Tag - carbon

 
 

CARBON

A new report said that fires in the northern boreal forests, which span from Russia to North America, have almost tripled during the past 20 years.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Oct 18, 2024
Global forest fire carbon emissions have jumped 60% in 20 years
Forest fire severity — a measure of how much carbon is emitted per unit of area burned — is also up by nearly 50% globally.
The Tomakomai carbon, capture and storage test site in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, in March 2018. The true benefits of carbon removal won’t be realized until we get close to net zero emissions.
COMMENTARY
Oct 10, 2024
Geoengineering can save the planet — if we demystify it
The percentage of Americans who say they trust scientists on the environment has declined to 67% this year from 75% in 2020.
Knowing how Earth’s temperature behaved deep in the past can also help scientists test climate models that predict the future.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 30, 2024
We just got a wake-up call from the time before dinosaurs
The die-offs happen when the Earth’s temperature changes too rapidly for organisms to evolve and adapt — as is starting to happen now.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a green transformation (GX) conference at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Aug 27, 2024
Japan to discuss 10-step process for decarbonization strategy rollout
The list includes ways to make it easier for businesses to invest in carbon-free power sources such as renewable energy and nuclear power.
The Environment Ministry plans to offer ¥100 million to the U.N. Environment Program to be used for a study into synergistic model cases including reducing greenhouse gas while preserving the ecosystem.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 25, 2024
Japan to give ¥100 million to U.N. environment program
The funds are to be set aside under the Environment Ministry's fiscal 2025 budget request.
Collector containers at the Climeworks AG carbon removal plant in Hellisheiði, Iceland. Once fully operational, the facility will be capable of capturing up to 36,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Aug 19, 2024
New 'carbon removal budget' suggests massive removal shortfall
Much of the technology to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere hasn’t reached its full potential — and time is running out.
Stuart McDonald, a fifth-generation farmer, searches for freshly planted seeds coated with Loam Bio’s fungal treatment, near Canowindra, Australia, on April 24.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Aug 12, 2024
Australian farmers are betting on fungi to battle climate change
Fungi act as nature’s carbon traders, pulling it from the roots of plants and giving the plant nutrients in return.
Forest in the town of Kamishihoro, Hokkaido, which was designated as an advanced area for decarbonization in fiscal 2022.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Aug 12, 2024
Japan looks to farms in 'advanced decarbonization areas'
Example projects include "agrivoltaics" initiatives and those using livestock manure as a source of biogas.
There are now more than a dozen apps aimed at helping users keep tabs on their individual emissions.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Aug 12, 2024
Steps, calories … CO2? Emissions-tracking apps are on the rise
Carbon-tracking services walk a fine line between highlighting purchase emissions and suggesting individuals alone can solve the problem of climate change.
The edge of a wildfire near Mistissini, Quebec, Canada on June 12, 2023
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jul 30, 2024
World's forests failed to curb 2023 climate emissions, study finds
That means a record amount of carbon dioxide entered Earth's atmosphere last year, further driving climate change.
Green products must meet customer needs at competitive prices to succeed. If such technologies gain traction, both the planet and consumers will benefit.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 23, 2024
Going green doesn’t have to be a giant money suck
Green products must meet customer needs at competitive prices to succeed. If such technologies gain traction, both the planet and consumers will benefit.
Homes are surrounded by flood waters after Hurricane Beryl made landfall in Sargent, Texas, on July 8.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 22, 2024
The great climate change wealth transfer is here
Fossil fuel profits are sky-high, as are the costs of climate change. By subsidizing oil and gas while putting tariffs on green tech, governments are making things worst.
A solar farm in Shilin, China. Last year, China installed more solar panels than the United States has in its entire history.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jul 19, 2024
Why the era of China’s soaring carbon emissions might be ending
The biggest factor in the shift is changes to how China produces its electricity.
An Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. facility in Fujairah, which uses technology developed by 44.01, a startup backed by Sam Altman
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 16, 2024
Sam Altman-backed startup scaling technology to store CO2 in rocks
A type of rock found under every continent holds the potential key to permanently trapping planet-warming carbon dioxide under the Earth’s surface.
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.
Olympic rings are displayed on Charles de Gaulle Airport near Paris ahead of the city hosting the 2024 Olympic Games. One way of reducing the carbon emissions of mega sporting events is to limit the attendance of spectators traveling by air.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 10, 2024
Only locals should be allowed to attend the Olympics
The single best way of reducing the carbon emissions of an Olympics? Limiting ticket sales to locals. Evidence from the Tokyo Games shows how far-reaching the impact is.
Workers collect detritus after the Britain's Glastonbury Festival on Monday.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Jul 4, 2024
Music festivals seek greener footprint
The world's top 1,000 DJs took 51,000 flights in 2019, equivalent to 35,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions, according to climate group Clean Scene.
Turbines at a wind farm in Suttsu, Hokkaido. A renewable energy initiative called on Japan to triple its capacity of clean electricity.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 25, 2024
Japan urged to triple renewables capacity by 2035
The world's fourth-largest economy is heavily reliant on fossil fuels
For Japan, carbon credits are seen as important as the nation waits for its climate technology bets to pay off.
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Jun 24, 2024
Japan makes a late play on under-fire carbon credit trading
The government and Japanese companies see carbon offsets as important as they wait for their climate tech bets to pay off.
A wind farm in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture. For Japan's future energy roadmap to center on clean sources, the government should reform the institutions overseeing energy policy to avoid vested interests from slowing the transition down.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 24, 2024
It’s time for Japan to set up a climate change agency
The government is currently reviewing Japan's Strategic Energy Plan. But who's shaping this key document for the future? It's mostly older men with vested interests.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.