International: China
Belt and Road will cost the environment
1 May 2018
China is aggressively trying to leverage on a trillion-dollar transportation and energy infrastructure construction programme that poses potential environmental impacts.
China builds a road so smart it will change the face of driving
16 Apr 2018
The road to China’s autonomous-driving future is paved with solar panels, mapping sensors and electric-battery rechargers as the nation tests an “intelligent highway” that could speed the transformation of the global transportation industry.
China makes a huge new green ministry
11 Apr 2018
China’s newly created mega-department, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, has absorbed the functions of many ministries and will boast a staff of about 500.
China has the boldest renewable energy plan
10 Apr 2018
The boldest plan to achieve the targets set by the 2015 Paris climate agreement comes from China.
US asks China to reconsider ban on foreign waste
28 Mar 2018
The US has requested China end its recent ban on receiving garbage from foreign countries, something it says is causing turmoil in the global market.
China could become a leader in green finance
27 Feb 2018
Experts gathered in London have argued over whether China could dominate the green financing market in years to come.
Has China's growth shaken free of carbon?
14 Feb 2018
The annual debate over whether China has peaked its greenhouse gas emissions faces a watershed moment.
How will China’s new carbon trading scheme work?
31 Jan 2018
China last month announced the initial details of its much- anticipated emissions trading scheme, following several years of regional pilot projects.
Why China wants to rule green-energy markets
23 Jan 2018
As other major powers find themselves in climate denial or atrophy, China might well boost its power and status by becoming the global energy leader of tomorrow.
Why coal city switched all 8000 taxis to electric
22 Jan 2018
Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi province in China, replaced 8000 petrol-powered taxis with electric vehicles in a single year.
Belt-and-road countries could top China’s emissions
14 Dec 2017
China is seeking to clean up its overseas investments and is calling for international support.
China’s footprint threatens to trample the natural world
7 Dec 2017
Many observers of China’s escalating global programme of foreign investment and infrastructure development are crossing their fingers and hoping for the best.
Can China actually lead on climate change?
30 Nov 2017
China is in the driving seat when it comes to international co-operation on climate, said President Xi Jinping at a major political meeting in Beijing ahead of the climate talks in Bonn.
China reverses flow of carbon emissions
28 Nov 2017
The flow of China’s carbon emissions has reversed, according to new research led by scientists at the University of East Anglia.
China likely to hit peak emissions around 2030
24 Nov 2017
China’s carbon emissions will probably peak on or before 2030, a new survey has found.
Is China the leader UN climate talks need?
3 Nov 2017
china is more assertive than ever about its climate leadership ambitions, as 195 countries head to Bonn for the annual UN summit.
Pollution getting in the way of China's solar goals
26 Oct 2017
Although China is increasing its solar energy supply, air pollution is blocking sunlight and reducing energy output, according to a new study.
No China, so what happens now to world’s recycling?
24 Oct 2017
In the wake of China's announcement earlier this year that it would cut imports of the world's waste there are concerns that much of the lower grade materials will have nowhere else to go.
China takes aim at high-end solar market
15 Sep 2017
China is looking to dominate the high-end of the global solar power market.
China readies for ethanol fuels binge
14 Sep 2017
China’s bold plan to blend renewable fuels into its gasoline supply within three years will revolutionize its fledging biofuels industry, and likely spur billions of dollars in investment in ethanol factories.
China’s sponge cities aim to re-use 70% of rainwater
12 Sep 2017
China’s "sponge city" initiative has an ambitious goal: by 2020, 80 per cent of urban areas should absorb and re-use at least 70 per cent of rainwater.
China to ban sale of fossil-fuel cars
11 Sep 2017
China wil set a deadline for carmakers to end sales of fossil-fuel powered vehicles, a move aimed at pushing companies to speed efforts in developing electric vehicles.
China smashes solar power target ... by three years
1 Sep 2017
China has reached its 2020 solar power target three years ahead of schedule after installed capacity topped well over its 105GW target.
China readies world's largest carbon-trading market
16 Aug 2017
As the United States reverses its climate policies, the world's top greenhouse gas emitter, China, is in the midst of setting up a national carbon-trading system.
China to ban import of foreign waste
25 Jul 2017
China has anounced that it will no longer be importing foreign garbage shipments.
Volvo e-car push reflects China’s leadership ambition
24 Jul 2017
Chinese-owned Volvo's move away from the internal combustion engine will fuel Beijing dominance in emerging clean technology.
China signed big coal deal days before G20 pledge
14 Jul 2017
Chinese president Xi Jinping endorsed a G20 plan calling on development banks to support poor countries to lower their emissions, just days after his own development bank had signed a $1.5 billion loan deal to build a South African coal plant.
Diplomats assess China’s climate leadership promise
12 Jul 2017
The international community is asking itself whether China really has what it takes to lead global climate policy now the US has yielded that mantle.
ON YER BIKE: China launches smog-eating bicycles
12 Jul 2017
Commuters in China's smog-bound cities soon will be able to clean the air as they ride bicycles that inhale dirty air, clean it, and then release fresh air into the environment.
Praising China’s carbon market shows how low the bar has fallen
28 Jun 2017
China is planning the world’s biggest carbon market, but with little detail given for its design, praise for the scheme is premature.
Six million in China just went 100% renewable for a week
28 Jun 2017
Qinghai province in China has just used entirely renewable energy for seven days as part of a trial to prove that it is possible to use just green energy.
China's clean energy ambition floats on abandoned coal mine
13 Jun 2017
China’s ambitions to dominate new energy technologies are unfolding at the site of an abandoned coal mine about 480 kilometers northwest of Shanghai.
China carbon market might launch early
12 Jun 2017
China will launch its nationwide carbon emissions trading system by November at the "very earliest", according to new reports.
China promises green investment strategy
17 May 2017
China will seize opportunities for clean energy and boost science cooperation through its overseas investment strategy, president Xi Jinping said on Monday.
China busy planning ahead for life after coal
11 May 2017
China's energy policies give the world hope that the country can free itself of dirty coal, and that this day may come sooner rather than later.
GET LOST: Beijing pulls 180,000 polluting vehicles
8 May 2017
Beijing removed 180,000 old and polluting vehicles from its roads in the first four months of 2017.
China wants fish, so Africa goes hungry
5 May 2017
Of all the stresses that humans have inflicted on the world’s oceans, including pollution and global warming, industrial fishing ranks high.
China gets tough on shipping emissions
21 Apr 2017
Every year, more than 60 per cent of the world’s seaborne cargoes and 30 per cent of the world’s shipping containers pass through China’s ports, creating an air pollution problem Beijing is now trying to solve.
HIGH TIDE: Rising waters threaten China’s rising cities
11 Apr 2017
In China's Pearl River Delta, breakneck development is colliding with the effects of climate change.
Coal is back in Australian Super’s portfolio. What happened to that net zero pledge?
Today 12:15pm
In 2020 Australia’s biggest super fund dumped its Whitehaven shares. Fast forward to 2026 and it is now the coalminer’s single biggest investor.
'Like putting a flat earther in charge of NASA': Trump appoints climate denier to key climate post
Today 12:15pm
Putting an “utterly unqualified” person like Matthew Wielicki in charge of the National Climate Assessment, said one critic, “would jeopardise the integrity of one of the nation’s most important climate science resources.”
EU drafts 'electrification' plan to curb oil and gas use, after Iran war disruption
Today 12:15pm
The European Union plans to introduce a raft of policies and funding schemes to shift more of its economy to run on electricity, instead of oil and gas, a draft European Commission proposal seen by Reuters showed.
Low-cost loans for solar panels could save households hundreds on bills – thinktanks
Thu 9 Jul 2026
Millions of UK households could save hundreds of pounds a year on their energy bills if the government were to approve low-cost loans for solar panel installation, research has found.
Canada advances Alberta pipeline to Pacific Coast to expand oil exports beyond the US
6 Jul 2026
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.
Enhanced flash flood risks in Hindu Kush Himalaya
Thu 9 Jul 2026
The communities in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region could face enhanced risks from flash floods due to bursts of extreme rainfall and cloudbursts during the southwest monsoon season along with high temperatures which could lead to accelerated glacier and snow melting.
‘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’.
Africa secures $900 million in new clean cooking commitments
Today 12:15pm
African countries have secured $900 million in new financial commitments to expand access to clean cooking technologies, which replace polluting fuels with cleaner alternatives, said the International Energy Agency.
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?
Strong El Nino will develop rapidly over coming months, says UN weather agency
Tue 7 Jul 2026
The United Nations weather agency on Friday raised its forecast for the rapid emergence of a strong El Nino in the coming months, warning that the phenomenon is likely to drive global temperatures higher.
