International: Australia
Scientists must have Plan B for climate change
22 Aug 2016
Fertilising the oceans, painting the deserts white or sending umbrellas into orbit are some of the real things being explored by scientists as a Plan B for dealing with climate change.
BARRIER BLUES: See the reef while you can
16 Aug 2016
The health of the Great Barrier Reef is declining – a fact that has not been lost on the world’s media.
'Virtual' battery storage plant will ease price spikes
8 Aug 2016
A 5MW battery storage ‘virtual power plant’ will be established in South Australia in a bid to stabilise volatile power prices and support renewable energy.
Turnbull orders CSIRO jobs u-turn
5 Aug 2016
Only 20 climate science positions will be lost from Australia's CSIRO, down from an initial 96, after the Turnbull government intervened, issuing a ministerial directive to the independent agency.
UN asked Australia to cover up Barrier Reef lobbying
2 Aug 2016
The UN asked the Australian government to cover up details of lobbying that lead to all mention of Australia being scrubbed from a major report on climate threats to world heritage sites.
Australians face loss of rooftop solar payments
2 Aug 2016
About 275,000 people across Australia will have their solar energy payments reduced by up to 80 per cent over the next six months.
Frydenberg: Australia's use of coal is falling
28 Jul 2016
Australia’s new environment and energy minister, Josh Frydenberg, says coal will be a declining part of Australia’s energy mix because of inexorable market forces – but he insists the Coalition’s much criticised Direct Action policy is up to the mark, and will allow Australia to meet its international emissions reduction targets.
Power price woes are more due to gas than wind
26 Jul 2016
The past few weeks have seen extraordinarily high wholesale electricity prices in South Australia, averaging A$321 per megawatt hour, compared with A$80 per MWh for July 2015.
Australia to build first hybrid wind-solar farm
26 Jul 2016
Australia’s first large-scale hybrid wind and solar farm is set to be built near Canberra.
Melbourne hosts 'Tesla Town'
21 Jul 2016
An Australian property group is building the world’s first “Tesla Town” in suburban Melbourne, with the first 60 homes to go on sale this week.
It's not easy being green when you're poor
20 Jul 2016
The transition to a clean-energy future is upon us, as shown by the huge uptake of solar panels and by the Turnbull government’s decision to set up a A$1 billion Clean Energy Innovation Fund. But what about those people who are at risk of being left behind?
Victoria approves state's largest windfarm
20 Jul 2016
Victoria has approved a $650m, 96-turbine windfarm that will be the largest in the state as it bids to become Australia's renewable energy leader.
New climate minister believes in 'moral case' for coal
19 Jul 2016
A man who recently argued there is a strong moral case for Australia to build new coal mines and export the coal to India is now in charge of the country’s climate change policy.
This time, can Turnbull do climate and energy?
15 Jul 2016
Australia’s re-elected Coalition government has the opportunity to revamp its policies on climate change.
Renewable jet fuel could be growing on gum trees
11 Jul 2016
Australia’s economy might have ridden on the sheep’s back, but the colonies’ first export was actually eucalyptus oil.
Solar panel recycler finds business is booming
8 Jul 2016
Australia's only solar panel recycling company is looking to scale up production as the number of broken and end-of-life systems mounts.
Hanson brings climate denial to Senate
6 Jul 2016
Fringe Australian political groups such as One Nation, Family First and the Liberal Democrats still reject the evidence that humans are causing climate change.
Banks trim lending to renewables projects
5 Jul 2016
Australia’s big four banks’ lending for Australian renewable energy projects has tumbled in the first half of 2016, despite all of them spruiking their continuing support for the sector.
Sydney sets sights on zero carbon by 2050
29 Jun 2016
Sydney says it will have net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and that half its electricity will come from renewable sources by 2030.
Bulk-buy promises Australians cheaper solar
27 Jun 2016
Australia’s first bulk-buy programme for solar battery storage has launched, with more than 1000 people in Newcastle expressing interest and more than 500 attending a sign-up event to buy home battery systems.
Australians spend billions on rooftop solar
24 Jun 2016
Australian households and small businesses have invested more than $1bn a year in rooftop solar over the past five years, spending a total of almost $8bn since 2007, new calculations show.
Are the Greens the climate radicals Australia needs?
23 Jun 2016
If you despair of Australia’s lacklustre climate policies, you might take heart from the Greens’ stated goal of limiting global warming to 1.5degC. But are the party’s own policies up to the job?
Rugged climate puts the squeeze on cuddly koalas
23 Jun 2016
More frequent extremes of heat and drought predicted for Australia could have a devastating impact on the habitat of the marsupial found nowhere else on Earth.
Catholic church thinking big on fossil fuel divestment
22 Jun 2016
The decision by four Australian Catholic orders to divest fully from fossil fuels can be interpreted as a direct response to the encyclical on the environment, issued by Pope Francis almost exactly a year ago.
GREEN DREAM: Petrol to drive car market in 2030
22 Jun 2016
Petrol-powered vehicles are predicted to dominate the Australian car market in the year 2030 despite the growing concern of carbon emissions and its impact on the environment, a new study has found.
More want climate action now than before carbon tax
20 Jun 2016
By DEBORAH COTTON | In April 2011, not long after Julia Gillard was returned to power in the 2010 federal election, I asked a representative sample of Australians about their attitudes to climate policy.
Could ‘nitrogen trading’ help the Great Barrier Reef?
17 Jun 2016
Among the increasing sums of money being pledged to help save the Great Barrier Reef is a federal government pledge to spend $A40 million on improving water quality. The Queensland government has promised another $33.5 million for the same purpose.
Flood-hit farmers demand climate action
15 Jun 2016
Flood-affected Tasmanian farmers want to see more action on climate change, a topic which has received little debate during the election campaign.
Victoria sets date to be carbon neutral
10 Jun 2016
The State of Victoria is pledging to be carbon-neutral by 2050.
Cities need a clean-up as massive storms pump pollution into the sea
8 Jun 2016
The massive storms that have lashed Australia’s east coast over the past few days are not just a threat to lives and property, but also to marine wildlife.
Queensland bankrolls council climate projects
3 Jun 2016
The Queensland Labor government will bankroll projects by coastal councils to mitigate the effects of rising sea levels, less than two years after its Liberal National predecessor banned mentions of climate change impacts from planning policy.
Temperature records tumble in Australia
3 Jun 2016
Australia has posted its hottest autumn on record, with Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane among the cities to post their warmest temperatures for the season, as the giant El Nino in the Pacific wound down.
Most Australian voters support renewable energy
1 Jun 2016
Battery storage technology has the potential to reshape not just the energy and transport sectors but also the upcoming Australian federal election, according to a new report.
Australia’s low-emissions roadmap a trip to nowhere
30 May 2016
The Australian Government on Friday made a low-key announcement of its new Low Emissions Technology Roadmap. To be developed by the CSIRO, it will aim to “highlight areas of growth in Australia’s clean technology sector”.
Climate groups join forces for election blitz
25 May 2016
An unprecedented level of coordination between Australian climate activists and conservation groups is aiming to raise the profile of climate change in this year’s election.
Coastal climate law shift is a landmark reform
25 May 2016
Coastal management in Australia is subject to competing interests and challenges. These range from land use and strategic planning issues to ecosystems preservation.
EATING AUSSIES: Dining on kangaroos and camels could help the environment
24 May 2016
We might be what we eat, but our dietary choices also affect the health of the environment, and farmers' back pockets.
ELECTION 2016: Climate politics off to a chilly start
23 May 2016
One week into Australia's extended federal election campaign, climate has not featured prominently.
Want to know if the Paris climate deal is working?
23 May 2016
The Paris climate agreement has been praised for sending a strong signal to the world that we are now serious about cutting greenhouse emissions.
Future climate could cast shade on renewables
19 May 2016
Fighting climate change will involve massive changes to the way Australia produces and distributes energy.
Coal-free SA could fill the gap with batteries
17 May 2016
South Australia’s last coal-fired power station closed last week, leaving the state with only gas and wind power generators.
Summer storms will bring flash floods to cities
16 May 2016
Scientists warn that global warming will lead to more intense and concentrated summer storms, seriously testing city drainage systems already struggling to cope.
Australia delays ETS report till after election
10 May 2016
The release of the results of a review into whether Australia should have an emissions trading scheme is being delayed until after that country’s general election in July, prompting suggestions of political interference.
Change to clean energy means massive social change
10 May 2016
Global climate change, driven by human emissions of greenhouse gases, is already affecting the planet, with more heatwaves, droughts, wildfires and floods, and accelerating sea-level rise.
Canberra spends $500m in Direct Action auctions
9 May 2016
The Australian Government has funded projects to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to the tune of half-a-billion dollars in the latest round of the Direct Action auctions.
Enviro scorecard shows Australia again in decline
6 May 2016
After some unusually wet years, Australia's landscape and ecosystems have once again returned to poorer conditions that were last experienced during the Millennium Drought.
There's more than one way to fund urban infrastructure
5 May 2016
With the Australian federal government aiming to kick-start investment in urban infrastructure, pledging $50 million of public money in the 2016 budget to look at alternative financing mechanisms, attention is turning to the idea of “land value capture” as a means to attract the necessary funds.
Australia's renewable energy target in doubt
3 May 2016
Fresh doubts have been raised about Australia's ability to meet the 2020 renewable energy target after a new analysis found that $10 billion of extra investment is needed in a market where lenders are wary because of changing regulations.
Is carbon farming the answer for clapped-out Australia?
29 Apr 2016
Australia's Clean Energy Regulator this week will hold the third emissions reduction fund auction and farmers across the nation will move to the forefront of efforts to rescue a “clapped-out” country.
Labor’s climate policy puts it back in the game
28 Apr 2016
The Australian Labor Party has announced the climate policy it will take to the federal election, including a return to carbon pricing under an emissions trading scheme.
California, Connecticut preparing 'attack' against Trump's repeal of basis of US climate regulation
Fri 20 Feb 2026
California and Connecticut are working together on a multi-state "plan of attack" against President Donald Trump's repeal of the foundation of federal climate regulation of vehicles, the states' attorneys general told Reuters on Tuesday.
As Trump retreats from climate goals, China is becoming a green superpower
Thu 19 Feb 2026
How the world's biggest carbon emitter is now at the helm of a renewables revolution.
EU countries back stronger price curbs on new carbon market
Fri 20 Feb 2026
European Union countries on Wednesday backed plans to strengthen price curbs in the bloc's upcoming carbon market, EU diplomats told Reuters, in response to concerns from some governments that the policy could raise fuel bills.
Britain strengthens ties with California as new clean energy and climate agreement signed
Thu 19 Feb 2026
Britain has forged a deeper alliance with California on clean energy and climate action, as Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new agreement aimed at boosting transatlantic investment and environmental protection.
Mark Carney just picked his lane on climate change
Tue 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.
Modi's rooftop solar push slowed by reluctant lenders, states
Thu 19 Feb 2026
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's push to accelerate the rollout of rooftop solar power is falling short of targets despite heavy subsidies due to loan delays and limited support from state utilities, vendors and analysts say.
Pacific fisheries summit gives a boost to albacore and seabirds
19 Dec 2025
Much of the world’s albacore tuna catch, which usually ends up in a can, comes from the southwestern Pacific Ocean, where fishery managers just passed a new set of conservation rules.
Warming climate threatens Greenland's ancestral way of life
12 Feb 2026
The Arctic region is on the frontline of global warming, heating up four times faster than the rest of the planet since 1979, according to a 2022 study in scientific journal Nature, causing the sea ice to retreat.
Africa leads growth in solar energy as demand spreads beyond traditional markets, report says
Mon 16 Feb 2026
A report shows that Africa has emerged as the world's fastest-growing solar market even as global growth slowed last year, driven by a 60% surge in imports of solar panels from China.
Argentina fires ravage pristine Patagonia forests, fueling criticism of Milei’s austerity
4 Feb 2026
The wildfires, among the worst to hit the drought-stricken Patagonia region in decades, have devastated more than 45,000 hectares (174 square miles) of Argentina’s forests in the last month and a half, forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents and tourists.
Why Trump might be onboard with a UN carbon-offset programme for airlines
12 Feb 2026
The president’s team has backed the rollout of an initiative that calls for the use of sustainable aviation fuel and carbon credits, even as Trump has pulled back from other international emissions-reduction efforts.
