International: All stories
US senators attack Obama’s cap-and-trade proposal
13 Mar 2009
The United States should not impose a cap-and-trade system to battle climate change this year because it amounts to a painful tax during a deep recession, senators argued this week.
EPA proposes reporting on gas emissions
13 Mar 2009
The US Environmental Protection Agency has proposed the first comprehensive national system for reporting emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases produced by major sources in the United States.
Sea level could rise twice as fast, warn scientists
13 Mar 2009
By the end of the century, sea levels might rise twice as much as was predicted two years ago in the fourth assessment report by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Angry EU farmers oppose livestock-gas tax
13 Mar 2009
Proposals to tax the flatulence of cows and other livestock have been denounced by farming groups in the Irish Republic and Denmark.
Stern: Climate change deniers are 'flat-earthers'
13 Mar 2009
Climate change deniers are "ridiculous" and akin to "flat-earthers", according to Sir Nicholas Stern, who advised the British government about the economic threat posed by global warming.
Three make final of world green car award
13 Mar 2009
The Mitsubishi i-MiEV, the Honda FCX Clarity, and the Toyota iQ are the top contenders in the prestigious World Green Car of the Year competition.
Carbon sinks losing battle with rising emissions
13 Mar 2009
The stabilising influence that land and ocean carbon sinks have on rising carbon emissions is gradually weakening, say scientists at the international Copenhagen Climate Change Conference.
Senate to examine Rudd's emissions scheme
10 Mar 2009
A Senate inquiry into the Australian government's proposed emissions trading scheme will go ahead, after the Greens and the Opposition agreed on its terms of reference.
Bad news on way as scientists give climate update
10 Mar 2009
Climate scientists are preparing for bad news as they review the latest data on global warming at a conference beginning today in Copenhagen.
Low-carbon economy only way out, says Brown
10 Mar 2009
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called for a national effort to create a low-carbon economy, stressing that green a recovery is the very option for the economy to beat the current recession.
Carbon trade wrong, says former BP chief
10 Mar 2009
Lord Browne, the former chief executive of BP and one of the earliest proponents of carbon trading to tackle climate change, has conceded his enthusiasm was misplaced.
We’ll have to wait and see carbon-effect of recession
10 Mar 2009
The financial crisis has slashed industrial output and trade but it will be months before there is an accurate picture of how much the downturn has curbed greenhouse gas emissions, according to two leading scientists.
Food fears prompt China to spend on agriculture
10 Mar 2009
China will increase spending on agricultural production by 20 per cent this year amid warnings that climate change could spark a future food crisis.
Indian firms drop carbon trading for renewable projects
10 Mar 2009
Indian companies are turning towards renewable energy projects for a better return on their investments.
Gas hotspot Nigeria on frontline for climate change
10 Mar 2009
Nigeria, tipped to be the world's next natural gas powerhouse, is on the frontline for climate change as it is ranked Africa's largest producer of greenhouse gases.
Scouts (all 28 million of them) to mobilise for Earth Hour
10 Mar 2009
The Scouts, the world's largest youth movement with more than 28 million members in 160 countries, lead thousands of community groups around the world mobilising their supporters for Earth Hour, the global expression of a desire for serious and sustained action on climate change.
Clean Energy Corps rides to the rescue of US homes
6 Mar 2009
More than 80 labour, environmental, civic, and policy organisations have endorsed a proposal to help America's economic recovery and environmental health by applying energy-efficient measures to more than 15 million existing buildings.
British PM urges US to lead on climate change
6 Mar 2009
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has urged the United States to harness historic global goodwill to pull the world out of its economic slump and lead the charge against climate change.
Airlines could have planes seized under emissions rules
6 Mar 2009
Britain’s Environment Agency is to be given powers to seize planes from airlines which break the rules of a new scheme to limit flights' carbon emissions.
UN drives roadmap for halving car emissions
6 Mar 2009
With the world's car fleet expected to triple by 2050, a roadmap to halve greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles by that date was laid out by United Nations at the Geneva Motor Show.
New report slams state of world’s fisheries
6 Mar 2009
The fishing industry must do more to confront the effects of climate change as well as get a grip on the perennial problem of overfishing, says a new UN report.
Australia votes $32 million for soil and emissions study
6 Mar 2009
The Australian Government will spend nearly $32 million to research soil carbon and nitrous oxide emissions in agriculture.
Consumers get paid in US ‘cap and dividend’ scheme
3 Mar 2009
US Congressman Chris van Hollen says he plans to introduce legislation soon that would cap carbon emissions, require all emission allowances to be sold at auction and distribute at least 90 per cent of the auction revenues to consumers in the form of monthly dividend checks.
Obama raises hopes for Copenhagen climate pact
3 Mar 2009
Until recently, the idea that the world’s most powerful nations might come together to tackle global warming seemed an environmentalist’s pipedream.
'Alive and well' AAUs surviving money crisis
3 Mar 2009
The market for government-level emissions rights under the Kyoto Protocol is alive and well, mostly unfazed by the global economic downturn, according to Reuters.
Planted forests critical to wood supplies, says UN
3 Mar 2009
Planted forests which provided wood that is renewable, energy efficient and environmentally friendly have become increasingly critical to future supplies, according to a new study by the United Nations.
Greenpeace targets US toilet paper
3 Mar 2009
Greenpeace is urging the United States to take a second look at its toilet paper manufacturing industry for its use of virgin material on something that is flushed after a few seconds of use.
Carbon price floor not the way to go, say experts
27 Feb 2009
Falling carbon prices should not be supported through artificial price floors or direct government intervention, as this may deter new players and stunt the still-nascent market's growth, carbon market experts believe.
Pressure builds on Rudd to delay emissions scheme
27 Feb 2009
The Rudd government yesterday came under renewed pressure to delay plans for carbon trading when Australia’s leading industry body claimed the global downturn made a 2010 start unrealistic.
Australia goes all-out to cut animal gas emissions
27 Feb 2009
Australia will invest in a major research effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from livestock – the nation’s third largest source of emissions, including methane.
Green activists change minds over nuclear power
27 Feb 2009
Britain’s green lobby for the first time has come out in support of nuclear power technology after years of opposition.
There’s money to be made in climate change
27 Feb 2009
The number of lobbyists seeking to influence United States federal policy on climate change has grown more than 300 per cent in five years, according to a new Center for Public Integrity report.
Consumers keen for energy answers, says report
27 Feb 2009
Consumers around the globe are willing to become more involved with managing their energy use, says a new report by US-based Global Business Services.
Rocket carrying space carbon-spy crashes into sea
27 Feb 2009
A rocket carrying a satellite to track the chief culprit in global warming crashed into the ocean near Antarctica after launch, dealing a major setback to NASA's network for monitoring Earth and its environment from above.
Watch the carbon dioxide flow on Google Earth
27 Feb 2009
New interactive Google Earth maps, created by NASA, Purdue University and the Department of Energy, show the amount of carbon dioxide being dumped into the US atmosphere every hour.
Stern warns of ‘extended world war' over climate
24 Feb 2009
If countries don't deal with climate change decisively, "we're talking about extended world war," eminent British economist Lord Nicholas Stern has warned.
Aussies in dark on emissions effort, survey shows
24 Feb 2009
Most Australians have no idea how Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's emissions trading scheme will work, and do not realise individual efforts will make no difference to stopping climate change.
Green billions fertilise Obama’s economic package
24 Feb 2009
The $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed into law by President Barack Obama will create green jobs, new Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa Jackson says.
Big US gold miner wins ‘prize of shame’
24 Feb 2009
Activists have awarded US gold miner Newmont anti-prizes for environmental and social violations.
Britons beat the petrol price thanks to fish and chips
24 Feb 2009
As he has done frequently over the past 18 months, a man drives his blue diesel Peugeot 205 on to a farm near Nuneaton, England, where signs pointed one way for “eggs” and another for “oil.”
China about to roll out new electric buses
24 Feb 2009
Battery-powered buses that can cover 188 miles on one charge and recharge in 20 minutes will hit the road in China in June.
UN: Heat waves and extreme drought will increase with climate change
24 Feb 2009
The severe drought and searing heat that recently allowed wildfires to char much of Australia will oppress wide swathes of the earth with increasing frequency this century, according to a forecast by scientists who met last week in Beijing, China.
Rudd ditches inquiry and sticks with emissions plans
20 Feb 2009
Mounting criticism of Australia’s proposed carbon trading policy forced Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to end the confusion late yesterday by abandoning plans for a new inquiry and declaring the scheme would start as planned in mid-2010.
UN urges green revolution to rescue the world’s hungry
20 Feb 2009
Unless major changes are made - including the way food is produced, handled and disposed of around the world - last year’s food crisis which plunged millions back into hunger may foreshadow an even bigger crisis in the years to come, the UN has warned.
UK windmills flap helplessly as coal remains king
20 Feb 2009
If you flick a switch in Britain today, the light goes on because of coal.
Beijing Olympics raises bar on green sporting events
20 Feb 2009
Last year's Beijing Olympics set new records for eco-friendly mass spectator sporting events by raising the bar on many of the high environmental standards it set itself, according to a new UN report.
Brazil climate changes threaten coffee crop
20 Feb 2009
The future for Brazil's mighty farm sector could be grim, with hotter temperatures pushing crops past its borders, uphill into the Andes and toward the tip of South America.
Global warming worse than we thought, say scientists
17 Feb 2009
The pace of global warming is likely to be much faster than recent predictions, because industrial greenhouse gas emissions have increased more quickly than expected, according to scientists.
Biofuels might speed up global warming, says study
17 Feb 2009
The use of crop-based biofuels could speed up rather than slow down global warming by fueling the destruction of rainforests, scientists warn in a just-released report.
Clean energy at crossroads as firms cut plans and staff
17 Feb 2009
Green companies are in retreat, with a wave of staff layoffs and production cuts that could have dire consequences for government efforts to fight climate change by quickly bringing low-carbon power projects on stream.
Australia: Cost of years of inaction on climate change is now revealed
Wed 17 Sep 2025
OPINION: In recent weeks, alarming glimpses into the contents of the federal government’s National Climate Risk Assessment have leaked out.
US Securities and Exchange Commission chief threatens ban on European accounting rules
Tue 16 Sep 2025
Paul Atkins questions whether overseas companies should be barred from using International Financial Reporting Standards.
China aims to nearly double battery storage by 2027 in $35 billion plan
Tue 16 Sep 2025
China is looking to almost double its so-called new energy storage capacity to 180 gigawatts (GW) by 2027, according to an industry plan announced by authorities on Friday.
Europe’s summer of extreme weather caused €43bn of short-term losses, analysis finds
Wed 17 Sep 2025
Greatest damage from heat, drought and flooding done in Cyprus, Greece, Malta and Bulgaria.
UK foreign aid for nature hits £800m record due to cash for carbon credits
Tue 16 Sep 2025
The UK’s climate-aid spending on “nature protection and restoration” reached record levels of nearly £800m last year, according to government figures obtained by Carbon Brief.
Carney government noncommittal about Canada meeting 2030 climate goals
9 Sep 2025
Prime Minister Mark Carney would not say Monday whether Canada will meet its climate goals under the Paris agreement by 2030, as his government faces criticism over his emission-reduction plans.
Tax rebalancing in Indian energy sector: Renewables cheaper, coal costlier
Fri 12 Sep 2025
Industry experts and developers have hail GST cuts on clean energy equipment, saying it will be a major enabler for India’s ambitious climate goals.
China, climate crisis and COP31: Five takeaways from the Pacific Islands Forum
Tue 16 Sep 2025
A key climate crisis funding treaty struck as Pacific leaders backed Australia’s bid for Cop31 despite some criticism of its environmental credentials.
Iconic Antarctic species at risk amid 'regime shift', with 'rapid and self-perpetuating changes'
22 Aug 2025
Scientists say there is emerging evidence of abrupt and potentially unstoppable changes in the Antarctic environment.
South African environmental groups push to block Shell’s new wells – how world court opinion might help
Wed 17 Sep 2025
The International Court of Justice’s landmark advisory opinion on climate change has come in handy for South African communities that are trying to stop global oil company Shell from drilling for oil and gas off the coast.
Brazil implores businesses to attend COP30 climate summit, despite 'second thoughts' amid Trump backlash
5 Sep 2025
November's COP30 summit comes at a precarious time for climate action, as companies back away from environmental initiatives, and attacks on green energy by President Trump.
UN pushes countries for new climate targets this month
9 Sep 2025
The United Nations urged countries on Wednesday to set more ambitious climate plans during this month, seeking to pressure major economies including the EU and China ahead of this year's U.N. climate summit.
