides linked to serious harm in bees * Small island states set example for large polluters ahead of Paris talks * Kenya vows to cut emissions 30 per cent by 2030 * Who’s who in the world of climate change diplomacy
Australia hit its Kyoto target, but it was more a three-inch putt than a hole in one
20 Jul 2015
In the saga of mendacity that is the climate policy debate, no claim has been more audacious than the one now being told by the federal government about Australia’s “success” in meeting its Kyoto emissions target.
Eco-friendly golf means not worrying if the grass is greener on the other course
20 Jul 2015
The Open Championship has returned to St Andrews, one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious golf courses and one that has been recognised for its commitment to sustainability.
Climate threat as grave a risk as nuclear war, say scientists
20 Jul 2015
The risks of climate change are comparable to those posed by nuclear conflict, says a new report.
Record torrential rainfall linked to warming climate
20 Jul 2015
If you think you’re getting an unusually hard soaking more often when you go out in the rain, you’re probably right.
Bioenergy: making money and clean energy
20 Jul 2015
The Australian government’s draft direction to the Clean Energy Finance Corporation to invest in “emerging” clean energy over mature sources such as wind and rooftop solar has added yet more uncertainty to the renewable sector in the country.
WORLD WEEK: For Tony Abbott, it's full steam ahead on coal, 'the foundation of prosperity'
20 Jul 2015
* Japan to deliver 26% emissions reduction plan * The trillion-dollar question: How do we create sustainable development? * Chinese zero-emissions electric bus prepares for service in London * Muslim scholars name climate change as dire threat * Beware permitting fracking, says farmer who allowed coal methane borehole
Heat goes on to find out what’s happening at the poles
20 Jul 2015
Nations have agreed to an international action plan to improve predictions of weather, climate and ice conditions in polar regions, the United Nations says.
Why climate change could knock seafood off the menu
13 Jul 2015
Pink salmon – the smallest and most abundant of the Pacific salmon species, and a supper table mainstay in many parts of the world – may be swimming toward trouble.
WORLD TODAY: Europe clears way for reform of carbon market
13 Jul 2015
* France may extend coal subsidies to save jobs * Britain scraps zero carbon homes target * Fossil fuel industry must 'implode' to avoid climate disaster, says top scientist * Abbott government extends renewable energy investment ban to solar power * Small farmers can be major actors in reducing agriculture's carbon footprint, says UN
Carbon players look to world market
6 Jul 2015
Carbon market players will gather in Sydney on Friday to talk about how to create an international carbon market.
Australia’s ‘climate roundtable’ could unite old foes and end the carbon deadlock
6 Jul 2015
Climate policy is in the Australian media yet again, but this time it might be different. The set of policy principles released by the Australian Climate Roundtable are extraordinary for two reasons.
Greenhouse gas-guzzlers might spurn extra carbon dioxide
6 Jul 2015
Diatoms – tiny ocean-dwelling photosynthesisers that produce a fifth of the planet’s oxygen each year – may not gulp down more carbon dioxide more enthusiastically as greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere continue to rise.
WORLD TODAY: New coal plants most urgent threat to the planet, warns OECD head
6 Jul 2015
* Greenhouse gas blamed for climate expulsion driving temperature rises across Pacific nations * China climate pledge inadequate on efficiency, say analysts * UN tells oil giants to stop lobbying against climate deal * UK unveils help for bees with £900m stewardship scheme * Time for pollution pricing to work for the climate * New renewable energy hub launched to boost Scottish firms in Japan
Q&A: Robert Redford tells us what he told the UN General Assembly
6 Jul 2015
The climate change crisis involves action from every country, every nation and every person, actor and environmental activist Robert Redford told the United Nations last week.
Dutch court orders state to slash greenhouse emissions
29 Jun 2015
A Dutch court has ordered the state to slash greenhouse gas emissions nationwide by at least 25 per cent by 2020, in a case that could serve as a blueprint for activists around the world.
If everyone lived in an ecovillage, the Earth would still be in trouble
29 Jun 2015
We are used to hearing that if everyone lived in the same way as North Americans or Australians, we would need four or five planet Earths to sustain us.
Australia can halve emissions by 2030, says new analysis
29 Jun 2015
Australia can reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, according to analysis by ClimateWorks.
The carbon tax wasn’t a ‘slug’ to the economy and Direct Action may be a waste of money
29 Jun 2015
Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt, writing in the Fairfax opinion pages, has said that the now abolished carbon tax was a far more expensive way to reduce Australia’s carbon emissions than the Direct Action policy that replaced it.
WORLD TODAY: World’s aquifers losing replenishment race
29 Jun 2015
* Outcry as UK plans to privatise green bank * Climate change can destroy 50 years of health and development * Gates to invest $2bn in breakthrough renewable energy projects * Obama sets sizzling climate action pace in push to leave legacy * Why Cisco is buying solar energy
Prospect of warmer winters doesn’t mean fewer deaths
29 Jun 2015
Global warming is unlikely to mean that fewer people in northern latitudes will die from cold during the winter, according to a study by scientists in the United States.
What the Pope said about the trouble we're in
22 Jun 2015
In a document remarkable for its sweep and its depth, Pope Francis last week unveiled his long-awaited encyclical on the environment, in essence calling on humanity to address a climate and environmental crisis that calls for urgent global action.
WORLD TODAY: The Earth stands on the brink of its sixth mass extinction and the fault is ours
22 Jun 2015
* Is Russia moving toward a fracking future? * Carbon emissions from aircraft endanger human health, says US * Venezuela: The climate paradox of the petro-state * It’s Prost v Senna again – and this time the racing really is electric
India blames heatwave deaths on climate change
22 Jun 2015
Fierce temperatures in India doubled the heat-related deaths normally recorded in May − and the government insists natural causes are not to blame.
Insurance industry leaders must stand up, says UN
22 Jun 2015
The insurance industry has been told it must play a strong role in shaping a more sustainable future.
The G7 is right to call for fossil fuel phase-out, but it can happen sooner
15 Jun 2015
The G7 nations, at their summit in Germany, called for “a decarbonisation of the global economy over the course of this century”. Of course, this group of nations is among those most heavily in favour of strong climate action, but the opportunities for climate-friendly growth are everywhere.
Australia's emissions figures wrong, says report
15 Jun 2015
Australia’s official greenhouse gas emissions projections – used by the Government in its submission to the United Nations ahead of December’s climate conference in Paris – may be overstated by more than 200 million tonnes, latest research shows.
Australia faces stormy future as temperatures soar
15 Jun 2015
Destructive storms and sudden floods are set to intensify across Australia as global warming plays havoc with rainfall patterns.
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.
