International: All stories
Rivals in race to market long-haul jets
21 Jun 2013
Aviation superpowers Airbus and Boeing are battling to dominate the transcontinental jet market, each vowing to outdo the other in delivering quieter, more fuel-efficient aircraft.
China kicks off carbon trading
21 Jun 2013
The South China city of Shenzhen launched a carbon trading scheme this week, the country's first market for compulsory carbon trading.
People come first, say UN leaders
21 Jun 2013
Governments should that land and mineral wealth are managed wisely, transparently and yield benefits for the people, senior United Nations officials said this week
Logging puts island on endangered list
21 Jun 2013
Part of logging-ravaged Rennell island in the Solomons has been named an endangered site by the United Nations.
China set to roll out trading scheme
14 Jun 2013
China next week will launch an emissions trading scheme in the southern city of Shenzhen, marking its first attempt to cut emissions using market mechanisms.
'Carbon farming' makes waves in Bonn
14 Jun 2013
United Nations climate talks in Bonn this week have largely stalled with the suspension of one of three negotiating tracks.
Experts rule fracking too risky
14 Jun 2013
German environmental experts doubt that developing shale gas is economically profitable and worthwhile for the country's energy transition.
Farmers told to adapt or suffer
14 Jun 2013
Farmers must adapt or risk getting left behind as climate change becomes an increasingly influential part of the agricultural landscape, says the head of the United States Agriculture Department.
China and US leaders sign chemicals pact
14 Jun 2013
The decision by China and the United States to cooperate on phasing down production of a group of synthetic chemicals in order to combat climate change has been welcomed by the United Nations.
Power saver ... take heat out of dirty laundry
14 Jun 2013
Households across Europe have been told to cool it in the laundry.
Imaginative inventors set out to save the world
14 Jun 2013
A handful of maverick inventors have banded together under the banner of the Ocean Invention Network to help to invent the world’s way out of climate change.
Airlines act to prevent emissions talks collapse
7 Jun 2013
A proposal agreed to this week by major airlines could rescue United Nations efforts for a deal to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the aviation sector, observers say.
WWF seeks $40b to back renewable energy
7 Jun 2013
Governments and financial institutions worldwide have been urged to increase investment in renewable energy by at least $US40 billion over the next 12 months.
Car pollution claims misleading, report says
7 Jun 2013
The gap has widened between the fuel-efficiency that carmakers declare for their models and the reality for drivers, with luxury German vehicles showing the biggest divergence, a study has found.
Little eco powerhouse wins best engine award
7 Jun 2013
Ford Motor Company’s ultra-fuel efficient 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine has been named international engine of the year.
Lake the world forgot lies pristine for 7500 years
7 Jun 2013
A lake on a remote Queensland island sits as it did more than 7000 years ago - untouched by humans and climate change.
UN and big business bring light to Africa
7 Jun 2013
A United Nations agency and a leading manufacturer have joined forces to bring light to Africa.
It’s tough in the Outback … and getting tougher
7 Jun 2013
People living in remote Australia are likely to be more severely affected by climate change than other sectors of the national population.
Europe wants emissions plans set early
31 May 2013
All countries should outline their long-term plans for curbing greenhouse gases next year, earlier than favoured by Washington, to revive the stalled fight against climate change, the European Union has proposed.
Countries plug in to sustainable energy
31 May 2013
Sustainable energy for all should get a higher priority in global development goals, delegates to a United Nations-backed forum in Vienna said this week.
Trading groups make carbon market pact
31 May 2013
Global emissions trading organisation, the International Emissions Trading Association and Australia’s industry body for carbon market professionals, the Carbon Market Institute, have announced a strategic alliance.
EU set to turn climate agenda upside down
24 May 2013
Europe’s plan to decarbonise its economy by 2050 could be turned on its head at a high-level meeting today.
Inaction will mean world without water
24 May 2013
The world will run out of fresh water unless greater efforts are made to reverse current trends, the United Nations warns.
MPs fail to approve renewables target
24 May 2013
The European Parliament has approved a non-binding resolution calling for a mandatory EU-wide share for renewables for 2030, but failed to set the target in the 40-45 per cent range.
Scientists believe man to blame, says study
24 May 2013
New research shows that the vast majority of scientists believe in anthropogenic climate change.
Korea eyes ambitious carbon scheme
17 May 2013
South Korea is preparing to introduce the world's most ambitious emissions trading scheme, potentially paving the way for carbon costs as high as $90 a tonne for many of the country's key industries.
China holds key to cleaner skies
17 May 2013
It’s time for China to adopt tighter laws and more regional efforts to fight air pollution through market mechanisms such as the carbon trading system, says an American expert.
World must wake up, says UN
17 May 2013
A stepped-up coordinated response is needed to fend off the impacts of climate change after the world’s carbon-dioxide concentrations surpassed their highest level in four million years, says the United Nations.
Power sector warns of costly 'lost decade'
17 May 2013
Europe faces a ‘lost decade’ of climate and energy policy inaction between 2020-2030, says a new report.
Students protest at Shell science funding
17 May 2013
Students and alumni of Oxford University have protested at the opening of a new lab in its Earth sciences department that is funded with €7 million from the Shell oil company.
Greening of global trade vital, says UN
10 May 2013
The expanding market for low-carbon and environmentally friendly products will create huge new opportunities in an increasingly interconnected world, says the United Nations.
Europe embraces green infrastructure
10 May 2013
A strategy aimed at promoting green infrastructure and putting natural processes at the heart of its spatial planning has been adopted by the European Union.
Carbon trading tax cut put on hold
10 May 2013
A 2015 tax cut in Australia associated with the carbon trading scheme will not go ahead because of the drop in the carbon price in Europe.
Draft treaty threatens fracking bans
10 May 2013
European bans on fracking for shale gas could face lawsuits under a far-reaching investment clause in a draft Canada-EU Trade Agreement (CETA) treaty.
Signs worrisome, says world weather watchdog
10 May 2013
The World Meteorological Organisation says there are now “clear” and “worrisome” signs that climate change is taking place.
Charles takes royal crack at corporates and sceptics
10 May 2013
Prince Charles has attacked corporate lobbyists and climate change sceptics for turning the Earth into a "dying patient", making his most outspoken criticism yet of the world's failure to tackle global warming.
Gas emissions about to hit critical level
3 May 2013
For the first time in human history, concentrations of carbon dioxide this month could rise above 400 parts per million and remain there for sustained lengths of time.
Why coal looks like a bad investment
3 May 2013
Coal investors could suffer heavy losses in the future as carbon assets are frozen by regulators to achieve global warming targets, a new research report has found.
Asia’s resource use unsustainable, UN warns
3 May 2013
The Asia-Pacific region must boost its resource efficiency or risk losing ground in lifestyle, economic growth and environmental sustainability, says a new UN report.
States miss renewable energy targets
3 May 2013
Twenty-two out of 29 states in India have failed to meet their renewable energy targets, says a new report.
Move over sci-fi ... here comes cli-fi, the hot new fiction
3 May 2013
Climate change has been cited as the cause behind a raft of recent phenomena, from increasing turbulence on planes to rising rates of malaria, dengue, and even domestic abuse.
How climate change could be giving Europe the runs
3 May 2013
Heavier rainfall and bigger storms could be responsible for more unsettled stomachs in parts of Europe, scientists believe.
Here come the new supereconomies
26 Apr 2013
More than 40 southern countries experienced significantly greater human development than specialists would have predicted 20 years ago, but global temperature shifts could yet undermine their progress, says a United Nations report.
Backloading might go to second vote
26 Apr 2013
A European Union plan to “backload” or withhold 900 million carbon allowances to see-saw their falling price, rejected by the European Parliament in a plenary session last week, could return for a second-round vote in June.
On yer bike … it could be the best way to go
26 Apr 2013
The bicycle could come into its own as a major part of city transport systems if an international forum meeting in Bali has its way.
Europe rejects ETS reform proposal
19 Apr 2013
The European Union’s flagship scheme for cutting carbon emissions suffered one of the most serious setbacks in its chequered history this week when members (MEPs) voted against a proposal to shore up the price of carbon in the Emissions Trading System.
Australia cuts emissions … slightly
19 Apr 2013
The Australian Government is facing calls to strengthen its carbon tax, as new figures show the country’s emissions fell only slightly last year.
Pacific refugees not urgent problem, says PM
19 Apr 2013
Decisions about whether New Zealand should take climate change refugees from the Pacific will be up to a government “some way in the future”, the Prime Minister says.
Private sector looms as key funder of forests
19 Apr 2013
The private sector is emerging as a key source of financing the sustainable management of forests that, if tapped properly, could result in benefits for the environment and for businesses.
Russians and Shell sign Arctic deal
12 Apr 2013
Russia’s export monopoly Gazprom and energy giant Royal Dutch Shell have signed a tentative deal to develop hydrocarbons in the Russian Arctic.
Australia declares El Nino set to be strongest in decades
Wed 17 Jun 2026
Australia's weather bureau warned on Tuesday that an El Nino weather pattern has formed in the tropical Pacific and could intensify in the second half of 2026 to become one of the strongest in seven decades.
Trump wants to put a $75m coal terminal in this liberal California city. Residents aren’t having it
Wed 17 Jun 2026
Residents of West Oakland, which suffers from toxic waste and high pollution rates, is rallying against a coal export facility.
China's fossil-fuelled power extends rise in May on weak wind output
Today 11:30am
China's fossil-fuelled power generation, mostly from coal but with a small amount from natural gas, rose 2.1% in May from a year earlier, statistics bureau data showed on Tuesday, as lower wind speeds curbed renewable energy growth.
Steel and chemicals giants demand freeze to EU’s flagship climate policy
Wed 17 Jun 2026
The attack on the Emissions Trading System is among industry's most direct calls yet for the EU to change course on climate.
UK rivers face rising risk of climate 'whiplash'
Today 11:30am
Climate change could push UK rivers to dangerous extremes and bring more frequent rapid swings between wet and dry conditions – a phenomenon known as hydroclimatic whiplash – according to research.
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
Tue 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’.
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?
Science ‘under attack’ from fossil fuel interests at UN climate talks
Today 11:30am
Dozens of countries have called out growing “coordinated attacks” by fossil fuel interests aimed at undermining the role of climate science in the UN negotiations at the mid-year talks in Bonn.
