International: All stories
WORLD TODAY: Antarctic ice shelves melting dramatically, study finds
30 Mar 2015
* Satellite data indicates sea levels rising faster than expected * UK faces European court over coal plant emissions * Pakistan shelves six coal-fired power projects * Rockefeller family tried and failed to get ExxonMobil to accept climate change
Earth at risk in new epoch ruled by destructive humans
23 Mar 2015
Nature has been replaced by humans as the driving force behind changes on the planet − and we need to take urgent action if we are to avoid our own destruction.
Chemicals in fashion industry under spotlight
23 Mar 2015
Efforts by major fashion brands to remove toxic chemicals from their supply chains and to tackle water pollution are under the public spotlight.
WORLD TODAY: Florida employee punished for using phrase 'climate change'
23 Mar 2015
* France decrees new rooftops must be covered in plants or solar panels * Gates Foundation has $1.4bn in fossil fuel investments * Costa Rica powered by 100% renewable energy for first 75 days of 2015
Heat is on to slow down faster rise in temperatures
16 Mar 2015
Analysis of temperature records and reconstructions of past climates indicates that the pace of global warming is about to accelerate.
Anthropocene began with species exchange between Old and New Worlds
16 Mar 2015
Time is divided by geologists according to marked shifts in the Earth’s state. Human activity has clearly altered the land surface, oceans and atmosphere, and re-ordered life on Earth. This suggests that the planet has entered a new human-dominated geological epoch, called the Anthropocene.
World needs early warning of climate-linked disasters
16 Mar 2015
A senior French political leader has told an international conference on how to reduce the risk from natural disasters that 70 per cent of them are now linked to climate change, twice as many as 20 years ago.
WORLD TODAY: Global emissions stall in 2014 following slowdown in China's economy
16 Mar 2015
* Norway's giant fund increases stake in oil and gas companies to £20b * China’s dirty coal plants face climate risk, investors warned * Japan continues to re-embrace coal * Energy efficiency investment must increase five-fold, warns report * A new theory for why the bees are vanishing
WORLD TODAY: Why fresh water shortages will cause the next great global crisis
9 Mar 2015
* EU commits to cut emissions ‘at least’ 40% by 2030 in UN pledge * Canadian government pushing First Nations to give up land rights for oil and gas profits * China blocks web access to documentary on pollution * America's first offshore wind farm set to start construction * Academics probe built-in obsolescence of fridges, notebooks * Sustainable development needed to transform Asia-Pacific’s least developed countries
Business leaders cast wary eye over latest EU plans
2 Mar 2015
International business leaders say that the success of new climate and energy plans for Europe hang on how effectively they are implemented.
Farming boom leaves ecosystems in danger of collapse
2 Mar 2015
China’s push for more intense farming has kept its city dwellers well-fed and has helped to lift millions of rural workers out of poverty … but it has come at a cost.
WORLD TODAY: Game of Thrones bloggers ring climate change alarm bells in US
2 Mar 2015
* End of the Pachauri era: The evolution of consensus on climate science * Reducing food waste could save the global economy $300 billion a year * Germany sees four-fold increase in renewables since 2000 * Waste not, want not: how the rubbish industry learned to look beyond landfill * Switzerland issues pledge for UN climate change pact
Big cities head for water crisis as populations explode
23 Feb 2015
More than 40 per cent of the world’s great cities supplied by surface water could become vulnerable to shortages and drought by 2040, according to new research.
WORLD TODAY: Coal states build wall of red tape to resist Obama's power plan
23 Feb 2015
* Citigroup sets $100b funding goal for green projects * Deutsche bank seeks to buy $1b in green bonds * Carbon pricing pays the way for cleaner energy * EU introduces new rules to make cooking greener * Alberta’s climate-change fund tackles cattle and crop greenhouse gas emissions
EU edges toward 2018 start date for carbon reform
16 Feb 2015
European Union politicians are expected to agree on a compromise 2018 start date for reforms to the Emissions Trading System to try to bridge divisions over efforts to prop up the world's biggest carbon market.
WORLD TODAY: US faces worst droughts in 1000 years, say scientists
16 Feb 2015
* UK political leaders sign climate consensus ahead of election * Germany moves to legalise fracking * Vatican mulling new department to tackle environmental issues * Japan has more car chargers than gas stations * Nissan's glow-in-the-dark LEAF car highlights solar energy benefits
UN states agree on key document for climate change pact
16 Feb 2015
A key milestone on the route to a new, universal agreement on climate change has been reached by more than 190 states meeting in Geneva.
Yes, we can live well and avoid climate disaster, says report
9 Feb 2015
The world can enjoy higher standards of living and more travel, while drastically cutting emissions to avoid dangerous climate change – but only with sweeping changes to our infrastructure, the natural world and agriculture, a new analysis has found.
WORLD WEB: Biggest sovereign wealth fund dumps dozens of coal companies
9 Feb 2015
* France to axe coal subsidies while EU stalls * Can the coal industry lead a carbon capture makeover? * Abbott denies China's carbon trading plan shows he is out of step * Climate change to blame for Australia's record hottest year, says report * Landlords to be banned from renting out energy-inefficient properties * BP embraces climate change risk resolution * Wales follows Scotland and votes in favour of fracking moratorium * Pollution kills far more people than malaria or ebola in...
California rains bring little relief from drought
2 Feb 2015
By KIERAN COOKE.- Doing the right thing in the environs of the University of California, Davis – one of the foremost agricultural institutions in the US – means driving a carbon-efficient car. And having a lawn that’s burned dry.
WORLD WEB: Climate serves up a warning at Australian Open
2 Feb 2015
* Biofuels are not a green alternative to fossil fuels * China coal production falls for first time this century * Europe losing influence in climate negotiations * Ban's new climate adviser warns on geopolitical tensions * Germany to overtake UK this year on offshore wind energy
India gives nothing away in climate talks with US
2 Feb 2015
Hopes that India and the US might announce ambitious plans to co-operate in tackling climate change have proved wide of the mark.
The economic cost of climate change: time for new math
27 Jan 2015
Climate change is as much an economic problem as an environmental one. The effects of climate change, such as damage from more severe weather or health problems from higher temperatures, will impose a cost on society.
WORLD WEB: Light bulbs eco label misused, green NGO claims
27 Jan 2015
* Ban Ki-moon: Lack of focus on green investment 'troubling' * World's leading companies join campaign for 100% renewable power * EU to launch diplomatic offensive ahead of Paris climate talks * After the oil price crash, it’s time for a carbon tax * How will California get 50% of its energy from 'renewable resources' by 2050? * Amazon plans wind farm to power its data centres
Ban names first climate change right-hand man
27 Jan 2015
The United Nations has its first top official whose only job is to deal with climate change.
TWELVE ways to deal with a climate change denier (the BBQ guide)
22 Dec 2014
The end of the year is nigh and it’s a time for Christmas and New Year parties and gatherings. In the southern hemisphere that means barbecues and beaches. In the northern hemisphere it’s mulled wine and cosy fireplaces. But for all of us, it probably means we’ll be subjected to at least one ranting, fact-free sermon by a Typical Climate Change Denier (TCCD).
SEVEN radical ideas for a 2015 climate change deal
22 Dec 2014
WORLD WEB: * UN boss: Lima was a reality check, and leaders need to step up for Paris * Green bonds sell big in 2014 as finance bids to help climate * Washington targets polluters with billion-dollar cap-and-trade plan * Major coral bleaching in Pacific may become worst die-off in 20 years * Honda's hydrogen fuel car to make US debut at Detroit auto show
Australia's emissions targets are heading in the wrong direction
22 Dec 2014
Australia’s emissions of climate-changing greenhouse gases are going up and up – and are set to rise by more than 50% over 1990 levels by 2020, according to new research.
Support grows for ban to safeguard mussels
22 Dec 2014
The Netherlands, Austria, Belgium and Sweden have issued a joint call to ban the microplastics used in detergents and cosmetics, saying the measure will protect marine life – and seafood – from contamination.
Why climate policies are for life, not just for Christmas
22 Dec 2014
Devoted followers of international wrangling on climate change will see much that they recognise in the five-page text emanating from the UN climate talks in Lima.
Voluntary action isn't enough to make cities better
22 Dec 2014
Voluntary programmes are all the rage. From ratcheting up obesity cybersecurity to fighting obesity, firms in the United States and elsewhere voluntarily make pledges to do better than governmental regulation.
Climate talks off on the rocky road to Paris
15 Dec 2014
A deal struck in Lima between 196 nations today leaves open the possibility of saving the planet from dangerous overheating. But its critics say the prospects of success are now slim.
Carbon trade in Beijing tops 100 million yuan
15 Dec 2014
Carbon trade volume in Beijing has reached 105 million yuan ($NZ21.8 million) since a carbon emissions trading scheme was launched in the city a year ago.
WORLD WEB: Meet the world’s greatest climate wrecker … Australia
15 Dec 2014
* Welcome to Planet Oz: Julie Bishop’s speech to Lima climate talks * Change of heart: Abbott government commits $200m to Green Climate Fund * Cutting carbon a good business opportunity, private sector told * EU court nails Austria, Poland over breaches to green energy rules * Scots' renewable energy offsets a million tonnes of CO2 every month * How to harvest energy from everything that moves
Our new energy mix is a game-changer, says India
15 Dec 2014
While the political spotlight focused on the world’s two biggest polluters − China and the US − in the run-up to the Lima climate talks, pressure is mounting on India to set emissions targets to help to prevent the planet overheating.
Ocean heat drives surge to global warming record
8 Dec 2014
It’s official, even though it won’t be conclusive for a few months yet: if present trends continue, 2014 will be one of the hottest years on record − and quite possibly the hottest of them all.
WORLD WEB: 'They say that in 30 years maybe Kiribati will disappear'
8 Dec 2014
* Adapting to a warmer climate could cost almost three times as much as thought, says UN report * German government approves €80 billion climate package * Local buddy scheme to help boost renewables and energy efficiency * Gobal emissions scheme talks renewed * Major new study confirms wind farms do not harm human health
Australia should export more ideas and fewer greenhouse emissions
8 Dec 2014
As climate negotiators meet at the US-China climate deal United Nations' Lima summit, which comes hot on the heels of the landmark
Lima climate talks ‘stepping stone’ for universal treaty
1 Dec 2014
A new round of talks in Lima is an opportunity to raise immediate awareness on climate change and lay the foundation for a new universal agreement to be adopted in 2015, says a top UN official.
Cities key to economic growth and fighting climate crisis
1 Dec 2014
How cities develop will be critical to achieve economic growth and tackle climate change, according to a new series of studies.
How climate fund pledges stack up to what's needed
1 Dec 2014
By ELIZABETH DOUGLASS.- Depending on who you ask, the $9.6 billion in pledges for the Green Climate Fund is either a woeful start or an encouraging sign that wealthy nations are serious about helping poorer ones deal with climate change.
WORLD WEB: Plastics to be banned from European landfill
1 Dec 2014
* Pope Francis backs global efforts to tackle climate change * Medical students to be taught how to cope with impacts of climate change * EU agrees on law to make ships measure CO2 emissions * Rocket can reach the moon fuelled by human waste * Jargon busting: Inside the world of the UN climate talks
Why Australian investment in renewable energy has stalled
1 Dec 2014
Investment in Australia's renewable energy sector in the year to September 2014 was down 70 per cent on investment during the previous 12 months.
Sydney's green energy plans impress judges
1 Dec 2014
The City of Sydney’s Renewable Energy Master Plan- including plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 70 per cent by 2030 - has scooped the prestigious European Solar Prize 2014 award for excellence and innovation.
Obama pledge gets dollars flowing into climate fund
24 Nov 2014
It was quite a week for those waiting for some action on climate change.
Investors slow to take up climate change fight
24 Nov 2014
Global investment in climate change reduction has fallen for the second year in a row, a drop of $28 billion from 2012, and far below estimates of what is needed, according to new research
Six steps world leaders must agree to take to protect Earth
24 Nov 2014
International talks in Paris in 2015 could see the world’s nations agree to limit global warming to a rise of 2C.
WORLD WEB: Toyota hopes to recreate Prius success with hydrogen-powered Mirai
24 Nov 2014
* Next president could make or break US climate plans * Industry shock as marine energy leader Pelamis to call in administrators * Germany’s climate targets unattainable with dirty coal power, analysts say * Europe reveals plans to ration shoppers to 40 free carrier bags a year * Nasa animation shows stunning year in the life of carbon emissions
UN warns Pacific islands of extreme weather risks
24 Nov 2014
Extreme weather conditions predicted for the Pacific Ocean pose a significant threat for island states' industry and infrastructure, warns the United Nations.
Court rules Britain must clean up air pollution
24 Nov 2014
The UK government will be forced to urgently clean up illegal air pollution in British cities following a ruling in the European court of justice.
Australian rainforests no longer a carbon sink – study
Today 11:30am
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
Today 11:30am
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
Today 11:30am
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
Today 11:30am
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.
