International: All stories
A marine heatwave killed 4 million of Alaska’s murre seabirds
19 Dec 2024
Beginning in late fall 2014 and lasting into 2016, an anomalous, massive marine heatwave nicknamed “the Blob” developed off the western coast of the U.S., covering all of Alaska’s coastwater and extending as far south as Southern California, raising ocean temperatures by several degrees Celsius.
Major report joins dots between world's nature challenges
18 Dec 2024
Climate change, nature loss and food insecurity are all inextricably linked and dealing with them as separate issues won't work, a major report has warned.
Experts quit carbon market watchdog in row over quality label for forest credits
18 Dec 2024
Two ICVCM expert advisors have resigned from their positions over what they called a “problematic precedent” set with the REDD+ decision.
As the heat soars, dangers mount in Sydney’s parks and playgrounds
18 Dec 2024
In the state’s far west, the temperature was oppressive on Monday, reaching well into the 40s as residents braced for the prospect of Australian heat records being shattered.
Small island nations face climate-induced ‘catastrophe’, warn experts
18 Dec 2024
The first comprehensive study on health and climate change in small island developing states lays bare impact of the crisis and calls for action from richer countries.
Kenya’s devastating drought is the worst in 40 years
18 Dec 2024
The extreme conditions are leaving millions without food or clean water.
Google signs its largest ever carbon removal deal to capture CO2 in crushed rocks and soil
18 Dec 2024
Google announced an agreement for the purchase of 200,000 tonnes of carbon removal credits, to be earned through capturing CO2 in crushed rock and storing it in soil, with enhanced rock weathering (ERW) startup Terradot.
Australia leads the world in arresting climate and environment protesters
17 Dec 2024
Australian police are world leaders at arresting climate and environmental protesters.
Landmark climate hearings conclude at world's top court
17 Dec 2024
Two weeks of powerful testimonies from people on climate change's frontlines have come to a close. Now they must wait for a decision from the top UN court. But what impact could it have?
Trump’s climate threats rattle world’s biggest science meeting
17 Dec 2024
Researchers attending the American Geophysical Union conference worry their work could disappear when a president who rejects climate science takes office.
Several hundreds, maybe thousands, may have died in Mayotte cyclone
17 Dec 2024
Several hundred people and possibly even thousands may have been killed when the most powerful cyclone in nearly a century hit the French Indian Ocean archipelago of Mayotte, a senior local French official said on Sunday.
What could a US-China trade war mean for the energy transition?
17 Dec 2024
Ahead of Donald Trump’s second term as US president, a rerun of his first trade war with China is firmly on the cards – and minerals key to the energy transition may end up in the crossfire.
How to buy a secondhand gift someone might actually want
17 Dec 2024
In search of uniqueness and affordable quality, shoppers are increasingly open to buying and receiving secondhand gifts — and it’s better for the planet.
Trawl the sea or mine for metals? Pacific nations wrestle with how to protect oceans - and livelihoods
16 Dec 2024
Palau plans to allow more fishing in its marine sanctuary, as countries across the region seek to balance conservation with economic needs.
Rising desertification shows we can’t keep farming with fossil fuels
16 Dec 2024
Three-quarters of Earth’s land has become drier since 1990.
Government unveils new powers to approve onshore wind farms
16 Dec 2024
The government has unveiled plans to give ministers the final say on approving large onshore wind farms rather than leaving decisions to local councils, where opposition has often been fierce.
Canada ignores official advice in setting much-criticised 2035 emissions target
16 Dec 2024
While the Net Zero Advisory Body recommended a 50-55% cut in emissions, the government settled for a weaker 45-50% range.
Top advisers say EU should ban solar geoengineering … for now
16 Dec 2024
The bloc’s scientific advisers say the EU should push for an international treaty regulating the controversial technologies.
Record-breaking Philippines typhoon season was ‘supercharged’ by climate change
16 Dec 2024
This year’s record-breaking typhoon season in the Philippines – which saw six consecutive storm systems hit the country in under a month – was “supercharged” by climate change, according to a rapid attribution study.
‘A human face on an abstract problem’: international court forced to listen to climate victims
13 Dec 2024
Marginalised communities have been elevated during hearings in The Hague on impact of climate crisis
A new global carbon trading market could be held hostage by speculators
13 Dec 2024
Our planet’s future hangs in the balance due to the unabated greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels. Treating these emissions as something that can be owned and exchanged in a market has been touted as a solution since the early 1990s, when UN negotiations to agree a limit to global heating began. At the latest round of talks in Azerbaijan, countries finally agreed rules for a global carbon credit market.
Greece faced 9,500 forest fires this year, says minister
13 Dec 2024
About 9,500 forest fires, including one on the outskirts of Athens, consumed nearly 44,500 hectares of land this year, Greece's hottest and driest on record, official said on Tuesday.
Coal will be a central pillar of COP31 wherever it’s held
13 Dec 2024
In the shadows of COP29, two of the world’s most coal-dependent countries are still bidding to host the UN climate summit in 2026, offering what could be a unique moment to renew focus on coal, write two climate analysts.
EU’s new energy chief vows to end Russian fuel ties for good
13 Dec 2024
Momentum for quitting Moscow’s revenue driver has stalled. “Something new needs to happen,” Dan Jørgensen told POLITICO.
To fix the world's problems, we need both optimism and pessimism
13 Dec 2024
Solving challenges like climate change not only requires ambitious targets, but also an honest appraisal of uncertainty and possible failure.
What could a US-China trade war mean for the energy transition?
12 Dec 2024
Ahead of Donald Trump’s second term as US president, a rerun of his first trade war with China is firmly on the cards – and minerals key to the energy transition may end up in the crossfire.
Malibu residents flee as wildfire swallows homes along iconic Southern California coastline
12 Dec 2024
The beaches are empty in Malibu as a wildfire tears through swaths of the iconic Southern California coastline, consuming homes and vehicles and forcing residents – including legendary actor Dick Van Dyke – to flee their coveted hillside properties.
A ‘doom loop’ of climate change and geopolitical instability is beginning
12 Dec 2024
It is a common refrain to say that geopolitics gets in the way of climate action. From the war in Ukraine to trade tensions, each year seems to bring another immediate priority that diverts focus from the imperative to act on climate change.
Arctic tundra is now emitting more carbon than it absorbs, US agency says
12 Dec 2024
The drastic shift is driven by frequent wildfires, pushing surface air temperatures to second-warmest on record since 1900.
Nimble electric trucks are supercharging African trade
12 Dec 2024
In Rwanda, farmers often watch their harvest spoil before it can reach the market. A fleet of simple, efficient trucks is changing that.
Whale makes epic migration, astonishing scientists
12 Dec 2024
A humpback whale has made one of the longest and most unusual migrations ever recorded, possibly driven by climate change, scientists say.
Earth’s lands are drying out. Nations are trying to address it in talks this week
11 Dec 2024
Much of Earth’s lands are drying out and damaging the ability of plant and animal life to survive, according to a United Nations report released Monday at talks where countries are working to address the problem.
How climate risks are driving up insurance premiums around the US
11 Dec 2024
‘Tight correlation’ between premium rises and counties deemed most at risk from climate crisis, experts say.
Surging global tourism emissions are driven by just 20 countries – major new study
11 Dec 2024
Surging global tourism emissions are driven almost entirely by 20 countries, and efforts to rein in the trend aren’t working.
Should the polluter always pay?
11 Dec 2024
The answer isn’t as obvious as you might think. It depends on whether your priority is climate justice or cutting carbon.
‘Everything is interconnected’: Author and history professor Sunil Amrith on facing the climate crisis
11 Dec 2024
The Burning Earth is Yale history professor Sunil Amrith’s fifth book, and his first that focuses his academic eye on the climate crisis.
Seagrasses capture carbon 35 times faster than tropical rainforests. Scientists are working to save them
11 Dec 2024
An underwater gardening experiment along the East Coast aims to restore a type of seagrass called eelgrass, at risk of extinction due to rising sea surface temperatures.
2024 is the hottest year on record, EU scientists say
10 Dec 2024
This year will be the world's warmest since records began, with extraordinarily high temperatures expected to persist into at least the first few months of 2025, European Union scientists said on Monday.
UK 'not ready' for extreme weather
10 Dec 2024
The government is "not ready" for the sort of extreme weather brought by Storm Darragh, the new head of the Climate Change Committee has warned.
The real reason everything’s getting more expensive
10 Dec 2024
Inflation was a defining issue in the presidential election. Here's how climate change is making everything more expensive.
Methane-reducing supplement plagued by misinformation
10 Dec 2024
Concern has been rising over the use of a feed supplement, Bovaer 10, to reduce methane production in cows.
Loggers and carbon projects forge odd partnerships in the Brazilian Amazon
10 Dec 2024
Brazil’s largest carbon credit scandal, which came to light in June after a major police raid, has cast doubt on the viability of REDD+ projects in the Brazilian Amazon.
Scientists find huge trove of rare metals needed for clean energy hidden inside toxic coal waste
10 Dec 2024
Millions of tons of coal ash left over from burning the planet’s dirtiest fossil fuel are sitting in ponds and landfills, able to leach into waterways and pollute soil. But this toxic waste may also be a treasure trove for the rare earth elements needed to propel the world toward clean energy.
International court faces a pivotal choice on climate change
9 Dec 2024
What legal obligations do states have to fight climate change? Should high-emitting countries be held responsible for the harm they’ve caused? And should states safeguard the climate for future generations?
Why rich countries are ‘reluctant’ on coal-to-clean deals
9 Dec 2024
UK and German officials have said there will likely be no more Just Energy Transition Partnerships, as the focus shifts to “country platforms” instead.
Sails make a comeback to cut shipping’s huge carbon footprint
9 Dec 2024
The international merchant fleet of more than 100,000 ships transports more than 80% of global trade. But it’s also responsible for about 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Builders are using wood in a new way to construct high rises. And it's climate-friendly
9 Dec 2024
A wood building material can be used in high-rise structures, giving it the potential to replace materials that are bad for the climate, while also locking carbon into buildings for decades.
Oil and gas investments of Donald Trump’s new UK ambassador
9 Dec 2024
Campaigners warn that the UK will face “pressure from American fossil fuel interests” to slow its energy transition.
Climate talks could benefit from more feminist values, less focus on tech solutions, experts say
9 Dec 2024
Addressing gender equity under existing United Nations initiatives could be one of the best ways to improve outcomes of the annual global climate talks.
‘Climate bomb’ warning over $200bn wave of new gas projects
6 Dec 2024
New liquefied natural gas projects could produce 10 gigatonnes of emissions by the end of the decade, close to the annual emissions of all coal plants.
Australian Nationals formally abandon commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050
Mon 3 Nov 2025
Nationals leader David Littleproud said the party would shift its focus to climate adaptation instead of being "focused solely" on reducing emissions, noting Australia's small share of the global effort.
‘How did we get here?’: Documentary explores how Republicans changed course on the climate
Today 12:00pm
In The White House Effect, now available on Netflix, archival footage is used to show how the US right moved from believing to disputing the climate crisis.
Why climate change now threatens China’s future
Tue 4 Nov 2025
Extreme weather is hurting its economy and worrying its leaders.
TotalEnergies loses in Paris court, marking a turning point for fossil fuel truth-in-advertising
Today 12:00pm
TotalEnergies was found to have misled consumers about its role in the energy transition.
Bank of England must better address climate risk to tackle inflation
Tue 4 Nov 2025
The central bank is being urged to take a series of actions to better respond to environmental risks.
Renewables are a global economic engine, not a culture war threat
2 Oct 2025
Energy companies are learning this lesson faster than Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.
Big banks’ lending to coal backers undermines Indonesia’s green plans
Today 12:00pm
Foreign banks involved in Indonesia’s $20-billion Just Energy Transition Partnership have also funded companies working on coal power expansion.
Mystery heatwave warms Pacific Ocean to new record
21 Oct 2025
The waters of the north Pacific have had their warmest summer on record, according to BBC analysis of a mysterious marine heatwave that has confounded climate scientists.
Scientists discovered something alarming seeping out from beneath the ocean around Antarctica
13 Oct 2025
Planet-heating methane is escaping from cracks in the Antarctic seabed as the region warms, with new seeps being discovered at an “astonishing rate".
Nigerian billionaire plans expansion of Africa’s biggest oil refinery
Fri 31 Oct 2025
The billionaire owner of Africa’s largest refinery plans to expand its capacity to 1.4 million barrels per day to meet growing fuel needs in the continent and beyond.
Police raids in Brazil’s Rio kill 64 ahead of events related to COP30 climate summit
Thu 30 Oct 2025
At least 64 people died on Oct 28 in Rio de Janeiro’s most deadly police operation ever, which targeted a major gang days before the city hosts global events related to the United Nations climate summit known as COP30.
UNEP: New country climate plans ‘barely move needle’ on expected warming
Today 12:00pm
Executive director Inger Anderson made the comments as UNEP published its 16th annual assessment of the global “emissions gap”.
