International: All stories
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.
COP28: Article 6 failure avoids a worse outcome
14 Dec 2023
Media Release - Carbon Market Watch | Torn between countries demanding that Article 6 carbon markets be available with virtually no restrictions and countries insisting on upholding transparency, human rights, and climate ambition, negotiators at COP28 failed to break the deadlock.
Nations strike deal at COP28 to transition away from fossil fuels
14 Dec 2023
Representatives from nearly 200 countries agreed at the COP28 climate summit to begin reducing global consumption of fossil fuels to avert the worst of climate change, signalling the eventual end of the oil age.
Key outcomes agreed at the UN climate talks in Dubai
14 Dec 2023
Nearly every country in the world has agreed to “transition away from fossil fuels” – the main driver of climate change – at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai.
COP28 climate summit signals the end of fossil fuels — but is it enough?
14 Dec 2023
Nations make historic pledge to 'transition' energy systems away from fossil fuels — some scientists are disappointed by the softened wording.
Carbon credits talks collapse at Cop28 over integrity concerns
14 Dec 2023
The EU and allies rejected proposed carbon trading rules that followed a “light-touch” approach favoured by the US.
Endangered species list grows by 2,000 - climate change is part of the problem
14 Dec 2023
The International Union for Conservation of Nature, the leading tracker of global biodiversity, released their new Red List of Threatened Species at COP28.
Pakistan's children are feeling the human toll of climate change: stunted growth and school dropouts
14 Dec 2023
At three years old, Suleman Ali is meant to weigh at least 11 kilograms. But with a dire food shortage in Pakistan, he's so malnourished he's not even 1kg.
COP28: Australia, US and UK say they won’t sign agreement that would be ‘death certificate’ for small islands
13 Dec 2023
Australian climate change minister, Chris Bowen, says umbrella group of countries is united in saying draft agreement is too weak.
The 12-year-old who halted COP28
13 Dec 2023
The United Arab Emirates has severely restricted protest activity at this year’s U.N. climate summit, placing harsh limits on what activists are allowed to say, as well as where and when demonstrations can occur.
NASA's new 'Greenhouse Gas Center' tracks humanity's contribution to climate change
13 Dec 2023
The center will track greenhouse gas emissions and help the public be more attuned to the impacts of climate change.
Security group warns Australia’s democracy is being threatened by ‘anti-climate-action propaganda’
Today 11:00am
Australia’s democracy and sovereignty is being threatened by a propaganda machine aiding climate change deniers, a security group has warned.
California sues Trump energy department over revival of controversial oil pipeline
Today 11:00am
California’s attorney general, Rob Bonta, said he has sued the US energy department to stop it from using a cold-war-era law to restart the long-disputed Sable Offshore pipeline system linking the Santa Ynez offshore platform to California refineries.
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.
Heat pumps for all new homes and plug-in solar in England green tech drive
Today 11:00am
Developers will be required to install solar panels and heat pumps in all new homes in England as part of updated planning requirements published by the government.
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.
Philippines declares national emergency over high fuel prices
Today 11:00am
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. of the Philippines declared a national energy emergency on Tuesday, saying that high oil prices caused by the war in the Middle East were threatening the country’s energy security.
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.
