International: All stories
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
2 May 2014
* US Supreme Court backs rule to limit coal pollution * Germany levies fines on aircraft operators over emissions * Crowdfunding helps community energy groups as bank lending vanishes * Scotland will lead on climate change, says Salmond * Smart parking meters to charge more for most polluting cars * Aviation’s airport carbon accreditation programme gathering momentum * Group plans to protect and restore one million hectares of Indonesian forest
Aussie Greens gain, but the rest is much the same
24 Apr 2014
The theme of the past 30 days – much like the past 12 months – has been politics, with market focus squarely on the Western Australia Senate election re-run on April 5 and the implications for the balance of power in the new Senate from July 1, says market analyst Reputex.
Europe pushes renewables into the free market
24 Apr 2014
Renewable energy subsidies that helped to spur Europe’s $NZ77 billion-a-year clean energy industry are to be phased out across the continent, under new market-friendly state aid rules announced by the European Commission..
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
24 Apr 2014
* Russia reveals plans to boost flagging coal industry * California hunting, agriculture,forestry emissions reductions * Apple: Climate change is real ... and it's a real problem * US military told to boost renewables in energy policy overhaul
UN calls for bold, swift action on climate crisis
17 Apr 2014
A long-awaited United Nations report on the mitigation of climate change released this week shows that all countries must act swiftly and boldly to reach a global, ambitious and legal climate agreement in 2015, says the United Nations.
Emissions cuts also about ethics, says IPCC
17 Apr 2014
For the first time, the IPCC has addressed the ethical, as well as technical, issues of reducing greenhouse emissions.
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
17 Apr 2014
* IPCC report: Bet your house on low carbon energy growth * Coal main energy source for 'decades and decades', says Australian minister * Watch episode one of Years of Living Dangerously * British biofuel firm switches jobs and investment to US * Formula E partners to reduce championship CO2 emissions
In the heart of Sydney City, green is bustin’ out all over
17 Apr 2014
Cool, green roofs and walls are the hottest property trend in Sydney - from bars to office blocks, apartments and swimming pools.
Indiana Jones (and others) take the spotlight as Hollywood goes big on climate change
11 Apr 2014
By KIERAN COOKE.- There’s Harrison Ford in the jungles of Indonesia, investigating deforestation and the plight of orangutans. There’s Arnold Schwarzenegger, battling wildfires in California, Don Cheadle seeing the impact of drought in Texas, and Matt Damon examining the consequences of a heat wave.
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
11 Apr 2014
* UK green bank invests £460m in offshore windfarms * Climate action only way to grow economy, says Unilever * Toyota launches world-first metal recycling scheme * Climate change worries Chinese businesses
Make sure you watch your back when the heat goes on
4 Apr 2014
By ALEX KIRBY.- A warming climate is closely related to political and social instability and a higher risk of conflict, according to American scientists.
No-action Abbott stalls climate policy decisions
4 Apr 2014
By PROF NICK ROWLEY.- In Australia, any sense of the need for an urgent policy response has stalled, despite this week’s reminder from the IPCC of the threats the country faces – not to mention the warming already seen and the increase in extreme climate events.
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
4 Apr 2014
* US, China and EU agree to cooperate on UN climate treaty * Hubei starts China’s second-biggest carbon exchange * Social media explosion powered by dirty energy, report warns * California pays residents to offset higher energy costs from cap and trade * Airlines find a smart way to cut carbon footprint * For sustainable agriculture, big is beautiful * Climate change impacting entire planet, says new UN report
UN chief praises Pacific islands' climate change actions
4 Apr 2014
THE COMMITMENT of small islands in the Pacific to low-carbon development has been praised by the head of the United Nations.
New aid rules offer big emitters $2b windfall
4 Apr 2014
BIG ENERGY-guzzling companies will get a handout of up to $US2.75 billion under proposed new state aid rules due to be finalised by the European Commission by April 9, according to an analysis by the Öko Institute.
Why climate change is not a matter of cost
4 Apr 2014
TWO researchers who tried to work out the economics of reducing global climate change to a tolerable level have come up with a perhaps surprising answer: essentially, we do not and cannot know what it would cost.
Time for the Big Three to take Big Action
28 Mar 2014
WITHIN the course of five days, Brussels will play host to Barack Obama and Xi Jinping. As the international community looks to keep global warming under 2°C, these leaders must insist on the same, writes NATALIE ALONSO, of Oxfam.
Australia poised for carbon policy tussle
28 Mar 2014
By MICHAEL HOPKIN.- A Labor-dominated Senate committee has set the stage for the post-July tussle over carbon policy, recommending that Australia commit to much deeper emissions cuts than the current 5 per cent target, and advising against scrapping carbon pricing.
EU predicts waste tsunami if we fail to cut trash
28 Mar 2014
THE EUROPEAN Commission is preparing new policy proposals to reduce waste and reach greater recycling rates, in order to move towards a zero-refuse economy.
The air that we breathe is killing one person in eight, says new report
28 Mar 2014
AIR POLLUTION killed seven million people across the globe in 2012, making it the world’s largest single environmental health risk, according to new figures.
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
28 Mar 2014
* Long-term sea level rise will be much higher, says IPCC * Failing carbon trading markets provide key lessons for the future * China prepares to expand carbon market with sixth scheme * Schwarzenegger linked to destructive logging companies * Asia’s great cities face rising flooding risks in warming world * Fracking good for the UK, says Cameron * UK emitters to pay much more for carbon * Climate change, beetles present problem for avocado products
EU climate ambitions clouded by calendar issues
21 Mar 2014
European Union heads of states preparing for a summit opening in Brussels today are divided about when to adopt a new climate change target, as the EC’s preferred 40 per cent greenhouse gas reductions goal sails into the distance.
Carbon sector wants Europe to act
21 Mar 2014
Carbon traders and investors are calling on Europe to reach a clear and early political agreement on the 2030 climate and energy framework.
Send in the drones ... China spies on polluting industries
21 Mar 2014
China is using drones to spy in heavily polluted areas for illicit pollution emissions, according to a senior Government official.
Why business needs to know climate change laws
21 Mar 2014
The number of climate change laws on the statue books of the world’s leading economies grew from less than 40 in 1997 to almost 500 at the end of 2013 SAM FRANKHAUSER, co-director of the Grantham Research Institute at the London School of Economics, reports:
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
21 Mar 2014
* MEPs block moves to exempt long-haul flights from trading scheme * Steel industry urges overhaul of EU carbon trading system * Tokyo firms over-achieve on emission targets: official * Wyoming bans teaching climate change in schools
Not all is well with India’s dam-building boom
21 Mar 2014
By KIERAN COOKE .- India is in the midst of a massive hydro electric dam building programme, necessary, it says, to fuel the energy needs of its fast growing economy.
Why Deutsche Bank built a jungle in Manhattan (complete with anaconda)
21 Mar 2014
By REBECCA ELLIOT.- Journalist McKenzie Funk opens his book, Windfall: The Booming Business of Global Warming, with a carnival-like scene at a Deutsche Bank road show in February 2008.
Germany expects quick deal on climate goals
14 Mar 2014
Despite persistent opposition from some EU member states, German environment minister Barbara Hendricks said she expects an agreement over the EU's proposed climate and energy package for 2030, EurActiv reports.
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
14 Mar 2014
* UN climate envoys hail momentum, but warn time running out * Can Kemper become the first US power plant to use 'clean coal'? * Swiss seek precision as nations shape carbon market * Quebec's carbon market rebounds after California hook-up * Gas prices may jump from California emissions law * Turning Christmas tree lights into slipper soles
Asia-Pacific must boost food supply, says UN
14 Mar 2014
Governments in the Asia-Pacific region – which has more hungry people than all the other regions of the world combined – should take some major decisions about ways to increase food production and address undernourishment, says the United Nations.
EU agrees on draft plan for aviation emissions
7 Mar 2014
The European Union has reached a preliminary deal on a law that will exempt long-haul flights from paying for carbon emissions until 2016.
We need to rethink what we're doing to our cities, says UN
7 Mar 2014
How countries plan, build and manage their cities today will determine the outcome of global efforts to achieve a sustainable future, says the United Nations.
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
7 Mar 2014
* Europe’s banks in $1-tril risk from carbon bubble * Chinese premier declares war on pollution in economic overhaul * EU carbon trading fix goes into effect * Australia climate cuts ‘insulting sovereignty of other countries’
Australia hotting up, say scientists
7 Mar 2014
Temperatures across Australia were, on average, almost 1°C warmer than they were a century ago, according to a new report.
Antarctic sea changes could bring big problems
7 Mar 2014
By TIM RADFORD.- Global warming could have dramatic consequences for ocean circulation in the Antarctic, according to new research.
Defence housing wins green award
7 Mar 2014
A 98-hectare development in Townsville has won developer Defence Housing Australia an EnviroDevelopment green tick from the Urban Development Institute of Australia.
Climate laws cover nearly 90% of carbon pollution
28 Feb 2014
By ED KING .-More than 60 countries responsible for 88 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions now have legislation aimed at cutting carbon pollution and promoting green growth.
Livestock diet can cut emissions, says study
28 Feb 2014
By TIM RADFORD.- Here’s a way to make cattle emit lower volumes of methane through their digestive tracts: give the beasts a higher-quality diet.
WEB WIRE ... news from the world of carbon
28 Feb 2014
* EU plan to cut supply of carbon permits passes into law * Abbott 'must treble minimum emissions target to stay credible' * Greens set to block bid to end auction of carbon units * Green lobby urges EU to make all airlines pay for carbon * South Africa delays carbon tax amid industry pressure * Volcanoes may be slowing down climate change * Nauru President: ‘Some islands won’t make it’
Scientists crack code for duckweed ... and raise hopes for biofuel
28 Feb 2014
Geneticists have cracked the code for one of nature’s fastest-growing plants: Spirodela polyrhiza, or duckweed - and the pay-off could come with higher deliveries of biofuel at lower cost to cropland farmers.
Change could see 1500 Indonesian islands vanish
28 Feb 2014
Rising seas could swallow as many as 1500 of Indonesia’s islands by 2050, according to a report from the Maplecroft Climate Change Vulnerability Index.
UN kicks off year of focus on island states
28 Feb 2014
The United Nations has launched the International Year of Small Island Developing States – a chance to address increasing environmental degradation, and social and economic marginalisation in those countries.
Emissions lower under Direct Action, says research
21 Feb 2014
The Australian Government's proposed Direct Action Plan may lead to more domestic emissions reductions than the Carbon Price Mechanism, according to new research.
Europe debates people’s legal right to water
21 Feb 2014
The European Parliament has launched the debate on the first successful European citizens’ initiative, on the right to water.
UN presses for action on sustainability crises
21 Feb 2014
The water, sanitation and sustainable energy crises are the among the world’s pre-eminent development challenges, a senior United Nations official has warned.
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
21 Feb 2014
* Abbott appoints climate change sceptic to review energy target * How big oil gave up on the climate * Alcoa denies carbon price to blame for decision to shut smelter * Chinese city plans emissions market * 54% carbon cut from EU 2030 plan * Climate change refugees a reality * Iran plans emissions trading scheme
China renewables target could be 2050
21 Feb 2014
Eighty per cent of China’s electricity production could be based on renewables by 2050, a new report says.
Pacific holds key to climate change’s ‘missing warmth’
14 Feb 2014
Australian and US scientists think they know where a lot of global warming has been concentrated: it has been tucked away below the surface waters of the western Pacific.
Trade deal ‘opens door to environmental lawsuits’
14 Feb 2014
Multinationals will have wide-ranging powers to sue EU states that enact health or environmental laws breaching their "legitimate expectations" of profit.
Climate change has already made Australians in one state much poorer, and more’s to come
Today 12:15pm
The world’s hottest years over the past decade have coincided with stagnant economic productivity, rising prices and geopolitical instability.
US judge orders halt to Trump administration's 'censorship' of park exhibits
Today 12:15pm
A federal judge ordered the Trump administration on Friday to reinstall exhibits and signs on topics like slavery and climate change that it had removed from parks and monuments nationwide because they "do not align with its preferred narrative."
China warns of risk of 'extreme floods' in desert regions
Mon 15 Jun 2026
China warned communities in its northwestern Xinjiang and nearby regions on Friday to prepare for "extreme floods" this summer, driven by abnormally high temperatures, heavy rainfall, and rapid glacier melt.
Climate change reshapes Spain's rockfall risk as frost weathering moves uphill
Today 12:15pm
Climate change is altering where and when rocks are most likely to fracture across Spain, according to new research that suggests warming temperatures are redistributing a key process responsible for breaking down mountain landscapes.
Millions of UK homes at risk of sinking as climate crisis worsens
Fri 12 Jun 2026
Millions of homes are at risk from climate-related subsidence, according to an analysis by the British Geological Survey.
Canada signs landmark LNG energy deal with Germany
29 May 2026
Canada has announced a landmark energy agreement with Germany that will see the first-ever long-term shipments of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Canada to Europe in the coming years.
Solar overtakes gas power in Asia for first time ever
Mon 15 Jun 2026
Solar has overtaken gas power in Asia to become the continent’s third-largest source of electricity, according to new analysis by Carbon Brief.
The Pacific made history in the courts – now we must do it in the negotiations
Fri 12 Jun 2026
Legal clarity alone will not lead to reduced emissions, more finance or stronger national climate plans – political will is key to meeting states’ obligations.
Antarctica’s west coast missing an area of sea ice the size of France as temperatures peak 20C above average
Today 12:15pm
A vast area of the Bellingshausen Sea should be covered by sea ice by now, with one expert calling the loss of ice ‘depressing’.
Aid cuts and climate change drive deadly malaria surge in Zimbabwe
29 May 2026
A surge in malaria cases in Zimbabwe is exposing fragile health systems and growing treatment shortages in rural areas.
Colombia’s climate crossroads: Trumpism casts shadow over presidential battle
26 May 2026
Colombia is a global leader in climate activism. Could US influence drag country to a future of mining and fracking?
Finance dominates discussions at Bonn climate talks
Today 12:15pm
Lack of progress on finance issues – including putting a number on the new goal to triple adaptation funding – is causing blockages across negotiating tracks at UN climate talks.
