International: United States
California vows to fight as EPA acts to scrap car rules
3 Aug 2018
The Trump administration has moved to weaken US vehicle emissions standards and has set up a major confrontation with California by scrapping its ability to enact stricter pollution rules.
Experts fear the age of extreme fire has arrived
1 Aug 2018
California's increasingly ferocious wildfires are not an aberration – they are the new reality, experts believe.
US spends $20b a year on fossil fuel subsidies
31 Jul 2018
While most of the world recognises the need to leave fossil fuels in the ground, the US is giving the fossil fuel industry billions to extract more.
Feel free to ruin public land, Trump tells miners
27 Jul 2018
The Trump administration will no longer require oil drillers, miners and other industries to compensate for damage they cause to public lands.
Washington’s political lobbying shackles science
26 Jul 2018
Money talks, says a study of Washington’s political lobbying and its influence on climate change law. Most of the most vocal money comes from big energy.
Baltimore sues 26 fossil fuels companies ...
23 Jul 2018
Baltimore's waterfront revitalisation has become a model for urban development, but sea level rise and extreme weather are putting its future at risk.
... and judge pours cold water on New York hopes
23 Jul 2018
A federal judge has dismissed New York City's lawsuit against five of the world's largest oil companies, dealing a setback to local governments that are trying to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for climate change.
California's mega farms display their dark side
20 Jul 2018
The floor of California's Central Valley is slumping, and there is arsenic in the tap water. It seems the two problems are connected.
SCIENCE UNDER SIEGE: Behind the scenes at the EPA
17 Jul 2018
Uncertainty, hostility and irrelevance are now part of daily life for scientists at the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Pence’s failed gas stations cost taxpayer $20M
17 Jul 2018
The gas station chain that was owned by US Vice-President Mike Pence's family has left more than $20 million worth of environmental remediation costs for Indiana taxpayers.
Heatwave could be making Americans think
13 Jul 2018
Record-breaking high temperatures across much of North America appear to be shaping people’s thinking, a survey finds.
Six ways Andrew Wheeler could reshape the EPA
11 Jul 2018
Former US coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler inherits some important decisions from Scott Pruitt at the EPA, including on the Clean Power Plan, auto standards, methane and use of science.
Oil powerhouse shows way with wind technology
9 Jul 2018
The vast plains of US oil state Texas are home to more then 12,000 wind turbines, making it one of the world’s powerhouses for the technology.
Pruitt quits as head of US environment agency
6 Jul 2018
Scandal-hit Scott Pruitt has resigned as head of the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Rising seas could cost $27 trillion a year by 2100
5 Jul 2018
The cost of rising seas could be $27 trillion a year globally in 80 years, with the oceans possibly nearing two metres above their present levels.
US state to sue oil companies over climate change
5 Jul 2018
Rhode Island has become the first US state to sue a group of oil companies over their role in causing dangerous climate change.
US judge rejects lawsuit against oil majors
28 Jun 2018
A US judge has thrown out a case brought against major oil companies on climate change.
SEA CHANGE: 'Florida is about to be wiped off the map'
28 Jun 2018
Sea level rises are not some distant threat; for many Americans they are very real. An extract from a chilling new book, Rising, details how the US coastline will be radically transformed in the coming years.
US coastal property worth billions at risk
19 Jun 2018
More than 150,000 US homes and businesses could face frequent high-tide flooding within 15 years. That could double by 2045, a new report says.
Cities advance climate policies without saying so
12 Jun 2018
Leadership in addressing climate change in the United States has shifted away from the national capital Washington.
One Koch brother is calling it quits
8 Jun 2018
Billionaire industrialist David H. Koch is stepping away from his political and business interests because of declining health.
Hawaii signs to become carbon neutral by 2045
7 Jun 2018
Hawaii has set the most ambitious climate goal in the US by signing a bill to become carbon neutral by 2045.
Trump orders action to save power plants
6 Jun 2018
President Trump has ordered his energy secretary to take immediate action to stem US power plant closures, arguing that a decline in coal and nuclear electricity is putting the nation’s security at risk.
California strikes e-vehicle gold
6 Jun 2018
California has been given the go-ahead to expand electric vehicle infrastructure and rebate programmes with a total budget of more than $750 million.
Big US banks resume lending to coal companies
30 May 2018
An environmental group’s analysis shows the five largest United States banks have started lending to coal companies again now that they’re out of bankruptcy.
Changing climate might be killing off bees
28 May 2018
Beekeepers in the US have reported an increase in honeybee deaths over the past year, possibly the result of erratic weather patterns brought on by a changing climate.
EPA ‘secret science’ proposal alarms health experts
25 May 2018
The EPA this month could finalise a controversial rule to limit what scientific research the agency can use in writing US environmental regulations.
Proud Norfolk wants to remake itself as seas rise
23 May 2018
US Navy town Norfolk sees itself as a living lab for coastal resilience, one in desperate need of solutions as flooding worsens. Not every neighborhood will be saved.
New York wants to end coal-fired power
23 May 2018
New York State has proposed telling coal plants to change the way they operate, or close down.
Oil-rich Alaska plans to tackle climate change
21 May 2018
Alaska, a major oil and gas producer, is crafting a plan to address climate change.
The world according to GOP ...
21 May 2018
The Earth is not warming. The White Cliffs of Dover are tumbling into the sea and causing sea levels to rise. Global warming is helping grow the Antarctic ice sheet. Those are some of the skeptical assertions echoed by Republicans in the US House of Representatives last week.
Investors urge oil firms to shun Trump's Arctic plan
16 May 2018
Investors managing more than $2.5 trillion have warned oil firms and banks to shun moves by US president Donald Trump to open an Arctic national wildlife refuge to drilling.
California turns farms into carbon-sucking factories
15 May 2018
In a grand experiment, California switched on a fleet of high-tech greenhouse gas removal machines last month.
California faces long road to reach e-car target
11 May 2018
California continues to lead the US in electric car sales but it faces a long, hard road before it can achieve its goal of getting five million emissions-free vehicles on the road in 12 years.
Why you can’t have free trade and save the planet
9 May 2018
Donald Trump is simultaneously chided for refusing to cut greenhouse gas emissions, and for promoting a trade policy that reduces the causes of such emissions.
E-waste innovator is going to prison
4 May 2018
A Southern California man who built a sizable business out of recycling electronic waste is headed to federal prison for 15 months.
DIVIDED COUNTRY: Border gets the creeps
1 May 2018
The stark climatic border in the US separating the sultry east from the dry west is rapidly shifting - a change that could have a significant future impact.
Hands up those companies making an effort
26 Apr 2018
An analysis of more than 600 top US companies has found that those seeing the effects of global warming first-hand are taking the most concrete actions.
Bloomberg vows to pay America's Paris dues
24 Apr 2018
Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has said he will write a $4.5m cheque to cover this year’s US commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement.
California must live with whiplash events
24 Apr 2018
California is likely to swing from drought to extreme rainfall and flooding more often in the future, a new report says.
Miami mans the pumps to beat sea level
23 Apr 2018
Miami Beach's $500 million attempt to elevate and pump itself out of sea level rise's path has drawn criticism, but an expert panel says the city's doing what it needs to survive.
Carbon markets pay off for US states
18 Apr 2018
Nine years after its launch, the US's first mandatory carbon-trading programme is still boosting the economy and creating jobs in its nine-state region.
Nature best weapon against flood damage
18 Apr 2018
Scientists have found nature is the most cost-effective way of reducing the impacts of extreme weather events.
Coal lobbyist becomes No2 official at EPA
16 Apr 2018
Former coal industry lobbyist Andrew Wheeler has been confirmed as second in command at the the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Seas rising too fast to save much of Mississippi Delta
16 Apr 2018
Louisiana is proceeding with ambitious plans to redirect the Mississippi River — but even this massive intervention might not be enough to save the most threatened lands from fast-rising seas.
Seattle wants to charge city drivers
9 Apr 2018
A Seattle proposal to make drivers pay a fee for coming downtown is a linchpin in a list of initiatives aimed at reducing carbon emissions from the city’s transportation sector.
US to ease car and truck emissions standards
5 Apr 2018
US environmental regulators will ease emissions standards for cars and trucks, saying that a timeline put in place by President Obama was not appropriate and set standards “too high”.
Walden Pond pilgrims pollute one of nature's sacred sites
5 Apr 2018
Even the waters of Walden Pond, where Henry David Thoreau famously retreated to try to understand nature, are not safe from climate change and human pollution.
Judge rejects Exxon bid to shut down fraud probe
3 Apr 2018
A US federal judge has rejected Exxon's attempt to shut down two state investigations into whether the oil giant misled investors for years about the risks of climate change.
US judge rules out mining on public land
29 Mar 2018
A federal court has ruled on clmate grounds against a US Interior Department plan to open more than 15 million acres of public land and mineral rights to fossil fuel extraction.
The case for Australian carbon tariffs
Thu 19 Feb 2026
OPINION: It may seem a niche issue but sorting the issue of carbon leakage from emissions-intensive facilities is needed to put industrial climate policy on a firm footing.
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.
