International: All stories
Public strongly behind EU policies on climate change
12 Sep 2008
Europeans are highly concerned about climate change and clearly are willing to take action against it.
Britain votes $130 million climate aid for Bangladesh
12 Sep 2008
Britain will give $US130 million dollars to help at-risk Bangladesh to fight the effects of climate change.
Greenhouse gas emissions: What others are doing
12 Sep 2008
Companies and governments, including New Zealand, are turning to emissions trading as a weapon to fight climate change, in a carbon market worth $64 billion last year.
Cool idea: Paint your roof white
12 Sep 2008
If the 100 biggest cities were to whiten the roofs of all of their buildings and use more reflective pavement, the global cooling effect would be huge, a new study has concluded.
Thawed permafrost massive contributor to gas emissions
12 Sep 2008
Permafrost in the Northern Hemisphere contains more than twice the amount of carbon in the atmosphere, and rapid thawing could make it a huge contributor to global climate change.
Go global, UN chief tells students
12 Sep 2008
In an ever increasingly interdependent world, where challenges such as climate change, development and security transcend national boundaries, it is in everyone’s best interest to think globally, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told students at Fairleigh Dickinson University, where the United Nations chief received an honorary degree yesterday.
Google Earth puts you in the cockpit for hotspots flyover
12 Sep 2008
People can “fly” to some of the world’s most dramatic environmental hotspots courtesy of the UN Environment Programme innovative use of the popular mapping tool Google Earth.
Displaced islanders again appeal to NZ for help
9 Sep 2008
New Zealand is again being asked to help the people losing their home from rising sea-levels in the wake of the failure of money from Papua New Guinea to materialise.
China launches large-scale renewable energy plan
9 Sep 2008
China has released an ambitious plan to develop renewable energy to cut its surging carbon dioxide emissions.
World's first carbon capture pilot fires up clean-coal advocates
9 Sep 2008
The world's first complete demonstration of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology will begin next week at a coal-fired power station in Germany.
$50 million alliance to map future of Australian water resources
9 Sep 2008
A $50 million joint initiative between Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO will be the largest water information research project in the southern hemisphere.
Japan eyes home greenhouse gas savings in emission trading system
9 Sep 2008
The Japanese government is considering including greenhouse gas emissions from homes, farms and public facilities in the carbon emission trading system scheduled to launch on a trial basis next month.
Researchers pinpoint world's climate change 'hotspots'
9 Sep 2008
A report looking at probable humanitarian consequences of climate change has identified climate change “hotspots” around the globe.
Carbon forum helps Africa profit from greenhouse gas offset scheme
9 Sep 2008
Three days of deal-making and networking has wrapped up at the United Nations-backed Africa Carbon Forum in Senegal, aimed at improving the continent’s standing in the global carbon marketplace.
Garnaut sets top target of 80% emissions cut by 2050
5 Sep 2008
Australia should have an emissions reduction target of 10 per cent by 2010 and 80 per cent by 2050, the latest Garnaut report is recommending.
Australians told to shoulder their burden of Kyoto
5 Sep 2008
Australia’s emissions reduction guru Professor Ross Garnaut has delivered a sharp lecture to his countrymen on why they should shoulder their share of the Kyoto burden.
How the Australian ETS will work
5 Sep 2008
Earlier, the Australian Government’s green paper set out its thinking how its cap and trade scheme will work.
Garnaut's latest report
5 Sep 2008
The latest report from the adviser on climate change to the Australian Government, Professor Ross Garnaut, puts the numbers on his earlier draft work.
We’ve slashed carbon dioxide emissions, claim US airlines
5 Sep 2008
US airlines have reduced carbon dioxide emissions by the equivalent of what 18.7 million cars produce annually, an industry group says.
Climate forecasts crucial to water resources, say weather watchers
5 Sep 2008
The chief of the UN meteorological agency has called for weather forecasts to play a greater role in planning for economic development and poverty reduction because of the impact climate change has on water resources.
India must brace for the worst, warns UN agency
5 Sep 2008
Climate change is likely to have a much greater impact on India than other countries in similar positions, according to an assessment by the South Asia regional office of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation.
Pachauri to head IPCC for further five years
5 Sep 2008
Rajendra Kumar Pachauri has been elected chairman of the UN body Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for a second term.
Honda brings back Insight to fight for hybrid market share
5 Sep 2008
Honda is bringing back the Insight name for its newest hybrid model, which will make its world debut in concept form at the Paris auto show in October.
Obama promises $150b for renewables and end to Middle East oil imports
2 Sep 2008
Democrat presidential candidate Barack Obama has vowed to end the US "addiction" to Middle East oil, and to invest $150 billion in renewables if he becomes president.
Humans at war with Earth on climate change, says Lovelock
2 Sep 2008
The world could be on the brink of natural disaster and even the gloomiest predictions of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's latest report are underestimating the current severity of climate change, Professor James Lovelock will say at a public lecture in London today.
Australia votes $14m to help endangered island neighbours
2 Sep 2008
Australia will provide $14.8 million to help vulnerable countries in the Asia-Pacific region to adapt to the effects of climate change.
Ban hails UN climate panel on 20th anniversary
2 Sep 2008
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon yesterday paid tribute to the accomplishments of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), co-recipient of last year's Nobel Peace Prize, as he marked its 20th anniversary.
Accra talks bode well for future climate change negotiations, says UN
29 Aug 2008
Important progress has been made during the latest round of United Nations-led climate change talks in Ghana on key issues relating to a new international agreement to tackle global warming, the world body’s top official dealing with the issue said yesterday.
Poorer countries face $170 billion climate change bill
29 Aug 2008
A total of $US170 billion is needed between now and 2030 to enable developing countries to mitigate and adapt to the impact of climate change, the World Bank says.
New report lists advantages of scrapping fossil fuel subsidies
29 Aug 2008
A newly published UN report says scrapping fossil fuel subsidies could play an important role in cutting greenhouse gases while giving a small but not insignificant boost to the global economy.
New world-wide indexes designed to help carbon traders
29 Aug 2008
Dow Jones Indexes and the Chicago Climate Exchange, the world’s first - and North America’s only - integrated greenhouse gas emissions trading system, has announced the launch of two indexes which will serve as benchmarks for investors seeking exposure to the carbon trading market.
Japan finds a fact: Climate change is making whales thinner
29 Aug 2008
Japanese scientists claim to have discovered a key fact about minke whales after 20 years of butchering thousands of the mammals in the Southern Ocean.
Film-makers get chance to tell climate change stories
29 Aug 2008
The World Bank has launched a world-wide documentary competition that will highlight the social aspects of climate change as experienced by the film-makers.
Deforestation question splits delegates at Ghana conference
26 Aug 2008
Trading carbon emission rights between developed and developing nations has caused a split between delegates at international climate change talks in Ghana, reports AFP.
Australia must make room for climate change refugees, says report
26 Aug 2008
An immigration programme with a quota for climate change refugees is among recommendations in a report just released in Australia.
New UN reports warns of costs of inaction on climate change
26 Aug 2008
Government leaders must take urgent action to ensure that weather-related hazards, which are becoming more intense and frequent due to climate change, do not lead to a corresponding rise in disasters, a new UN-backed report says.
Climate change will deplete fisheries production, warns FAO
26 Aug 2008
Global warming and the consequent changes in climatic patterns will have strong impact on fisheries with far-reaching consequences for food and livelihood security of a sizeable section of the population, a UN agency warns.
Student’s build-in-a-day wind turbine is made from junk
26 Aug 2008
A wind turbine built from waste has earned a British student a first-class honours degree.
Electric plane smashes world record for endurance
26 Aug 2008
A solar powered plane has more than doubled the record for flight endurance by staying aloft for 82 hours and 37 minutes.
UN to set up climate-change centre for Pacific countries
22 Aug 2008
The United Nations and Samoa plan to establish an inter-agency climate change centre to help to coordinate support to Pacific Island countries fighting the impact of climate change.
Japan plans to label carbon footprints of store goods
22 Aug 2008
Japan is planning to join Britain and France in labelling consumer goods to show their carbon footprints, a government official said this week.
India accuses UN of bias as climate change talks resume
22 Aug 2008
Sparks could fly at the next round of international climate change negotiations which start today in Accra, Ghana, with India out to stub any attempts by Japan, the EU and the US to firm up an agenda against it and China.
World Bank names countries eligible for forest rewards
22 Aug 2008
The Democratic Republic of Congo and five other African countries have been included in a list of 14 that will take part in the World Bank's controversial Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF).
O’Reilly and son go big in Irish Sea oil and gas
22 Aug 2008
Ireland’s wealthy O’Reilly family, which has strong business interests in New Zealand, has invested heavily in oil and gas exploration in a move that could see them become what one London newspaper called the Ewings of the Emerald Isle.
Schools race to sign with solar power programme
22 Aug 2008
Almost 1400 schools across Australia have signed up for the Rudd Government’s $480 million National Solar Schools Programme.
Public happier with Personal Carbon Trading, study shows
19 Aug 2008
New research by Britain’s Institute for Public Policy Research reveals that the public favours Personal Carbon Trading (PCT) over other emission reduction policy options for individuals and households.
Scientists to discuss impact of aerosols on climate
19 Aug 2008
The influence aerosols have on climate is still one of the “great unknowns” in climate science, says Australian scientist Dr Leon Rotstayn.
Darwin, Cape Town warned to get ready for rising sea levels
19 Aug 2008
Two southern hemisphere coastal cities have been told of their vulnerability to climate change and have warned to take action.
Mexican border states join California in fighting climate change
19 Aug 2008
Six Mexican border states have pledged to strengthen cooperation with California in fighting climate change and to increase green investment through Public Private Partnerships.
Drought the big killer, says anthropologist-author
19 Aug 2008
Global warming is currently one the world's most pressing issues, but the phenomenon of climate change is not specific to the 21st century.
Australia-US minerals deal underpinned decision to allow mining company to clear threatened indigenous forest
23 Feb 2026
The Australian government’s decision to allow the US mining giant Alcoa to continue clearing swathes of Western Australian jarrah forest despite past illegal clearing practices was made in part due to a critical minerals deal reached between Australia and the Trump administration last year, a new document shows.
Repeal of endangerment finding is part of a systematic effort by US to dismantle climate policy
Today 12:30pm
COMMENT: Climate policy expert and founder of the NewClimate Institute in Cologne, Germany, explains what the step means for the US and for global climate diplomacy.
3,600 times faster: China is shaking up the steel industry
Wed 25 Feb 2026
For over a century, making steel meant coal, heat, and hours of waiting. A Chinese research team now reports collapsing that process into just three to six seconds; no coal, near zero emissions, and a vortex lance already moving toward commercial production. The technology is called flash ironmaking, and in February 2026, its implications are still unfolding.
Spain defends EU’s flagship climate law against attacks from other capitals
Today 12:30pm
Spain has come to the defense of the European Union's bedrock climate law, with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez warning fellow European leaders against dismantling the embattled Emissions Trading System.
UK Greens win by-election as anti-data centre protests mount
Today 12:30pm
The Green Party's Hannah Spencer won the contest for the vacant parliamentary seat of Gorton and Denton, with Nigel Farage's populist Reform UK party coming second, and Labour pushed into third place.
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.
South Korean farmers sue utility giant KEPCO over climate damage to crops
Wed 25 Feb 2026
As harvest season approached last November, farmer Ma Yong-un walked through his apple orchard in southern South Korea with a growing sense of dread.
World leaders invited to see Pacific climate destruction before COP31
Today 12:30pm
The leaders and climate ministers of governments around the world will be invited to meetings on the Pacific islands of Fiji, Palau and Tuvalu in the months leading up to the COP31 climate summit in November.
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.
Africa primed for solar breakthrough after record capacity growth
Today 12:30pm
The continent of Africa looks set to emerge as a key driver of global solar power production over the rest of the 2020s thanks to a potent mix of policy support, rapid economic growth and declining component costs.
Floods and landslides in Brazil kill at least 30 after record rainfall
Thu 26 Feb 2026
Three firefighters pulled a man’s body from the mud amid the rubble of houses swept away in a landslide in south-eastern Brazil, where 30 people died and 39 were still missing on Tuesday after torrential rains.
UN approves first carbon credits under Paris Agreement market mechanism
Fri 27 Feb 2026
The United Nations has approved the first credits to be issued under a carbon market established by the Paris climate accord, aimed at reducing emissions – a mechanism that has faced scrutiny over greenwashing concerns.
