International: All stories
Weather events taken to extremes by climate change
18 May 2015
As temperatures soar to record heights, blame it on global warming − but only about three-quarters of the time. And when the rain comes down by the bucketful, you can attribute one downpour in five to climate change.
A tale of two futures: Australia’s economy under climate change
18 May 2015
Economic modelling and its associated forecasts are always open to criticism, particularly when the results align with the predisposition of the modellers or their paymasters.
No green shoots for sustainability in this Budget
18 May 2015
Last week’s Australian Budget is very disappointing in the broad area of environmental protection.
Geraldton pools get in the swim
18 May 2015
The indoor swimming pools and air temperature inside the Aquarena in Geraldton are now heated using state-of-the-art geothermal technology as part of the Western Australian city’s bid to go green.
We’re not there yet, Garnaut tells Australia
11 May 2015
Following the repeal of the carbon tax, the Australian Government has implemented its Direct Action climate policy, centred on the A$2.55 billion Emissions Reduction Fund.
Australia pays cost of climate-driven heat waves
11 May 2015
Climate change can be bad for a country’s economic health. Absenteeism and lower productivity because of heat stress may have cost the Australian economy an estimated $6.2 billion in the year 2013/14, according to new research in Nature Climate Change.
Canberra dragging the chain, says UN climate chief
11 May 2015
Sigmund Freud would have had a field day with the speech by United Nations climate change chief Christiana Figueres to a Melbourne summit on greenhouse emissions reductions. Because what was most interesting was not what she did say, but what she didn’t.
Pope aims to win hearts and minds on climate change
11 May 2015
A declaration at the end of a meeting in Rome hosted by the Vatican made a plea to the world’s religions to engage and mobilise on the issue of climate change.
WORLD TODAY: What does Cameron's election win mean for the environment?
11 May 2015
* Australia PM's adviser: climate change is UN hoax to create new world order * Tesla says Powerwall sold out for 12 months, demand ‘just nutty’ * Canadian water for California’s drought? * South Africa prepares to give shale gas go-ahead * Food waste an enormous economic problem, say G20 ministers * Community energy model is speeding US move to renewables
Farming our forests could be the answer to green-world prayers
11 May 2015
Forests may be the green investment with the richest returns for humankind, according to new research.
New Sydney waste effort rakes in the e-rubbish
4 May 2015
The City of Sydney has delivered a trailblazing e-waste programme to apartment blocks, with special recycling bins in six large apartment buildings serving 1500 apartments as part of an on-going trial.
US braces itself for even worse wildfire season
4 May 2015
The firefighters are primed, hoses at the ready. May and June are often the peak months for forest fires in the southwest of the US, and the outlook for this year is grim.
Europe sets timetable to slash plastic bag use
4 May 2015
Single-use plastic bags could soon become a thing of the past in European supermarkets.
WORLD TODAY: Church of England ends investments in heavily polluting fossil fuels
4 May 2015
* Tesla unveils home battery to rev up low carbon transition * US, Japan and Canada miss Green Climate Fund donation deadline * Obama signs energy efficiency bill into law * Solar power plant floating on wastewater hailed for multiple environmental benefits * Russia to power Arctic drilling with floating nuclear reactors * UN chief and Pope Francis discuss climate change
Malaysian authorities seize book on timber corruption
4 May 2015
Malaysia’s Home Ministry has seized an explosive book on timber corruption in the Malaysian state of Sarawak.
Companies sold themselves short, says analyst
4 May 2015
Many companies bidding for carbon credits in Australia’s first auction sold themselves short, says market analyst Reputex.
So, where's the carbon auction money going?
28 Apr 2015
The results of the Australian Government’s first reverse auction (https://theconversation.com/explainer-how-does-todays-direct-action-reverse-auction-work-40152) of carbon-cutting projects have been released. Where is the money going?
Watchdog calls for 30% emissions cut by 2025
28 Apr 2015
Australia should pledge far deeper cuts to greenhouse gas emissions than its current target if it is to do its fair share in tackling climate change, according to a report by the Climate Change Authority, which advises the federal government on climate policy.
Unburnable carbon: why we need to leave fossil fuels in the ground
28 Apr 2015
Ninety per cent of Australia’s current coal reserves will need to be left in the ground for Australia to play its role in limiting warming to no more than 2C.
It's up to central banks to back the climate change fight
28 Apr 2015
In the aftermath of the 2008/9 global financial crisis central banks around the world pumped billions of dollars into the monetary system to safeguard the world economy.
Call for an end to ‘business as usual’ option on climate
28 Apr 2015
The whole issue of climate is much too important to be left to governments and their leaders, says Mary Robinson, the UN Secretary-General’s special envoy on climate change.
WORLD TODAY: Hawaii wants to be the first state to run completely on renewable energy
28 Apr 2015
* Will 2015 be the warmest year on record? * Like shale gas, solar power shaking up global energy * Coal faces a day of reckoning in New Mexico * Pension funds failing to manage climate risk could get sued * Formula One technology makes fridges more energy efficient
There’s nothing ‘perma’ about Arctic permafrost
28 Apr 2015
Permafrost - a vast, frozen subsurface layer of soil - covers nearly a quarter of the land in the northern hemisphere. It contains centuries worth of carbon in the form of plants that have died since the last ice age but remained frozen rather than decomposing.
Inquiry takes aim at green charities that get political
20 Apr 2015
The almost 600 environmental groups that hold tax-deductibility status in Australia are being scrutinised by a Federal Government inquiry, with reports that more than 100 of them face being struck off the list.
WORLD TODAY: Clinton to make climate top of agenda for White House run
20 Apr 2015
* Dutch government facing legal action over failure to reduce carbon emissions * US greenhouse gas emissions spiked 2 per cent in 2013 * Brazil to offer ambitious climate plan with more renewables * Brompton Bicycles – the unfolding saga of a two-wheeled success story
Unhappy birthday for UK's nuclear white elephants
13 Apr 2015
A state-of-the-art British plant designed to re-use spent nuclear fuel so as to cut greenhouse gas emissions is to close after years of what its critics call “commercial and technical failure.”
WORLD TODAY: Fossil fuel-free funds better than conventional ones, figures shows
13 Apr 2015
* Former UN climate chief defends coal finance * US carbon emissions set to fall to lowest level in two decades * Bloomberg pours $30m more into fighting coal * Top development banks agree definition for climate finance * World mayors call for prompt action to fight climate change * Vancouver commits to run on 100% renewable energy
Why all cities should have a Department of Food
7 Apr 2015
The United States is a nation where hunger and obesity go hand in hand. More than 17 million households struggle to put food on the table, and when they do, it’s often high in fat and sugar because healthy options are scarce in low-income neighborhoods.
WORLD TODAY: Why Corporate America is reluctant to take a stand on climate action
7 Apr 2015
* Carbon floor price hike will trigger UK coal slowdown, say analysts * EU reaches tentative deal to cap food-based biofuels * One million green jobs projected by 2030 in China, EU and US * Guardian Media Group to divest its £800m fund from fossil fuels * Ontario plans cap-and-trade on greenhouse gas emissions * California water restrictions signal new era of drought risk
Rich nations urged to cut temperature rise targets
7 Apr 2015
The official target of limiting global warming to a 2C rise has been described by a senior scientist as “utterly inadequate” to protect the people most at risk from climate change.
China ramps up the rhetoric on climate change
30 Mar 2015
By KEIRAN COOKE.- Zheng Guogang, head of the China Meteorological Administration, says future variations in climate are likely to reduce crop yields and damage the environment.
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...
Australia finally acknowledges environment underpins all else. That’s no small thing
Today 10:45am
COMMENT: In what are dangerous times for democracies around the world, parliament’s overhaul of nature laws in the EPBC Act shows ambitious reform remains possible.
Trump seeks to ease US regulations for coal-fired power plants
Thu 27 Nov 2025
President Donald Trump's administration has asked a federal court to strike down 2024 soot limits for power plants and factories.
How China silences environmental reporters beyond its borders
Today 10:45am
Journalists who report on the harms caused by China’s overseas infrastructure buildout in Africa face intimidation, surveillance and police pressure.
The carbon capture plan turning cattle farms into power plants
Fri 28 Nov 2025
The Frontier coalition is backing new technology that produces green electricity from biogas, while capturing waste carbon.
UK security, food and economy at risk without climate action, experts say
Today 10:45am
Only urgent and radical action can prevent systemic breakdown affecting our economy, food supply and national security. This was the stark message from the U.K.’s first national emergency briefing on climate and nature to policymakers this week.
Canada rolls back climate rules in energy deal with Alberta
Today 10:45am
Under the agreement, the federal government will scrap a planned emissions cap on the oil and gas sector and drop rules on clean electricity.
Floods in Thailand, Malaysia kill over 30, displace thousands
Thu 27 Nov 2025
Tens of thousands of people in Thailand and neighbouring Malaysia were displaced by widespread flooding, with streets submerged, homes inundated and at least 34 dead.
Pacific Islands rue lost chance to host COP climate summit
21 Nov 2025
Pacific islanders decried on Thursday a wasted chance to draw eyes to their climate troubles, after their bid to co-host next year's COP climate summit was brushed aside.
Scientists discovered something alarming seeping out from beneath the ocean around Antarctica
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".
European Investment Bank pledges over 2 billion euros for African renewables projects
Wed 26 Nov 2025
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is pledging more than 2 billion euros ($2.3 billion) of financing for renewable energy projects on the African continent over the next two years.
Brazil sees issues related to import of US biofuels 'practically resolved'
Fri 28 Nov 2025
Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alckmin said on Tuesday that unspecified issues related to the country's imports of U.S. biofuels were "practically resolved".
10 years after the Paris Agreement, world leaders are letting go of its most famous goal
Thu 27 Nov 2025
This year's U.N. climate negotiations crashed out on a hard truth: It’s all about the money.
