International: All stories
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.
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
14 Feb 2014
* Sochi Winter Olympics on track to be warmest ever * Women more worried about climate change * Centres help farms face climate change * David Suzuki: Will thorium save us from climate change? * Zero-carbon homes costs tumble
It's all our own fault, says final UN report
7 Feb 2014
Global warming is unequivocal, the final version of the latest United Nations report on climate change has warned.
France to probe EU carbon market reform plan
7 Feb 2014
The European Commission's proposed carbon price stabilisation mechanism is a "masterpiece of Brussels technocracy" that could fuel greater market volatility, says a group of academics on the proposed package of 2030 climate legislation.
Bloomberg takes climate job to rev up cities
7 Feb 2014
Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been charged with galvanising urban action to reduce greenhouse emissions.
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
7 Feb 2014
* IMF chief Lagarde warns of 'merciless' climate change * Fracking depleting water supplies in America's driest areas * There’s more behind Arctic shipping than climate change * How China can cash in on climate change action * Grannies fight climate change with knitting
Climate change map shows how much your town has heated up
7 Feb 2014
Last year tied for the seventh warmest since 1880, according to NASA's latest data. Now, you can find out how temperatures are changing in your backyard with an updated interactive map
Helen Clark warns of ‘humanity divided’
31 Jan 2014
The widening gap between rich and poor in many countries is unjust and slows human progress, says former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark.
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
31 Jan 2014
* Obama: Climate change is a fact * Supermarkets to publish tonnage of wasted food * Industry awakens to climate change * Climate change could melt the Winter Olympics * Norway has fallen in love with electric cars
Badlands could cost us a ‘Brazil’, says report
31 Jan 2014
If demand for new land on which to grow food continues at the current rate, by 2050 an area nearly the size of Brazil could be ruined, warns a new report.
Investors question EU climate moves
31 Jan 2014
Investors say that Europe's latest climate package fails to send the sort of investment signal that will lead to jobs and innovation.
Change ahead, so business needs to get smart
24 Jan 2014
Smart companies will have clear strategic objectives and flexible tactical responses to deal with on-going disruptive change likely to be caused by carbon policy this year, Westpac’s international carbon desk says.
EU wants to see cut of 40% in gas emissions
24 Jan 2014
A reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 40 per cent below the 1990 level, an EU-wide binding target for renewable energy of at least 27 per cent, renewed ambitions for energy efficiency policies, a new governance system and a set of new indicators to ensure a competitive and secure energy system.
Time to dump high-carbon investments, says UN
24 Jan 2014
Investors have been urged to accelerate the greening of their portfolios as a crucial step toward a low-carbon economy.
Study shows how to double renewable energy
24 Jan 2014
The global renewable energy share can reach and exceed 30 per cent by 2030 at no extra cost, says a new report.
Fiji to move villages out of climate danger zones
24 Jan 2014
More than 40 communities might have to be relocated in the next five to 10 years to avoid climate change damage, says Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama.
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
24 Jan 2014
* China's fair share to halt global warming won't come cheap, Beijing report says * Climate change: 2013 ranked fourth-warmest year * Climate change: don't get scared, get ready * China starts televising the sunrise on giant TV screens because Beijing is so clouded in smog * 23% of Americans do not believe global warming is happening * Plastic made from carbon in the air hits market * Climate change TV series uses stars, Republicans
New carbon trading idea challenges deforestation
20 Dec 2013
A new approach to carbon trading seeks to change the economic and ecological determinants of deforestation.
Sydney aims for 100% renewable energy
20 Dec 2013
Sydney could be powered by 100 per cent renewable energy by 2030.
Draft pollution law seeks to tackle lethal European air
20 Dec 2013
The European Commission has unveiled a draft law to tackle air pollution, which every year is linked to 400,000 premature deaths in Europe and costs of tens of billions of euros.
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
20 Dec 2013
* Abbott signals he could wind back or scrap targets * EU reaches deal to cap super-warming F-gases * The banana's days may be numbered * Change in Pacific nitrogen content tied to climate change * Millions more to face water shortages this century * Pakistan secures $3.8 million to combat climate change * A look at the growing genre of climate fiction
UK proposes double-counting on biofuels
13 Dec 2013
Britain has proposed a way to lower the European Union's 2020 target for renewable energy by counting the contribution from biofuels twice, avoiding the need for billions of euros in investment, a document shows.
Leave fossil fuels in the ground, urges report
13 Dec 2013
Australia's climate council is calling for fossil fuels to remain in the ground.
We need climate-smart agriculture, says UN
13 Dec 2013
Agroforestry, diversification of crops with legumes and other practical measures must be scaled up to end hunger, says United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Power-wise women make huge savings in their homes
13 Dec 2013
Ten Sydney women have joined forces to make savings on their energy bills that would be enough to power four average family homes for a week.
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
13 Dec 2013
* China says poorly prepared to fight impact of climate change * Newly discovered greenhouse gas '7000 times more powerful than CO2' * Extreme heat risk on rise - Climate Council * Bloomberg launches new "carbon bubble" risk analysis service * European cities hesitant to adapt to climate change * Climate change leading to scarcity of farmland, investors say * World’s poorest nations 100 years behind richest on climate change
Analysts fear big Australian polluters might win
6 Dec 2013
The Australian Government's proposed $2.55 billion Emissions Reduction Fund could be exposed to serious budget risk, according to carbon analytics firm RepuTex.
China’s path to green economy fraught with challenges
6 Dec 2013
China is facing significant environmental and social challenges that must be addressed if it is to achieve its sustainable development goals, the United Nations says.
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
6 Dec 2013
* UN's 2C target will fail to avoid a climate disaster, scientists warn * Chinese province's emissions trading move leaves Australia behind * Public-private partners at UN pledge to seek sustainable energy funding * EU gradually turning green in food security debate * New study on climate change raises stakes for US. military * Time to sign up for the climate change war
Window opens for CPM repeal next year
29 Nov 2013
The Australian Coalition Government has announced its 2014 parliamentary calendar, with a rare mid-winter sitting for the new Senate as it seeks to fast track its repeal of the Carbon Pricing Mechanism.
Warsaw wobbles … and now we're off to Paris
29 Nov 2013
Almost 200 countries have signed a deal on climate change in Warsaw, marking the start of a journey toward a binding international agreement at the 2015 UN climate talks in Paris.
Climate change will have economic impact on Pacific, says bank study
29 Nov 2013
The economic loss suffered by the Pacific region could range from 2.9 per cent to as high as 12.7 per cent of annual GDP by 2100, according to a new study from the Asian Development Bank.
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
29 Nov 2013
* Top polluter China expands emissions trading * Markets have ‘deep roots’ in UN climate process * Coalition carbon policy not popular * Business beats the politicians in tackling climate change * Sabah to be first Malaysian state to deal in carbon trading
COP delegates scrap over who will pay the bills
22 Nov 2013
The UN COP19 climate conference is approaching the critical stage and could be scuttled over who pays for damage from events like Typhoon Haiyan, says Green MP Dr Kennedy Graham.
California approves first forest carbon offsets
22 Nov 2013
The first California forest carbon credits issued under the cap-and-trade offset protocols have been issued by the Air Resources Board.
Australia going back to coal, says report
22 Nov 2013
Higher gas prices, and the impending repeal of the Australian carbon price mechanism are set to resume the emphasis on coal-fired generation in the Australian National Electricity Market (NEM).
Coal industry must radically diversify, says UN
22 Nov 2013
The coal industry must radically transform and diversify to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, a senior United Nations official said in Warsaw, stressing that companies must assess the risks of doing business as usual.
WORLD WEB ... news from the world of carbon
22 Nov 2013
* China to launch Beijing, Shanghai carbon markets * Why banks in London are exiting the carbon trade * Just 90 companies caused two-thirds of man-made global warming emissions * Tony Abbott rejects Commonwealth climate change risk fund * $150m to break lease for defunct Climate Change department * Canadians losing faith in government on climate change * World's most climate vulnerable nation turns to coal power
Coal is back in Australian Super’s portfolio. What happened to that net zero pledge?
Mon 13 Jul 2026
In 2020 Australia’s biggest super fund dumped its Whitehaven shares. Fast forward to 2026 and it is now the coalminer’s single biggest investor.
Trump administration opens endangered species’ habitats to development, reversing 50 years of environmental law
Today 12:00pm
The Trump administration reversed decades of longstanding environmental law protecting endangered species on Friday, opening up sensitive habitats of those protected species to drilling, mining, farming and real estate development.
China warming faster than global average as extreme weather intensifies, report says
6 Jul 2026
China is warming faster than the global average, while extreme heat, heavy rainfall and other severe weather events are becoming more frequent and intense as climate change accelerates worldwide.
Europe recorded 10,000 excess deaths during late-June heatwave, data shows
Today 12:00pm
European countries reported more than 10,000 excess deaths during the record-breaking heatwave that engulfed the west of the continent in late June, official data showed.
Low-cost loans for solar panels could save households hundreds on bills – thinktanks
Thu 9 Jul 2026
Millions of UK households could save hundreds of pounds a year on their energy bills if the government were to approve low-cost loans for solar panel installation, research has found.
Canada advances Alberta pipeline to Pacific Coast to expand oil exports beyond the US
6 Jul 2026
Canada took a step toward opening a new route for its vast oil reserves to Asian markets as Prime Minister Mark Carney advanced a Pacific Coast pipeline from Alberta, seeking to reduce the country’s dependence on the U.S. while easing separatist tensions and preserving environmental protections.
Climate change becoming a major driver of child marriage across Asia and the Pacific
Today 12:00pm
The growing intensity of natural disasters across Asia is leading to increasing numbers of child marriages of girls, according to aid organisations.
‘Those blocking climate science are not our friends': Pacific leaders warn at Bonn talks
23 Jun 2026
Pacific nations and civil society groups have united at UN climate talks, pushing back against efforts to weaken agreed language on global temperature limits as negotiations continue behind closed doors.
Antarctica’s west coast missing an area of sea ice the size of France as temperatures peak 20C above average
16 Jun 2026
A vast area of the Bellingshausen Sea should be covered by sea ice by now, with one expert calling the loss of ice ‘depressing’.
Africa secures $900 million in new clean cooking commitments
Mon 13 Jul 2026
African countries have secured $900 million in new financial commitments to expand access to clean cooking technologies, which replace polluting fuels with cleaner alternatives, said the International Energy Agency.
Under Lula, Amazon deforestation falls to lowest level in a decade
Today 12:00pm
Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest has fallen to its lowest level in a decade during the first half of 2026, according to official government figures.
COP31 president says electrification is ‘surest way to protect citizens’
Today 12:00pm
Last month, COP31 president-designate Murat Kurum launched a target for 35% of the world’s final energy to come from electricity by 2035. In an interview with Carbon Brief, Kurum says that the target was not a political choice, but instead reflects the latest evidence on “what is needed to keep 1.5C within reach”.
