International: All stories
US aims to cut coal power emissions
5 Apr 2012
The United States is looking to cut emissions from coal-fired power stations.
Energy regulator reports for duty
5 Apr 2012
Australia has moved one step closer to a clean energy future with the Clean Energy Regulator starting operations.
Court gives go-ahead to mega mine
30 Mar 2012
The Queensland Land Court has recommended that the Wandoan coal mine proceed despite concerns raised by Friends of the Earth about the impacts of burning coal.
Carbon capture technology moves closer
30 Mar 2012
Australia’s CSIRO will release its latest findings on carbon dioxide capture technology following a four year $21 million research programme aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power stations.
Grassroots groups win UN prizes
30 Mar 2012
Twenty-five community are the winners of a United Nations-backed partnership prize for promoting local sustainable development solutions.
Australia stands alone in low-carbon slide
23 Mar 2012
Australia is the only G20 country that has gone backwards on its low-carbon competitiveness since 1995, according to the Global Climate Leadership Review 2012 released by The Climate Institute.
Europe tells China to start own ETS
23 Mar 2012
The European Union has hinted that it hopes to avoid levying its controversial carbon-emissions tax on flights from China, if Beijing introduces its own carbon-trading scheme to cover aviation.
Cloud forests heading for destruction
23 Mar 2012
Many of the world’s rarest and richest forests – its high-altitude cloud forests – could be all but obliterated by 2080 due to the combined impact of man-made climate change and habitat destruction.
No doubt about it, Australia’s getting hotter
16 Mar 2012
Australia’s land and oceans have continued to warm in response to rising CO2 emissions from the burning of fossil fuels.
China sees sense of low-carbon economy
16 Mar 2012
A low-carbon economy is among China’s major goals as it tries to leave itself more room to improve the way in which it grows.
World needs water plan, says report
16 Mar 2012
An unprecedented rise in the demand for food, rapid urbanisation and climate change are significantly threatening global water supplies, according to a new United Nations report.
New pact aims to control e-waste
16 Mar 2012
A new United Nations agreement seeks to diminish the damage caused by electronic waste through the collection and recycling of hazardous materials.
Biofuels get $15 million boost
16 Mar 2012
Australia’s biofuel industry has been given a boost with the Government’s announcement of a $15 million commitment to the new Advanced Biofuels Investment Readiness programme.
EU charge could cost Airbus $3.8m
9 Mar 2012
An Asian airline is threatening to scrap an order for 10 Airbus jets over a European Union carbon charge imposed on global airlines.
Shipping shapes as next target of EU
9 Mar 2012
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) could soon find itself butting heads with Brussels over how best to tackle emissions from international shipping, analysts say.
Businesses keen on clean tech classes
9 Mar 2012
More than 1800 Australian manufacturers have registered to attend information sessions for the Government’s $1 billion Clean Technology Investment programmes.
Don’t be like Singapore, says watchdog
9 Mar 2012
Affluent business city-state Singapore is a society that maybe is one of the best examples of what the world should not do, says an environmental pressure group.
Australia, China work on carbon capture
9 Mar 2012
Australia is developing new technologies to reduce carbon emissions at a time when demand for renewable energy grows rapidly in the nation and around the world.
Nepal registers 40‚000 biogas plants
9 Mar 2012
Nepal’s 40,000 biogas plants have been registered with the Clean Development Mechanism of the United Nations Climate Change Convention for carbon trading.
... and the answer is a wooden post
9 Mar 2012
The latest tool for protecting one of Victoria’s most important wetlands is a simple wooden post.
Campaign aims to to cut emissions
2 Mar 2012
Australia has launched a national public engagement programme aimed at showing how the country can reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
Australia eases impact of carbon price
2 Mar 2012
Rules are in place for providing assistance for Australia’s most emissions-intensive, trade-exposed industries to prosper in a carbon constrained economy.
Australians act early to cut emissions
24 Feb 2012
Australian companies are moving to cut greenhouse gas emissions even before they face a price on carbon.
Countries group to fight airlines action
24 Feb 2012
Officials from 29 countries have met in Moscow to try to put pressure on the European Union to abandon a law which requires international airlines to pay for carbon emissions.
Farmers tackle climate change challenge
24 Feb 2012
Representatives of millions of smallholders, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers have agreed at a United Nations forum in Rome on the need to jointly address the global challenges of food insecurity and climate change.
Protesters’ pix show dam destruction
24 Feb 2012
Activists have released a series of pictures from a dam exclusion zone showing poverty and environmental destruction in the Malaysian state of Sarawak.
Agencies chase slice of farm carbon pie
17 Feb 2012
More than 500 applications have been received from Australian universities, land managers, industry and government agencies for government funding to test and develop new ways for farmers to reduce carbon emissions.
Business must do sustainability, says UN
17 Feb 2012
More businesses must embrace the principle of sustainability in their strategies, says United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon.
Australia sets up energy aid packages
17 Feb 2012
The Australian Government has announced a package of energy efficiency programmes designed to make it easier for everyone to access assistance and support in the transition to a low-carbon future.
How US backs renewable energy
17 Feb 2012
The continued support of the United States Government for its renewable energy sector is expected to continue to attract investment and cement its status as one of the largest producers of solar and wind power worldwide, a new study says.
South Korean officials want carbon cap
10 Feb 2012
A South Korean Government committee has approved a bill that will charge polluters for their greenhouse gas emissions from 2015.
China orders airlines not to pay
10 Feb 2012
China has banned domestic airlines from participating in the European Union's emissions trading scheme and from using the scheme to increase fares or add other fees.
Talks connect to connection technologies
10 Feb 2012
The upcoming United Nations summit on sustainable development is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to set the world on a durable track that guarantees a decent standard of living for everyone, a top UN official says.
Former PM lines up business awards
10 Feb 2012
Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark later this year will be handing out awards to innovative businesses judged to have contributed to sustainable development.
Wind power creates jobs worldwide
3 Feb 2012
Wind power has become one of the most rapidly-growing markets in the global energy industry, creating a significant number of jobs in times when other industries are experiencing financial instability, a new report says.
Blueprint demands action on sustainability
3 Feb 2012
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for action on a new blueprint for creating a sustainable planet, a just society and a growing economy, stressing that the current path will not lead to a fair and resilient future.
Scientists find Tasman warming hot spot
3 Feb 2012
Oceanographers have identified a series of ocean hotspots, including one in the Tasman Sea, generated by strengthening wind systems that have driven oceanic currents polewards beyond their known boundaries.
30,000-year-old bison gives up secrets
3 Feb 2012
Thirty-thousand-year-old bison bones discovered in permafrost at a Canadian goldmine are helping scientists to unravel the mystery about how animals adapt to rapid environmental change.
Experts eye green economy in a blue world
27 Jan 2012
The economic productivity of the marine sector can be significantly boosted by shifting to a more sustainable approach that focuses on green activities such as renewable energy, eco-tourism and sustainable transport, according to a new United Nations report.
US climate teams move into Pacific
27 Jan 2012
A team of American experts has been in Fiji this week to identify how it may help Fiji and other Pacific nations to adapt to climate change.
Talks begin on agenda for Rio
27 Jan 2012
The first round of informal discussions on the proposed outcome document of the United Nations conference on sustainable development that will be held in Brazil in June got under way in New York with a senior UN official calling for an ambitious and yet practical conclusion.
China looks at benefits of carbon tax
20 Jan 2012
China is considering levying a carbon tax within the next three years to tighten its regulations on polluting industries and put the economy on a greener path.
Startling report warns of lives cut short
20 Jan 2012
A world-first study into the potential impact climate change will have on years of life lost has come up with startling results, says an Australian academic.
Energy efficiency vital, says UN report
20 Jan 2012
A new United Nations report urges investment in energy-efficient technologies to help to achieve sustainable growth and tackle a host of global challenges from climate change to poverty reduction.
Durban delegates hail breakthrough
16 Dec 2011
Countries at the Durban climate conference delivered what they believe is a breakthrough on the future of the international community’s response to climate change.
New phone app gives you carbon clues
16 Dec 2011
A new United Nations mobile telephone application lets users calculate their carbon footprint, visualise its equivalent in a particular ecosystem, and learn new ways in which they can reduce their emissions.
Scientists get excited about biochar
16 Dec 2011
Biochar could help to improve agricultural productivity and assist farmers and landholders to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, says a new Australian report.
The longer we wait, the worse it gets
9 Dec 2011
Delaying any decisions on future climate action until 2015 or 2020 will bring a rapidly increasing risk in costs and threatens the likelihood of the world being able to keep global warming to below 2 degrees C, the Climate Action Tracker warned this week.
Business must take over, says green leader
9 Dec 2011
Business must step into the breach on climate change because government negotiators at the Durban climate conference are procrastinating, says one of Africa’s leading environmentalists.
Experts hand out warning to Pacific Islands
9 Dec 2011
Islands across the Pacific can expect rising sea levels, more very hot and wet days, and more damage to coral reefs, says a new report.
Australia, China discuss regional energy security, Albanese says
Thu 9 Apr 2026
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he discussed regional energy security with his Chinese counterpart Li Qiang by phone on Tuesday, as China's fuel export ban exacerbates energy disruptions linked to the Iran war.
Trump’s budget would cut billions from climate programs while boosting military spending
Wed 8 Apr 2026
Trump’s 2027 budget proposal targets what the administration calls the “Green New Scam” through budget cuts to energy and environment programs.
China's Xi urges faster development of new energy system as Middle East war continues
Wed 8 Apr 2026
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for accelerated planning and construction of a new energy system to safeguard the country's energy security, weeks into the Iran war that has triggered global energy shocks.
The European Commission has published the first quarterly price for CBAM certificates
Thu 9 Apr 2026
The European Commission has officially set the reference price for the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism certificate for the first quarter of 2026 at €75.36 per ton of CO2.
Britain hits renewable power record in 2025, but fossil fuel use also up
Wed 8 Apr 2026
Renewable power such as wind and solar provided a record 52.5% of Britain’s electricity generation in 2025, government data showed on Thursday, but fossil fuel use also rose.
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.
How Pakistan’s solar boom is shielding it from worst of Iran war crisis
Thu 9 Apr 2026
A quarter of Pakistani households are now using solar panels. This insulates millions of families from the energy supply crunch prompted by the US-Israel war on Iran.
Vanuatu Indigenous leaders raise concerns over plans to build resort for cruise tourists
1 Apr 2026
Indigenous community leaders in Vanuatu have raised concerns over plans by the cruise operator Royal Caribbean to build a private beach club on the island of Lelepa, arguing environmental impact assessments by the company are “incomplete” and “misleading”.
China's huge push to reduce air pollution had an unexpected consequence in the Arctic
2 Apr 2026
China's cuts to aerosol emissions reduced sea ice loss, but it may have revealed a bigger story about climate change.
Rationing power and diluting petrol – how African countries are coping with effects of Iran war
30 Mar 2026
Countries across Africa have taken measures such as diluting petrol and restricting electricity consumption to cope with the fuel crisis triggered by the US and Israel's war in Iran.
Beef production drives 40% of agriculture-linked forest destruction, Brazil leads
26 Mar 2026
Beef production is the leading driver of agriculture-linked deforestation, accounting for 40% of all forest clearing done to open space for food production, according to details of a study released on Tuesday.
Iran war should trigger faster exit from fossil fuel dependence, UN climate chief says
18 Mar 2026
The disruption to energy markets caused by the Iran war is a lesson on the risks of relying on fossil fuels which should drive governments to wean their economies off oil and gas faster, the U.N. climate secretary told Reuters on Monday.
