International: All stories
Octopus launches $10 billion renewables platform, buys Australia’s biggest solar farm
21 Jul 2022
Octopus Investment Australia has officially launched its new $10 billion renewables “platform”, that will seek to finance big solar, wind and battery storage projects and has already bought the biggest operating solar farm in Australia.
India plans $10 billion electric bus contract to curb emissions
21 Jul 2022
State-controlled Convergence Energy Services Ltd. is planning a $10-billion tender for 50,000 electric buses that will drive India’s plans to decarbonize public transport and help meet its goals for net zero emissions.
UK's hottest day sparks culture war
21 Jul 2022
“Calm down, it’s just a sunny day.” That was the refrain from a small but powerful section of the British establishment this week, as temperatures in the U.K.—where summer highs rarely reach 30°C —topped 40°C for the first time in recorded history.
Australia's environment in 'shocking' decline, report finds
21 Jul 2022
Australia's environment is in a shocking state and faces further decline from amplifying threats, according to an anticipated report.
Growing crops in darkness could save land and advance sustainable agricultural
21 Jul 2022
Like something out of a science fiction film, researchers have managed to grow plants in complete darkness, potentially paving a path for food production that’s decoupled from the land.
The legacy of Europe’s heat waves will be more air conditioning. That’s a problem.
21 Jul 2022
Europe is sweltering in record-breaking temperatures this week, and across the continent, people are largely trying to cope without air conditioning.
Without Congress, what can Biden do to stem the climate crisis?
20 Jul 2022
The White House is scrambling to reassure Democratic voters that President Joe Biden can still take action on climate change after another blow to proposed climate legislation from Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia.
How Canberra avoided the global energy crisis
20 Jul 2022
The “Canberra bubble” is something of a derisive term in Australia, referring to the niche interests of politicians, lobbyists and media insiders in the country’s capital — the equivalent of being entrenched “inside the Beltway” of Washington D.C.
How secretive methane leaks are driving climate change
20 Jul 2022
There is an open secret in the oil and gas industry and it is feeding the climate crisis.
Germany rejects delaying climate action
20 Jul 2022
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has rejected the notion of cutting back on climate change targets despite the energy and food security crisis, speaking at the end of the Petersberg Climate Dialogue in Berlin on Tuesday.
Wildfires in Spain, Morocco produce record-breaking carbon emissions
20 Jul 2022
Wildfires in Spain and Morocco have produced more carbon emissions in June and July this year than in the same period of any year since 2003, the European Union's Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service said.
Irish agriculture 'cannot opt out' of emissions targets: environment minister
20 Jul 2022
The final Irish Cabinet meeting before the summer break is expected to agree sectoral targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
Are cities ready for extreme heat?
19 Jul 2022
The first chapter of Kim Stanley Robinson’s The Ministry for the Future takes my breath away. Not just because I can almost feel the heat and humidity dripping off the pages, but because I know that—although the story is fictional—similar scenes are already playing out in real life.
How sizzling temperatures drive up food prices
19 Jul 2022
Vicious heat waves are sweeping parts of the globe this week, along with the dangers that come with blazing-hot temperatures: wildfires, dehydration, and even death. The hot weather could also push prices up for food, making inflation even worse.
Hawaii says goodbye to coal, aloha to big batteries
19 Jul 2022
For most visitors, Hawaii is where you go to relax, honeymoon and get away from it all. For Hawaiians, it is home, with all its warts and blemishes including high prices – including electricity prices.
Climate change costing Germany billions of euros a year
19 Jul 2022
A new study shows weather catastrophes triggered by climate change have cost Germany at least €145 billion over the last two decades. Leaders at the Petersberg Climate Dialogue are looking at ways to tackle the impact.
Under pressure from climate change, Morocco's oases struggle to support life
19 Jul 2022
In the south of Morocco's High Atlas mountains is one of the few palm tree oases still inhabited in the country.
Legal setback for government over net zero plan as Britain swelters in heatwave
19 Jul 2022
Ministers failed to outline exactly how their net zero strategy will achieve emissions targets, a court ruled on Monday – dealing the government’s climate change credentials a serious blow on the day Britain sweltered under its first ever red extreme temperature alert.
Achieving Earth for all
18 Jul 2022
In 1972, the United Nations held its first-ever environmental summit in Stockholm. In the run-up to the event, a group of scientists wrote The Limits to Growth, a report for the Club of Rome which became an unlikely bestseller. Now there's a follow-up.
White House economic adviser says Biden will pursue climate agenda 'with or without Congress'
18 Jul 2022
White House economic adviser Jared Bernstein told CNN on Sunday that President Joe Biden will pursue his climate agenda "with or without Congress," following the news Thursday that West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin wouldn't back climate or tax provisions in his party's budget reconciliation package.
Chevron to lay out millions for more credits to cover another Gorgon carbon capture shortfall
18 Jul 2022
Chevron faces a renewed multimillion-dollar buy-up of carbon credits to cover another shortfall by the world’s biggest carbon capture and storage scheme at the Gorgon LNG project off northern WA.
A hypothetical weather forecast for 2050 is coming true next week
18 Jul 2022
Two years ago, forecasters in the UK conducted an interesting thought experiment: What will our forecasts look like in 2050?
Finnish "sand battery" offers solution for renewable energy storage
18 Jul 2022
Finnish companies Polar Night Energy and Vatajankoski have built the world's first operational "sand battery", which provides a low-cost and low-emissions way to store renewable energy.
Fed up with net-zero climate goals, activists call for 'real zero'
18 Jul 2022
As alarm at the United Nations over climate change has grown dire in recent years, a slew of corporations have announced net-zero carbon emissions goals.
The madness of cutting down forests to grow food crops for supersonic aircraft biofuels
15 Jul 2022
In June 2021, United Airlines announced that it intends to purchase 15 “Overture” aircraft from Boom Supersonic, with an option to purchase 35 more. In June 2022, United CEO Scott Kirby reaffirmed that United’s purchase remains “on track”.
Nature is in crisis. A UN report says short-sighted economics is to blame
15 Jul 2022
When governments make decisions, economic considerations often trump everything else — human well-being, social connections, the health of the environment. According to a new report from the United Nations, this imbalance is driving the global biodiversity crisis and the human suffering associated with it.
The copper crunch that's jeopardizing climate goals
15 Jul 2022
The race to deeply slash global carbon emissions will be hobbled without a surge in copper supply, but the ramp-up necessary faces big hurdles, a new report finds.
EU green chief calls for day of memorial for climate victims
15 Jul 2022
Europe should create a day of memorial for the victims of climate change, the EU's Green Deal chief Frans Timmermans said Thursday, marking the anniversary of floods that killed more than 220 people mostly in Germany and Belgium.
Climate change: $2tr for weapons versus $100bn to save the planet
15 Jul 2022
BY Murad Qureshi | During late April and early May, South Asia experienced the terrible effects of global warming. Temperatures reached almost 50°C in some cities in the region. These high temperatures came alongside dangerous flooding in northeast India and in Bangladesh, as the rivers burst their banks, with flash floods taking place in places such as Sunamganj in Sylhet, Bangladesh.
Why shipping might be about to get a little bit slower
14 Jul 2022
If shipping is the beating heart of global trade, its pulse is about to get slower.
Austria's climate minister is taking the EU to court
14 Jul 2022
TO most climate scientists and environmentalists, conversations about trying to address climate change with natural gas are a nonstarter.
China to build more low-carbon communities
14 Jul 2022
China will encourage more residential communities to evolve into low-carbon ones as part of the country's efforts to meet its climate goals.
Climate change amplifies the risk of conflict, study from Africa shows
14 Jul 2022
In October 2021, the city of Guriel in Somalia’s Galguduud region became the epicenter of fierce fighting between the national army and a paramilitary group that left more than 100 people dead and displaced another 100,000.
Kenyan bourse brings carbon exchange to East Africa
14 Jul 2022
Climate change mitigation efforts in Kenya have received new impetus after the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE), inked a deal with the AirCarbon Exchange (ACX) and the Nairobi International Finance Centre (NIFC) to set up Kenya’s first carbon offset exchange.
Government announces support for Pacific climate action
13 Jul 2022
The government has announced it will help fund a desalination plant in Kiribati and contribute $10 million to the conservation of Pacific crop seeds impacted by climate change.
US energy secretary says switch to wind and solar “could be greatest peace plan of all”
13 Jul 2022
A global transition to cleaner energy sources could be the world’s best opportunity to minimise the chance of global conflicts, the US energy secretary has told a major energy forum in Sydney.
As temperatures rise, farms are sprouting in Alaska
13 Jul 2022
Even as farms decline across the US, a longer growing season is bringing food security to a state that has long relied on sustenance from afar.
Tour de France stage 10 halted by climate action protestors
13 Jul 2022
The Tour de France stage to Megève came to a stop with 35km to go as the route was blocked by a group of protestors demanding action against climate change.
Indonesian islanders sue cement giant Holcim over climate damage
13 Jul 2022
Residents of Pulau Pari, an Indonesian island threatened by rising sea levels, are suing cement giant Holcim over its carbon dioxide emissions, a Swiss charity said on Tuesday.
Carbon tariff needed to tackle Britain’s energy and manufacturing crisis: report
13 Jul 2022
A new carbon tariff needs to be imposed on polluting foreign manufacturers that import goods into the UK, according to a report on the energy crisis released by the John Mills Institute for Prosperity.
Pacific Island Forum backs Vanuatu’s campaign for World Court climate case
12 Jul 2022
Foreign ministers attending the Pacific Island Forum in Fiji have endorsed Vanuatu’s call for a UN General Assembly resolution requesting the International Court of Justice hears a case on the responsibility of states to deal with climate change.
Integrated wind and solar still cheapest, and green hydrogen costs falling fast: CSIRO
12 Jul 2022
Australia’s main scientific body and the country’s energy market operator have again underlined the fact that “integrated” wind and solar – including the cost of storage and transmission – is still by far the cheapest source of new electricity generation in Australia.
Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon hits record for first half of 2022
12 Jul 2022
Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon rainforest reached a record high for the first six months of the year, as an area five times the size of New York City was destroyed, preliminary government data showes.
Scientists puzzled by soaring global methane levels
12 Jul 2022
Methane concentrations in the Earth's atmosphere are soaring—and the exact causes of the "frightening" increase are puzzling scientists
How climate change is making extreme weather a regular occurrence
12 Jul 2022
Torrential rains in Japan, record-breaking heatwaves in Europe, and recurring droughts in the western US. For the second year in a row the start of summer in the northern hemisphere has been marked by extreme weather. To what extent is global warming to blame?
Should "ecocide" be added to the International Criminal Court's list of crimes?
12 Jul 2022
A law professor from Queen Mary University in London has called a proposal to make “ecocide” the fifth international crime the “most credible and advanced” effort to date to expand the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
China’s domination of solar a risk to zero-carbon future: IEA
11 Jul 2022
Countries must lessen their dependence on China’s production of solar panels and dramatically boost manufacturing capacity to reach net-zero emissions, the International Energy Agency has said.
Major Arctic drilling project seen as ultimate test for Biden's climate legacy
11 Jul 2022
Climate groups raised the alarm and put President Joe Biden on notice after the Bureau of Land Management opened the public comment period Friday for a proposed drilling project in the Alaskan Arctic that critics warn would unleash a dangerous "carbon bomb" and threaten pristine ecosystems if given approval by the federal government.
Denmark to roll out new state-run climate label for food
11 Jul 2022
Denmark will establish a state-controlled climate label in order to help residents purchase more environmentally-friendly foods.
Greenwashing lawsuit against Dutch airline is the first of its kind
11 Jul 2022
As concerns over climate change rise, so too does greenwashing as a marketing tactic. And it’s often the most environmentally-destructive companies that trumpet the most outrageous claims—just take a look at some of the advertisements fossil fuel companies have put out in recent years.
‘Off like a rocket’: Battery rebate prompts massive rooftop power surge
Thu 28 Aug 2025
The federal government’s home battery rebate has proved so popular it is adding the equivalent to South Australia’s big battery to the grid every 8.7 days.
Ørsted shares at all-time low after Trump halts work on US windfarm
Wed 27 Aug 2025
Shares drop by 17% after stop-work order on $1.5bn project off Rhode Island, which was 80% complete.
China's carbon market to introduce absolute emissions caps from 2027
Wed 27 Aug 2025
China will tighten its carbon trading market by introducing absolute emissions caps in some industries for the first time starting by 2027.
Apple Watch not a 'CO2-neutral product,' German court finds
Thu 28 Aug 2025
Apple can no longer advertise its Apple Watch as a "CO2-neutral product" in Germany, following a court ruling on Tuesday that upheld a complaint from environmentalists, finding that the U.S. tech company had misled consumers.
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.
Singapore seals carbon credit deal with Thailand, its first South-east Asian partner
Thu 28 Aug 2025
The agreement, the eighth for Singapore, helps both nations meet climate targets under the Paris Agreement, directing finance to Thai projects.
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'
22 Aug 2025
Scientists say there is emerging evidence of abrupt and potentially unstoppable changes in the Antarctic environment.
Is Africa about to see the solar energy boom it needs?
Thu 28 Aug 2025
African countries imported a record number of solar panels in the past year, which could be the beginning of a green energy boom on the continent.
Lessons from the Incas: How llamas, terraces and trees could help the Andes survive climate change
Thu 28 Aug 2025
New research suggests solutions may lie in environmental knowledge that the Incas and their predecessors developed centuries ago.
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.
