International: All stories
World gets another chance at Rio 2012
11 Mar 2011
Talks in Rio de Janeiro next year will be an chance for countries to strengthen their commitment to making the transition to a green economy, says a senior UN official.
Emissions fall as coal goes out of fashion
4 Mar 2011
Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions are falling as the country turns away from using coal to generate electricity.
Climate chief urges action on Cancún accords
4 Mar 2011
The United Nations climate change chief has called on governments to quickly transform the agreements reached in the Mexican city of Cancún last year into tangible action on the ground.
Australia sets date for carbon scheme
25 Feb 2011
Australia will have a price on carbon by July next year.
Garnaut about to tell it like it is
25 Feb 2011
The man who wants Australia to spend more than $3 billion a year on green technologies is about to tell his country how well it’s doing.
Green fraud grows worldwide, says report
25 Feb 2011
Accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers has issued an international warning about green fraud.
UN chief calls for a global revolution
18 Feb 2011
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for a “revolution” in how the world defines prosperity and relates to nature.
Flannery to head Climate Commission
18 Feb 2011
Respected science communicator Professor Tim Flannery has been named head of an independent Climate Commission in Australia.
Report calls for new investment approach
18 Feb 2011
Uncertainty over climate policy could contribute as much as 10 per cent risk in overall investment portfolios, a new study warns.
US investors ask enviro questions
18 Feb 2011
American investors are asking coal, energy and oil companies about their exposure to risks from climate change – and want executive pay linked to environmental performance.
Australia puts millions into climate research
18 Feb 2011
The Australian Government this week announced funding for priority adaptation research into preparing Australia for the unavoidable impacts of climate change.
Fish scientists probe ocean temperatures
18 Feb 2011
Marine scientists in Australia are trialling the first near-shore water temperature forecasts to assist that country's aquaculture farm managers contending with rising ocean temperatures.
Combet: Australia must act to cut emissions
11 Feb 2011
Australia’s carbon emissions will rise steeply without decisive and effective new policy action, according to annual projections released this week by Climate Change Minister Greg Combet.
Public and private sectors must work together, says Charles
11 Feb 2011
The growing risks posed to long-term economic growth by climate change and over-exploitation of the planet’s natural resources have been highlighted by Prince Charles in a speech to European parliamentarians.
Swap old showerheads for new in Perth
4 Feb 2011
Perth residents can save water and money by swapping old showerheads for free new water saving showerheads under an Australian Government funded project launched this week.
Australia ratifies renewable energy law
28 Jan 2011
Australia has ratified the statute of the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena), Resources and Energy Minister Martin Ferguson announced this week.
Australia eyes 50% tax cut on new fuels
28 Jan 2011
Assistant Treasurer Bill Shorten has released draft legislation for public consultation on the Australian Government's reform of the taxation of alternative fuels.
Dramatic emissions cuts possible, says UN
28 Jan 2011
Dramatic cuts in industrial emissions of greenhouse gas emissions are achievable in developed and developing countries at an acceptable cost, the United Nations says.
Go green or go broke, say business experts
21 Jan 2011
Companies must swiftly incorporate sustainability methods throughout their entire organisation or risk obsolescence, say sustainability experts at an international executive search firm.
PHEW! 2010 warmest year on record, says UN
21 Jan 2011
The year 2010 ranked as the warmest on record – together with 2005 and 1998 – according to the UN World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).
CANCUN: Climate agreements at a glance
17 Dec 2010
Most agree the UN climate summit in Mexico made some progress in the struggle to deal with climate change.
California set to sign up for cap-and-trade
17 Dec 2010
California today is expected to adopt the United States’ most comprehensive carbon trading regime, creating a market-based way to lower greenhouse gas emissions at a time when similar efforts have stalled in Congress.
Millions of lives at risk, says shock report
17 Dec 2010
Governments are gambling recklessly with human lives by wilfully underestimating the depth of the emission cuts they must make in the next 40 years, a new study has found.
Britons pay more under sweeping power reforms
17 Dec 2010
Long-term prices for low-carbon electricity generators will be guaranteed by the government as part of its package of sweeping reforms of Britain’s energy markets unveiled today.
Gillard’s clunkers come under microscope
17 Dec 2010
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard's cash-for-clunkers proposal would cost 15 times more than an emissions trading scheme to reduce carbon pollution, according to experts.
Sarawak plans huge land-grab for oil palm
17 Dec 2010
Sarawak intends to convert one million hectares of land into oil palm plantations within the next 10 years.
World Bank will help to finance carbon markets
10 Dec 2010
The World Bank will help developing countries to set up pollution credit markets to help to pay for clean development programmes.
New hub lists shipping pollution info
10 Dec 2010
Ratings on the greenhouse gas efficiency of more than 60,000 ships is now available free of charge on a new website.
Ship operators eye return to the days of sail
10 Dec 2010
Companies are looking to the sailing ships of the past for greener alternatives to today’s gas-guzzling vessels that transport the world's cargo.
UN chief pleads for action at Cancun talks
10 Dec 2010
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has made an impassioned plea for agreement at the climate summit in Cancún, saying further delay threatened the health of the planet, the global economy and the well-being of the human race.
China will lead way in clean energy, says Stern
10 Dec 2010
China will have a cap-and-trade system to limit its emissions by about 2015, London School of Economics professor Nicholas Stern believes.
US hopes technology will do the job
10 Dec 2010
The United States is betting on technological innovation to be able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Energy Secretary Steven Chu said in Cancun.
Multinationals pick up Gigaton awards
10 Dec 2010
Six international companies, including Nike and Vodafone, have been recognised for their work in implementing market-driven solutions to climate change.
Science millions back Aussie environment
10 Dec 2010
The Gillard Government has invested more than $68 million in five research hubs that will provide science that is seen as essential for sustainably managing Australia's biodiversity.
Western states eye US-wide carbon alliance
3 Dec 2010
California and New Mexico are considering developing a nationwide US carbon trading market by joining forces with states in the north-east.
Stubborn Japan puts foot down at Cancun
3 Dec 2010
The delicately balanced global climate talks in Cancún were brought to the brink of a walk-out when Japan categorically stated its opposition to extending the Kyoto protocol.
Island states want climate insurance fund
3 Dec 2010
Small island states are calling for a “climate change insurance fund” to protect their people from “going extinct” as a new UN report warned sea level rise will make whole nations uninhabitable.
It’s not easy getting to the Moon …
3 Dec 2010
The Copenhagen climate talks were a nightmare, with thousands of people locked out of the conference halls in the snow. Cancún is shaping up just as badly.
It all comes down to income, says report
3 Dec 2010
Addressing poverty today is the single best way to help poor people in developing countries to achieve food security and adapt to climate change, according to a new report.
Climate minister defends 5 per cent target
3 Dec 2010
The Australian Government has defended its target of a 5 per cent cut to greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, saying the country’s history of cheap, carbon-heavy coal electricity makes reducing emissions a tougher task than in other countries.
Solar scientists given $5m research boost
3 Dec 2010
The Australian Solar Institute has awarded $5.65 to the CSIRO to go toward three major solar research projects worth a total of $16 million.
Smith and Groser lead NZ team to Cancun
26 Nov 2010
New Zealand’s representatives at the Cancun climate change talks head off this weekend.
Pledges not enough to avoid global damage
26 Nov 2010
Promises made last year by 80 countries to reduce climate change emissions fall well short of what is needed to avoid the worst consequences of global warming, UN scientists say.
EU plans to clamp down on fridge gas scam
26 Nov 2010
The European Commission is about to clamp down on a trading scam linked to the controversial greenhouse gas HFC-23, which is used in refrigerators.
China’s Cancun promise: We’ll do our bit
26 Nov 2010
On the eve of the Cancun climate change summit, China has assured its critics that it will do its part in trying to control global warming.
Europe going too slowly, says climate report
26 Nov 2010
Europe’s leadership in climate change is being eroded by slow action and a lack of implementation of policy, says a WWF International report.
South Korea promises carbon capture by 2020
26 Nov 2010
South Korea, Asia's fourth-biggest polluter, has announced plans to begin the commercial operation of two carbon capture and storage (CCS) plants by 2020.
Macro companies vie for a mega Giga
26 Nov 2010
More than two dozen of the world's largest companies have made the shortlist for the first Gigaton Awards based on their leadership and efforts to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
Australia comes in at No2 in the dirty half-dozen
19 Nov 2010
The United Arab Emirates, Australia, USA, Canada, Netherlands and Saudi Arabia are the six nations with the worst performance in relation to CO2 pollution, a new survey shows.
Canadian Tories kill climate change bill
19 Nov 2010
A Canadian climate change bill calling for cuts in CO2 emissions has been defeated in the senate by Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative government.
Government projected to badly miss 2035 climate target, fall shy of 2030
Fri 28 Nov 2025
Australia is expected to badly miss its 2035 climate commitment, according to department projections.
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.
China's new coal plant permits set for four-year low in 2025, analysis finds
Thu 27 Nov 2025
China's new coal plant permits for 2025 are on track to fall to a four-year low, a new Greenpeace analysis showed on Tuesday, indicating that growing use of renewables is cutting into demand for new coal plants.
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.
Ed Miliband confirms crackdown on North Sea exploration – but new drilling will continue
Fri 28 Nov 2025
Strategy paper released with budget allows new oil and gas projects to move ahead if they are linked to existing fields.
The hidden dangers in Canada’s oil and gas ambitions
18 Nov 2025
Premier of Alberta Danielle Smith thinks global demand for oil will grow to 2050, perhaps beyond, and the Alberta industry will be viable for a hundred years.
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.
