International: United States
Trump tries again to stop youngsters' case
23 Oct 2018
President Trump’s administration has for a second time asked the US Supreme Court to put the brakes on a lawsuit filed by young activists who have accused the government of ignoring the perils of climate change.
Judge rules youngsters can sue the state
18 Oct 2018
A lawyer for a group of young Americans suing the federal government over climate change said a judge’s decision to allow the suit to move forward should clear the way for a trial to begin this month.
There's something there, says Trump
17 Oct 2018
US President Donald Trump, speaking during a hurricane recovery briefing in Georgia, said he believes "there is something there" when asked about climate change, but once again cast doubt on the overwhelming scientific consensus that climate change is caused by human activity.
I sued the state of Washington because I can't breathe there
8 Oct 2018
Summers in my home city of Seattle didn’t use to be smoggy to the point that they make me and my friends sick. Now they are – and that violates our rights.
MOVING OUT: America's era of climate mass migration is here
26 Sep 2018
By the end of this century, sea-level rises alone could displace 13 million Americans. Many states will have to grapple with hordes of residents seeking dry ground.
WHY US STANDS TO LOSE THE MOST
25 Sep 2018
The United States stands to lose a lot more from climate change than it realises.
EXPECT THREE METRES OF SEA-LEVEL RISE, CITIES HEAR
25 Sep 2018
California coastal cities should be prepared for the possibility that oceans will rise more than three metres by 2100, the state Coastal Commission warns.
HOME INVASION: It's time to move away from the coasts
17 Sep 2018
For an increasing number of people, coastal flooding and erosion is a real threat to property, the local economy and, in some cases, life.
EPA loses 1600 employees under Trump
12 Sep 2018
The US Environmental Protection Agency lost 1600 employees in the first 18 months of the Trump administration, including 260 scientists and 185 specialists. Fewer than 400 people have been hired.
California governor ups the clean-energy game
12 Sep 2018
California solidified its role as a world leader on climate action as Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation to shift the state to 100 per cent carbon-free electricity by 2045.
Thousands march across US to protest at environment crisis
11 Sep 2018
Tens of thousands of people took part in marches and other events across the US at the weekend, calling for a swift transition to renewable energy.
California plans to run on carbon-free power by 2045
31 Aug 2018
Legislation has been passed to move California towards 100 per cent clean energy by 2045.
Dire climate report raises fears for California
29 Aug 2018
California’s summer of deadly wildfires and dangerous heatwaves will soon be the new normal if nothing is done to stop climate change, a new report warns.
Trump guts US climate control regulations
23 Aug 2018
The Trump administration has proposed to replace the nation's landmark climate regulations with a watered-down version that would do next to nothing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and wouldn't even set a specific national goal.
New York wants skyscrapers to slash emissions
23 Aug 2018
New York City lawmakers have announced a bill to order massive energy use cuts to big buildings, the largest source of carbon dioxide.
We no longer need to conserve oil, says Trump
21 Aug 2018
Conserving oil is no longer an economic imperative for the US, the Trump administration has declared in a major new policy statement that threatens to undermine decades of government campaigns.
Trump closes in on Obama’s climate rules
21 Aug 2018
The Trump administration will shortly release its plan to replace Barack Obama’s ambitious attempts to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
Forgotten coal mines harbour methane problem
15 Aug 2018
Unregulated, unnoticed coal mines across the US are leaking a potent greenhouse gas with the same greenhouse effect as 13 million cars.
Cows could help ease methane leak impact
13 Aug 2018
Cows will play a key part in a nearly $120 million settlement which, if approved, aims to mitigate the climate impact of one of the largest US natural gas leaks.
California hits back at Trump's car pollution move
10 Aug 2018
California has struck back at the Trump administration over air pollution, unveiling a proposal that would force carmakers to comply with the state’s strict standards for tailpipe emissions.
The crisis facing California ... and what will happen next
10 Aug 2018
Three scientists explain the unprecedented danger facing the western US and call for new solutions to a growing threat.
Ocean spot records warmest temperature in 100 years
9 Aug 2018
Researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography have recorded the warmest sea surface temperature in more than 100 years near a pier in San Diego.
EPA wants to redefine the dangers of soot
8 Aug 2018
Against all prevailing science, the US Environmental Protection Agency is suggesting a “safe” threshold for particulate pollution.
GOP and Big Oil can't escape the blame for climate change
7 Aug 2018
The New York Times magazine has devoted an issue to a single story that explores how close we came to an international climate agreement in 1989 ... and why we failed.
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.
Australia opens first carbon refinery, making new products from captured CO2
24 Jun 2026
Australia’s first carbon refinery opened in New South Wales, capturing carbon dioxide from explosives giant Orica's ammonia-making operations on Kooragang Island and turning it into products such as concrete, paper and glass.
China warming faster than global average as extreme weather intensifies, report says
Today 11:45am
China is warming faster than the global average, while extreme heat, heavy rainfall and other severe weather events are becoming more frequent and intense as climate change accelerates worldwide.
Wildfires scorch southern France as heat and drought fuel blazes
Today 11:45am
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said nearly 7,000 fires have broken out since the start of the summer season, with some 8,700 hectares already burned. “The situation is fairly tense.”
‘But we’re just 1% of emissions’: do smaller countries’ climate efforts matter?
Today 11:45am
Past and present leaders of wealthy nations such as UK and Germany have argued their actions are insignificant.
Canada advances Alberta pipeline to Pacific Coast to expand oil exports beyond the US
Today 11:45am
Canada took a step toward opening a new route for its vast oil reserves to Asian markets as Prime Minister Mark Carney advanced a Pacific Coast pipeline from Alberta, seeking to reduce the country’s dependence on the U.S. while easing separatist tensions and preserving environmental protections.
New Delhi offers residents $1,000 to scrap old cars for EVs to curb air pollution
Thu 2 Jul 2026
India's capital New Delhi will offer a cash incentive of over$1,000 to car owners willing to scrap their old vehicle for an EV, according to a new policy finalised by the government on Monday in a move aimed at reducing high levels of air pollution.
‘Those blocking climate science are not our friends': Pacific leaders warn at Bonn talks
23 Jun 2026
Pacific nations and civil society groups have united at UN climate talks, pushing back against efforts to weaken agreed language on global temperature limits as negotiations continue behind closed doors.
Antarctica’s west coast missing an area of sea ice the size of France as temperatures peak 20C above average
16 Jun 2026
A vast area of the Bellingshausen Sea should be covered by sea ice by now, with one expert calling the loss of ice ‘depressing’.
Our Ocean Conference in Kenya ends with $6.4 billion in pledges, review of past promises
Tue 30 Jun 2026
Africa was front and center at the Our Ocean Conference in Kenya, the first time the annual gathering was held on the continent. The conference is built around voluntary commitments from a range of actors including governments, nonprofits, institutions and the private sector.
Colombia’s climate crossroads: Trumpism casts shadow over presidential battle
26 May 2026
Colombia is a global leader in climate activism. Could US influence drag country to a future of mining and fracking?
Where do the UN secretary general candidates stand on climate change?
Today 11:45am
Candidates are being nominated to take over as the UN secretary general, when António Guterres steps down after nearly a decade in the role at the end of 2026.
