International: All stories
Paris targets need big private climate spending boost: IMF
5 Oct 2023
The International Monetary Fund warned that countries cannot rely exclusively on public funds to cut greenhouse gas emissions, stating the effort needs a big boost from the private sector.
“Why do they punish us?” Uganda charcoal ban ignites transition debate
5 Oct 2023
While welcomed in principle, the abrupt charcoal ban has left both traders and buyers unsure of where to turn.
Coffee is in danger. Starbucks is working on solutions.
5 Oct 2023
Coffee is a finicky crop — arabica coffee, the most popular variety, in particular. And climate change poses a huge threat to the coffee business and to farmers.
Scientists call for urgent emissions reductions as Antarctic sea ice hits record low
4 Oct 2023
New Zealand scientists are calling for an immediate and dramatic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, in response to record low sea ice levels in Antarctica this year.
Europe just launched the world’s first carbon tariff. Will the US follow suit?
4 Oct 2023
In the U.S., where climate policy has been highly politicized, the concept of a carbon tariff has recently emerged with rare bipartisan support.
Germany tops €6 bln climate finance target for poorer nations three years early
4 Oct 2023
Public climate financing from Germany for poorer countries reached a new record level last year, already surpassing the 6-billion euro target set for 2025, the government has said.
UK industry risks falling foul of EU’s new carbon tax
4 Oct 2023
British businesses selling into the European Union are unprepared for the bloc’s new carbon tax and run the risk of penalties if they are not compliant, a leading advisory firm has warned.
Tens of thousands demand climate action in Swiss capital
4 Oct 2023
More than 60,000 protesters gathered in the Swiss capital Bern on Saturday demanding tougher policies to combat climate change, organisers said, less than a month ahead of a national election.
Sydney smashes 1 October heat record as Victoria fights bushfires
4 Oct 2023
The previous hottest start to October in Sydney was 33.1C but Sunday’s mercury peaked at 35.6C.
New York floods: Basement rescues spark climate change concerns
4 Oct 2023
As flash floods inundated New York City, Mayor Eric Adams said: "If you're home, stay home." But for those living in below-ground apartments in basements and cellars, that was not an option.
Europe takes climate fight global as carbon border tax goes live
3 Oct 2023
The EU's effort to become climate neutral is kicking into high gear — as of Sunday the bloc's carbon border tax enters a trial period, which is likely to raise tensions with key trading partners.
Sweden’s ‘off the rails’ climate policy
3 Oct 2023
A government beholden to the radical right is a warning that the green transition can go into reverse.
Swiss glaciers lose 10% of volume in worst two years on record
3 Oct 2023
Switzerland's glaciers suffered their second worst melt rate this year after record 2022 losses, shrinking their overall volume by 10% in the last two years.
Big European insurers ‘underwrite 30% of US coal despite net zero pledges’
3 Oct 2023
European insurers are underwriting almost a third of US coal production despite their net zero pledges, according to research.
China tries to reduce geopolitical risks for EV supply chain
3 Oct 2023
As the political tension between China and the US continues, the Chinese government is enhancing the country's EV supply chain to avoid battery technology outflow and learn critical techniques from foreign companies.
Microplastics in clouds may be contributing to climate change
3 Oct 2023
Scientists say certain types of microplastics in clouds could play a key role in rapid cloud formation which might eventually affect the overall climate.
South America swelters in unseasonal spring heatwave
2 Oct 2023
As the Northern Hemisphere emerges from the hottest summer on record, South America has taken up the planet’s extreme-heat mantle.
At least 11 people die in South Africa floods
2 Oct 2023
At least 11 people have been killed after heavy rain and winds hit South Africa's Western Cape province, including Cape Town, over the weekend leaving a trail of destruction.
How much biofuel would we need to decarbonise aviation?
2 Oct 2023
The world could need four to five times as much land for biofuels as it uses today.
Vietnamese climate activist jailed in ‘unjust’ government crackdown
2 Oct 2023
Five environmentalists have been jailed in the last two years, while the government works on a clean energy partnership with rich nations.
How seeding the oceans with minerals could help slow climate change
2 Oct 2023
The Hajar Mountains reach nearly 3,000 meters above sea level, tracing the coastline of Oman and the United Arab Emirates. Their arid peaks and valleys may seem desolate, but they could hold one of the keys to slowing global warming.
Climate litigation is increasing as government action falters
2 Oct 2023
Activists hope that more and bigger court wins will break the “grinding gridlock” on policies to end use of fossil fuels.
Queensland carbon-negative soil project issued record number of credit units
29 Sep 2023
They look like any other cattle strolling through a grassy paddock in Queensland, but beneath their hooves the soil is doing more than producing feed. It is helping to fight climate change.
Crucial for a clean energy economy, the aluminum industry’s carbon footprint is enormous
29 Sep 2023
A new report finds aluminum manufacturing worldwide emits more than a billion tons of carbon dioxide annually, as well as chemicals called perfluorocarbons that warm the planet for 50,000 years.
Shell CEO under pressure from within on renewables shift
29 Sep 2023
Shell's CEO Wael Sawan has come under pressure over his strategy from within the energy company after two employees issued a rare open letter urging him not to scale back investments in renewable energy, sparking an internal debate.
How this popular climate “solution” could tank our progress
29 Sep 2023
Over the last few years, a drumbeat of academic research and investigative reporting has painted a bleak picture of carbon offsets.
Climate change: Six young people take 32 countries to court
29 Sep 2023
"What I felt was fear," says Claudia Duarte Agostinho as she remembers the extreme heatwave and fires that ripped through Portugal in 2017 and killed more than 100 people. "The wildfires made me really anxious about what sort of future I would have."
The death of carbon neutrality?
29 Sep 2023
Until a few months ago, chasing carbon neutrality was a demonstrably Good Thing for businesses committed to reaching net zero emissions by 2050.
Europe’s banks helped fossil fuel firms raise more than €1tn from global bond markets
28 Sep 2023
Banks including some of Europe’s largest lenders have helped fossil fuel companies to raise more than €1tn from the global bond markets since the Paris climate agreement.
UK greenlights North Sea oil and gas field amid climate scrutiny
28 Sep 2023
The UK has given the green-light to Rosebank, the country’s biggest untapped oil field, amid increasing scrutiny of the country’s climate credentials.
How carbon capture and storage projects are driving new oil and gas extraction globally
28 Sep 2023
The oil industry’s push to portray carbon capture as a climate solution at COP28 obscures how the technology is really being used.
Researchers engineer marine bacteria to destroy plastics in seawater
28 Sep 2023
By combining key traits of two bacterial species, the team created a novel bug that can break down plastics in salty conditions—at room temperature.
Strong hurricanes are hitting earlier due to warmer oceans
28 Sep 2023
Warmer oceans mean stronger storms, and the earlier onset of the strongest means potentially devastating consequences.
Visualizing a summer of extremes in seven charts
28 Sep 2023
The past four months of 2023 have shattered all prior records by a truly staggering margin.
Can ‘carbon offsets’ help to tackle climate change?
27 Sep 2023
Every day, people are invited to buy products and services with supposed climate benefits – whether this be “carbon-neutral flights”, “net-zero beef” or “carbon-negative coffee”.
Macron pitches non-punitive green transition with new package
27 Sep 2023
The announcement for the green package comes as the UK and Germany tackle pushback and questions around the cost of the environmental agenda.
Finance at heart of measures to tackle climate change
27 Sep 2023
In these days of climate crisis, environment ministries are playing a bigger role in diplomatic efforts to craft global solutions to global challenges.
IEA says route to net zero requires more cash and less politics
27 Sep 2023
Record growth in clean energy technology, including solar panels and electric vehicles, means it is still possible to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Tuesday.
UK migratory birds 'in freefall' over climate change
27 Sep 2023
British bird lovers will see a very different pattern of species as the climate warms, according to scientists.
Richard Branson talks new climate change coalition
27 Sep 2023
The billionaire British entrepreneur announced his latest initiative, Planetary Guardians, while in New York for the United Nations General Assembly.
‘Climate villain’: scientists say Rupert Murdoch wielded his media empire to sow confusion and doubt
26 Sep 2023
The tycoon, who is stepping down from News Corp and Fox, has used his outlets to promote denial and delay action, experts say.
Chevron accepts recommendations from Fair Work Commission in pay stand-off with Offshore Alliance workers
26 Sep 2023
American multinational Chevron and workers' unions say they will accept recommendations made by the Fair Work Commission to resolve a pay dispute between them at two of the world's largest gas projects.
We could sequester CO2 by 're-greening' arid lands, plant scientists say
26 Sep 2023
Reducing CO2 levels in the atmosphere will take more than cutting emissions—we will also need to capture and store the excessive volumes of already-emitted carbon.
How climate change threatens some of the world’s most coveted real estate
26 Sep 2023
Until recently, the upscale homes of the Redhill Peninsula seemed like an oasis for rich Hong Kongers aspiring to a tranquil lifestyle in an otherwise notoriously cramped metropolis of 7.5 million.
Plummeting prices for solar power and storage make global climate transition cheaper than expected: Study
26 Sep 2023
In just the past 10 years, the cost of electricity from solar has fallen by 87 percent, and the cost of battery storage by 85 percent.
Who’s to blame for the climate crisis? Journalist Amy Westervelt is on the case
26 Sep 2023
“I don't really think that you can separate the climate crisis from the power structure that we're dealing with," Amy Westervelt told EcoWatch.
British Prime Minister likely to face legal challenges over net zero U-turn
25 Sep 2023
Rishi Sunak is likely to face a series of legal challenges aimed at thwarting his plans to U-turn on net zero policies amid further international condemnation of the proposals.
The era of climate migration is here, leaders of vulnerable nations say
25 Sep 2023
Heads of climate-vulnerable nations gathered on the sidelines of a United Nations climate summit to call for new policies and agreements to manage the millions of people who are being forced from their homes by extreme weather.
Africa’s first verifiable carbon market launches in Kenya
25 Sep 2023
CYNK launches as the first Africa-based, end-to-end platform for the measurement, verification and sale carbon credits, with forward trade of more than two million carbon futures credits.
Island nations blame rich countries for climate inaction at UN assembly
25 Sep 2023
Island nations bearing the brunt of climate change this week confronted rich countries at the United Nations General Assembly, saying the failure by developed countries to act with urgency had put the islands' survival at risk.
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.
