International: All stories
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.
Why the $300bn climate-finance goal is even less ambitious than it seems
6 Dec 2024
At COP29 in Baku, developed-country parties such as the EU, the US and Japan agreed to help raise “at least” $300bn a year by 2035 for climate action in developing countries.
Top emitter China tells World Court that UN treaties cover states' climate obligations
6 Dec 2024
China told the top U.N. court on Tuesday that existing U.N. treaties should provide the basis for its advisory opinion on states' legal obligations to fight global warming and address the consequences of their historic contributions to it.
Will flights really reach net zero by 2050 - and at what cost to passengers?
6 Dec 2024
It is the perfect start to a holiday: your plane ticket is cheap, your cabin baggage is safely stowed, the engines are roaring into life - and the pilot has announced that there’s no need to worry about the environmental impact.
Threatened by climate change, Panama Canal has big plans to combat drought
6 Dec 2024
The lush river valleys of El Zaino y La Arenosa in western Panama, home to hundreds of families that eke out a living farming, fishing and raising cattle, could soon be submerged by a massive man-made reservoir designed to ensure the viability of the Panama Canal in the face of a changing climate.
Burping cows, Bovaer and boycotts: The anti-methane additive that’s taking social media by storm
5 Dec 2024
UK shoppers have threatened to boycott supermarkets Tesco, Aldi and Morrisons over a ‘miracle’ methane-busting additive trial.
Global markets are likely to withstand a Trump-led US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement
5 Dec 2024
As the climate crisis deepens, the need for global action becomes greater than ever. Central to this effort is the goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050, to meet the Paris Agreement to limit global warming.
Europe’s cruise ships produce toxic sulphur emissions equivalent to 1 billion cars, study finds
5 Dec 2024
Cruise ships are producing higher levels of toxic air pollutants than they did before the pandemic, according to a new study by the European Federation for Transport and Environment (T&E).
Floods wreak havoc in Malaysia, southern Thailand with over 30 killed, tens of thousands displaced
5 Dec 2024
Severe floods caused by monsoon rains killed more than 30 people and displaced tens of thousands in Malaysia and southern Thailand, officials said Tuesday, with both countries preparing shelters and evacuation plans in anticipation of more heavy rain.
China bans export of critical minerals to US as trade tensions escalate
5 Dec 2024
China on Tuesday banned exports to the United States of the critical minerals gallium, germanium and antimony that have widespread military applications, escalating trade tensions the day after Washington's latest crackdown on China's chip sector.
Australia accused of undermining landmark climate change case brought by Pacific nations in international court
4 Dec 2024
Vanuatu leads the charge of several nations arguing developed nations have a legal responsibility beyond UN commitments.
How COPs, the climate conferences accused of perpetuating inaction, can be reformed
4 Dec 2024
With still insufficient results, proposals are emerging to select the hosts of climate conferences, exclude fossil fuel lobbyists and move on to the practical implementation of agreements.
COP16: United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification kicks off
4 Dec 2024
The Indian Minister for the Environment underlined efforts on land restoration, drought resilience Forests at the UN Convention to Combat Desertification this week.
Making polluters pay could fix Australia’s climate problem – and its budget
Wed 4 Feb 2026
A new report shows how making polluters pay will not only diminish the threat from climate change, but it can also help restore the budget and the economy.
US court blocks Trump halt on last of five suspended offshore wind projects
Wed 4 Feb 2026
All five offshore wind projects halted by the Trump administration in December can resume construction following a federal judge's ruling on Monday that cleared Denmark's Orsted to proceed with its Sunrise Wind project off the coast of New York.
‘Rush’ for new coal in China hits record high in 2025 as climate deadline looms
Wed 4 Feb 2026
Proposals to build coal-fired plants in China reached a record high in 2025, finds a new study.
EU adopts first-ever standard for carbon removal projects
Wed 4 Feb 2026
The European Commission announced the adoption of its first set of voluntary certification methodologies for permanent carbon removals, aimed at providing clear standards for carbon removal technologies, to enable certification and investment in projects that permanently remove CO2 from the atmosphere.
Wales council to buy and demolish homes prone to flooding
Wed 4 Feb 2026
A row of homes in a village in south Wales is to be bought by a local authority and demolished as they can no longer be protected from flooding caused by the climate crisis.
The climate and energy implication hidden in Mark Carney’s Davos speech
26 Jan 2026
In a speech bound for the history books, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney described a “rupture” in the world order and called for middle powers like Canada to stand up to bullies.
Declared a terrorist for bringing renewable power to Philippine communities
Mon 2 Feb 2026
Accusing activists of having links to terrorism has led to non-profit funds being frozen and local climate projects being delayed or scrapped.
Pacific fisheries summit gives a boost to albacore and seabirds
19 Dec 2025
Much of the world’s albacore tuna catch, which usually ends up in a can, comes from the southwestern Pacific Ocean, where fishery managers just passed a new set of conservation rules.
Arctic endured year of record heat as climate scientists warn of ‘winter being redefined’
18 Dec 2025
Region known as ‘world’s refrigerator’ is heating up as much as four times as quickly as global average, Noaa experts say.
Climate change could lead to 500,000 ‘additional’ malaria deaths in Africa by 2050
Fri 30 Jan 2026
Climate change could lead to half a million more deaths from malaria in Africa over the next 25 years, according to new research.
Argentina fires ravage pristine Patagonia forests, fueling criticism of Milei’s austerity
Wed 4 Feb 2026
The wildfires, among the worst to hit the drought-stricken Patagonia region in decades, have devastated more than 45,000 hectares (174 square miles) of Argentina’s forests in the last month and a half, forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents and tourists.
UN risks 'imminent financial collapse', secretary general warns
Tue 3 Feb 2026
The United Nations is at risk of "imminent financial collapse" due to member states not paying their fees, the body's head has warned.
