International: All stories
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.
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.
Battery subsidy scheme set for 'urgent' overhaul as costs run out of control
16 Dec 2025
Australian Energy Minister Chris Bowen has announced big changes to the government's battery subsidy scheme amid claims most of its $2.3 billion budget has been spent in just six months.
EPA erases references to human-caused climate change from websites
19 Dec 2025
EPA has scrubbed references to people’s contribution to rising temperatures from some of its climate change webpages.
Verra cancels four tree planting projects in China. And starts reviews of 45 more projects
16 Dec 2025
“Multiple carbon projects in China are facing serious allegations regarding the authenticity of government approval documents."
France updates its 2050 carbon neutrality roadmap
17 Dec 2025
To mark the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, France released a revamped climate plan promising to phase out oil and gas and sharply increase electricity use.
Net-zero scenario is ‘cheapest option’ for UK, says energy system operator
15 Dec 2025
A scenario that meets the “net-zero by 2050” goal would be the “cheapest” option for the UK, according to modelling by the National Energy System Operator (NESO).
The ecological havens flourishing beneath power lines
19 Dec 2025
Initiatives to foster native wildflowers, grasses and shrubs are turning utility corridors into wildlife corridors.
‘Not normal’: Climate crisis supercharged deadly monsoon floods in Asia
12 Dec 2025
Cyclones like those in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Malaysia that killed 1,750 are ‘alarming new reality’.
Pacific fisheries summit gives a boost to albacore and seabirds
19 Dec 2025
Much of the world’s albacore tuna catch, which usually ends up in a can, comes from the southwestern Pacific Ocean, where fishery managers just passed a new set of conservation rules.
Arctic endured year of record heat as climate scientists warn of ‘winter being redefined’
18 Dec 2025
Region known as ‘world’s refrigerator’ is heating up as much as four times as quickly as global average, Noaa experts say.
Are rainforests now a cause of, rather than the answer to, climate change?
15 Dec 2025
A new study finds that Africa’s forests, responsible for one-fifth of global carbon removal, are beginning to generate carbon as the result of human activity.
Thousands of climate disasters are not included in official reports from Amazonian countries
12 Dec 2025
More than 12,500 extreme weather events impacted the Amazon and its population in 10 years, but countries have not generated enough information about it, according to a new scientific study.
UN environment report 'hijacked' by US and others over fossil fuels, top scientist says
11 Dec 2025
A key UN report on the state of the global environment has been "hijacked" by the United States and other countries who were unwilling to go along with the scientific findings, the co-chair has told the BBC.
