International: All stories
Angry city draws a line in the (fracking) sand
20 Oct 2014
A college town in southern Minnesota is taking action against the frac-sand industry that's booming amid America's drilling revolution.
WORLD WEB: Global shipping emissions set to soar unchecked
20 Oct 2014
* Pacific Islanders blockade Australian coal port to protest rising sea levels * Sweden calls on EU to agree 50% carbon cuts for 2030 * Impacts of climate change to now be included in UK's military planning * South Africa's Eskom powers up wind farm * China to phase out financial support for solar power sector by 2020
Australia's big emitters might yet be billed
13 Oct 2014
Australian companies could yet face a financial penalty for excessive greenhouse gas emissions.
VOILA! A simple new way to put a price on global carbon
13 Oct 2014
A team of French academics has proposed an international carbon trading system, whereby countries with the highest average CO2 emissions pay the most.
WORLD WEB: Why is Antarctic sea ice at record levels despite global warming?
13 Oct 2014
* Australian Labor Party leader rules out carbon tax return * European businesses split over urgency of EU carbon market fix * Canadian watchdog castigates government climate strategy * Walmart owners backing campaigns to limit rooftop solar power * 25 Devastating Effects Of Climate Change * Climate consensus: scientists and sceptics suspend hostilities
Sick seas could cost us billions, UN warns
13 Oct 2014
The global economy could be losing as much as $1 trillion annually by the end of the century if countries do not take urgent steps to stop ocean acidification, says a new report.
Human handprint marks Australia’s hottest year
6 Oct 2014
Despite the Australian prime minister’s climate science scepticism, research funded by taxpayers has unanimously found man-made climate change guilty of causing the country’s record-breaking temperatures last year.
E-cars could make British carmakers great again
6 Oct 2014
British-owned car manufacturing has been in decline for decades, but the shift to electric cars might be just what is needed for a revival.
CARBON WEB ... Global clean energy investment sustains its recovery
6 Oct 2014
* Australia's investment in renewable energy slumps 70% in one year * UK delivers £9.4 million to boost low-carbon heating * World’s first major power plant with carbon capture opens in Canada * Europe targets greater role for ocean renewable energy by 2020 * Five surprising ways climate change can kill you * Carbon-credit trading scandal unfolds in Italian court
Party pact blocks environmental one-stop move
6 Oct 2014
Australia's Greens have secured a deal with the Palmer United Party and Labor that effectively kills the federal government's plan to hand its environmental approval powers to the states under its "one-stop shop" policy.
Protesters say no to waste-burning power plant
6 Oct 2014
Protests against a proposed waste incinerator power plant involving thousands of residents took place in southern China over two weekends in mid-September.
New York talked the talk, but we’ll have to wait and see who heard
29 Sep 2014
At the end of his summit meeting on the climate crisis, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon put out a list of accomplishments festooned with 46 bullet points, some of them marking concrete new pledges, others diaphanous phrases.
MIA ... but it doesn't mean China's not interested
29 Sep 2014
There were a few notable absentees among the more than 120 world leaders gathered in New York for last week's United Nations Climate Summit - and perhaps most notable of all was the head of the world’s highest-emitting nation, China’s President Xi Jinping.
Cities in the spotlight at Climate Week summit
29 Sep 2014
Even as nations gathered in New York to discuss global-level action on climate change, there was strong recognition that cities, not countries, have so far played the pivotal role in the world's fight against climate change—and will continue to do so.
WORLD WEB ... Obama’s drive for carbon pricing fails to win at home
29 Sep 2014
* Chile becomes the first South American country to tax carbon * UK to introduce fracking drilling law despite 99% opposition * US Homeland Security moves to tackle climate change risks * Hawaii's solar industry in precarious situation * The top 10 greenest cities in America * Avatar director James Cameron talks climate change
New market pact keeps Australians on the ball
29 Sep 2014
Australian businesses wanting to keep up to date with the international carbon market during their country’s retreat from carbon pricing have formed a new regional agreement.
... but critic says report fails to back up core message
22 Sep 2014
A new report called Better Growth, Better Climate draws the seductive conclusion that “we can create lasting economic growth while also tackling the immense risks of climate change”.
Let's do for climate change what we did for apartheid, says Tutu
22 Sep 2014
WORLD WEB: Largest-ever climate change march rolls through NYC * China cautious on fresh commitments ahead of climate change summit * Will the new EU Commission assure Europe’s leadership on sustainable development? * It's time to teach climate change in school * After An Inconvenient Truth: the evolution of the climate change film
Population explosion lowers chance of managing climate change
22 Sep 2014
By TIM RADFORD.- New projections say the population of the planet will not stabilise at 9 billion sometime this century. In fact, there is an 80 per cent likelihood that, by 2100, it will reach at least 9.6 billion − and maybe rise as high as 12.3 billion.
China goes up a gear but still has a lot of work to do
22 Sep 2014
In the lead-up to the UN leaders’ summit on climate change (http://www.un.org/climatechange/summit), China is shifting up a gear in its drive towardsnational emissions trading.
New York summit could be the turning point
16 Sep 2014
A United Nations chief dismayed at the lack of resolve toward the climate crisis; a daunting deadline for negotiating a new treaty; 125 or so heads of state; a sprawling agenda of fossil fuels, food, forestry and finance; a train of think tanks hauling gigabytes of green data; countless teach-ins, press conferences, art shows - plus tens or even hundreds of thousands of activists marching through midtown Manhattan, demanding action now.
Stage set for the biggest climate march of all
16 Sep 2014
Activists next week will try to seize an opportunity to put the climate movement alongside the Civil Rights and the Vietnam anti-war movements.
WORLD WEB ... Richard Branson fails to deliver on $3b climate change pledge, says author
16 Sep 2014
* More than 500 Korean firms face CO2 emissions cap * Carbon markets gaining momentum in the US * Fracking workers exposed to dangerous amounts of benzene, study says * France aims for ‘energy positive’ public buildings * Do we tax carbon emissions or trade them? Economists dig into the problem * Solar-powered ambulances awarded Government funding
Drought bites as Amazon’s ‘flying rivers’ dry up
16 Sep 2014
The unprecedented drought affecting São Paulo, South America’s giant metropolis, is believed to be caused by the absence of the “flying rivers” - the vapour clouds from the Amazon that normally bring rain to the centre and south of Brazil.
Healthy diet guidelines hard to swallow for greenies
16 Sep 2014
By TIM RADFORD.- The news is enough to make climate campaigners choke on their high-fibre breakfast cereal: if Americans adopted the dietary guidelines suggested by their own Department of Agriculture, greenhouse gas emissions would actually go up by 12 per cent.
Island states celebrate $2 billion conference
8 Sep 2014
With nearly $2 billion pledged in sustainable development partnerships, the United Nations last week wrapped up its small island developing states conference in Samoa and kicked off a drum roll of action on climate change.
Doors open at Ban Ki-moon's Last Chance Saloon
8 Sep 2014
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is attempting to prevent world leaders sleepwalking into disaster by asking them to make new pledges at his climate summit this month on cutting greenhouse gases.
WORLD WEB: China eyes ETS launch in 2016
8 Sep 2014
* Clinton: America can be clean-energy superpower * High-level shale gas study calls for moratorium on fracking * Chile set to pass Latin America’s second carbon tax * Judge rules BP was grossly negligent in oil spill * Aircraft emissions may be next for US climate rules * Hopes for independent Scottish voice at climate talks * They were the last word in glamour, but has the sun set on LA's swimming pools?
New book exposes Malaysian logging crimes
8 Sep 2014
An explosive new book about logging is about to rock Malaysia’s corridors of power.
Is the Mosul Dam start of the water wars?
8 Sep 2014
Exactly a year ago, the world was wrestling with the possibility of another US-led military assault on an Arab state, following the horrific gas attacks in Damascus, Syria.
Scientists give Australia the really bad news
8 Sep 2014
The Australian government has just received a vitally important report to guide its decisions on the future of Australia’s Renewable Energy Target.
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.
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.
