International: All stories
New finance goal needed to protect climate momentum from a Trump win
19 Jun 2024
Comment: The victims of the climate crisis will need support, and the energy transition will need to be funded, whoever is elected as the next US president.
More than 800 coal plants worldwide could be profitably decommissioned
19 Jun 2024
More than 800 coal-fired power plants in emerging countries could be decommissioned and profitably replaced by cleaner solar energy starting from the end of the decade.
Australia’s foreign affairs minister warns dropping 2030 climate targets would abandon Pacific nations
18 Jun 2024
Foreign Affairs Minister labels the Coalition's decision to rule out setting a 2030 climate target as a move that will increase energy bills and risk further Chinese influence in the Pacific.
UN food chief: Poorest areas have zero harvests left
18 Jun 2024
Droughts and flooding have become so common in some of the poorest places, that the land can no longer sustain crops, said the director of the World Food Programme’s global office.
Global Environment Facility will give $736 million to environmental projects
18 Jun 2024
GEF will consider projects that protect biodiversity, counter climate change and pollution, and support land and ocean health.
Large birds can boost forest carbon storage — if deforestation doesn’t interfere
18 Jun 2024
A new study shows large fruit-eating birds in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest can contribute to a 38% increase in carbon storage by regenerating tropical forest.
Polarisation and risk perception could play important roles in climate policy outcomes
18 Jun 2024
Times of crises often call for strong and rapid action, but in polarised societies, strong top-down policies can backfire.
Deadly heat waves in Mecca and Greece underscore climate crisis
18 Jun 2024
As the U.S. faces another potentially record heat wave this week, the Middle East and Europe's Mediterranean have endured extreme temperatures that have proven deadly.
Bonn climate talks: Key outcomes from UN conference
17 Jun 2024
Climate diplomats have finished another two weeks of intense negotiations in the German city of Bonn, discussing global efforts to cut emissions and protect people from climate hazards.
‘The time is right’ for US to catch up on high-speed rail, says British Amtrak exec
17 Jun 2024
With half a dozen US rail projects in the works, Andy Byford thinks Americans will soon clamor for 200mph train lines.
What grief for a dying planet looks like: Climate scientists on the edge
17 Jun 2024
Desperate climate scientists embrace civil disobedience and specialised therapy to deal with their growing anxiety over global warming.
How congestion pricing makes cities more livable
17 Jun 2024
As New York puts its gridlock-busting plans on hold, the success of congestion pricing elsewhere proves it’s not just smart — it’s popular.
The motley (star-studded) crew that paved the way for Norway’s EV revolution
17 Jun 2024
An activist, a professor and the lead singer of A-ha drove a makeshift electric car across Norway in the 1980s, skirting road regulations, to make a point to the government that policies around EVs needed to change.
This city just made it illegal to advertise SUVs. Here’s why.
17 Jun 2024
Edinburgh became the latest European capital city to ban ads for aviation, SUVs and more.
The world could soon see a massive oil glut
14 Jun 2024
The world could have a glut of oil by the end of the decade because of rising production combined with declining demand as consumers and businesses switch to electric vehicles and renewable energy.
EU hits Chinese EVs with tariffs, drawing rebuke from Beijing
14 Jun 2024
The European Commission said it will impose extra duties of up to 38.1% on imported Chinese electric cars from July, risking retaliation from Beijing.
The Tory network of climate denial and fossil fuel funding
14 Jun 2024
DeSmog catalogues how oil and gas firms have forged ties with the highest levels of government in the UK, as well as with the media and influential think tanks.
Russia’s war with Ukraine accelerating global climate emergency, report shows
14 Jun 2024
Most comprehensive analysis ever of conflict-driven climate impacts shows emissions greater than those generated by 175 countries in a year.
Florida’s 2024 hurricane season arrives with a rainy deluge
14 Jun 2024
Dangerous flooding from a tropical disturbance inundated much of southern Florida, blocking roads, floating vehicles and delaying the Florida Panthers on their way to Stanley Cup games.
G7 coal charade: Funding the fire they claim to fight
14 Jun 2024
COMMENT: Rich countries should take concrete steps to stem the global flow of funds from their commercial banks which are fuelling expansion of the coal industry.
Swiss parliament spurns European climate ruling
13 Jun 2024
The Swiss parliament voted to snub a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) that accused the country of being ineffective in fighting climate change.
Nitrous oxide emissions are accelerating with growing demand for fertilizer and meat
13 Jun 2024
Food’s role in climate change has emerged as one of the defining challenges of our time.
China to reach 2030 solar and wind energy target five years ahead of schedule
13 Jun 2024
China is expected to exceed its 2030 solar and wind energy target already in 2025, when its solar and wind capacity is projected to reach 1,720 GW, GlobalData said.
What do the European elections mean for EU climate action?
13 Jun 2024
This week’s European parliamentary election results saw parties on the populist right making big gains in France and Germany, while the historic “green wave” of 2019 receded.
The anti-windfarm 'odd couple' joining forces to fight the renewable energy projects Australia's already failing to build
13 Jun 2024
Deep in coal country, a lifelong environmentalist and one-time Greens candidate is feeling the applause.
Canada signs second deal to guarantee price of captured carbon
13 Jun 2024
The Canada Growth Fund, a federal clean-tech financing agency, signed its second deal to backstop carbon prices with a proposed Alberta facility that would convert landfill waste to electricity and sequester the resulting carbon emissions.
EU climate policies could be slowed in future after rightward shift in election
12 Jun 2024
A more rightward-leaning European Parliament will make it harder to pass ambitious EU climate policies, but the majority of current world-leading green policies are likely to stay put, analysts said.
Bonn bulletin: Fossil fuel transition left homeless
12 Jun 2024
Countries clash over where to negotiate the shift away from dirty energy agreed at COP28, while talks on a new climate finance goal make little progress.
Supreme court ruling delays climate litigation big oil has sought to thwart
12 Jun 2024
The supreme court asked the Biden administration to weigh in on big oil’s request to thwart litigation that could put them on the hook for billions of dollars.
Are we finally hitting a sweet spot in the energy transition?
12 Jun 2024
COMMENT: The race between a rapidly unraveling climate and a rapid buildout of renewable energy will determine just how many people die, how many cities drown, and how many species survive.
Brazil police raid Amazon carbon credit projects
12 Jun 2024
The Brazilian Federal Police arrested people and seized assets linked to some of the country’s largest carbon credit projects.
Scientists have built a ‘digital twin’ of Earth to predict the future of climate change
12 Jun 2024
The complex computer model takes into account weather and climate systems as well as our impact on the planet.
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.
Datacentres should be forced to invest in wind and solar energy, all states agree – except Queensland
Wed 13 May 2026
Power hungry datacentres that are growing to meet the demands of artificial intelligence could be forced to invest in enough new solar and wind generation to completely cover their electricity needs.
Some inconvenient truths in bringing climate science to the judiciary
Today 11:45am
OPINION: Climate science had been knocking on the courthouse doors for quite some time when the Supreme Court of the United States finally invited it into the realm of legal action in 2007.
China’s leadership calls for ‘strict control’ of fossil fuels
28 Apr 2026
Chinese government leaders published a policy document on 22 April – Earth Day – calling for stricter controls on fossil-fuel consumption and greater oversight of heavy emitters.
Inequality causing 100,000 extra deaths a year from heat and cold in Europe
Tue 12 May 2026
Economic inequality adds more than 100,000 deaths to the vast toll from heat and cold in Europe each year, research has found.
Risk of drought in UK grows after unusually dry start to spring
Today 11:45am
The risk of drought is rising after an unusually dry start to spring has pushed river flow, groundwater and reservoir stores below normal levels across much of the country, especially in central and southern England.
Carbon capture ‘doesn’t work’: Former British Columbia premier
Fri 8 May 2026
Former British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell warned the costly, troubled technology has failed to deliver, undercutting a central justification for billions in public subsidies and new oil infrastructure.
While the world hesitates, India must continue leading on climate
Today 11:45am
India’s updated climate targets must translate into systems that secure growth, resilience, and autonomy.
How climate change threatens the economic backbone of the Pacific
4 May 2026
The vast Pacific Ocean and the islands dotted within it produce more than half of the world's tuna.
‘Triple whammy of climate chaos’: Why Antarctica's sea ice collapse is no longer a mystery
Mon 11 May 2026
Scientists have finally identified the ‘triple whammy’ behind Antarctica’s dramatic collapse, shedding new light on the chain reaction that has pushed its sea ice to record lows.
With its first marine reserve, Ghana protects its ocean to secure its future
5 May 2026
Comment: Last month, Ghana made news when it declared its first marine reserve and sited it in one of the nation’s most ecologically and biologically significant marine environments.
The country where lethal hantavirus cases are on the rise. Experts blame climate change
Wed 13 May 2026
Experts believe environmental degradation caused by climate change and human activity is contributing to its spread by allowing the rodents that transmit the virus to thrive in new areas.
UN methane alert system expanded to coal and waste sectors after Indian landfill named among world’s top emitters
6 May 2026
The United Nations is expanding its methane monitoring system to cover coal mines and waste facilities, after satellite analysis identified a landfill in India among the world’s three largest methane-emitting sites.
