Tag - environment

 
 

ENVIRONMENT

Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 8, 2019
Awash with plastic bottles and lacking a law, Kenya struggles to recycle with help from Coca-Cola and Unilever
As global concern over plastic pollution rises, corporate giants such as Coca-Cola and Unilever are pumping cash into a recycling initiative in Kenya they hope will provide a model for other developing countries.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 7, 2019
A new paradigm for plastics
We can no longer ignore the fact that plastic is a problem at all stages of its life cycle — not just after it ends up in the ocean.
JAPAN / Beyond Tokyo
Feb 24, 2019
As the world drowns in plastic, Kameoka in Kyoto and other cities across Japan fight back
Plastic pollution in the ocean has become one of the world's most urgent environmental problems. Footage of vast fields of floating plastic debris between California and Hawaii — now commonly known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch — have driven home the gravity of the problem, with scientists and...
WORLD
Feb 18, 2019
U.K. plans new tax to boost recycled plastic content and get producers to pay for waste disposal
Britain is to set out plans to overhaul its recycling system on Monday, including making producers of plastic packaging pay the full cost of dealing with their waste and introducing a deposit return scheme for cans and bottles.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 13, 2019
Eleven EU states have already met their 2020 renewable energy targets, data shows
The European Union produced 17.5 percent of its power needs from renewable sources in 2017, while 11 of the bloc's 28 members had already achieved a 2020 goal of 20 percent or more, the latest data released by Eurostat showed.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 11, 2019
Climate change seen as top threat, but U.S. power a growing worry, poll finds
Climate change is the top security concern in a poll conducted by the Washington-based Pew Research Center, followed by Islamist terrorism and cyberattacks while respondents in a growing number of countries worried about the power and influence of the United States.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 9, 2019
Land is key ingredient missing from U.S. Green New Deal, experts say
Amid the rollout of a high-profile climate proposal in Congress, some are warning that a major gap exists around urban land policy.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 8, 2019
The best diet for the planet isn't the best for humans
If you listened to Mother Earth, you'd probably eat more corn and soy than nutritionists suggest.
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Feb 8, 2019
Examining the high price of Japan's water systems
When we were negotiating for the purchase of a piece of land, the realtor told us that the lot we were interested in had no access to public waterworks, which meant we would have to dig a well. At first, this aspect seemed like a demerit, since hiring a company to dig the well would cost more than ¥400,000...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 6, 2019
Trump squeezes Texas refineries with Venezuela sanctions amid Keystone pipeline impasse
U.S. refiners are eager to buy Canadian heavy crude to replace supplies they had been importing from Venezuela that are now blocked by Trump administration sanctions.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 5, 2019
Norway's Arctic islands at risk of 'devastating' warming, report says
Icy Arctic islands north of Norway are warming faster than almost anywhere on Earth and more avalanches, rain and mud may cause "devastating" changes by 2100, a Norwegian report said on Monday.
ENVIRONMENT
Feb 2, 2019
Greenpeace India shuts two offices, cuts staff after donations row
Environmental group Greenpeace said Saturday it has been forced to shut two of its regional offices in India and has asked many staff to leave due to a block on its bank account after accusations of illegal donations.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 28, 2019
Vegetarians, carnivores and technology
Technology can't save us, but it can certainly shift the odds in our favor when it comes to the impact of meat consumption on the environment.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 21, 2019
Why California's crusade against receipts is pointless
A proposal to ban the paper slips, like plastic straws, asks little of citizens and will have just as little impact on the environment.
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Jan 20, 2019
A Japanese city plans to ban plastic shopping bags, but can it push its larger neighbors to follow suit?
International concern over the environmental damage done by the use of plastic in various forms is now the topic of political and economic discussions across the planet. Dealing with plastic waste, especially in the ocean, is one of the long-term issues that Japan has promised to address at this year's...
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Jan 14, 2019
World awash in sustainable palm oil, but consumers unwilling to pay premium for environmentally friendly supply
The world's biggest growers of palm oil say they're stepping up efforts to produce the contentious commodity more sustainably, but consumers are unwilling to pay more for environmentally friendly supply.

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan