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The U.S. has 8,000 km of carbon dioxide pipelines, but will need at least 50,000 to hit climate goals, according to a carbon transport engineer at the U.S. Department of Energy.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Aug 21, 2023

U.S. Midwest is ground zero in the fight over carbon capture

The U.S. wants to greatly expand carbon capture and storage infrastructure, including pipelines, but many projects face opposition in the Midwest.
Japan's major paper manufacturers are developing a new fiber to expand the use of wood amid a decline in domestic demand for paper.
BUSINESS
Aug 21, 2023

Japan paper industry to develop new wood fiber material

With demand for paper in the doldrums, the industry is looking to expand the use of wood, a renewable resource, beyond paper products.
Rice planting in Ryugasaki, Ibaraki Prefecture. Satellite data could greatly improve how global farmers respond to climate change.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Aug 21, 2023

How satellites are helping farmers adapt to global warming

Farther than the eye can see, advances in satellite data are giving global farmers the tools to better manage their fields in a rapidly changing climate.
Flames reach upward along the edge of a wildfire near Mistissini, Quebec, in June.
ENVIRONMENT
Aug 23, 2023

As wildfires multiply, a new era of air pollution

The average American had already been exposed to 450 micrograms of smoke per cubic meter by early July, worse than from 2006-2022.
Storage tanks containing treated water on the grounds of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant earlier this week. Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, the plant’s operator, started releasing some of the water into the sea on Thursday.
JAPAN
Aug 24, 2023

Japan begins controversial release of treated Fukushima water

The discharge is a major step in the decommissioning process for the reactors hit by meltdowns following the March 2011 tsunami.
A demonstration is held in Hong Kong on Thursday over the release of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 24, 2023

The Fukushima hysteria has a lesson for the nuclear renaissance

From the reaction prior to the Fukushima release across Asia, you’d think Tokyo was embarking on a program to poison the region’s water supplies.
The release of treated water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the sea in the town of Okuma, in Fukushima prefecture, began Thursday.
JAPAN / Explainer
Aug 24, 2023

A closer look at the Fukushima water discharge plan

The IAEA, the Japanese government and many nuclear experts say this process is safe and consistent with what other countries are doing.
Emperor penguins need stable sea ice that’s firmly attached to the shore to breed and nurture their young.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Aug 25, 2023

Penguins die as record low Antarctic ice stokes extinction risk

The findings back predictions that 90% of this species "will be quasi-extinct” by the end of the century under the current global warming trajectory.
Takakia lepidozioides, a type of moss found mainly in the U.S., Japan and Tibet, has survived for at least 165 million years. Now it’s disappearing in the wild due to climate change.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Aug 25, 2023

This moss survived millions of years. Warming is killing it

Takakia lepidozioides, found mainly in the U.S., Japan and Tibet, has survived for 165 million years. Now it’s disappearing due to climate change.
Sheep rest under a starry night in Pontimia Pasture in the Swiss Alps.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Aug 25, 2023

Crying wolf to save livestock and their predator

Preservation groups have hailed the return of wolves, seeing it as a sign of a healthier ecosystem. But breeders decry soaring attacks on livestock.
The Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture
JAPAN
Aug 25, 2023

Tritium level near Fukushima plant well below Tepco standards

The plant operator said the level in the Pacific Ocean was below about 10 becquerels per liter in all 10 locations it surveyed.
People buy salt in Daoxian, China, in this screenshot obtained from a social media video released on Friday.
JAPAN
Aug 26, 2023

China says salt supply ample as Fukushima prompts panic buying

The nation can produce 50 million tons of salt that is used in food each year, much higher than annual consumption of around 12 million tons.
Materials derived from cabbage (left), iyokan (center) and onion by Tokyo-based startup Fabula, which is working to develop new materials that can replace concrete.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability / OUR PLANET
Aug 27, 2023

Japan’s scrap-and-rebuild culture faces an environmental reckoning

The nation's tendency toward new construction — rather than renovation — is coming under renewed scrutiny amid concerns over sustainability.
The Nagor fishing harbor in Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu, India, in 2016
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Aug 28, 2023

Indian fishermen use smartphones to map a vanishing way of life

Port and power plant development plans could beach a flotilla of boats that trawl the waters for mackerel and sea bass.
People protest after Japan moved to release treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant into the sea, in Hong Kong on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 28, 2023

Japan urges China to rein in harassing calls over Fukushima water

The calls, which sometimes numbered in the hundreds for certain targets, were made to businesses, schools and government offices.
An aircraft drops flame retardant on burning vegetation in Sicily, Italy, on Sunday.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Aug 31, 2023

Climate change boosts risk of extreme wildfires 25%, study finds

In certain partly dry conditions, global warming pushed areas beyond key thresholds, making extreme fires much more likely
This undated handout photo provided by the Michigan Technological University shows a M93, "Old Gray Guy," the larger and lighter colored wolf in the front and center.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Sep 1, 2023

How a lone 'immigrant' wolf revived a forest ecosystem

By the 1980s, the wolves were in trouble due to the arrival of canine parvovirus which drove their numbers down from a high of 50 to around 12.
Emperor penguin chicks perished at multiple breeding grounds in Antarctica last year, drowning or freezing to death when sea ice was eroded by global warming.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 3, 2023

Our addiction to fossil fuels is killing baby penguins

Global warming is decimating sea ice and, with it, baby penguins. But why should we care about this and other species dying off?
Nestled behind a seawall on the Pacific coast are the Minamisoma Mano-Migita-Ebi solar power plant and the Manyo no Sato wind farm. The 2011 tsunami struck this portion of the coast with a wave that is reported to have been around 18 meters high.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy / OUR PLANET
Sep 5, 2023

How a nuclear disaster turned Fukushima into a renewables leader

Following 3/11 — and the cratering of support for nuclear energy — Fukushima positioned itself at the forefront of Japan’s low-carbon transition.
A cane toad sits inside a plastic bag trap. A new study has found that invasive species are spreading ever faster across the globe, costing well over $400 billion a year in damages and lost income.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Sep 5, 2023

World losing high-stakes fight against invasive species

Whether by accident or on purpose, when non-native species wind up on the other side of the world, humans are to blame.
Fishers harvest clams early in August in the lagoon of Scardovari, south of Venice, Italy, where the blue crab threatens local shellfish and fish.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Sep 5, 2023

Italy's clam farmers fear blue crab 'invasion'

The crab, native to the North American Atlantic coast, has been present across the Mediterranean for years but has recently become a major problem.
A fisherman rows his boat ashore in Cochin, Kerala, India.
ENVIRONMENT / Oceans
Sep 6, 2023

India bets on seaweed's future as food industry appetite grows

Grains are the backbone of food security in India, but seaweed advocates trumpet its dietary benefits, diverse uses in processed foods and sustainability.
Kenya's President William Ruto addresses delegates at the close of the Africa Climate Summit 2023 in Nairobi on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 7, 2023

Climate summit touts Africa's role as clean energy 'superpower'

While leaders touted Africa's role as a clean energy "superpower," they identified one big snag: a lack of finance to turn that potential into reality.
Jesus Picasso, a builder originally from Mexico, takes a water break during hot weather in Manvel, Texas, on July 13.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Sep 7, 2023

Climate change already adding to workplace costs and hazards

Workers are among the most exposed to serious health risks, while employers must grapple with impaired productivity
A joint study by consultant McKinsey and data firm NielsenIQ earlier this year found that 78% of U.S. consumers say a sustainable lifestyle is important to them.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Sep 8, 2023

Shoppers say they want sustainable goods, but won't pay more

When push comes to shove, manufacturers sometimes find consumers aren't buying their sustainable products.
The threat of Mosquito-borne dengue fever is not restricted to South Asia as infection rates are rising globally with 4.2 million cases reported in 2022.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Sep 8, 2023

Mosquito-borne dengue grows deadlier in South Asia as planet warms

Disease experts say the worsening outbreaks of dengue are linked to the impacts of climate change.
A deadly parasite that’s ravaged bee populations globally has made deeper inroads into Australia.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Sep 11, 2023

Bee-killing mite's rapid spread could cost Australia billions

A mite known for feeding on bees has spread further inland toward Victoria, the nation’s biggest producer of nuts and fruit.
A sign reading "Anti-inflation challenge, second price cut" is seen near shelves at a supermarket in Nice, France, in June.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 12, 2023

The inflation crisis is fraying Europe’s climate consensus

Polls show most European voters are reluctant to bear the cost of switching to less-polluting technology.
Campaign leader Hiske Arts speaks during a meeting of climate group Fossielvrij Nederland in Amsterdam in August.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 13, 2023

Airlines face a storm over climate claims

A growing number of lawsuits, consumer complaints and rulings from advertising regulators are seeing to restrict airlines' sustainability claims.
Olive producers check a tree surrounded by a living cover crop in an olive grove in Santiesteban del Puerto, near Jaen, Spain.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Sep 15, 2023

In climate fight, Europe's farmers turn to tech and tradition

Spain and Italy are the world's top producers of olive oil, but the industry is under threat from desertification and drought.

Longform

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