International: All stories
What's going on in world carbon markets
22 Nov 2013
The Carbon Reduction Fund in Australia, backloading in Europe, markets linking in North America and the first carbon auction in China ... Westpac's carbon desk reviews the international carbon markets:
Europe wants to see some action out of Warsaw
22 Nov 2013
The European Union says it is seeking a balanced package of decisions out of Warsaw to advance international climate action.
2013 shapes up as one of the hottest on record
15 Nov 2013
This year is on course to be among the top 10 warmest since modern records began in 1850, according to the World Meteorological Organization.
Well done, Mr Abbott, says Canada
15 Nov 2013
Canada has officially applauded the decision by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott to repeal the country’s carbon tax.
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
15 Nov 2013
* Tony Abbott stifling Australia's climate change ambitions * Indonesia to launch voluntary carbon market * Formula E championship to generate €142 million EV sales by 2040 * Climate change and government inaction conspired against Philippines * Brussels looks to cut plastic bag use
Here we go again ... still talking
15 Nov 2013
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification executive secretary MONIQUE BARBUT warns of imminent social chaos if we continue to ignore the impacts of climate change:
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
8 Nov 2013
* China may start more carbon trading markets * China says funding key in climate change talks * House of Lords votes to bring old coal power stations under new regulations * UK government's quarrels are hitting climate change investment * Elderly investors warned over £24m carbon credit scam * From eBay to Wrangler, companies address climate change * A flexible battery made with carbon nanotubes * UN-backed awards recognise innovative green enterprises
California finds friends to fight climate change
1 Nov 2013
British Columbia, California, Oregon and Washington have signed the Pacific Coast Action Plan on Climate and Energy, committing their governments to a comprehensive alignment to combat climate change and promote clean energy.
Savers demand climate action from pension funds
1 Nov 2013
Savers across the UK are calling for their pension funds to be used for curbing emissions.
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
1 Nov 2013
* 31% of global economic output forecast to face ‘high’ or ‘extreme’ climate change risks. * EU presidency proposes new weakening of car emissions rules. * How Greenland can turn climate change into cash. * Climate change destroyed the Bible's ancient kingdoms, study finds. * Climate change blamed for high muttonbird death toll. * Pacific Ocean may be ‘hiding’ global warming – scientists.
Abbott wants ideas for emissions scheme
25 Oct 2013
Australia’s new Government is calling for submissions on how to design a scheme to replace the carbon tax and emissions trading scheme.
Climate-fight funds falling short of mark
25 Oct 2013
The most comprehensive inventory of climate finance to date shows investment is far short of the need, and falling further behind each year
China shows way to wind power expansion
25 Oct 2013
Wind power could generate up to 18 per cent of world’s electricity by 2050, compared with 2.6% today, says a new report.
Why Australian bushfires will get worse .. and worse
25 Oct 2013
The risk of bushfires in Australia will increase as the climate is influenced by both the frequency and intensity of extreme hot days, as well as prolonged periods of low rainfall, says Climate Council chief Professor Tim Flannery.
Australia sees $580 boost to petroleum exploration
25 Oct 2013
More than $580 million will be invested in new offshore petroleum exploration over the next three years, the Australian Government says.
UN launches energy hub … with a plea
25 Oct 2013
The world is at a “tipping point,” and how it produces, distributes and uses energy will determine if sustainable development succeeds, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon believes.
WEB WIRE ... news from the world of carbon
25 Oct 2013
US cuts emissions, India fights air charge, EU conservation threat, California joins Chinese, wine worries, ocean gliders.
Why Branson believes businesses must act on climate change
18 Oct 2013
The key to tackling climate change is to see it as an opportunity rather than an obstacle, says billionaire Virgin group founder Sir Richard Branson.
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
18 Oct 2013
Polluters eye $4b, airlines emissions charges, China carbon pricing, climate all at sea, worms are heroes, bye-bye Oracle, Quakers talk tough.
UN wants to see greater financial effort
18 Oct 2013
The international community must step up its financial investment in technologies, policies and practices that can help to combat climate change, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said this week.
Carbon pricing the cornerstone, says OECD
11 Oct 2013
Credible and consistent carbon pricing must be the cornerstone of government actions to tackle climate change, according to a new OECD report.
Properly handled, waste can be a gold mine
11 Oct 2013
Recycling and proper treatment of waste material can be a literal and metaphorical gold mine, says a new report.
Aussies rush to back Flannery’s climate body
11 Oct 2013
The minute climate change champion Tim Flannery opened the doors of his independent Climate Council, Australians opened their wallets.
WEB WIRE ... news from the world of carbon
11 Oct 2013
IPCC and business, EU and airlines, US judges on spot, city climate design, Alaska learning sugar land grabs.
Water key to sustainable development, says UN
11 Oct 2013
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has stressed the vital role of water in sustainable development, highlighting in particular its importance with regard to food security, climate change and sanitation.
WEB WIRE ... news from the world of carbon
4 Oct 2013
IPCC report, fraud charges, farming key, Kiribati worried, European ETS, climate-think, water bills ...
Animal emissions can be controlled , says report
4 Oct 2013
Wider use of available best practices and technologies could help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the livestock sector by as much as 30 per cent, according to a new study.
WEB WIRE ... news from the world of carbon
27 Sep 2013
Angela Merkel, Tony Abbott, airlines talk, IPCC leak, US trading, beating disease.
Brussels aims to chop through EU forest rules
27 Sep 2013
An agriculture council is to discuss the European Union’s new forest strategy, which aims to cut through the mass of rules governing the protection of forests.
Norway helps farmers to diversify
27 Sep 2013
Norway has invested $US23.7 million to conserve and sustainably manage the world’s most important food crops to help farmers to cope with the effects of climate change and population increase.
Small businesses star at green awards
27 Sep 2013
It was a big win this week for small Sydney businesses when the City of Sydney’s Green Business Program scooped the Local Government Sustainability Award at the annual Green Globe Awards.
WEB WIRE ... news from the world of carbon
20 Sep 2013
The best of this week's stories from the world-wide web.
Science sees human waste as weapon in war against climate change
20 Sep 2013
Human waste could be the next weapon in the fight against climate change, according to an Australian academic.
Big cities show how to tackle climate change
20 Sep 2013
Only two Southern Hemisphere cities are listed in a top 10 of urban areas effectively taking on the challenges of climate change.
Green builder aims estate at the oldies
20 Sep 2013
Halcyon has become the first developer in Australia focusing on the "over 50s" to achieve the coveted EnviroDevelopment certification from the Urban Development Institute of Australia for its Halcyon Landing community at Bli Bli on the Sunshine Coast.
World climate teams hold NZ retreat
13 Sep 2013
International negotiators gathered north of Auckland this week for informal discussions on a new climate change agreement.
We waste one-third of world’s food every year
13 Sep 2013
The waste of 1.3 billion tonnes of food each year is causing economic losses of $750 billion and significant damage to the environment, according to a new United Nations report.
Big guns at Frankfurt show future of e-motoring
13 Sep 2013
BMW, Aston Martin, Volvo, Toyota and Mercedes will reveal their visions of the future of electric and hybrid motoring at this weekend’s Frankfurt Motor Show.
WEB WIRE ... news from the world of carbon
13 Sep 2013
An outspoken Australian climate science sceptic and Coalition MP wants Prime Minister-elect Tony Abbott to appoint him science minister.
Office energy in race to the top
13 Sep 2013
Virtual athletes will sprint inside a Sydney skyscraper in a real-time visualisation of office energy use, as part of the city’s annual Art & About Sydney public art festival.
Why won't they listen, asks Suzuki
6 Sep 2013
One of the world’s best known environmental campaigners, Dr David Suzuki, is calling on all governments to agree on collective action to tackle climate change to safeguard the human race.
Give carbon farm back to the cattle, says Govt
6 Sep 2013
The Northern Territory Government says it is determined to see a cattle station bought with Australian Government funding two years ago for the purposes of carbon farming returned to cattle production, now that it is back on the market.
Scientists work on carbon-based cell phones
6 Sep 2013
Researchers are taking slow but sure steps toward building the innards of a cell phone out of carbon nanotubes instead of expensive and rare earth elements.
Green architect unveils ‘Coral City’ housing
6 Sep 2013
A Filipino-Italian company advocating green architecture has proposed the construction of houses and buildings that can quickly adapt and withstand typhoons, floods and other calamities due to climate change.
A hitchhiker’s guide to pumice ...
6 Sep 2013
A floating raft of pumice created by an underwater volcanic eruption near New Zealand, and teeming with marine hitchhikers, has been spotted in the northern Great Barrier Reef.
Australian carbon market value tops $6b
30 Aug 2013
The Australian carbon market was worth $A6.58 billion ($NZ7.53)) in its first year of operation, according to a Carbon Market Institute report.
China’s power sector set for cleaner future
30 Aug 2013
China’s power sector is expected to go through significant changes through to 2030, according to a new report.
Study brings new fears over Antarctic ice
30 Aug 2013
The world’s largest ice sheet in Antarctica could be more vulnerable to the effects of climate change than previously thought, according to new research from Durham University.
Meet the Armadillo … Honey, I shrunk the car
30 Aug 2013
Meet the Armadillo … the car that when you’ve finished with it you can fold up and pack away.
We’ve overshot our use of natural resources
23 Aug 2013
Humanity’s use of renewable natural resources has already “overshot” the amount the planet can produce in one year, say environmental NGOs.
Researchers compare the footprint of meat vs. plant-based dog foods. The differences were staggering.
Mon 13 Oct 2025
Global pet food emissions rival those of a small country. A new UK study reveals that switching dogs to plant-based foods could slash emissions tenfold—without sacrificing nutrition.
Why Trump is not a death knell for global climate action
Tue 14 Oct 2025
In his rambling speech to the United Nations last month, United States President Donald Trump described climate change as “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world”.
China carbon prices hit two-year low as market faces oversupply pressures
Tue 14 Oct 2025
Carbon credit prices in China have fallen to their lowest point since mid-2023, pressured by an excess of supply and tepid demand amid ongoing adjustments to the national emissions trading system.
'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.
India calls on COP30 to focus on lack of funds for developing nations
Thu 16 Oct 2025
India has said the United Nations climate conference in Belm, Brazil, should focus on tackling the critical shortage of resources that developing countries need to adapt to climate change and curb greenhouse gas emissions.
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.
Climate critics try to discredit IPCC author for linking disasters to global warming
Mon 13 Oct 2025
Roger Pielke Jr. and oil industry supporters are attacking climate scientist Friederike Otto, whose work has been used in lawsuits against polluters.
