International: All stories
Netherlands eyes firmer carbon market
21 Jun 2016
The Dutch presidency of the European Union is seeking political support from member states to enshrine in a carbon market reform a flexibility provision that would enable strengthening the world’s biggest cap-and-trade programme.
Oil bust leaves states with massive well clean-up
21 Jun 2016
The worst oil bust since the 1980s is putting Texas and other oil producing states on the hook for thousands of newly abandoned drilling sites at a time when they have little money to plug wells and seal off environmental hazards.
Record year for murdering environmental activists
21 Jun 2016
More than three people were killed a week defending their land from mining or logging interests last year.
Big players' threats might force NZ to sign early
20 Jun 2016
Climate Change Minister Paula Bennett says New Zealand might have to ratify the Paris Agreement on climate change this year, as large countries threaten to lock us out of the process to set the crucial rules for the operation of international carbon markets and accounting.
Records show climate change is an emergency
20 Jun 2016
May was the 13th month in a row to break temperature records in a string of incredible climate milestones which scientists have described as a bombshell and an emergency.
Climate warming raises global economic threats
20 Jun 2016
Research shows that the effects of extreme heat and weather events on production of raw materials has far-reaching and costly financial implications.
More want climate action now than before carbon tax
20 Jun 2016
By DEBORAH COTTON | In April 2011, not long after Julia Gillard was returned to power in the 2010 federal election, I asked a representative sample of Australians about their attitudes to climate policy.
How to design cities for a car-light future
20 Jun 2016
Thinking of building more parking or widening your roads? Think again. Rapid innovation in the mobility sector could drastically reduce driving, the need for parking and expanded roadways.
UN says ratify; Government says not yet
17 Jun 2016
The Government has still not decided when it will ratify the Paris Agreement on climate change, Parliament heard yesterday.
IT'S OFFICIAL: Our world just changed
17 Jun 2016
We’re officially living in a new world. The last station on Earth without a 400 parts per million CO2 reading has reached that mark.
Blow to carbon markets if Britain leaves Europe
17 Jun 2016
A “yes” Brexit vote would leave a large pro-market void in Brussels and will hold back the development of international carbon markets, the International Emissions Trading Association is warning.
Could ‘nitrogen trading’ help the Great Barrier Reef?
17 Jun 2016
Among the increasing sums of money being pledged to help save the Great Barrier Reef is a federal government pledge to spend $A40 million on improving water quality. The Queensland government has promised another $33.5 million for the same purpose.
Chapter 4 out now
17 Jun 2016
It’s time for the fourth chapter of the International Emissions Trading Association’s series on the development of carbon markets – and this time it’s about the Clean Development Mechanism.
Scientists urge Obama to halt Arctic oil leasing
17 Jun 2016
Nearly 400 scientists from more than a dozen countries are urging President Obama to stop future oil and gas drilling in the Arctic Ocean because of significant environmental and climate risks.
Eco homeowners offered cheaper mortgages
17 Jun 2016
Homeowners will qualify for reduced repayment on their mortgages if they undertake energy efficiency renovations, and lower interest rates on loans to pay for them, under “pioneering” plans being drawn up by lenders for consideration by EU and global regulators.
Big banks still fund polluting industries
16 Jun 2016
The world’s biggest private-sector banks are still funding the industries that drive climate change to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars.
Record CO2 levels signal sizzling summers
16 Jun 2016
As carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reaches a historic high point that could continue for a lifetime, summer temperatures are also heading toward record levels
Norway pledges to be climate neutral by 2030
16 Jun 2016
Norway’s parliament has approved a radical goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2030, two decades earlier than planned.
Hollande ratifies Paris climate deal for France
16 Jun 2016
Francois Hollande has become the first leader of an industrialised nation to ratify the Paris Agreement.
Climate change opens Siberian 'gateway to the underworld'
16 Jun 2016
In the heart of Siberia’s boreal forest gapes a monstrous chasm local Yakutians call a “gateway to the underworld,” connecting this life to the next.
May marks one more record hot month for the world
15 Jun 2016
May was record warm for the globe, according to NASA. It’s now even more likely that 2016 will be the hottest year ever recorded.
How low oil prices could weaken Paris pact
15 Jun 2016
Low oil prices could effectively cancel the impact of emissions reduction pledges made under the Paris Agreement, a new study warns.
Paris agreement needs carbon prices to be coordinated
15 Jun 2016
The Paris climate agreement was an important success for climate diplomacy as nation states showed a strong will to cooperate on climate action.
Scotland exceeds targets - six years early
15 Jun 2016
Scotland has exceeded a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 42 per cent - six years early.
China eyes $1 trillion for low-carbon cities
15 Jun 2016
Investment of $1 trillion is needed over the next five years to build low-carbon cities in China, according to a new report.
Flood-hit farmers demand climate action
15 Jun 2016
Flood-affected Tasmanian farmers want to see more action on climate change, a topic which has received little debate during the election campaign.
Farewell, 400 parts per million
14 Jun 2016
The past 12 months have seen a record surge in carbon dioxide emissions say scientists, driven by the burning of fossil fuels and boosted by a rampant El Nino phenomenon.
Ex-Deutsche banker jailed for carbon trading fraud
14 Jun 2016
A former Deutsche Bank employee has been sentenced to three years in jail for his part in a scheme trading carbon emission permits to fraudulently collect $NZ350 million in sales tax.
Plastic-bag recycling heads to southern stores
13 Jun 2016
A plastic-bag recycling programme is being extended to Christchurch, and is expected to collect 75 tonnes of soft plastic a year.
New map shows the dark side of artificial light at night
13 Jun 2016
More than a third of humanity cannot see the Milky Way due to light pollution, and a new wave of energy-efficient lighting could make the problem much worse.
EU gears up to ratify Paris agreement
13 Jun 2016
The Brussels bureaucracy has made its first step towards ratifying the Paris climate agreement. In a nudge to national governments, the European Commission published a draft motion for the Council of Leaders to consider.
Trump once backed urgent climate action
13 Jun 2016
As negotiators headed to Copenhagen in December 2009 to forge a global climate pact, concerned U.S. business leaders and liberal luminaries took out a full-page ad in the New York Times calling for aggressive climate action.
Victoria sets date to be carbon neutral
10 Jun 2016
The State of Victoria is pledging to be carbon-neutral by 2050.
Scientists puzzle over Antarctica’s long-term ice loss
10 Jun 2016
Analysis of satellite data records reveals that the worrying loss of hundreds of square kilometres of ice along West Antarctica’s coastline has been occurring for decades.
Arctic sea ice falls to record low for May
10 Jun 2016
Arctic sea ice fell to its lowest-ever May extent, prompting fears that this year could beat 2012 for the record of worst ever summer sea ice melt.
US and India sign $1b renewable energy pact
9 Jun 2016
The US and India partnered on new renewable energy initiatives totalling a $1 billion during Prime Minister Narenda Modi’s visit to the White House this week.
Carbon story part three out now
9 Jun 2016
Are you ready for the next instalment in the story of the birth of the world’s carbon markets?
EU climate negotiations set to strain unity
9 Jun 2016
A united Europe pushed for an ambitious global climate pact in Paris last December – and got it. Now it is time to deliver, that unity will be put to the test. Between a wayward Warsaw, refugee crisis and the Brexit threat, the European project is coming under strain.
Norway brings forward carbon neutral target to 2030
9 Jun 2016
Norway has agreed on a 2030 target to cut net greenhouse gas emissions to zero, 20 years earlier than the previous deadline.
Bennett reaffirms energy aid for islands
8 Jun 2016
Climate Change Minister Paula Bennett has repeated New Zealand’s commitment to helping Pacific communities to withstand the impacts of climate change, after witnessing them first-hand.
Cities need a clean-up as massive storms pump pollution into the sea
8 Jun 2016
The massive storms that have lashed Australia’s east coast over the past few days are not just a threat to lives and property, but also to marine wildlife.
Great Barrier Reef a catastrophe laid bare
8 Jun 2016
Australia’s natural wonder is in mortal danger. Bleaching caused by climate change has killed almost a quarter of the Great Barrier Reef's coral this year and many scientists believe it could be too late for the rest.
Korea looks for ways to boost carbon trading
7 Jun 2016
The Korean government is seeking ways to boost carbon emissions rights trading, which is failing to take root in the country.
EU companies embrace circular economy thinking
7 Jun 2016
A new survey says 70 per cent of EU companies are implementing a circular economy strategy, but there is still work to be done on renewable energy and water consumption.
Queensland bankrolls council climate projects
3 Jun 2016
The Queensland Labor government will bankroll projects by coastal councils to mitigate the effects of rising sea levels, less than two years after its Liberal National predecessor banned mentions of climate change impacts from planning policy.
Temperature records tumble in Australia
3 Jun 2016
Australia has posted its hottest autumn on record, with Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane among the cities to post their warmest temperatures for the season, as the giant El Nino in the Pacific wound down.
Part two of carbon trading story out now
2 Jun 2016
The second chapter of From Kyoto to Paris, an oral history of the development of emissions trading, has been released.
Genghis could conquer anything … except climate change
2 Jun 2016
Climate fluctuation not only miight have paved the way for Genghis Khan’s conquests of Asia in the 13th century, sudden climatic change might also have halted the Mongol invasion of Europe, according to new research.
China hitting climate targets ahead of schedule
2 Jun 2016
China’s 13th five-year plan is quite possibly the most important document in the world in setting the pace of acting on climate change.
Temperature spiral has an update and it's not pretty
1 Jun 2016
The temperature spiral that took the world by storm has an update. If you think the heat is on in our current climate, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
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.
