International: Australia
It’s only October, so what’s with all these bushfires?
15 Oct 2019
Summer might be more than six weeks away, but out-of-control bushfires have already torn across parts of eastern Australia in recent days, destroying homes and threatening lives.
Jail climate protesters, says Australian minister
7 Oct 2019
Protesters who disrupt traffic should have their welfare payments cut and be subject to mandatory jail sentences, Australia's home affairs minister Peter Dutton has declared.
NSW considers laws to stop courts blocking coalmines
3 Oct 2019
The New South Wales government is considering legislation that could limit the ability for planning authorities to rule out coalmines projects based on the climate change impact of emissions from the coal once it is burned.
Towns prepare for 'unimaginable' water crisis
1 Oct 2019
Livelihoods in Australia are now at risk from drought worsened by climate change, a predicament more familiar to developing countries.
Queensland plans huge hydrogen projects
1 Oct 2019
Two huge renewable hydrogen projects have been planned for the heart of Queensland’s major coal and gas regions.
'It's heartbreaking': A town watches its beach wash away
30 Sep 2019
Stockton beach in New South Wales is being washed away by dramatic coastal erosion which has already claimed a childcare centre.
Mining magnate puts millions into war on plastics waste
26 Sep 2019
An Australian mining billionaire has launched a business-driven initiative to try to tackle the hundreds of millions of tonnes of plastic waste produced every year.
Canberra switching to 100% renewable energy
23 Sep 2019
Canberra will become the first city outside Europe to shift from fossil fuel to 100% renewable energy.
Protest-rubbish photo is just that ... rubbish
23 Sep 2019
A hoax photo that claims to show rubbish left behind by Australian climate strike protesters is circulating on Facebook, despite being revealed as fake months ago.
Mine protesters tackle All Blacks on eve of World Cup
18 Sep 2019
A petition launched just days before the World Cup opens in Japan calls on the All Blacks to dump their principal sponsor AIG over ties to a controversial Australian coal mine development.
More Australians drown as summers heat up
17 Sep 2019
More Australians are drowning as the country faces record high temperatures, lifesavers have warned.
Australia launches emergency relocation of fish
12 Sep 2019
Faced with a ferocious summer with little rain forecast, the New South Wales government has embarked on a Noah’s Ark type operation to move native fish to safe havens.
More Australians fear effects of changing climate ...
11 Sep 2019
Australians are increasingly concerned about droughts and floods, extinctions and water shortages associated with climate change, according to new research.
... but the disaster minister has his doubts
11 Sep 2019
Australia’s minister responsible for drought and natural disasters, David Littleproud, has said that he doesn’t “know if climate change is manmade”.
Queensland coal goes to war with solar
6 Sep 2019
In Queensland, it seems the legacy coal generators are deciding not to ramp down as the market might expect. Instead, some observers suspect they are trying to force the solar plants out of the market.
Doctors declare climate health emergency
4 Sep 2019
The Australian Medical Association has formally declared climate change a health emergency, pointing to “clear scientific evidence indicating severe impacts for patients and communities now and into the future”.
Australia hits seven-year high on emissions
2 Sep 2019
Australia’s greenhouse gas status has worsened again, showing a 0.6 per cent rise in the March quarter to a seven year high of 538.9 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
Carbon criticism nonsense, says e-car council
29 Aug 2019
Australia’s Electric Vehicle Council is dismissing as nonsense claims that EVs emit more carbon dioxide than do fossil-fuel cars.
Global engineer cuts ties with Adani
22 Aug 2019
The global engineering and consultancy firm Aurecon has severed a longstanding business relationship with the Adani Group, amid ongoing efforts by anti-coal activists to target firms working for the Indian conglomerate’s Australian mining arm.
Australian power stations among most toxic
21 Aug 2019
Power stations in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley and New South Wales’s Lake Macquarie region have been named on a list of the world’s biggest hotspots for toxic air pollution.
Global fossil fuels trifecta: Russia 1, Saudi 2, Australia 3
20 Aug 2019
Australia’s role as a leader in the global fossil fuel trade is underscored by a report that finds it is the world’s third-biggest exporter and fifth-biggest miner of fossil-related emissions.
Can Morrison deliver on Pacific climate promises?
16 Aug 2019
This week’s Pacific Islands Forum comes at an important time in the overall trajectory of Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s very personal commitment to an Australian “stepping up” in the Pacific.
Australia sets 50% e-car target by 2035
15 Aug 2019
Modelling by the Australian Government shows 50 per cent of new domestic vehicle sales will be electric by 2035.
BHP threatens to quit Minerals Council
6 Aug 2019
Big miner BHP is again reviewing its membership of the Minerals Council of Australia lobby group following disagreements over environmental policy.
Storms damage nearly half Australia's seaboard
30 Jul 2019
Extreme climate events such as heatwaves, floods and drought damaged 45 per cent of the marine ecosystems along Australia’s coast in a seven-year period.
Adani sets dangerous science precedent
18 Jul 2019
A freedom of information request has revealed Adani sought the names of Australian scientists involved in reviewing groundwater management plans related to its proposed Carmichael mine.
Greens founder speaks out against wind farm
16 Jul 2019
Plans to build a wind farm in Tasmania have come up against an unlikely opponent with Australian Greens founder Bob Brown adding his voice to protests that the project will damage views and ecology.
Australia hunts for more climate-hardy vines
16 Jul 2019
Climate change is prompting Australian wine researchers to trial drought-tolerant grape varieties from Cyprus.
Australia has $20b plan to power Singapore
15 Jul 2019
An ambitious export plan could generate billions of dollars and make Australia the centre of low-cost energy in a future zero-carbon world.
Australia’s emissions show another surge
10 Jul 2019
Australia is falling further behind its Paris emission reduction targets. New figures show a surge in the first quarter of 2019, increasing the gap between emissions and the trajectory that the government insists will be met “in a canter”.
Coal waste 'ticking time bomb' across Australia
2 Jul 2019
A report by Environmental Justice Australia has found problems at coal ash dumps in every mainland state.
Australia's north has a powerhouse vision
21 Jun 2019
Australia's Northern Territory has a multi-billion dollar opportunity to invest massively in renewables, create a new hydrogen export industry, and create thousands of jobs, says a new report.
Can Australia avoid drifting into a slow, painful decline?
20 Jun 2019
Australia has been warned it risks "drifting into the future" if it fails to respond to challenges in a fast-changing world.
Australia gives go-ahead to Adani mine
14 Jun 2019
Australia has given the final approval for construction to begin on a controversial coal mine to be built by Indian company Adani.
Australia's rising emissions spark row
7 Jun 2019
Data showing the latest increase in Australia's greenhouse emissions was released late, in defiance of a Senate order, but leaked to a major newspaper.
Meet the coastal dwellers who don't fear rising seas
7 Jun 2019
Half of the people living in New South Wales’ coastal communities think rising sea levels will not affect them, and a quarter of accommodation businesses on the coast are unsure if sea-level rise is even occurring, new data shows.
Australian musicians band together to run solar farms
7 Jun 2019
Midnight Oil, Cloud Control, Vance Joy and Regurgitator have signed up to FEAT, a new platform encouraging their industry to back sustainability.
What happens now with Adani?
4 Jun 2019
By mid-June, if everything goes as expected, Adani Australia will receive the final environmental approvals for its proposed Carmichael coal mine and rail line development.
Rising seas threaten Australia’s major airports
30 May 2019
Most major airports in Australia are located on reclaimed swamps, sitting only a few metres above the present sea level.
Industry urges Morrison to build coal plants
24 May 2019
The Australian coal industry has begun lobbying the re-elected Morrison government to support hardline positions, including building new coal-fired power stations and weakening approvals processes for new mines.
Bob Hawke and a climate change 'what if'
20 May 2019
Since the news broke of his passing last week, former Australian leader Bob Hawke has been feted as the “environmental prime minister”.
Islanders sue Australia over climate inaction
15 May 2019
Torres Strait islanders are about to file an unprecedented legal complaint against Australia, accusing the government of breaching their human rights by falling short on its Paris Agreement pledges.
What Australian parties say about climate change
14 May 2019
Most Australians see climate change as the number one threat to national interests. But in 2018, Australia was ranked 55th out of 60 countries in climate change performance.
OPINION: Canberra wants business to sit tight
8 May 2019
By ERWIN JACKSON | With Australia’s current policy, the government is saying to business to sit on their hands and do little for another decade
Wesfarmers dumps coal and turns to e-cars
7 May 2019
Just months after selling the last of its thermal coal assets, Wesfarmers – one of Australia’s leading business conglomerates – has made a $776 million play to enter the lithium market and tap into the opportunities of the global switch to electric vehicles.
FUR WARS: Australia to cull over two million feral cats
2 May 2019
Australia will cull more than two million untamed cats over the next year, cutting their numbers to about four million.
How Australia can be 100% renewables by 2030s
1 May 2019
Australia could be powered 100 per cent by “intermittent” renewables by the early 2030s, says climate change policy expert Professor Ross Garnaut.
Rio Tinto ready to quit Minerals Council
15 Apr 2019
Rio Tinto has signalled it is prepared to quit its membership of industry associations, including the Minerals Council, if the council makes public statements inconsistent with Australia’s Paris climate agreement commitment.
Australia not ready, say expert firefighters
15 Apr 2019
More than 20 former fire and emergency chiefs from multiple states and territories say Australia is unprepared for worsening natural disasters from climate change and governments are putting lives at risk.
Queensland upsets with new solar rules
12 Apr 2019
Queensland has confirmed plans to put in place controversial new regulations for solar farm construction that will restrict the installation or removal of PV panels to licensed electricians.
Clean energy stocks jump after tax on solar and wind projects is removed from Trump’s big bill
Thu 3 Jul 2025
Shares of renewable energy companies are rising after a tax on solar and wind was removed from the Senate version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Floods swamp cities in Southwest China with more storms due
26 Jun 2025
Citizens in Guizhou and other parts of southern China have been swamped by days of record-breaking rainfall as the East Asia monsoon kicked into high gear over the past week.
Brussels to stand its ground on 90% emissions cut by 2040
Wed 2 Jul 2025
The European Commission is set to propose a target to slash greenhouse gas emissions to a mere tenth of the levels seen back in 1990 – but a leaked summary confirms it will offer significant leeway as a sweetener for reluctant EU members.
Activists protest at London headquarters of global ad giant promoting fossil fuels
Thu 3 Jul 2025
The agency’s work for the fossil fuel industry has made it “complicit in causing existential harm to people and planet”, say campaigners, who are calling on WPP to drop those clients.
Is Mark Carney turning his back on climate action?
23 Jun 2025
The G7 summit in Alberta, hosted by Prime Minister Mark Carney, has ended with only passing mention of fighting climate change, including a statement on wildfires that is silent on the pressing need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Pakistan slams climate ‘injustice’ as deadly floods hit country again
Tue 1 Jul 2025
Pakistan’s climate minister says country facing ‘crisis of injustice’ as more deadly flooding and extreme weather events hit the country.
Nearly a third of Tuvaluans have applied for climate migration visa
27 Jun 2025
With their country threatened by sea level rise, the people of Tuvalu have been offered an escape route through an agreement with Australia, and many are contemplating leaving their home.
I just returned from Antarctica: climate change isn’t some far-off problem – it’s here and hitting hard
13 May 2025
Antarctica is often viewed as the last truly remote place on Earth – frozen, wild and untouched. But is it really as untouched as it seems?
Congo death toll hits 77 after extreme weather brings floods and sinks boats, 107 remain missing
18 Jun 2025
Authorities in Congo said the death toll following devastating floods and separate boat accidents has reached 77, with more than 100 people missing.
‘We are perilously close to the point of no return’: climate scientist on Amazon rainforest’s future
Tue 1 Jul 2025
Carlos Nobre, who has fought for decades to save the rainforest, says up to 70% of it could be lost if a tipping point is reached.
Global climate science body roiled by controversies stoked by Saudis, US
Thu 3 Jul 2025
The proposed selection of a Saudi Aramco oil company staffer as one of the authors of a key science report has been denounced as “political capture.”
