International: All stories
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...
California rains bring little relief from drought
2 Feb 2015
By KIERAN COOKE.- Doing the right thing in the environs of the University of California, Davis – one of the foremost agricultural institutions in the US – means driving a carbon-efficient car. And having a lawn that’s burned dry.
WORLD WEB: Climate serves up a warning at Australian Open
2 Feb 2015
* Biofuels are not a green alternative to fossil fuels * China coal production falls for first time this century * Europe losing influence in climate negotiations * Ban's new climate adviser warns on geopolitical tensions * Germany to overtake UK this year on offshore wind energy
India gives nothing away in climate talks with US
2 Feb 2015
Hopes that India and the US might announce ambitious plans to co-operate in tackling climate change have proved wide of the mark.
The economic cost of climate change: time for new math
27 Jan 2015
Climate change is as much an economic problem as an environmental one. The effects of climate change, such as damage from more severe weather or health problems from higher temperatures, will impose a cost on society.
WORLD WEB: Light bulbs eco label misused, green NGO claims
27 Jan 2015
* Ban Ki-moon: Lack of focus on green investment 'troubling' * World's leading companies join campaign for 100% renewable power * EU to launch diplomatic offensive ahead of Paris climate talks * After the oil price crash, it’s time for a carbon tax * How will California get 50% of its energy from 'renewable resources' by 2050? * Amazon plans wind farm to power its data centres
Ban names first climate change right-hand man
27 Jan 2015
The United Nations has its first top official whose only job is to deal with climate change.
TWELVE ways to deal with a climate change denier (the BBQ guide)
22 Dec 2014
The end of the year is nigh and it’s a time for Christmas and New Year parties and gatherings. In the southern hemisphere that means barbecues and beaches. In the northern hemisphere it’s mulled wine and cosy fireplaces. But for all of us, it probably means we’ll be subjected to at least one ranting, fact-free sermon by a Typical Climate Change Denier (TCCD).
SEVEN radical ideas for a 2015 climate change deal
22 Dec 2014
WORLD WEB: * UN boss: Lima was a reality check, and leaders need to step up for Paris * Green bonds sell big in 2014 as finance bids to help climate * Washington targets polluters with billion-dollar cap-and-trade plan * Major coral bleaching in Pacific may become worst die-off in 20 years * Honda's hydrogen fuel car to make US debut at Detroit auto show
Australia's emissions targets are heading in the wrong direction
22 Dec 2014
Australia’s emissions of climate-changing greenhouse gases are going up and up – and are set to rise by more than 50% over 1990 levels by 2020, according to new research.
Support grows for ban to safeguard mussels
22 Dec 2014
The Netherlands, Austria, Belgium and Sweden have issued a joint call to ban the microplastics used in detergents and cosmetics, saying the measure will protect marine life – and seafood – from contamination.
Why climate policies are for life, not just for Christmas
22 Dec 2014
Devoted followers of international wrangling on climate change will see much that they recognise in the five-page text emanating from the UN climate talks in Lima.
Australian governments subsidising fossil fuel use by more than $30,000 a minute, analysis finds
Fri 13 Mar 2026
Australian federal and state government subsidies that encourage fossil fuel use and help drive the climate crisis will reach $16.3bn this year after leaping by nearly 10%, according to a new analysis.
‘We make a lot of money’: Trump downplays rise in gas prices during Iran war
Mon 16 Mar 2026
Donald Trump on Thursday shrugged off the economic toll the war in Iran is taking on gas prices across the United States, writing on social media that “when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money”.
What does China’s 15th ‘five-year plan’ mean for climate change?
10 Mar 2026
China’s leadership has published a draft of its 15th five-year plan setting the strategic direction for the nation out to 2030, including support for clean energy and energy security.
Eight countries warn EU not to weaken carbon market
Mon 16 Mar 2026
Spain, the Netherlands and six other governments have urged the European Union not to dismantle or suspend the bloc's emissions trading system, its main climate change policy, as Brussels hunts for ways to curb energy prices.
UK emissions fall 2.4% in 2025 as coal hits 400-year low
9 Mar 2026
The UK’s greenhouse gas emissions fell by 2.4% in 2025 to their lowest level in more than 150 years, according to new analysis.
Mark Carney just picked his lane on climate change
17 Feb 2026
COMMENT: Mark Carney's time as prime minister has been defined in part by his decision to roll back Trudeau-era climate policies.
'The situation is dire': War on Iran squeezes India's cooking-gas supplies
Mon 16 Mar 2026
The shockwaves of a war being fought nearly 3,000km away are now reaching India's kitchens.
Vanuatu moves forward with UN climate resolution despite Trump opposition
9 Mar 2026
The Trump administration’s attempt to sink a UN resolution demanding countries act on the climate crisis has caused cuts to the proposal but hasn’t entirely killed it, according to the tiny Pacific island country spearheading the effort.
Limiting warming to 2C is ‘crucial’ to protect pristine Antarctic Peninsula
24 Feb 2026
Keeping global warming to less than 2C above pre-industrial temperatures is “crucial” for limiting damage to the Antarctic Peninsula’s unique ecosystems, according to a new study.
'Blackwater' lakes and rivers in the Congo Basin are now emitting ancient carbon into the atmosphere
Mon 16 Mar 2026
Carbon that has been buried in the Congo Basin's peatlands for millennia is seeping into lakes and rivers. Why this is happening remains unclear, but researchers warn that tropical peatlands could be nearing a tipping point.
Companies – including Blackrock – retired 2 million carbon credits after Verra suspended project
Thu 12 Mar 2026
Verra suspended the Pacajai REDD project in Brazil in September 2023, pending an investigation into the project’s validity. That didn’t stop Mastercard, BlackRock, Philip Morris International from retiring carbon credits from the project to offset their greenhouse gas emissions.
Summit aims to revive stalled UN talks on phasing out fossil fuels
Wed 11 Mar 2026
Colombia and the Netherlands have set out three priorities for a conference on phasing out fossil fuels they will co-host in Colombia in April.
