International: All stories
Big oil eyes free carbon permits in California
29 Oct 2010
Oil refiners including Royal Dutch Shell and ConocoPhillips would be among the companies to get free pollution rights under California’s planned cap-and-trade programme for carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
India, China smiling over climate change
29 Oct 2010
Emerging market economies, including India and China, are more optimistic than the rest of the world in terms of concern, personal commitment and the belief that climate change can be stopped, says a new survey.
Australian experts examine carbon farming
29 Oct 2010
A panel of experts has been appointed to examine ways Australian farmers and foresters can earn carbon credits.
More Arctic ships mean more climate problems
29 Oct 2010
Scientists have revealed that as the ice-capped Arctic Ocean warms, ship traffic will increase at the top of the world.
Singapore welcomes big carbon traders
29 Oct 2010
Singapore's carbon market is growing and new firms are setting up shop on the back of increased interest in carbon trading in Asia.
Heliostats spell sunny future for solar industry
29 Oct 2010
Work has begun on installing 450 large mirrors, called heliostats, for Australia’s largest solar-thermal tower system at the CSIRO National Solar Energy Centre in Newcastle.
Union sparks probe of China's green-tech trade
22 Oct 2010
The United States is investigating China's practices affecting trade and investment in green technologies.
Asian countries high on list of most vulnerable
22 Oct 2010
Some of the world’s largest and fastest-growing economies, including India, are facing the greatest climate change risks to their populations, ecosystems and business environments, says a new report.
Droughts loom at record levels, says study
22 Oct 2010
A large percentage of heavily populated countries could suffer severe and prolonged drought in coming decades, according to a new study.
Whitehall grabs billions from emissions scheme
22 Oct 2010
The British government has carried out a $5.5 billion smash-and-grab on one of its predecessor’s more controversial market-based emissions reduction programmes.
UN okays pioneering Russian carbon project
22 Oct 2010
Russia has been given the green light for its first emissions reductions scheme to be verified under a new UN-backed carbon offset certification procedure.
Voters to speak on California climate law
22 Oct 2010
Californians next month will decide whether to pull back from a landmark anti-pollution law as its economy continues to struggle.
China shows the way in wind energy boom
15 Oct 2010
Wind energy could be supplying 22 per cent of the world's power generation by 2030, and 12 per cent as soon as 2020.
Europe claims victory for aviation role in ETS
15 Oct 2010
The European Union claims the way is now clear for its plans to include aviation in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme from 2012 following an agreement at a meeting in Montreal.
Companies pile court action on climate watchdog
15 Oct 2010
More than 90 companies and trade associations have sued the US Environmental Protection Agency in the past year over its work on greenhouse gases.
Why we need a closer watch on sea levels
15 Oct 2010
Better international ocean and ice sheet monitoring and modelling programmes are needed to keep pace with the threat of rising sea levels, say the authors of a new book.
Melbourne home to carbon market institute
15 Oct 2010
Melbourne will be home to the Australian Carbon Market Institute, giving the city the advantage to become a major centre for carbon market business in the Asia-Pacific region.
Big banks slammed for backing coal
8 Oct 2010
A report prepared for Greenpeace has found Australia's big four banks are pouring huge amounts of money into the most polluting form of power generation: coal.
How insurance can spur enviro investment
8 Oct 2010
Many hurdles have to be overcome before institutional investors will allocate money to environmental projects in developing countries, according to Standard & Poor's.
Climate change target unsafe, say scientists
8 Oct 2010
An analysis of geological records that preserve details of the last known period of global warming has revealed ¡°startling¡± results which suggest current targets for limiting climate change are unsafe.
Last talks before Cancun bog down in China
8 Oct 2010
Financial assistance from developed countries for projects to combat climate change in the developing world has emerged as a key sticking point at the climate meeting in China, which is the last round of negotiations before the year-end Cancun conference.
UN to list ‘30 Ways in 30 Days’ to combat change
8 Oct 2010
In the run up to next month’s major climate change conference in Cancún, the United Nations will release one case study daily for 30 days to prove that solutions to combat global are available, accessible and replicable.
Solar giant plans huge plant in WA
8 Oct 2010
Perth-based Verve Energy and BP Solar, one of the world’s largest solar companies, have announced plans to build Australia’s largest grid-connected solar photovoltaic plant near Geraldton, Western Australia.
This emissions business is hard, says China
1 Oct 2010
China's goals to slow greenhouse gas growth will be tough and costly, says the nation's top climate change official.
Garnaut back on the Aussie merry-go-round
1 Oct 2010
The man who wrote the climate change report for former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd will be helping to do it all again for the country's new leader.
Ecuador oil deal shows how it can be done, says UN
1 Oct 2010
An Ecuadorian decision to leave vast amounts of oil in the ground to protect the biodiversity of a national park represents a model of the kind of innovative international partnership that benefits everyone, says a senior United Nations official.
Pacific states plead for action at Cancun talks
1 Oct 2010
Two Pacific Islands countries have told the UN that the forthcoming climate change conference in Cancun, Mexico, must come up with a binding agreement.
Carbon management climbs boardroom agenda
24 Sep 2010
Carbon management is becoming a strategic business priority and competitive driver for the largest global companies, a new survey shows.
UK green deal will make 250,000 jobs, says minister
24 Sep 2010
The UK Government aims to introduce “radical” proposals that would insulate 26 million homes over the next 20 years, make energy efficiency affordable to all, and create 250,000 jobs.
Big money aims to shoot down California energy laws
24 Sep 2010
Four years ago, bipartisan majorities in the California Legislature approved a landmark clean energy bill that many hoped would serve as a template for a national effort to reduce dependence on foreign oil and mitigate the threat of climate change.
EU carbon prices may treble by 2013, says bank
24 Sep 2010
European Union carbon permit prices might almost triple by as early as 2013 as natural gas recovers, says Swiss banking giant UBS.
Combet admits carbon tax an option
24 Sep 2010
Australian Climate Change Minister Greg Combet has given a clear sign the Government is prepared to consider introducing a carbon tax.
Toyota to build eco engines in Australia
24 Sep 2010
Japanese car giant Toyota will build a $US300 million plant in Australia to produce engines which will deliver reduced carbon emissions and improved fuel consumption.
Taiwan moves toward carbon offset scheme
24 Sep 2010
Nearly 270 companies responsible for more than half of Taiwan's greenhouse gas pollution have agreed to supply emissions data to the government to help it to launch a carbon offset scheme.
Coal comfort: New climate minister vows support
17 Sep 2010
Australia's new climate change minister, former coal engineer Greg Combet, has been quick to reassure the country's coal mining industry of its vital role in the country's economy.
… but major miner says to look beyond coal
17 Sep 2010
Australia should ''look beyond coal'' and toward other energy sources, says the head of the world’s largest miner, BHP Billiton.
UN urges airlines to slash carbon emissions
17 Sep 2010
UN climate chief Christiana Figueres has urged the air transport industry to press on with curbs on emissions, underlining that it held "critical keys" to tackling global warming.
Canada looms as a polar tiger, says scientist
17 Sep 2010
Canada will emerge as a major world power within 40 years as part of a climate-driven transformation of global trade, agriculture and geopolitics highlighted by the rise of the "Northern Rim" nations.
It’s easy, says study, change what the cow eats
17 Sep 2010
Climate change can be curbed by changing the diet of livestock who contribute a fifth of the planet's greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new study.
Put your money on e-cars, says bank report
10 Sep 2010
Low-carbon vehicles, such as electric cars, will be a bigger global market by 2020 than renewable energy like wind and solar power, according to a report by HSBC bank.
Early Greens pressure could see an Aussie ETS
10 Sep 2010
Australia is now much more likely to introduce a price on planet-warming carbon pollution after support by independents and Greens returned the Labor Party to office this week.
It's a cinch, says Harry, nothing this year
10 Sep 2010
The US won’t pass legislation this year that charges power plants a price for releasing carbon dioxide and other gases that scientists have linked to climate change, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said.
Euronext to expand carbon trading to US, Asia
10 Sep 2010
NYSE Euronext plans to expand its carbon-trading business from Europe to the US and Asia through a joint venture that sets up a three-way battle among exchanges to expand a once-promising market whose fortunes have waned in recent months.
UK launches investor forum to spur green finance
10 Sep 2010
The British government has launched an initiative to unlock new investment in low-carbon technologies and make London a global hub for green finance.
Scientists look for climate clues in ships' logs
10 Sep 2010
The voyages of the Bounty and the Beagle will be used by scientists hoping to build a database to predict natural disasters precisely.
Climate change could be why bees are not so busy
10 Sep 2010
The world-wide decline in bee pollination has been linked to climate change in a new Canadian study.
Big banks take new look at dirty industries
3 Sep 2010
Two international banks operating in New Zealand are among financial institutions reportedly growing wary of environmental risks in lending.
Biofuel demand driving Africa land grab
3 Sep 2010
Biofuel demand is driving a new land grab in Africa, with at least five million hectares acquired by foreign firms to grow crops in 11 countries, a study by an environmental group said this week.
France to pump billions into renewables
3 Sep 2010
France has launched a programme to pump $1.71 billion into green chemistry, solar power and other emerging technology research.
Carbon traders setting up shop in Singapore
3 Sep 2010
More companies trading in carbon offsets and those financing emissions reduction projects are setting up shop in Singapore.
NSW to ban new coalmines in major shake-up for $23bn industry
Mon 23 Mar 2026
A major shake-up is on the way for one Australian state’s single biggest export, which powers homes here and abroad.
US to pay almost $1bn to French energy company to kill wind project plan
Today 11:45am
As a fuel crisis triggered by the war in Iran drives up global fossil fuel prices, the Trump administration has announced it will pay French energy major TotalEnergies $1bn to kill plans to construct wind farms off the US east coast.
China tells oil refiners to suspend exports
Fri 20 Mar 2026
China has told its largest oil refiners to suspend exports of diesel and gasoline, Bloomberg News reported Thursday, citing unidentified sources, as the war in the Middle East risks an energy supply crunch.
Spain’s Sánchez attacks other EU leaders for exploiting energy prices to gut climate policies
Mon 23 Mar 2026
Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez said his country was on “the right side of history” when it comes to how it has handled the economic and social costs of previous energy crises.
Analysis: CO2 from UK data centres could be ‘hundreds of times’ higher than thought
Today 11:45am
Emissions from the new data centres set to drive the UK’s AI “revolution” could be hundreds of times higher than government estimates, according to analysis by Carbon Brief.
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.
Asia pivots to coal as Middle East conflict chokes LNG supply
Thu 19 Mar 2026
Asian utilities are boosting coal-fired power generation to cut costs and safeguard energy supply, industry officials say, as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran chokes liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments and soaring prices threaten to suppress LNG demand.
Pacific Nations fear fuel shortages as Middle East war sends oil prices soaring
Fri 20 Mar 2026
Leaders of Samoa and Tonga appealed for help this week as the import-reliant Pacific nations raised fears over possible fuel shortages and escalating costs caused by war in the Middle East.
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
16 Mar 2026
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.
Surfing’s big break: how climate crisis insurance may save El Salvador’s waves
Thu 19 Mar 2026
Fearing that extreme weather threatened its epic breaks, Oriente Salvaje is piloting the first surf insurance policy to protect livelihoods and ecosystems.
Iran war should trigger faster exit from fossil fuel dependence, UN climate chief says
Wed 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.
