International: All stories
Change the way you wee ... and help to save the world
8 Sep 2014
The energy-water nexus between water, sanitation, and our global consumption of energy – the “energy-water nexus" - are more obvious than ever before. But how many of us will take direction at the most basic level of all?
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
1 Sep 2014
* Big power out, solar in: UBS urges investors to join renewables revolution * Renewable energy investments create larger returns than pension funds * Researchers say this year's ecological footprint has already been exceeded * Shell prepares for 2015 Arctic drilling * Pacific makes substantial progress in reducing carbon footprint * How a church in West Virginia get solar panels for just $1
Business gleans ideas at small islands forum
1 Sep 2014
Small island states offer opportunities for genuine and sustainable business partnerships, according to executives and officials at United Nations private sector forum in Samoa.
Water levels rank with soccer scores in drying Brazil
1 Sep 2014
Outside the semi-arid area of the north-east, Brazilians have never had to worry about conserving water. Year in, year out, the summer has always brought rain.
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
25 Aug 2014
* World's largest tidal energy project gets £50m funding boost * 'Grand bargain' may secure enough support for Direct Action to pass Senate * Global climate inaction will mean economic turmoil for South Asia, warns bank * What would a fair UN climate change deal look like? * Environmentalists, business on collision course for putting cars on CO2 market
UN expects big things from Samoa conference
25 Aug 2014
The United Nations expects more than 300 initiatives to be announced next week at a major world conference in Samoa aimed at fostering partnerships with small island developing states.
Study holds out little hope for climate solutions
25 Aug 2014
An effective treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will probably remain elusive, according to a new research study, because the steps likely to win political agreement would be ineffective, while those that could produce results would be politically unfeasible.
Media clashes raise questions of news bias
25 Aug 2014
It’s tempting to view The Australian’s latest broadside at the ABC as just another salvo fired between the nation’s two biggest media organisations.
Green fatigue ... or just not so much recycling?
25 Aug 2014
It has been suggested that a recent fall in recycling rates in Britain is due to green fatigue, caused by the confusing number of recycling bins presented to householders for different materials.
Economy changes fuel Spain's fire dangers
25 Aug 2014
Climate change is gradually turning Spain into a fire zone – but it’s also the change in the economic climate that is inflaming the situation.
Judge throws out family's fracking pollution case
18 Aug 2014
A Texas judge has dismissed a million dollar lawsuit filed by a family who say their lives have been ruined by noxious emissions from oil and gas facilities near their home.
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
18 Aug 2014
* Corporate Australia in denial over climate change, says former coal executive * Korean businesses decry carbon trading plan * India deals blow to climate negotiations * Tuvalu PM says climate change like a weapon of mass destruction * Al Gore enlists youth for climate control * 11 ways young people have revolutionised the climate debate * Project Survival: How Pacific island youth are facing down climate change
City plans to harvest storm water
18 Aug 2014
Scenic cascades will carry water through Sydney Park’s wetlands to the city’s largest storm water harvesting system to create a haven for native frogs and birds and encourage bush regeneration.
Smog-plagued Beijing sets timer on use of coal
11 Aug 2014
Beijing will ban coal sales and use in its six main districts and other regions by the end of 2020 to cut air pollution.
New York posts climate crisis message … by law
11 Aug 2014
Adapting for climate change is no longer just a recommendation in New York State - it's about to become the law.
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
11 Aug 2014
* The corporatisation of US green energy: a double-edged sword worth billions * World's top PR companies rule out working with climate deniers * European electric car sales continue to accelerate * Women to watch ahead of the UN’s 2015 climate summit * Europe launches mobile app to help public monitor air pollution * Used-cigarette butts to power your computer * Contractor jailed for 28 months for dumping fracking waste
Anxious EU reviews scientific assessment rules
11 Aug 2014
The European Commission is reviewing its impact assessment guidelines amid accusations that science is becoming increasingly politicised and scientists manipulated by policymakers and powerful interest groups.
Why the Chinese leadership puts China first
11 Aug 2014
By KAROLINA WYSOCZANSKA.- During Chinese premier Li Keqiang’s last visit to Britain, China signed a series of deals on energy and low carbon technology, and a declaration of cooperation on climate change.
Climate crisis failure means chaos, says trade chief
4 Aug 2014
Failure to factor immediate action on climate change into American policies and business plans aimed at economic prosperity will lead to havoc, warns former United States Trade Secretary.
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
4 Aug 2014
* China regulator approves fresh supply for carbon market * Obama cranks up pressure on critics with latest climate play * Belarusians caught littering could have cars confiscate * US Navy includes biofuels in annual fuel request * Judge strikes down town's fracking ban * Oil companies forfeit Arctic drilling rights
Inaction will cost billions, warns White House
1 Aug 2014
The world could face economic consequences worth billions of dollars if it doesn't act now to curb global warming, the White House warns.
Latest scientific data shows how world is warming
25 Jul 2014
Most worldwide climate indicators last year continued to reflect trends of a warmer planet, according to the State of the Climate in 2013 report, released this week by the American Meteorological Society.
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
25 Jul 2014
* Giving up beef will reduce carbon footprint more than cars, says expert * Small Colorado town picks big-time fight over fracking * Fremantle bans plastic bags and imposes fines of up to $2500 * Sainsbury’s announces £200 million corporate green loan to invest in carbon reduction * World Council of Churches says it will not invest in fossil fuels * The strange relationship between global warming denial and speaking English
Tech advances will impact jobs, says report
25 Jul 2014
More than half of the jobs in the European Union’s 28 member states will be impacted significantly by advances in technology over the coming decades, according to calculations by the thinktank Bruegel.
Europe could pay huge climate price, says report
18 Jul 2014
A failure to act to reduce the impacts of climate change could cost Europe dear in lives lost and economic damage, according to a European Commission study.
ETS pay-off puts millions into climate projects
18 Jul 2014
The sale of carbon credits for the first time will finance projects that help to tackle climate change.
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
18 Jul 2014
* UK cities will exceed EU pollution limits until 2030 * Merkel returns to climate politics with call for EU leadership * Political meddling is damaging UK's low-carbon energy sector * It's time we gave our children permission to get outside and get dirty * Climate change: Could we engineer greener humans? * Fiji vulnerable to climate change: ambassador to UN
Ambition key to 2015 global climate accord
11 Jul 2014
The word is "ambition," and it's being voiced with extra urgency by those who worry that the world's leaders won't soon commit themselves to measures strong enough to combat climate change.
Time is not on our side, warns UN
11 Jul 2014
International cooperation and bold action are needed to avoid dangerous and irreversible climate disruption, says the Unired Nations.
Billions in money pot could unlock clean energy deal
11 Jul 2014
Europe’s structural funding cash pool for energy efficiency and renewables projects has soared by 40 per cent to an estimated $NZ46 billion and could be used to broker a 2030 clean energy targets deal with cost-concerned east European states, EurActiv reports.
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
11 Jul 2014
* UN presents shopping list for 2015 climate deal * Electric ‘Boris cars’ are coming to London – how do they work in Paris? * European Court of Justice to hear UK air pollution case * Cities moving on climate change action * Australia facing ‘unprecedented rise in climate denial’
Change needed if world is to home nine billion
4 Jul 2014
For the world to achieve a sustainable transition by 2050, when the population will be more than nine billion, a significant adjustment is needed to the current patterns of consumption and production.
France’s move to ban plastic bags hits trouble
4 Jul 2014
France wants to ban single-use plastic bags by 2016, years ahead of a European directive. But replacing them with biodegradable packaging makes it equally problematic.
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
4 Jul 2014
* Besieged by the rising tides of climate change, Kiribati buys land in Fiji * Coal mine's rejection on global-warming grounds has major implications * NASA prepares to launch carbon tracking satellite * Water supply key to outcome of conflicts in Iraq and Syria, experts warn * Councils could be required to recycle 70% of waste by 2030
Progress must be climate-smart, says World Bank
27 Jun 2014
Government policies that improve energy efficiency and public transport could increase global economic output by more than $1.8 trillion per year, says the World Bank.
Plastic waste bills our oceans $13 billion a year and growing
27 Jun 2014
Concern is growing over widespread plastic waste that is threatening marine life – with conservative yearly estimates of $13 billion in financial damage to marine ecosystems.
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
27 Jun 2014
* May 2014 hottest on Planet Earth since 1880 * California earmarks a quarter of its cap-and-trade riches for environmental justice * US wind headed for dismal year as carbon emissions rise * Failed Australian carbon farm company ignored expert's advice * Reports assess how nature is worth millions to the UK economy * Singapore measuring its carbon footprint
Island nations set agenda for Samoa conference
27 Jun 2014
Preparations are well under way for a sustainability conference in Samoa on the challenges and opportunities of partnering with small island states.
Australia will suffer, warns new carbon report
20 Jun 2014
Australia's economy faces grave threats from climate change, but the greatest threat is if the country does not make a serious effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, says a new report.
Brazil scores winning goal on carbon emissions
20 Jun 2014
Brazil might or might not win the World Cup, but it so far seems a clear winner in the race to reduce carbon emissions – having stopped 3.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide from escaping into the atmosphere during the past decade.
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
20 Jun 2014
* El Niño means 2014 could be hottest year ever * Europe puts up €44 million under first call for climate action projects * Indian officals order Coca-Cola plant to close for using too much water * Tony Abbott's climate change policy makes me cringe * Satellite data could drive low-carbon shipping sector * Scotland unveils six-point plan to become a ‘Good Food Nation’
China becomes world No2 carbon trader
13 Jun 2014
China is the world's second-largest carbon trading market following the European Union according to data released this week.
How to save our seas: stop all fishing
13 Jun 2014
Marine biologists have delivered the most radical proposal yet to protect biodiversity and sequester carbon: stop all fishing, they say, on the high seas.
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
13 Jun 2014
* Abbott seeks alliance to thwart Obama on climate change policy * UK minister dismisses Australia and Canada climate ‘alliance’ * Climate threat to America's 'king corn' * US states consider carbon trading schemes * Low-carbon energy saves money in the long run * BHP among world’s biggest carbon polluters
Come and see our lovely renewable energy sites
13 Jun 2014
A guidebook with a difference is selling well in Germany. It details nearly 200 renewable energy sites it thinks will appeal to tourists.
How we can use all that space stuff for a better world
13 Jun 2014
The answers to some of the world’s sustainability problems lie in outer space, the United Nations believes.
EU emissions lowest on record
6 Jun 2014
The European Union’s greenhouse gas emissions have fallen by 19.2 per cent compared with 1990s levels, according to the European Environment Agency.
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
6 Jun 2014
* China expects to launch national carbon market in 2018 * Obama climate plan will deliver only a quarter of pledged 2030 cuts * Barack Obama's climate change moves put heat on Tony Abbott * Scientists warn against China's plan to flatten over 700 mountains * Sustainable palm oil action plan delivered by food giant
Research warns of higher home insurance rates
6 Jun 2014
Australian homebuyers are being warned that extreme climate events could double the price of a home insurance premium and erode property values in some areas by 20 per cent.
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.
