International: All stories
Australia’s leader says opposition will renege on greenhouse gas emissions target if elected
11 Jun 2024
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday said the opposition Liberal Party would renege on the nation’s ambitious target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 if it wins elections due within a year.
‘Crippling’ drought in Zambia threatens hunger for millions, says minister
11 Jun 2024
Collins Nzovu says country’s plight is foretaste of disasters that will increasingly afflict region as climate breakdown takes hold.
New bill to expand farmlands in the Amazon may derail Brazil’s green efforts
11 Jun 2024
A bill that would reduce the amount of primary forest that landowners in the Brazilian Amazon must preserve may lead to the deforestation of an area twice the size of Rio de Janeiro state.
Better refrigeration could avoid almost 2 billion tonnes of CO2 per year from food loss
11 Jun 2024
More consistent refrigeration of foods could cut almost 2bn tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from food loss each year, according to a new study.
The rise of the 'no buy year'
11 Jun 2024
As rampant consumerism continues to drive us towards climate breakdown, a growing number of people are hitting pause and committing 365 days to reset their relationship with spending.
“Great enabler of climate action” – UN urges Bonn progress on new finance goal
10 Jun 2024
UN Climate head Simon Stiell called on countries to start narrowing down options to strike a deal on post-2025 climate finance by COP29 in November.
World will miss target of tripling renewable electricity generation by 2030 – IEA
10 Jun 2024
Analysis of policies of nearly 150 countries shows shortfall to hit target viewed as vital for transition from fossil fuels.
UK climate aid reaches record £1.8bn in 2023 after loosening rules
10 Jun 2024
The UK government’s spending on climate aid reached its highest-ever level last year, with more than £1.8bn channelled into projects aimed at cutting emissions.
West African nations call for firms to be able to offset carbon
10 Jun 2024
A group of 10 West African countries has weighed into a debate over whether companies around the world should be allowed to use carbon offsets to cut emissions.
Are ‘manosphere’ influencers disengaging Gen-Z men from climate activism?
10 Jun 2024
In November last year, Jordan Peterson—dubbed “custodian of the patriarchy” by the New York Times—flew right-wing leaders from around the world to London, where they launched a full-scale attack on climate science.
EU regulator calls for SMEs to be required to report on positive sustainability impacts
7 Jun 2024
EU markets regulator the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has issued recommendations to adjust proposed sustainability reporting requirements.
Here’s how climate social scientists are finding their way in the era of climate crisis
7 Jun 2024
Focusing on despair is unhelpful and may even prevent climate action. Insights from climate social scientists can help navigate the gloom and doom.
North Africa’s disappearing nomads: Why my community needs climate finance
7 Jun 2024
Comment: My people are experiencing loss and damage, and deserve international support under a new climate finance goal – negotiators in Bonn and beyond must take heed.
Climate change accelerating
7 Jun 2024
According to a study updating IPCC data, climate change is now increasing at a record rate of 0.26°C per decade.
Azerbaijan and UAE launch joint renewable energy project as COP29 preparations underway
7 Jun 2024
Azerbaijan and the UAE unveiled plans for three large-scale solar and wind projects in Azerbaijan, totaling 1 GW capacity, during a ceremony held at the Baku Energy Forum.
Ban fossil fuel ads to save climate, says UN chief
6 Jun 2024
The world's fossil fuel industries should be banned from advertising to help save the world from climate change, the head of the United Nations said.
Inside the European Commission president's secret climate crusade
6 Jun 2024
The European Commission president fought hard in her first term to get her Green Deal reforms past skeptical colleagues — but then backtracked ahead of the election.
Tracking the unprecedented impact of humans on the climate
6 Jun 2024
Our new scientific assessment of how humans are affecting the climate is nothing short of alarming, yet it does contain some encouraging news.
Italy readies G-7 plan for food security and energy in Africa
6 Jun 2024
Italy is working with Group of Seven allies on proposals to support clean energy and food security in Africa that could be announced as soon as next week.
Groundwater is heating up, threatening life below and above the surface
6 Jun 2024
Under your feet lies the world’s biggest reservoir. Groundwater makes up a whopping 97% of all usable freshwater.
Right-wing pushback on EU’s green laws misjudges rural views
6 Jun 2024
Populist and far-right parties are wooing rural voters in the EU elections by exploiting a backlash against green policies – but new research suggests it may not work.
What is the Bonn Climate Change Conference and why does it matter?
5 Jun 2024
Around 6,000 people will gather for discussions halfway to COP29 in Azerbaijan this November.
The warring conmen at the heart of a €5bn carbon trading scam
5 Jun 2024
Emissions trading was supposed to save the planet. But fraudsters quickly learned how to rip the system off, making themselves spectacularly rich.
Germany likely to miss 2030 climate goal, advisors calls for new policy
5 Jun 2024
Germany is likely to miss its 2030 greenhouse gas targets, government climate advisors said, contradicting the climate minister's prediction in March.
Climate scientist to become Mexico's first woman president
5 Jun 2024
Mexico's President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, an accomplished climate scientist, could struggle to fulfil her environmental pledges after she sailed to victory.
Panama prepares to evacuate first island in face of rising sea levels
5 Jun 2024
On a tiny island off Panama’s Caribbean coast, about 300 families are packing their belongings in preparation for a dramatic change.
Climate change caused 26 extra days of extreme heat in last year: report
5 Jun 2024
The world experience an average of 26 more days of extreme heat over the last 12 months that would probably not have occurred without climate change.
Cleaner ship emissions may warm the planet far faster than expected
4 Jun 2024
A 2020 rule that slashed air pollution from ships may have boosted global temperatures sooner than thought, helping to explain why 2023 was so hot.
Oil and gas companies are trying to rig the marketplace
4 Jun 2024
OPINION: Many of us focused on the problem of climate change have been waiting for the day when renewable energy would become cheaper than fossil fuels.
Rich nations meet $100bn climate finance goal – two years late
4 Jun 2024
Developed countries gave nearly $116 billion in climate finance in 2022, but experts and campaigners questioned how the target was met.
A Brazilian city restores its mangroves to protect against climate change
4 Jun 2024
A broad coalition of organisations is working to conserve and restore mangroves in the Greater Florianópolis area on Brazil’s southern Atlantic coast.
Why a tool to tackle climate change is struggling for cash
4 Jun 2024
One of Scotland’s most powerful weapons in tackling climate change is not being properly recognised, experts have claimed.
Momentum building behind global company climate disclosures
31 May 2024
More countries than initially expected are adopting international climate-related disclosure standards, a global rulemaking body said, but cautioned that significant departures from the norms would come at a cost.
International court to determine state role in protecting population from climate change harm
31 May 2024
Briefings before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights focused on how fossil fuels, mining and tourism worsen the effects of climate change, violating the human rights of the most marginalised populations.
‘Unchartered territory’: What Europe’s wetter climate means for hydropower
31 May 2024
Despite increased potential in some countries, hydroelectric plants are having to contend with more extreme conditions.
AI is guzzling resources at planet-eating rates
31 May 2024
OPINION: Big tech is playing its part in reaching net zero targets, but its vast new datacentres are run at huge cost to the environment.
The role of ‘blue carbon’ in addressing climate change
31 May 2024
Within the ocean’s vast expanse lie immense reservoirs of carbon – surpassing those found in either the atmosphere or the land.
World’s island states blame richest countries for climate threats
30 May 2024
Extremely vulnerable to climate change, the world’s small island states blame wealthy countries for their misfortune.
The end of greenwashing is now within sight
30 May 2024
OPINION: The Biden administration’s new plan to overhaul the voluntary carbon market is an important step forward.
Philippines to lead new climate finance group for most vulnerable countries
30 May 2024
The Philippines will lead 19 other countries in establishing a group to mobilise funds to help nations most vulnerable to climate change.
How extreme weather will affect the insurance and energy sectors
30 May 2024
When Storm Isha hit Northern Ireland and northern Britain in January 2024, wind gusts of almost 100mph caused widespread damage to property.
US wineries and vineyards seek $100 million damages from energy company for wildfire smoke
30 May 2024
Dozens of Oregon wineries and vineyards have sued PacifiCorp over the deadly 2020 wildfires that ravaged the state.
Climate crisis threatens 41 million across Caribbean and Latin America
30 May 2024
Nearly 1,450 hospitals across region are also in low-lying coastal areas vulnerable to extreme weather, UN report finds.
Biden’s offset reset
29 May 2024
The Biden administration is laying out new guardrails for corporate participation that could help boost confidence in markets that have come under heavy fire in recent years.
World has ‘moral responsibility’ to help small island states survive climate crisis
29 May 2024
Vulnerable economies must be supported with finance and practical aid to find long term solutions, says Jorge Moreira da Silva of Unops.
Young Alaskans sue state over controversial natural gas project
29 May 2024
The eight plaintiffs, aged 11 to 22, argue the major new fossil fuel project violates their state constitutional rights.
For industrial emissions, these bricks may be a game changer. Yes, bricks.
29 May 2024
Inside a cinder block office building, a startup company is testing what may be one of the hottest new developments in clean energy technology.
TotalEnergies investors back CEO at AGM, weaker support for climate strategy
29 May 2024
Shareholders in TotalEnergies largely backed the company's strategy and its CEO, but support has weakened since last year as investors called out its insufficient response to climate change.
Singapore, Ghana sign carbon credit agreement enabling firms to offset part of carbon tax
29 May 2024
Companies in Singapore looking to offset part of their carbon tax liability could soon purchase carbon credits from projects based in Ghana, following an agreement signed between both countries.
How is climate change influencing voters in India's election?
28 May 2024
Voters in India, from the rain-drenched Himalayas in the north to the sweltering, dry south, are looking for politicians who promise relief, stability and resilience to the wide-ranging and damaging effects of a warming climate.
No room for the timid: setting Australia’s 2035 emissions target is a daring tightrope act
Today 11:00am
Any week now, Australia will set its 2035 emissions target. It must signal the nation’s strong ambition on climate action, to drive policy and investment. And it must avoid being seen as either unrealistic or too costly.
California is backsliding on climate progress. It’s (mostly) Gavin Newsom’s fault
Today 11:00am
The California Supreme Court just gave state officials a golden opportunity to revitalize the rooftop solar industry, helping millions of homes and businesses lower their electric bills and fight the climate crisis.
Is historically arid Beijing ready for a wetter future?
Mon 25 Aug 2025
Beijing's mountainous northern Huairou district and neighbouring Miyun district received a year's worth of rain in a single week, triggering flash floods that devastated entire villages and killed 44 people in the deadliest flood since 2012.
EU wildfires hit new record as flames scorch area larger than Cyprus
Mon 25 Aug 2025
The area burned this year has exceeded the 1 million hectare mark for the first time since records started in 2006.
What happens to net zero if the trees don’t survive?
Wed 20 Aug 2025
When climate change undermines the climate plan.
Challenges persist in bid to mine the deep sea, even after boost from Trump
29 Jul 2025
After years of delay, the deep-sea mining plans of Canadian firm The Metals Company (TMC) now appear to be progressing as it pursues a controversial new path to securing a license to mine in international waters under U.S. jurisdiction.
India needs $467 billion climate finance by 2030 to decarbonise 4 key sectors
Mon 25 Aug 2025
India will need to mobilise USD $467 billion in climate finance by 2030 to put four of its most carbon-intensive sectors – power, steel, cement and transport – on a low-carbon pathway.
Rise in dengue fever outbreaks across the Pacific driven by the climate crisis, experts say
13 Aug 2025
Samoa, Fiji and Tonga among the worst affected amid warning the disease and others will become ‘more common and more serious’ as the planet warms.
Iconic Antarctic species at risk amid 'regime shift', with 'rapid and self-perpetuating changes'
Fri 22 Aug 2025
Scientists say there is emerging evidence of abrupt and potentially unstoppable changes in the Antarctic environment.
Africa’s top climate change challenges: a fairer deal on phasing out fossil fuels and mobilising funds
Fri 22 Aug 2025
African countries have made binding commitments to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. To do this, they will need to shift to renewable energy and stop mining and using fossil fuels like oil and coal.
Bolivia will choose a new president but environmental activists see little hope of progress
Fri 22 Aug 2025
Many Indigenous and environmental leaders doubt the election will bring progress in stopping deforestation, wildfires or pollution in the Amazon.
Brazil issues last-ditch plea for countries to submit climate plans ahead of COP30
Wed 20 Aug 2025
Only 28 countries have submitted carbon-cutting proposals to the UN, with some of the biggest emitters yet to produce plans.
