International: All stories
US and Canada about to join forces on climate
9 Mar 2016
Barack Obama and Justin Trudeau will commit to work together to fight climate change and protect an Arctic experiencing the mildest winter ever recorded, sources familiar with the initiatives said.
EU emissions trading scheme needs urgent reform
9 Mar 2016
The Paris agreement has shown that the EU’s proposal to decrease CO2 emissions by 40 per cent by 2030, from 1990 levels, was the most ambitious pledge at the summit. Other industrialised countries, such as the US and Australia, as well as emerging powers, notably China and India, are lagging behind Europe.
Electric car sales in China up 223% in 2015
9 Mar 2016
Sales of electric vehicles in China increased by 223 per cent last year and made up a 1.4 per cent share of the country's total auto market in December.
Obama pays out $500m to climate change project
9 Mar 2016
The Obama administration has made a first installment on its $3bn pledge to help poor countries to fight climate change – defying Republican opposition to the president’s environmental plan.
Pentagon makes 'climate change' official
9 Mar 2016
The US Department of Defense has long acknowledged the threat to global and national security posed by climate change. But last week, it officially included "climate change" in its official glossary for the first time.
How climate helped to trigger the fall of Angkor Wat
8 Mar 2016
Scientific evidence is growing that the decline of once-mighty Angkor, the famed temple site in modern Cambodia, was in large part due to abrupt climate change.
China's emissions may have peaked, says Stern
8 Mar 2016
Carbon emissions may have peaked already in China, years earlier than its leaders pledged, according to a study co-authored by the renowned economist Lord Stern.
IMF chief calls for end to fossil fuel subsidies
8 Mar 2016
Fossil fuel subsidies should be cut as part ofthe global effort to combat climate change, according to the head of the International Monetary Fund.
EU open to increasing 2030 carbon target
8 Mar 2016
Europe’s chief climate negotiator has said he is open to increasing the EU’s carbon target for 2030, in a backdown by the European commission.
Plenty of room to store carbon, study finds
8 Mar 2016
Geological sites suitable for storing carbon dioxide emissions are available in most parts of the world, according to data collated by an industry body.
Who's looking after the planet ... and who isn't
8 Mar 2016
The 2016 Environmental Performance Index ranks 180 countries according to their performance in safeguarding ecosystems and protecting human health from environmental harm.
What the White House hopefuls think of new energy
7 Mar 2016
The long-term global transition away from fossil fuels will deliver many benefits, including jobs, reduced air pollution, lower greenhouse gas emissions and less exposure to the volatility and risks of extracting, storing and transporting fossil fuels.
An environmentally just city works best for all
7 Mar 2016
Melbourne’s population is expected to almost double by mid-century, overtaking Sydney as Australia’s biggest city. But all states are growing and the increases are concentrated in the capital cities.
Warming means unfair share for poor
7 Mar 2016
Climate change could seriously redistribute resources and reallocate wealth – but not in a fair way.
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.
Battery subsidy scheme set for 'urgent' overhaul as costs run out of control
16 Dec 2025
Australian Energy Minister Chris Bowen has announced big changes to the government's battery subsidy scheme amid claims most of its $2.3 billion budget has been spent in just six months.
EPA erases references to human-caused climate change from websites
19 Dec 2025
EPA has scrubbed references to people’s contribution to rising temperatures from some of its climate change webpages.
Verra cancels four tree planting projects in China. And starts reviews of 45 more projects
16 Dec 2025
“Multiple carbon projects in China are facing serious allegations regarding the authenticity of government approval documents."
France updates its 2050 carbon neutrality roadmap
17 Dec 2025
To mark the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, France released a revamped climate plan promising to phase out oil and gas and sharply increase electricity use.
Net-zero scenario is ‘cheapest option’ for UK, says energy system operator
15 Dec 2025
A scenario that meets the “net-zero by 2050” goal would be the “cheapest” option for the UK, according to modelling by the National Energy System Operator (NESO).
The ecological havens flourishing beneath power lines
19 Dec 2025
Initiatives to foster native wildflowers, grasses and shrubs are turning utility corridors into wildlife corridors.
‘Not normal’: Climate crisis supercharged deadly monsoon floods in Asia
12 Dec 2025
Cyclones like those in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Malaysia that killed 1,750 are ‘alarming new reality’.
Pacific fisheries summit gives a boost to albacore and seabirds
19 Dec 2025
Much of the world’s albacore tuna catch, which usually ends up in a can, comes from the southwestern Pacific Ocean, where fishery managers just passed a new set of conservation rules.
Arctic endured year of record heat as climate scientists warn of ‘winter being redefined’
18 Dec 2025
Region known as ‘world’s refrigerator’ is heating up as much as four times as quickly as global average, Noaa experts say.
Are rainforests now a cause of, rather than the answer to, climate change?
15 Dec 2025
A new study finds that Africa’s forests, responsible for one-fifth of global carbon removal, are beginning to generate carbon as the result of human activity.
Thousands of climate disasters are not included in official reports from Amazonian countries
12 Dec 2025
More than 12,500 extreme weather events impacted the Amazon and its population in 10 years, but countries have not generated enough information about it, according to a new scientific study.
UN environment report 'hijacked' by US and others over fossil fuels, top scientist says
11 Dec 2025
A key UN report on the state of the global environment has been "hijacked" by the United States and other countries who were unwilling to go along with the scientific findings, the co-chair has told the BBC.
