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January 31, 2025
 

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Liam Denning
Donald Trump could take a cue from China's approach in Africa, where, rather than attempting to buy countries outright — like Greenland — Beijing has secured access to critical minerals and influence by offering money, expertise and labor to nations pursuing economic development.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 19, 2025
Why would Trump buy Greenland when he can rent it?
U.S. strategic interest, however crudely Trump advertises it, reflects warranted concerns about encroachment by Russia and China.
U.S. President Joe Biden meets with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House on Nov. 13. Trump’s presidency is expected to disrupt U.S. energy transition efforts through weakened policies and heightened trade tensions.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 6, 2025
Can Biden’s green boom survive Trump’s wrecking ball?
The incoming administration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump promises to undo at least some of the progress made on decarbonization under President Joe Biden.
A gas station damaged by Hurricane Helene in Perry, Florida, on Sept. 27. Extreme weather and climate change are exposing the flaws in how we handle hazardous waste.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 3, 2024
Toxic waste is at the mercy of climate change
Among Hurricane Helene’s roster of disasters is a storm surge that deluged a retired nuclear power plant in Florida. While radioactive material there remains secure, according to operator Duke Energy, one of the plant’s industrial wastewater ponds overflowed amid the flood. With luck, any resulting...
California has ambitious climate policies. But the state should shift more green energy-related costs from electricity bills to taxes to promote fairness and sustainability.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 9, 2024
California's crushing power bills challenge its climate goals
California is incredible, but making it livable, what with its droughts, floods, fault-lines and wildfires, has never been cheap.
Storage tanks at the Northern Lights carbon capture and storage project controlled by oil companies Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies in Norway. The Norwegian government is funding 80% of the initial investment for the state-of-the-art facility.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 14, 2024
A giant carbon dump gives glimpse into net-zero future
As the cost of renewables declines at pace with fossil fuel use, the need for carbon, capture and storage tech will diminish, making cost reductions a challenge.
As mind-numbingly big as the clean-energy price tag may be, it’s actually a bargain compared with the potential economic destruction of unabated climate change.
COMMENTARY / World
May 31, 2024
$215 trillion to save the planet is a bargain
And as mind-numbingly big as $215 trillion may be, it’s actually a bargain compared with the potential economic destruction of unabated climate change.
This video screen grab shows a refinery in Ryazan, Russia, that Ukraine attacked in a drone strike last month.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 12, 2024
Ukraine’s drone attacks light a fuse under global oil supplies
At least 10 refineries have been hit so far. About 13% of Russia’s capacity has been knocked offline, analysts at RBC Capital Markets estimate.
Then-U.S. President Donald Trump holds up a presidential permit for energy development that he signed during a tour of an oil rig in Midland, Texas, in July 2020.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 1, 2024
How the planet could survive another Trump term
In his first term, Trump pulled the U.S. out of the 2015 Paris climate agreement, rolled back environmental regulations, unleashed gas drilling and more.
Graphite, now deemed an essential mineral by the U.S., is the single biggest ingredient by weight in the batteries that go into electric vehicles and the power grid. It is also used in a variety of defense applications.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 8, 2023
Biden deploys Pentagon to beat climate change and China
A $37.5 million grant to Graphite One acts as a relaxed form of venture capital as the White House supports nascent parts of the domestic cleantech supply chain.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 26, 2023
What Exxon won’t tell you about climate costs
Society might be willing to make sacrifices if it meant avoiding even worse damage from global warming.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 15, 2023
What fracking can tell us about the future of fusion
Energy breakthroughs such as with fusion usually come through refinements of existing technologies and processes, not blinding flashes of transformation.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 19, 2022
Nuclear power has one last chance to flourish in the U.S.
Climate urgency, energy security concerns and government support make this a make-or-break moment for U.S. atomic energy.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 7, 2022
Midterms move climate battle beyond Washington
With the U.S. Federal government headed for gridlock, the fate of energy legislation lies with the states.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 29, 2022
Putin’s Ukraine war forces ugly bargains on food and fuel
The war in Ukraine has laid bare the world's addiction to freely flowing fuel and grain. Disrupted supplies and surging prices will force the have-nots into desperate choices.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 13, 2022
Elon Musk isn’t the only one to blame for the Twitter mess
From Larry Ellison to Marc Andreesen, Tesla CEO Elon Musk doesn't have backers on Twitter deal as much as well-heeled enablers.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 10, 2022
The Republican climate plan forgets about the climate
The GOP is flashing just enough green to woo voters in vulnerable Democratic House districts.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 5, 2021
Gasoline at $3 a gallon isn’t as painful as it used to be
November's year-over-year price increase is the sharpest in monthly data going back to the early 1990s.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 10, 2021
Energy’s year of recovery more like a remission
Until news of the COVID-19 vaccine broke, energy had been the worst performing sector in 2020, falling by more than half.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 8, 2021
Tesla killed it on Bitcoin (and also sells cars)
You may recall Tesla only got into the Bitcoin game the very same quarter, announcing it would also start accepting the stuff for car payments.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 26, 2021
Elon Musk’s other, not-so-secret battery could help Texas
With the right chemistry and configuration, batteries can send power to the grid rapidly — which is relevant in light of February's debacle.
Japan begins feeling the pain of BOJ rate hikes more concretely
People were more concerned about the direct and specific impact of the Bank of Japan's latest rate hike on their personal lives, according to an artificial intelligence-driven analysis of various platforms, including social media.
Sumo’s newest yokozuna is all smiles — but major challenges await
Hoshoryu (front, second from left) celebrates after being promoted to yokozuna on Wednesday in Tokyo.
Japanese man ends his 6,000 kilometer Africa rickshaw trek in Cape Town
Yuji "Gump" Suzuki, the Japanese runner and social media sensation, runs with supporters while pushing his rickshaw as he nears his goal in Cape Town, South Africa, on Sunday.
Investigators seek to salvage aircraft after deadly Washington crash
Debris at the site of a deadly plane crash in the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Thursday.
Cherry blossom season predicted to begin in Tokyo on March 21
Tokyo is expected to lead the season with its first cherry blossoms on March 21, followed by Fukuoka, Kochi and Hiroshima prefectures as well as the city of Yokohama on March 22.
For two weeks only, cold-water yellowtail can give you chills
Yellowtail caught during the coldest period of the year is delicious enough — but paired with a classic method of marinade and pan-searing, it's divine.
In meat- and fish-loving Japan, veganism is making a comeback
Though vegan restaurants have been on the upswing since 2017, Japanese vegans still lack a wide variety of options.
Who are the key figures involved in the growing Fuji TV scandal?
Fuji TV adviser Hisashi Hieda in 2005
What we learned at Fuji TV's marathon Nakai scandal news conference
Members of the media raise their hands for questions as outgoing Fuji TV President Koichi Minato attends a news conference in Tokyo on Monday.
Kanoa Igarashi dreams big as surfing championship tour gets underway
Kanoa Igarashi surfs in the Hurley Pro Sunset Beach competition in Oahu, Hawaii, on Feb. 18.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Ayumi Matsuki, a priestess at Yoshiwara Shrine, shows off some "o-mamori" charms. She says visitors to the shrine have increased since the NHK drama “Unbound” began airing this month.
Tracing Tsutaya Juzaburo, Edo’s media maverick
By Alex K.T. Martin

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