International: All stories
Can we avert the looming food crisis of climate change? Mathematical model reveals critical threshold
3 Dec 2024
Human activities are causing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels to rise, which increases the global average surface temperature—and poses a threat to crop growth. Escalating concerns about climate change's impact on global food security inspired researchers from Banaras Hindu University in India to create a way to explore how these factors influence crop yields.
Countries fail to reach agreement in UN plastic talks
2 Dec 2024
Countries negotiating a global treaty to curb plastic pollution failed to reach agreement on Monday with over 100 nations wanting to cap production while a handful of oil-producers were prepared only to target plastic waste.
Footballers to compete in 50°C heat at 2026 World Cup, study warns
2 Dec 2024
Most of the World Cup venues in North America are at high risk of excessive heat, according to new research.
Spain’s new ‘climate leave’ gives workers four days off during extreme weather
2 Dec 2024
The law on paid leave protects the rights of workers not to go to work in the event of catastrophes or climate-related weather alerts that could put them in danger.
France, Germany, Sweden urge EU battery sector push to avoid China reliance
2 Dec 2024
France, Germany, and Sweden have jointly urged the forthcoming European Commission (EU) to prioritise the autonomy of the EU's battery sector to avoid over-reliance on China amid the green transition.
Albanese government says Australia on target to reduce emissions – but campaigners say it could do more
2 Dec 2024
Departmental analysis includes contentious measurements but climate minister says government is cleaning up after ‘decade of denial, delay, dysfunction and utter neglect’.
COP29: Climate change could kill millions — and world leaders must work to limit fatalities
2 Dec 2024
The COP29 climate change conference has come to a close — as per normal it looks like very little will be done.
Global plastics pact “hangs in balance” as petrostates block talks
29 Nov 2024
Major fossil fuel-producing countries are blamed at negotiations in Busan for opposing curbs on plastic manufacturing, a key market for oil and gas.
Climate-vulnerable nations look to world's top court as COP29 ends in bitter truce
29 Nov 2024
Disappointed in the outcome of COP29, nations on the frontlines of the climate crisis will get their day in court this December.
Thirty-five million Africans driven from homes by war and climate disasters – report
29 Nov 2024
Data shows a threefold increase in internal displacement across the African continent since 2009, with flooding and drought posing a growing threat.
Fossil fuel supply: the elephant in the room at climate change conferences
29 Nov 2024
It seems completely inappropriate to sing the praises of fossil fuels at an international gathering that aims to radically reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The Biden administration put $7 billion into 'hydrogen hubs'. Critics smell a boondoggle.
29 Nov 2024
Many experts question hydrogen’s cost and efficacy in reducing CO2 emissions.
Exxon lobbyist investigated over hack-and-leak of environmentalist emails
29 Nov 2024
The FBI has been investigating a longtime Exxon Mobil consultant over the contractor's alleged role in a hack-and-leak operation that targeted hundreds of the oil company’s biggest critics, according to three people familiar with the matter.
Japan eyes cutting emissions by 60% by 2035 from 2013 levels
28 Nov 2024
The Japanese government said Monday it is considering cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent by fiscal 2035 compared with fiscal 2013 levels.
California governor says state could offer EV rebates if Trump bins federal tax credit
28 Nov 2024
California could offer rebates for electric vehicle purchases if the incoming Trump administration eliminates a federal tax credit for people who buy electric cars, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday.
Clean-up continues for areas hit by Storm Bert
28 Nov 2024
Heavy rain and high winds caused widespread disruption across Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire, with damage to homes, shops and roads.
COP29's last-minute $300 billion deal is a mess and a miracle
28 Nov 2024
It went well past the official deadline, late into the night – but finally, COP29 ended with a deal. Hardly anyone felt victorious.
A planet in crisis: How can we solve our plastics problem?
28 Nov 2024
It boggles the mind to know we humans are literally made of stardust. Nearly all the elements in our bodies come from the stuff produced as stars exploded over the last 13 billion years.
China’s CO2 emissions have peaked or will in 2025, say 44% of experts in survey
28 Nov 2024
Research reflects rising optimism about country’s green transition as it takes leading position on climate action.
After nearly ten years of debate, COP29’s carbon trading deal is seriously flawed
27 Nov 2024
Negotiators at the COP29 climate conference in Baku have struck a landmark agreement on rules governing the global trade of carbon credits, bringing to a close almost a decade of debate over the controversial scheme.
Five charts: Why a UN plastics treaty matters for climate change
27 Nov 2024
A global treaty on plastics, which is being touted as the most important environmental treaty since the 2015 Paris Agreement, is set to be negotiated in South Korea over the next week.
Trump win forces carbon removal developers to reconsider oil
27 Nov 2024
Startups seeking to vacuum carbon dioxide from the skies have long had an uneasy relationship with the oil giants fueling global warming.
Carbon footprint of a total knee replacement in Australia on par with driving a car from Brisbane to Sydney
27 Nov 2024
Researchers have calculated the greenhouse gas impact from a single knee replacement. A three-hour operation has similar emissions compared to a 914-kilometre car trip.
The huge, high-tech, low-carbon kitchens feeding young Kenyans
27 Nov 2024
The Giga Kitchen is the jewel in the crown of Food4Education, a Kenyan nonprofit using high-tech, low-carbon and centralized kitchens to feed students en masse in what is Africa’s largest locally led and independently run school feeding program.
COP 29’s new carbon market rules offer hope after scandal and deadlock
26 Nov 2024
Governments have given the sector fresh hope by signing off rules that will create an international carbon trading system for countries to meet their Paris commitments.
How does $300 billion stack up?
26 Nov 2024
Countries agreed at the U.N.'s COP29 climate conference to spend $300 billion on annual climate finance. Here are some ways of understanding what that sum is worth:
Global Plastic Treaty: Talks begin to finalise deal for curbing plastic pollution
26 Nov 2024
Global plastic production has increased over 200-fold to hit almost 460 million tonnes annually since 1950.
170 climate protesters arrested after allegedly disrupting shipping in New South Wales
26 Nov 2024
Two protesters have been granted bail after facing court on charges relating to an anti-fossil fuel demonstration that allegedly disrupted the shipping channel leading into the world's largest coal port.
Climate change ‘burnout’ is taking its toll
26 Nov 2024
Activists and others on the front lines of the climate crisis, one therapist says, “are living in fight-or-flight mode constantly.” Here’s their battle-tested advice.
Inside the frantic manoeuvres that saved COP29 talks at a cost
26 Nov 2024
Two weeks of difficult negotiations came to the brink of failure before settling on a $300 billion deal that flashes warnings for the future of climate diplomacy.
Key outcomes agreed at the UN climate talks in Baku
25 Nov 2024
Developed nations have agreed to help channel “at least” $300bn a year into developing countries by 2035 to support their efforts to deal with climate change.
COP29 ends with deal on climate finance after bitter fight
25 Nov 2024
Nearly 200 countries agreed to triple the amount of money available to help developing countries confront rapidly warming temperatures.
Study finds four global policies could eliminate >90% of plastic waste and 30% of linked carbon emissions by 2050
25 Nov 2024
A study released in Science determines that just four policies can reduce mismanaged plastic waste—plastic that isn't recycled or properly disposed of and ends up as pollution—by 91% and plastic-related greenhouse gases by one-third.
Tuvalu: The disappearing island nation recreating itself in the metaverse
25 Nov 2024
Facing erasure due to climate change, the Pacific Island nation of Tuvalu is digitally backing up everything from its houses to its trees as it endeavors to save whatever it can.
Athletes see climate change as threatening their sports and their health. Some are speaking up
25 Nov 2024
Athletes spoke at the United Nations climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan to talk about the threat that climate change poses to them, to fans and to sport itself.
Group of nations make COP29 pledge on no new unabated coal power
22 Nov 2024
A total of 25 countries and the European Union are pledging to commit to no new unabated coal power in their next round of national climate plans, the latest global pledge aimed at curbing use of the fuel.
'A walking conflict of interest' - oil giants' favourite PR firms at climate talks
22 Nov 2024
Fossil-friendly communications companies are represented on some national delegations to the UN climate summit, analysis finds.
A draft deal on climate money for developing world is silent on how much as UN summit nears end
22 Nov 2024
Countries of the world took turns rejecting a new but vague draft text released early Thursday which attempts to form the spine of any deal reached at United Nations climate talks on money for developing countries to transition to clean energy and adapt to climate change.
Europe’s Azerbaijan gas gambit is good news for Russia
22 Nov 2024
Europe keeps striking deals with Azerbaijan, even at COP29. And while it might not be Russian gas, Moscow is still likely to benefit.
Ford cuts jobs claiming weak demand for electric cars
22 Nov 2024
The company said it had to act because of difficult trading conditions, including intense competition and weak demand for electric vehicles.
Vatican in row at climate talks over gender rights
21 Nov 2024
The Vatican has blocked discussions over women’s rights at the UN climate summit following a row over gay and transgender issues, sources have told BBC News.
‘Underwhelming’: Poor countries push for way more climate funding than the EU is floating
21 Nov 2024
Privately, however, some conceded they may have to settle for the lower figures for now as COP29 talks amble toward the finish line.
Trump’s top staff choices could have far-reaching consequences for the climate
21 Nov 2024
Several of President-elect Donald Trump’s high-ranking staff choices have close ties to the fossil fuel industry.
Billionaires, frequent flyers, oil and gas: Who could fund COP29’s $1tn finance target?
21 Nov 2024
“It makes common sense to tax mega polluters and the mega-rich to ensure that we have the money needed for climate action at home and globally” according to one campaigner.
Australia commits additional $50 million to deal with climate change
21 Nov 2024
The Australian government has committed an extra $50 million towards a global fund to deal with the loss and damage caused by climate change.
World’s 1.5C climate target ‘deader than a doornail’, experts say
20 Nov 2024
Scientists say goal to keep world’s temperature rise below 1.5C is not going to happen despite talks at Cop29 in Baku.
UN climate lead says millions of lives are at stake and delegates should 'cut the theatrics'
20 Nov 2024
As COP29, the annual U.N. global climate conference, heads into its second and final week, the United Nations' top climate representative is reminding delegates of what's at stake if they fail to act now.
Climate skeptics urge Trump to boost coal, gut science in agencies
20 Nov 2024
Activists who downplay climate change delivered a wish list to Trump’s transition team, with one calling his win “a tremendous opportunity” to reverse US policy.
'Out of sync': The trillion-dollar climate puzzle that's become a diplomatic nightmare
20 Nov 2024
Climate negotiators at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, are discussing the details of how much money rich countries should provide to poor countries to help them mitigate emissions and cope with climate impacts. What they haven't decided yet is how much it will be – or many of the other details, such as the target date to deliver the money and who will contribute.
Australia accused of ‘exporting climate destruction’ on tiny Pacific neighbours with massive gas expansion plans
20 Nov 2024
Pacific governments at a UN climate summit are criticising Australia’s plans for a massive gas industry expansion in Western Australia, saying it could result in 125 times more greenhouse gas emissions than their island nations release in a year.
NSW to ban new coalmines in major shake-up for $23bn industry
Mon 23 Mar 2026
A major shake-up is on the way for one Australian state’s single biggest export, which powers homes here and abroad.
US to pay almost $1bn to French energy company to kill wind project plan
Tue 24 Mar 2026
As a fuel crisis triggered by the war in Iran drives up global fossil fuel prices, the Trump administration has announced it will pay French energy major TotalEnergies $1bn to kill plans to construct wind farms off the US east coast.
China tells oil refiners to suspend exports
Fri 20 Mar 2026
China has told its largest oil refiners to suspend exports of diesel and gasoline, Bloomberg News reported Thursday, citing unidentified sources, as the war in the Middle East risks an energy supply crunch.
Spain’s Sánchez attacks other EU leaders for exploiting energy prices to gut climate policies
Mon 23 Mar 2026
Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez said his country was on “the right side of history” when it comes to how it has handled the economic and social costs of previous energy crises.
Analysis: CO2 from UK data centres could be ‘hundreds of times’ higher than thought
Tue 24 Mar 2026
Emissions from the new data centres set to drive the UK’s AI “revolution” could be hundreds of times higher than government estimates, according to analysis by Carbon Brief.
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.
Asia pivots to coal as Middle East conflict chokes LNG supply
Thu 19 Mar 2026
Asian utilities are boosting coal-fired power generation to cut costs and safeguard energy supply, industry officials say, as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran chokes liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments and soaring prices threaten to suppress LNG demand.
Pacific Nations fear fuel shortages as Middle East war sends oil prices soaring
Fri 20 Mar 2026
Leaders of Samoa and Tonga appealed for help this week as the import-reliant Pacific nations raised fears over possible fuel shortages and escalating costs caused by war in the Middle East.
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.
'Blackwater' lakes and rivers in the Congo Basin are now emitting ancient carbon into the atmosphere
16 Mar 2026
Carbon that has been buried in the Congo Basin's peatlands for millennia is seeping into lakes and rivers. Why this is happening remains unclear, but researchers warn that tropical peatlands could be nearing a tipping point.
Surfing’s big break: how climate crisis insurance may save El Salvador’s waves
Thu 19 Mar 2026
Fearing that extreme weather threatened its epic breaks, Oriente Salvaje is piloting the first surf insurance policy to protect livelihoods and ecosystems.
Iran war should trigger faster exit from fossil fuel dependence, UN climate chief says
18 Mar 2026
The disruption to energy markets caused by the Iran war is a lesson on the risks of relying on fossil fuels which should drive governments to wean their economies off oil and gas faster, the U.N. climate secretary told Reuters on Monday.
