International: All stories
Australian carbon bills go to House
16 Sep 2011
The Gillard Government has introduced a package of bills to the House of Representatives which it says will allow Australia to seize the economic and job opportunities that will come as the world tackles climate change and shifts to a clean energy future.
Pacific will go hungry, says bank report
16 Sep 2011
Climate change threatens to increase hunger and malnutrition among the Pacific region's poorest people unless there is action soon, says a new report from the Asian Development Bank.
Forests failure will cost plenty, says UN
16 Sep 2011
The United Nations and a coalition of financial institutions have warned that huge losses, both financial and environmental, could result from a failure to agree on a climate change agreement that spurs private sector investment in efforts to reduce deforestation and forest degradation.
Key carbon tax MP escapes charges
9 Sep 2011
The chances of Australia’s carbon tax going ahead improved yesterday when police announced they would not charge a Labor MP with fraud.
Plan aims to break ship emissions deadlock
9 Sep 2011
A proposed deal to apply a carbon price to international shipping would tackle the huge and growing greenhouse gas emissions from ships, a new report says.
Colin Powell's got Karma … so has Leonardo
9 Sep 2011
By Jeff Siegel, editor Energy & Capital. A few years ago, I attended a fundraising meeting for Fisker Automotive, the company that's just delivered the Fisker Karma, the world's first plug-in hybrid electric luxury car.
Car pollution: the answer lies in a good paint job
9 Sep 2011
Exhaust emissions from cars are a toxic nightmare for the planet … but vehicles start polluting even before they hit the road.
Carbon capture body opens Japan office
9 Sep 2011
The Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute, working to accelerate the development and uptake of carbon capture and storage technologies round the world, has opened an office in Tokyo.
Buildings will go green under $35m fund
2 Sep 2011
The Australian Government has announced $35.2 million in funding to green-up 90 buildings across the nation.
Big business backs eucalypt biofuel
2 Sep 2011
A consortium of Australian businesses plans to use eucalypt trees to produce aviation biofuel from a pilot production unit operating by 2012.
Hotel green scheme makes business sense
2 Sep 2011
Hotels will be able to contribute to climate change mitigation while also increasing their profits under a new green scheme.
Carbon farming becomes reality in Australia
26 Aug 2011
The Gillard Government’s Carbon Farming Initiative has passed through the Parliament to establish a regulated carbon offsets market in Australia.
UN wants clean energy revolution
26 Aug 2011
United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon has called for a clean energy revolution to help to transform the global economy and put the world on a cleaner, safer, more equitable path.
Further, faster, higher … wildlife responds to climate change
26 Aug 2011
Animal species have responded to climate change up to three times faster than previously appreciated, according to new research.
How investing in ecosystems pays off
26 Aug 2011
Investing in healthy ecosystems can boost food security, improve resilience to climate change and provide economic benefits for poor communities, says a new United Nations report.
Ban puts sustainable development at No 1
19 Aug 2011
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today that sustainable development will remain his top priority during his second term as the head of the United Nations.
Buildings in the frontline of climate battle
19 Aug 2011
Richard Lorch, editor of Building Research and Information, examines Tokyo's cap-and-trade scheme to reduce emissions from buildings:
Wind powers Ford’s UK diesel plant
19 Aug 2011
Ford's Dagenham diesel engine assembly line in the UK will be fully powered by wind by the end of August next year, thanks to the construction of a third electricity-generating turbine.
New-energy pioneers get $26m kitty
12 Aug 2011
Australian companies with promising renewable energy technology projects are being invited to apply for a slice of a $A26 million pie.
UN exhorts academia to find solutions
12 Aug 2011
United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon has called on the world’s best brains to come up with ideas to promote sustainable development and to find solutions to global hunger and malnutrition.
Japan cuts ties with the past
5 Aug 2011
In business offices around Japan, executives are not wearing ties in a bid to cut energy use.
Ships face new fuel rules in Antarctic
5 Aug 2011
Ships sailing Antarctic waters now face restrictions on the type of fuel they can use.
Tool measures emissions from buildings
5 Aug 2011
A tool developed by the United Nations for measuring energy use and carbon dioxide emissions in homes and offices could lead to the creation of a uniform system for defining the climate impact of buildings.
Israel puts energy solutions on show
5 Aug 2011
The CleanTech 2011 mega-event under way in Tel Aviv this week displays Israel's advanced water, solar, wind and natural gas energy solutions.
Australian carbon bills on the move
29 Jul 2011
Australians have until August 22 to comment on legislation to bring in a price on carbon.
Aussie clothier jumps in – boots and all
29 Jul 2011
A well-known clothing company has bought a $13 million Central Australia cattle station to go carbon farming.
Countdown begins to sustainable Olympics
29 Jul 2011
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has started a one-year countdown clock for next year’s Olympic Games in London, which have been dedicated to the goal of sustainability.
UN warns of climate threats to security
22 Jul 2011
Climate change is a real threat to international peace and security, says United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
There must be a better way, says tiny kingdom
22 Jul 2011
A Himalayan kingdom that values happiness over productivity has warned that consumerism is draining the world of key natural resources and is helping to spark or to worsen fuel, water and financial crises.
Renewable energy making its mark on the world
15 Jul 2011
The renewable energy sector has continued to perform well despite the global economic slowdown, cuts in incentives, and low natural-gas prices, according to a new United Nations-backed report.
Australia makes carbon moves easy for householders
15 Jul 2011
The Australian Government has outlined an easy way for households to understand the assistance provided for the cost of living impacts of the carbon price announced at the weekend.
UN to rule on Honduras CDM case
15 Jul 2011
The United Nation's Clean Development Mechanism Executive Board will decide this week whether to register a controversial carbon offsetting project in Honduras linked to serious human rights abuses, CDM Watch says.
Australia eyes $23 carbon price
8 Jul 2011
Australia is expected to set its carbon price at around $A23 a tonne.
Sorry, say experts, it's no longer business as usual
8 Jul 2011
Humanity is close to breaching the sustainability of Earth, and needs a technological revolution greater - and faster - than the industrial revolution to avoid “a major planetary catastrophe,” according to a new United Nations report.
Australia set to reveal incomplete carbon plan
8 Jul 2011
The Australian Government will unveil its carbon pricing scheme on Sunday, even though it says the plan is unfinished.
Fire shapes up as a hot climate question
8 Jul 2011
How the frequency and intensity of wildfires and intentional biomass burning will change in a future climate requires closer scientific attention, according to an Australian scientist.
Africa ready for carbon deals, says UN
8 Jul 2011
Africa is ripe for carbon offset projects, United Nations experts this week told a meeting in Morocco.
UN panel wants halt to CDM coal projects
8 Jul 2011
A United Nations panel of technical experts has called for the immediate suspension of coal projects under the Clean Development Mechanisms after an analysis revealed that current rules could lead to millions of artificial carbon credits, the lobby group CDM Watch says.
California postpones trading scheme
1 Jul 2011
California is delaying its emissions trading scheme for a year.
Hydrogen car technology hits the fast lane
1 Jul 2011
Development of major infrastructure for hydrogen-powered fuel-cell vehicles is going ahead after a successful round-the world "test drive".
Disasters drain Asia-Pacific economies
1 Jul 2011
Asia-Pacific countries must pull together to overcome natural calamities that have set back the region’s road to economic recovery, a United Nations official told a disaster risk reduction meeting in Bangkok.
Australia votes $4m for climate change work
24 Jun 2011
The Australian Government has announced $4.2 million worth of grants for priority research to help communities to prepare for climate change.
Six things companies need to know about climate change
24 Jun 2011
Most businesses in a global survey have described responding to climate risks or investing in adaptation as a business opportunity.
Why cities are at the business end of climate challenge
24 Jun 2011
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on United States mayors to help in the worldwide fight against climate change and other energy challenges.
Why food and jobs will go as water dries up
17 Jun 2011
A worldwide shortage of water for agriculture will increasingly affect rural jobs and food supplies, says a new survey.
Emissions trading is best, says Shell chief
17 Jun 2011
Emissions trading schemes are a better way of tackling carbon pollution than government subsidies of renewable energy projects, says a senior Shell executive.
Get rid of soot and smog, urges report
17 Jun 2011
Fast action to curb soot and smog could improve human health, generate higher crop yields, reduce climate change and slow the melting of the Arctic, according to a new report.
How the majors deal with sustainability
17 Jun 2011
Canadian business analyst and Investing For The Soul founder Ron Robins explains why so many top international firms are incorporating sustainability into their business plans:
Huge benefits in forest spending, says UN
10 Jun 2011
Investing a relatively small amount each year in the forestry sector could halve deforestation, create millions of new jobs and help to tackle the devastating effects of climate change, says a new UN report.
Act now on Cancun pact, urges climate chief
10 Jun 2011
Amid new warnings about the rise in greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere, the top UN climate change official has called on governments to make progress in the fight against global warming.
Australian governments subsidising fossil fuel use by more than $30,000 a minute, analysis finds
Fri 13 Mar 2026
Australian federal and state government subsidies that encourage fossil fuel use and help drive the climate crisis will reach $16.3bn this year after leaping by nearly 10%, according to a new analysis.
‘We make a lot of money’: Trump downplays rise in gas prices during Iran war
Today 10:30am
Donald Trump on Thursday shrugged off the economic toll the war in Iran is taking on gas prices across the United States, writing on social media that “when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money”.
What does China’s 15th ‘five-year plan’ mean for climate change?
Tue 10 Mar 2026
China’s leadership has published a draft of its 15th five-year plan setting the strategic direction for the nation out to 2030, including support for clean energy and energy security.
Eight countries warn EU not to weaken carbon market
Today 10:30am
Spain, the Netherlands and six other governments have urged the European Union not to dismantle or suspend the bloc's emissions trading system, its main climate change policy, as Brussels hunts for ways to curb energy prices.
UK emissions fall 2.4% in 2025 as coal hits 400-year low
9 Mar 2026
The UK’s greenhouse gas emissions fell by 2.4% in 2025 to their lowest level in more than 150 years, according to new analysis.
Mark Carney just picked his lane on climate change
17 Feb 2026
COMMENT: Mark Carney's time as prime minister has been defined in part by his decision to roll back Trudeau-era climate policies.
'The situation is dire': War on Iran squeezes India's cooking-gas supplies
Today 10:30am
The shockwaves of a war being fought nearly 3,000km away are now reaching India's kitchens.
Vanuatu moves forward with UN climate resolution despite Trump opposition
9 Mar 2026
The Trump administration’s attempt to sink a UN resolution demanding countries act on the climate crisis has caused cuts to the proposal but hasn’t entirely killed it, according to the tiny Pacific island country spearheading the effort.
Limiting warming to 2C is ‘crucial’ to protect pristine Antarctic Peninsula
24 Feb 2026
Keeping global warming to less than 2C above pre-industrial temperatures is “crucial” for limiting damage to the Antarctic Peninsula’s unique ecosystems, according to a new study.
'Blackwater' lakes and rivers in the Congo Basin are now emitting ancient carbon into the atmosphere
Today 10:30am
Carbon that has been buried in the Congo Basin's peatlands for millennia is seeping into lakes and rivers. Why this is happening remains unclear, but researchers warn that tropical peatlands could be nearing a tipping point.
Companies – including Blackrock – retired 2 million carbon credits after Verra suspended project
Thu 12 Mar 2026
Verra suspended the Pacajai REDD project in Brazil in September 2023, pending an investigation into the project’s validity. That didn’t stop Mastercard, BlackRock, Philip Morris International from retiring carbon credits from the project to offset their greenhouse gas emissions.
Summit aims to revive stalled UN talks on phasing out fossil fuels
Wed 11 Mar 2026
Colombia and the Netherlands have set out three priorities for a conference on phasing out fossil fuels they will co-host in Colombia in April.
