International: All stories
Banks need a shove to back green
18 May 2012
An Australian researcher is calling for tax breaks and other Government interventions to push banks towards lending on large-scale clean and renewable technologies.
EU airline cash could go to climate fund
18 May 2012
European Union nations should pledge that funds from paying for airline emissions will help poor countries to deal with global warming, the bloc's climate chief said this week.
Europe ETS to spare some industries
18 May 2012
The European Commission has drawn up a draft list of 14 industrial sectors that will be eligible for special state aid to compensate for the increased cost of electricity due to the European Emission Trading Scheme.
Asia-Pacific must respond to survive
18 May 2012
The Asia-Pacific region must continue to grow economically to lift millions of people out of poverty, but it must also respond to climate change to survive, the UN Development Programme says in a new report.
We’re using up our world, says report
18 May 2012
Humanity is using nature's services 50 per cent faster than Earth can renew, says a new report.
Korea, Europe could link carbon markets
18 May 2012
A British Foreign Office official says he expects carbon trading markets between South Korea and the European Union to be linked within the next decade.
She'll be right, Combet tells public
11 May 2012
The Australian Government says it is committed to supporting jobs and households through putting a price on carbon.
Get moving, Ban tells Rio nations
11 May 2012
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged countries to make progress in their negotiations of the outcome document for the Rio+20 conference next month.
EU sets June deadline for single registry
11 May 2012
The full activation of the EU Emissions Trading System single registry, including the migration of over 30,000 EU ETS accounts from national registries, is scheduled to take place in June.
Island nations commit to new fuels
11 May 2012
Twenty small island developing nations meeting in Barbados have announced new actions to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and end poverty.
Think-tank asks the big questions
4 May 2012
The Club of Rome – the international think-tank that published the ground-breaking 1972 The Limits to Growth report – will next week release a new analysis of the world’s future.
Report lists banks as coal’s ‘Filthy Five’
4 May 2012
The largest banks in the United States, including Bank of America, have been listed in a new report’s “Filthy Five” as major financiers of the coal industry.
Koreans say yes to emissions trading
4 May 2012
South Korea has approved a national emissions trading scheme to tackle its growing greenhouse gas emissions.
Climate drives security fears in Arctic
4 May 2012
Ways must be found to head off potential conflicts in the Arctic as climate change reshapes the geopolitics of the area, says a new report.
Australia revises carbon offset scheme
4 May 2012
A revised National Carbon Offset Scheme has just been released, allowing Australian businesses to offset their products with pollution reduction under the Government's Carbon Farming Initiative.
Senior scientists talk innovation access
4 May 2012
Chief executives of nine of the world’s leading applied research agencies are meeting in Sydney to improve access by the developing world to science and innovation.
Islands face big fresh water problems
27 Apr 2012
Climate change will exacerbate water stress in Pacific Islands, particularly small islands that rely on seasonal rain for their freshwater needs, says a new United Nations report.
Growers eye huge potential of safflower
27 Apr 2012
New varieties of the safflower plant containing the world’s highest levels of valuable oleic acid are in the pipeline for Australian grain growers thanks to breakthrough research at CSIRO.
Talks urge film-makers to spread the word
27 Apr 2012
Film-makers have been urged to use the power of story-telling and documentaries to help to bring sustainability issues to life in a compelling manner.
Towns learn how landfill can make money
27 Apr 2012
The Australian Government has teamed up with the Australian Local Government Association to explain how landfill can be used to reduce pollution and earn carbon credits.
Science key to our future, says UN
20 Apr 2012
Economic growth that relies on unsustainable patterns of consumption and production is undermining humankind’s quest for harmony with nature, says a top United Nations official.
Mexico eyes carbon trading system
20 Apr 2012
Mexico has moved a step closer to passing legislation which will lead to a carbon trading system.
Perth company gets first carbon licence
20 Apr 2012
CO2 Group has become the Australia’s first carbon project developer to get a financial services licence that will allow the company to trade carbon credit units.
Partners have high hopes for insect silk
20 Apr 2012
Bringing new insect silk products to the global market is the focus of a partnership announced by Australian research agency CSIRO and global life science industry supplier Lonza.
Scientists find which plants will survive
20 Apr 2012
New research by Californian scientists could lead to predictions of which plant species will escape extinction from climate change.
Buy coal ... and fight climate change
13 Apr 2012
Environmental policy historically has been driven by a demand-side mindset - attempting to limit consumption of precious fossil fuels through pollution permits, taxation and multi-national climate change treaties.
UN in pre-Rio call for business action
13 Apr 2012
The business and industry sectors play a key role in leading countries toward sustainable development, says a top United Nations official.
Australia and EU want ETS links
5 Apr 2012
The Australian Government and the European Union have confirmed their strong commitment to working towards linking their emissions trading schemes.
Why high-tech is vital in carbon economy
5 Apr 2012
The use of broadband in information and communication technology can help the world transition to a low-carbon economy and address the causes and effects of climate change, according to a new United Nations-backed report.
US aims to cut coal power emissions
5 Apr 2012
The United States is looking to cut emissions from coal-fired power stations.
Energy regulator reports for duty
5 Apr 2012
Australia has moved one step closer to a clean energy future with the Clean Energy Regulator starting operations.
Court gives go-ahead to mega mine
30 Mar 2012
The Queensland Land Court has recommended that the Wandoan coal mine proceed despite concerns raised by Friends of the Earth about the impacts of burning coal.
Carbon capture technology moves closer
30 Mar 2012
Australia’s CSIRO will release its latest findings on carbon dioxide capture technology following a four year $21 million research programme aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power stations.
Grassroots groups win UN prizes
30 Mar 2012
Twenty-five community are the winners of a United Nations-backed partnership prize for promoting local sustainable development solutions.
Australia stands alone in low-carbon slide
23 Mar 2012
Australia is the only G20 country that has gone backwards on its low-carbon competitiveness since 1995, according to the Global Climate Leadership Review 2012 released by The Climate Institute.
Europe tells China to start own ETS
23 Mar 2012
The European Union has hinted that it hopes to avoid levying its controversial carbon-emissions tax on flights from China, if Beijing introduces its own carbon-trading scheme to cover aviation.
Cloud forests heading for destruction
23 Mar 2012
Many of the world’s rarest and richest forests – its high-altitude cloud forests – could be all but obliterated by 2080 due to the combined impact of man-made climate change and habitat destruction.
No doubt about it, Australia’s getting hotter
16 Mar 2012
Australia’s land and oceans have continued to warm in response to rising CO2 emissions from the burning of fossil fuels.
China sees sense of low-carbon economy
16 Mar 2012
A low-carbon economy is among China’s major goals as it tries to leave itself more room to improve the way in which it grows.
World needs water plan, says report
16 Mar 2012
An unprecedented rise in the demand for food, rapid urbanisation and climate change are significantly threatening global water supplies, according to a new United Nations report.
New pact aims to control e-waste
16 Mar 2012
A new United Nations agreement seeks to diminish the damage caused by electronic waste through the collection and recycling of hazardous materials.
Biofuels get $15 million boost
16 Mar 2012
Australia’s biofuel industry has been given a boost with the Government’s announcement of a $15 million commitment to the new Advanced Biofuels Investment Readiness programme.
EU charge could cost Airbus $3.8m
9 Mar 2012
An Asian airline is threatening to scrap an order for 10 Airbus jets over a European Union carbon charge imposed on global airlines.
Shipping shapes as next target of EU
9 Mar 2012
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) could soon find itself butting heads with Brussels over how best to tackle emissions from international shipping, analysts say.
Businesses keen on clean tech classes
9 Mar 2012
More than 1800 Australian manufacturers have registered to attend information sessions for the Government’s $1 billion Clean Technology Investment programmes.
Don’t be like Singapore, says watchdog
9 Mar 2012
Affluent business city-state Singapore is a society that maybe is one of the best examples of what the world should not do, says an environmental pressure group.
Australia, China work on carbon capture
9 Mar 2012
Australia is developing new technologies to reduce carbon emissions at a time when demand for renewable energy grows rapidly in the nation and around the world.
Nepal registers 40‚000 biogas plants
9 Mar 2012
Nepal’s 40,000 biogas plants have been registered with the Clean Development Mechanism of the United Nations Climate Change Convention for carbon trading.
... and the answer is a wooden post
9 Mar 2012
The latest tool for protecting one of Victoria’s most important wetlands is a simple wooden post.
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
Today 10:45am
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
Today 10:45am
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.
