International: All stories
Climate change in South China Sea will impact global weather: experts
25 Jan 2024
The impact of climate change in the South China Sea and its surrounding areas on the local and global weather system could be “profound,” new scientific research has found.
Bangladeshi farmers eye drought-resistant tree as a climate and economic solution
25 Jan 2024
Farmers in Bangladesh are increasingly turning to the fast-growing, drought-resistant moringa tree, which is indigenous to South Asian nations.
Why 2024 will be a crucial year for climate litigation
24 Jan 2024
Advocates predict activists and local governments will look to the courts to bring about accountability for climate damage.
Earth 2.0°C: How to make passing the 1.5°c climate change threshold an opportunity
24 Jan 2024
Addressing the climate crisis will be difficult and demand focused attention and action.
UN makes ‘global appeal’ for $7.9bn to help 140 million migrants
24 Jan 2024
The United Nations migration agency has launched its first “global appeal”, aiming to drum up $7.9bn to help those forced to leave their homes due to everything from conflict to climate change.
Fiscal reforms needed to address global problems like climate change and ageing
24 Jan 2024
The world needs to cut high levels of debt and raise tax revenues to deal with challenges such as climate change and rapid ageing in developed countries, said Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam.
North Sea oil and gas claims fact-checked
24 Jan 2024
The UK government has been defending a plan that could see new licences granted every year for fossil fuel drilling in the North Sea.
Companies are hiding their climate progress - a new report explains why
24 Jan 2024
In a twist, the greenest companies are talking about their climate efforts the least.
The people have a right to climate data
23 Jan 2024
OPINION: As a climate scientist documenting the multi-trillion-dollar price tag of the climate disasters shocking economies and destroying lives, I field requests from strategic consultants looking for climate data, analysis and computer code.
Junk offset sellers push to enter new UN carbon market
23 Jan 2024
Renewable energy schemes make up four-fifths of Kyoto-era projects hoping to keep selling offsets under Article 6, sparking concerns over the credibility of the new market.
Extreme cold still happens in a warming world – in fact climate instability may be disrupting the polar vortex
23 Jan 2024
Extremely cold Arctic air and severe winter weather swept southward into much of the US in mid-January, breaking daily low temperature records from Montana to Texas.
Iron fertilisation isn’t going to save us
23 Jan 2024
The controversial geoengineering technique can defer, at best, a few years’ worth of emissions. And that’s ignoring the potential side effects.
Bottom trawling is kicking up tons of carbon dioxide
23 Jan 2024
Your shrimp cocktail comes with a side of carbon dioxide, according to scientists who have for the first time quantified greenhouse emissions caused by a destructive fishing technique known as bottom trawling.
Long-term prairie drought raises concerns over groundwater levels
23 Jan 2024
In the middle of a Canadian mountain playground, adjacent to a popular ski resort, there’s a well sunk into the bedrock that has a water scientist worried.
Flying hurts the planet but it’s vital for island tourism. Is there a greener way?
22 Dec 2023
Electric aviation and renewable energy among shifts needed for the Pacific to build a more sustainable tourist industry.
Nine breakthroughs for climate and nature in 2023 you may have missed
22 Dec 2023
In a tumultuous year, the positive milestones for the climate and nature might well have gone under your radar. Future Planet rounds up nine quiet wins of the year, plus one much louder one.
Adapting in the face of climate change in rural Kenya
22 Dec 2023
For farmers across the globe, access to reliable weather and climate data is critical in adapting to a new normal.
Why people still fall for fake news about climate change
22 Dec 2023
It was the hottest year on Earth in 125,000 years, and #climatescam is taking off.
Cyclone Jasper: how did it cause so much rain and could global heating be to blame?
21 Dec 2023
It hit the coast as a category two cyclone and took almost five days to move west, leaving a metre of rain and devastated communities in its wake.
Concerning rise in climate-fuelled conflicts: report
21 Dec 2023
A rise in climate-related conflict in the Indo-Pacific could have consequences for Australia as citizens in developing countries report the impacts of global warming as a leading cause of violence.
Farmers impoverished by climate change make 'lose–lose' choices, says researcher
21 Dec 2023
Climate change is pushing farmers in the Global South towards short-term choices that further increase their vulnerability, according to new research.
The surprising connection between eco-anxiety and loneliness
21 Dec 2023
Recent research shows that the unfolding crises in climate change and social isolation may actually be connected.
Americans abandoning neighbourhoods due to rising flood risk
21 Dec 2023
Rising risk of floods is hollowing out counties across the United States — creating abandoned pockets in the hearts of cities.
How climate change will impact the world's "natural capital"
21 Dec 2023
In a new study, researchers have uncovered the profound impact that climate change is expected to have on the world’s natural capital by 2100.
‘Food is finally on the table’: COP28 addressed agriculture in a real way
20 Dec 2023
Roughly a third of global greenhouse gas emissions are due to food systems, but Cop had avoided agreements until now.
EU warns countries are off track for 2030 climate goal
20 Dec 2023
European Union countries are falling behind on their core climate change target and without stronger emissions-cutting policies risk missing the goal, the European Commission said.
Green shipping corridors gaining momentum
20 Dec 2023
The powerful diesel engine roars as the water taxi cuts through the choppy water that connects Rotterdam's gritty port areas to what remains of the city's historic maritime grandeur.
To save the climate, change the game for petrostates
20 Dec 2023
Future negotiations should focus more on reshaping incentives for oil and gas producing countries, and less on fulminating at their villainy.
Climate change outpaces the ability for trees to adapt
20 Dec 2023
A new study has found that the prevailing methods used to predict how tree species will respond to climate change are inaccurate and unreliable.
Solar bike paths go online in Netherlands
20 Dec 2023
Two new PV bike-path projects are now operating in the Netherlands under an initiative launched in 2018 by Rijkswaterstaat, the Dutch water management agency.
COP28: Key outcomes for food, forests, land and nature at the UN climate talks in Dubai
19 Dec 2023
Agriculture and food were very much on the menu at COP28 in Dubai, with both voluntary pledges and negotiated texts beginning to reflect their central role in climate change.
Coal use hits record in 2023, Earth's hottest year
19 Dec 2023
Global consumption of coal reached an all-time high in 2023, the IEA energy watchdog said Friday, as Earth experienced its hottest recorded year.
Plan to stash planet-heating carbon dioxide under U.S. national forests alarms critics
19 Dec 2023
Around 140 groups have called for an extension of public comment period over U.S. Forest Service proposal amid questions about safety and impact.
Suriname preparing to clear Amazon for agriculture, documents suggest
19 Dec 2023
The government is weighing a series of land deals that would allow the Ministry of Agriculture and a group of private entities to carry out agriculture, livestock and aquaculture activities in the Amazon Rainforest.
Bollards and ‘superblocks’: how Europe’s cities are turning on the car
19 Dec 2023
In Paris, Barcelona and Brussels, authorities are adopting varied approaches to the task of reducing congestion and pollution.
Climate change destroys coastal Mexican town
19 Dec 2023
Flooding, driven by rapid sea-level rise and increasingly brutal winter storms, has all but destroyed El Bosque, leaving twisted piles of concrete where houses used to line the sand.
COP28 president says his firm will keep investing in oil
18 Dec 2023
Sultan Al Jaber says Adnoc has to meet demand for fossil fuels, and hails ‘unprecedented’ Cop deal.
From ‘depressed’ to a milestone: How the climate deal came together
18 Dec 2023
“There were times in the last 48 hours where some of us thought this could fail,” US climate envoy John Kerry said later.
Examining COP28's potential impact on climate change
18 Dec 2023
Once the gavel came down in Dubai, the warm words flowed - but will it really have an impact on climate change?
How COP28 fell short
18 Dec 2023
Two weeks of talks aimed at securing an international consensus on a phase-out of fossil fuels have ended with a statement that critics say does little to advance the urgent work of averting a climate catastrophe.
Genetically modified crops aren’t a solution to climate change, despite what the biotech industry says
18 Dec 2023
The European Commission launched a proposal in July 2023 to deregulate a large number of plants manufactured using new genetic techniques.
This start-up hopes to use old tyres to power electric cars
18 Dec 2023
According to a report from the Federal Highway Administration, in the United States alone, around 280 million used tires are tossed away each year, with only 30 million of those getting recycled, retreaded, or reused.
COP28 “frustrating” but some significant breakthroughs - experts
15 Dec 2023
Small island states facing the existential threat of climate change were particularly effective negotiators at the latest UN climate summit, according to a Kiwi expert.
NZ government swimming against the tide of history: Oil Change International
15 Dec 2023
Oil Change International campaign manager David Tong says the COP28 call to move away from fossil fuels shows the New Zealand government is trying to swim against the tide of history.
Failure of COP28 on fossil fuel phase-out is ‘devastating’, say scientists
15 Dec 2023
Climate experts say the lack of an unambiguous statement is ‘tragedy for the planet and our future’.
Pacific Islands delegates leave COP28 climate summit disappointed and miss out on final say
15 Dec 2023
After COP28's central document was approved, Samoa's lead delegate delivered a critical assessment of the agreement's flaws — and pointed out the Pacific Islands delegates were not even in the room when the deal was done.
The COP28 climate agreement is a step backwards on fossil fuels
15 Dec 2023
The COP28 climate summit in Dubai has adjourned. The result is “The UAE consensus” on fossil fuels.
COP28, where is the dough?
15 Dec 2023
A transition away from fossil fuels seems as good as a commitment as you can expect from the 198 countries taking part in the United Nations climate conference.
‘Car without wheels’: Adaptation playbook lacks finance target
15 Dec 2023
Developing nations got agreement to set targets for food and water security, but rich nations were unwilling to plug a huge funding gap.
Instagram influencers paid to boost UAE’s climate credentials over COP28
15 Dec 2023
The individuals who spoke to DeSmog said they were ‘deeply disappointed’ by the summit and had not fully understood the relationship between UAE and the organisers.
No room for the timid: setting Australia’s 2035 emissions target is a daring tightrope act
Tue 26 Aug 2025
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
Tue 26 Aug 2025
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?
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
20 Aug 2025
Only 28 countries have submitted carbon-cutting proposals to the UN, with some of the biggest emitters yet to produce plans.
