Search - environment

 
 
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 13, 2020

Koalas could be classified 'endangered' after fires decimate population

Australia's koala population has taken such an "extraordinary hit" from the wildfires sweeping the country that the marsupial could be classified as endangered in some areas, according to Environment Minister Sussan Ley.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 6, 2020

Trump reportedly to overhaul environmental review process and dismiss climate impacts

The Trump administration will unveil new regulations Wednesday that would limit the types of projects like highways and pipelines requiring environmental review and no longer require federal agencies to weigh their climate impacts, sources familiar with the plan said.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 26, 2019

Some Kyushu Electric coal ships to use LNG, cutting emissions by 20%

Kyushu Electric Power Co. will start using vessels powered by liquefied natural gas to transport coal for thermal power generation, resulting in reduced carbon emissions from shipping.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 24, 2019

Ecuador concerned about recovery of sunken barge in Galapagos and fuel spill

Ecuador's environment minister, Raul Ledesma, said on Monday that a situation involving a sunken barge in the Galapagos Islands that was carrying 600 gallons of diesel is under control but added that authorities are "very concerned" about the vessel's recovery.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 16, 2019

On Nagano's Lake Suwa, climate change unravels 600 years of history held dear

Kiyoshi Miyasaka climbs the stone steps of his shrine, autumn leaves crunching under his feet. The Shinto priest, dressed in white, aims an orange leaf blower at a row of cobblestones and clears the path of fallen leaves.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 6, 2019

Nagano is first prefecture in Japan to declare a climate emergency

Nagano became the first prefecture to declare a climate emergency Friday, joining a growing coalition of nations, regions and local municipalities around the world in vowing to take action that reflects the urgency of the crisis.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 28, 2019

Environmental tech for Tokyo Olympics touted as reusable resource for cities outside Japan

Innovations such as roads that reflect heat and water-absorbing pavement that will help the 2020 Olympic Games be a carbon- neutral event could also be adopted by other cities looking to mitigate climate risks, urban experts said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 24, 2019

Young entrepreneurs with a mission bank on 'Greta' effect

As the brains behind a hydroponics farming system in rural Kenya, 17-year-old Jefferson Kang'acha struggled to get noticed but he now expects the youth climate movement led by Greta Thunberg to bolster other young people on a mission.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 21, 2019

Japan rushes to establish LNG bunkering hub as environmental rules push global fleet to natural gas

A U.N.-led call for action to tighten sulfur oxide emissions may also be a trigger accelerating a shift to natural gas as fuel for the global shipping fleet, and Japan is wasting no time trying to establish a refueling hub in Asia.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 19, 2019

Creating a barrier-free transportation environment in Japan

Not too long ago, domestic media organizations would rarely have anything negative to say about the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but as the actual games draw nearer, there's been a greater willingness to find fault with preparations and even raise a bit of alarm. Everything from Tokyo's deadly summertime heat...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 16, 2019

Shinjiro Koizumi's 'sexy' fight against climate change is untranslatable, Japan's government says

The government was forced to make sense of Koizumi's recent vow to make Japan's fight against climate change “sexy” after an opposition lawmaker requested an official interpretation of his remarks.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 15, 2019

Greenpeace activists climb Shell North Sea platforms and hang 'clean up your mess' sign

Greenpeace activists boarded two Royal Dutch Shell oil platforms in the British North Sea on Monday in protest against plans to leave parts of the giant structures in place after production shuts down.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 8, 2019

Komodo dragons versus ecotourists

The fierce lizards are in decline on their native island and an influx of visitors hasn't helped.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 28, 2019

'Flight shaming' is in the air as U.N. summit faces climate crisis

As world leaders met in New York, one question kept coming up at climate change events: How did you get here?
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 27, 2019

As new disease wipes out Caribbean coral, scientists tear up reefs to stop the spread

Off the coast of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, a group of scientists is tearing a reef apart in a feverish attempt to save some of its coral.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 24, 2019

Shinjiro Koizumi faces baptism of fire in Japan as criticisms of style over substance pile up

In the two weeks since joining the Cabinet, Koizumi has seen his populist rhetoric increasingly turn into a liability, earning him criticism and ridicule on social media.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 18, 2019

U.S. eager to spur military tech as China innovates, but Japan industry in 'lukewarm environment'

The United States is eager to spur innovation in its defense industry at a time when China is investing in advanced technologies including fifth-generation, or 5G, high-speed communications equipment, artificial intelligence systems and hypersonic weapons.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Aug 30, 2019

China's CO2 emission targets jeopardized by U.S. trade war, its senior climate change official says

China's greenhouse gas emission targets are at risk as a result of the trade war with the United States, which has put Beijing's coal-reliant economy under heavy pressure, a senior climate official said Friday.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 27, 2019

Managing the next gold rush

The international community must proceed with care in exploiting the seabed's riches to avoid triggering an environmental catastrophe.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 12, 2019

German minister prepares law to ban plastic bags after voluntary efforts by businesses fail

Germany plans a law to ban the use of plastic bags because voluntary agreements with retailers to curb usage have not yielded good enough results, Environment Minister Svenja Schulze said on Sunday.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 6, 2019

Big Tech needs to save the deep seas

Companies should slow the rush to mine the ocean floor until environmental costs are much better understood.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Jul 28, 2019

Will our insects keep on disappearing?

With concern, but little surprise, I read an article by Daphne Rousseau in The Japan Times on July 2 about a mass extinction of insects in Krefeld, Germany, near the Dutch border.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Jul 27, 2019

Indonesia plans new regulations to curb rise in imports of plastic waste

Indonesia plans tighter rules to combat a surge in imports of plastic waste, such as a registry of trash exporters and tougher border checks, officials said Friday.
WORLD
Jul 25, 2019

'Ecological Chernobyl' looms at abandoned Siberian chemical factory, official warns

A Russian state official warned on Wednesday that an abandoned chemicals factory in Siberia could cause an environmental disaster akin to the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident unless urgent action is taken to tackle it.
Japan Times
GLOBAL INSIGHT / Bahrain report 2019
Jun 26, 2019

Beyond oil

Although the outlook is bright for the Bahraini oil industry, the kingdom has no intention of straying off its very successful path of diversification and embracing the Fourth Industrial Revolution by combining Bahrain’s traditional strengths with emerging technologies.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 21, 2019

Green-tech megacity taking shape in China

Entrepreneur Tony Verb is on a mission to promote technology that can help make cities greener and smarter in China's Greater Bay Area, now being shaped as a low-carbon megalopolis.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 7, 2019

Japanese government paper calls for review of handling of plastics

In an annual report released Friday, the government stressed the need to review the handling of plastics by offering successful examples of municipal and corporate efforts to reduce plastic waste.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?