International: All stories
EU-China carbon talks get serious
8 Jun 2012
Meetings between EU and Chinese officials aimed at helping Beijing to draft plans for its own carbon emissions market are “increasing in intensity,” says the union’s chief climate negotiator, Artur Runge-Metzger.
Now’s the time to change our thinking
8 Jun 2012
The need for a change in thinking and approach to ensure the sustainability of the Earth’s resources as the world population grows has been highlighted as part of World Environment Day this week.
Global emissions reach record high
1 Jun 2012
Global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion reached a record high of 31.6 gigatonnes in 2011, according to preliminary estimates from the International Energy Agency.
Price floor key to Australian market
1 Jun 2012
Australia’s price floor will decide the price of Australian Allowances during the first three years of Australia’s emissions trading scheme, an international carbon analyst is predicting.
Growing market meets carbon challenges
1 Jun 2012
The total value of the carbon market grew by 11 per cent in 2011, to $176 billion, and transaction volumes reached a new high of 10.3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, says a new World Bank report.
Money system flawed, says euro pioneer
1 Jun 2012
One of the men who designed the monetary scheme that led to the euro says that flaws in the current monetary system are causing climate change, over-consumption and repeated financial crises.
Stand by for the golden age of gas
1 Jun 2012
Exploiting the world’s vast resources of unconventional natural gas holds the key to a golden age of gas, says the International Energy Agency.
Australia eyes new energy standards
1 Jun 2012
The Australian Government has introduced the Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards legislation to Parliament.
Scientist champions seagrass carbon sinks
25 May 2012
Seagrasses could be the oceans’ best-kept secret, and a multibillion-dollar marketplace, for mitigating global climate change, according to a new study.
UN chiefs demand progress in Rio
25 May 2012
United Nations top officials have stressed the need to achieve concrete commitments ahead of the Sustainable Development Conference (Rio+20) in Brazil next month.
State leaders ignore tribes’ forest plan
25 May 2012
A delegation of native Penan from Borneo’s interior have presented a unique community-based conservation initiative at the State Assembly in Kuching, the capital of the Malaysian state of Sarawak.
New website pushes sustainability
25 May 2012
An online database has been launched to strengthen partnerships between sustainable development projects in developing countries and enable communities to better manage their natural resources and local environment.
Banks need a shove to back green
18 May 2012
An Australian researcher is calling for tax breaks and other Government interventions to push banks towards lending on large-scale clean and renewable technologies.
EU airline cash could go to climate fund
18 May 2012
European Union nations should pledge that funds from paying for airline emissions will help poor countries to deal with global warming, the bloc's climate chief said this week.
Europe ETS to spare some industries
18 May 2012
The European Commission has drawn up a draft list of 14 industrial sectors that will be eligible for special state aid to compensate for the increased cost of electricity due to the European Emission Trading Scheme.
Asia-Pacific must respond to survive
18 May 2012
The Asia-Pacific region must continue to grow economically to lift millions of people out of poverty, but it must also respond to climate change to survive, the UN Development Programme says in a new report.
We’re using up our world, says report
18 May 2012
Humanity is using nature's services 50 per cent faster than Earth can renew, says a new report.
Korea, Europe could link carbon markets
18 May 2012
A British Foreign Office official says he expects carbon trading markets between South Korea and the European Union to be linked within the next decade.
She'll be right, Combet tells public
11 May 2012
The Australian Government says it is committed to supporting jobs and households through putting a price on carbon.
Get moving, Ban tells Rio nations
11 May 2012
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged countries to make progress in their negotiations of the outcome document for the Rio+20 conference next month.
EU sets June deadline for single registry
11 May 2012
The full activation of the EU Emissions Trading System single registry, including the migration of over 30,000 EU ETS accounts from national registries, is scheduled to take place in June.
Island nations commit to new fuels
11 May 2012
Twenty small island developing nations meeting in Barbados have announced new actions to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and end poverty.
Think-tank asks the big questions
4 May 2012
The Club of Rome – the international think-tank that published the ground-breaking 1972 The Limits to Growth report – will next week release a new analysis of the world’s future.
Report lists banks as coal’s ‘Filthy Five’
4 May 2012
The largest banks in the United States, including Bank of America, have been listed in a new report’s “Filthy Five” as major financiers of the coal industry.
Koreans say yes to emissions trading
4 May 2012
South Korea has approved a national emissions trading scheme to tackle its growing greenhouse gas emissions.
Climate drives security fears in Arctic
4 May 2012
Ways must be found to head off potential conflicts in the Arctic as climate change reshapes the geopolitics of the area, says a new report.
Australia revises carbon offset scheme
4 May 2012
A revised National Carbon Offset Scheme has just been released, allowing Australian businesses to offset their products with pollution reduction under the Government's Carbon Farming Initiative.
Senior scientists talk innovation access
4 May 2012
Chief executives of nine of the world’s leading applied research agencies are meeting in Sydney to improve access by the developing world to science and innovation.
Islands face big fresh water problems
27 Apr 2012
Climate change will exacerbate water stress in Pacific Islands, particularly small islands that rely on seasonal rain for their freshwater needs, says a new United Nations report.
Growers eye huge potential of safflower
27 Apr 2012
New varieties of the safflower plant containing the world’s highest levels of valuable oleic acid are in the pipeline for Australian grain growers thanks to breakthrough research at CSIRO.
Talks urge film-makers to spread the word
27 Apr 2012
Film-makers have been urged to use the power of story-telling and documentaries to help to bring sustainability issues to life in a compelling manner.
Towns learn how landfill can make money
27 Apr 2012
The Australian Government has teamed up with the Australian Local Government Association to explain how landfill can be used to reduce pollution and earn carbon credits.
Science key to our future, says UN
20 Apr 2012
Economic growth that relies on unsustainable patterns of consumption and production is undermining humankind’s quest for harmony with nature, says a top United Nations official.
Mexico eyes carbon trading system
20 Apr 2012
Mexico has moved a step closer to passing legislation which will lead to a carbon trading system.
Perth company gets first carbon licence
20 Apr 2012
CO2 Group has become the Australia’s first carbon project developer to get a financial services licence that will allow the company to trade carbon credit units.
Partners have high hopes for insect silk
20 Apr 2012
Bringing new insect silk products to the global market is the focus of a partnership announced by Australian research agency CSIRO and global life science industry supplier Lonza.
Scientists find which plants will survive
20 Apr 2012
New research by Californian scientists could lead to predictions of which plant species will escape extinction from climate change.
Buy coal ... and fight climate change
13 Apr 2012
Environmental policy historically has been driven by a demand-side mindset - attempting to limit consumption of precious fossil fuels through pollution permits, taxation and multi-national climate change treaties.
UN in pre-Rio call for business action
13 Apr 2012
The business and industry sectors play a key role in leading countries toward sustainable development, says a top United Nations official.
Australia and EU want ETS links
5 Apr 2012
The Australian Government and the European Union have confirmed their strong commitment to working towards linking their emissions trading schemes.
Why high-tech is vital in carbon economy
5 Apr 2012
The use of broadband in information and communication technology can help the world transition to a low-carbon economy and address the causes and effects of climate change, according to a new United Nations-backed report.
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.
Oil refinery fire at key Victoria facility
Thu 16 Apr 2026
Explosions and towering flames were reported as a significant fire broke out at one of Australia’s major oil refineries.
Judge dismisses Trump administration’s bid to block Hawaii climate lawsuit
Today 11:15am
It was the second defeat for the Trump administration’s unusual litigation to stop states from acting on climate change.
China's climate envoy warns of energy security risks, urges renewables shift
Wed 15 Apr 2026
The ongoing global energy crisis has highlighted the risks of heavy dependence on fossil fuel imports, prompting an urgent need for countries to rethink their energy security strategies and accelerate the transition to renewable energy, Liu Zhenmin, China's climate envoy for climate change, has said recently.
Europe has 'maybe six weeks of jet fuel left', energy boss warns
Today 11:15am
Stocks would reach a tipping point in June if Europe was unable to replace at least half of its imports from the Middle East, the organisation said in a report this week.
UK ‘green’ jet fuel imports linked to illegal Amazon deforestation
Tue 14 Apr 2026
A major supplier of ‘green’ airline fuel to the UK has sourced beef fat linked to illegal Amazon deforestation, court documents and shipping data show.
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.
Ocean protections clash with mining pressure in Indonesia’s most diverse marine ecosystem
13 Apr 2026
Long regarded as a global model for ocean conservation, Raja Ampat ecosystems are now under pressure, as concerns grow over the expansion of nickel mining alongside a surge of international tourism.
Tuvalu to host world leaders before COP31 summit
Thu 16 Apr 2026
Tuvalu, the Pacific nation at the forefront of the global climate crisis, will host a special meeting of world leaders before this year’s Cop31 summit, as the conference president expresses “complete faith” in Chris Bowen to lead tough negotiations.
Drowned chicks and food scarcity: Emperor penguin and Antarctic fur seal now endangered
13 Apr 2026
The primary drivers are shrinking sea ice and warming oceans driven by 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.
India walked away from its bid to host COP33 – here's why
Thu 16 Apr 2026
India has quietly abandoned its bid to host the UN's top-tier climate conference COP33, marking a shift from PM Narendra Modi's pledge in 2023. Experts and analysts explore what's behind the decision.
