Tag - environment

 
 

ENVIRONMENT

U.S. President Joe Biden at an event in Tempe, Arizona, on Thursday
WORLD / Politics
Sep 29, 2023
Biden said he would stop drilling. Then reality hit.
The tug of war over one drilling lease in the Gulf of Mexico involving the president, Congress and the courts illustrates the limits of executive power.
The Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant on Aug. 24 when it started discharging treated radioactive water into the sea
JAPAN
Sep 29, 2023
Second round of Fukushima wastewater release to start next week
In the first phase around 7,800 tons of water were released into the Pacific out of a planned total of 1.34 million tons.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has overseen foreign policy successes during his two years in power, including on the nation's approach to development aid and climate change.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 28, 2023
Kishida's mixed bag of successes and shortcomings
Kishida has also been adept in terms of diplomacy in at least four areas: the war in Ukraine, the Taiwan issue, development aid and South Korea relations.
The higher interest rates that many countries are now experiencing are raising the costs of renewable electricity, the prices of which are dependent on the upfront expenditures needed to build new facilities.
COMMENTARY
Sep 28, 2023
What happens when renewable energy isn’t so cheap?
Renewable prices are determined by the upfront cost of building facilities whereas fossil-fuel energy prices are a mix, including fuel costs.
Shell CEO Wael Sawan attends the China Development Forum 2023 in Beijing on March 25. At an investor day in June, Sawan outlined plans to slow investment in renewables and low-carbon business as part of a strategy to boost returns.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 28, 2023
Shell CEO faces pressure from within over renewables commitment
Employees have issued a rare open letter to Wael Sawan after he outlined plans to slow investment in renewables in a strategy to boost returns.
The city of Tamura, Fukushima Prefecture, is known as a haven for insects such as rhinoceros beetles.
JAPAN
Sep 28, 2023
'Insect tourism' launched in rural Fukushima city
Tamura, located in the center of the Abukuma plateau, is known as a haven for insects such as rhinoceros beetles and stag beetles.
Sofia, 18, and Andre Oliveira, 15, are part of a group of six that took action in the European court against 32 countries for allegedly failing to do their part to avert climate catastrophe.
WORLD
Sep 27, 2023
Youth vs. Europe: 'Unprecedented' climate trial to kick off at rights court
If the complaint is upheld, it could result in orders from national courts for governments to cut carbon dioxide emissions faster than currently planned.
A cryptocurrency mining center in Russia
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 27, 2023
Bitcoin’s power-hungry history offers lessons for AI’s future
As AI grows, so does its energy footprint, but its developers needn't look much further than bitcoin's recent past to find climate-friendly solutions.
Nissan Motor is planning to produce only electric vehicles in Europe by 2030.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 26, 2023
Nissan to go all-electric in Europe by 2030 despite U.K. delay
Nissan plans to launch 27 electrified vehicles, including 19 fully electric cars, by 2030.
An aerial view of part of the 95,000-hectare Rio Preto-Jacunda State Nature Reserve, in Rondonia State, Brazil, after it was burned down, on Sept. 6.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Sep 25, 2023
Arson turns Amazon reforestation project to ashes
A project that replanted trees in an illegally deforested nature reserve in Brazil was allegedly torched by land-grabbers.
People take part in a protest against the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's redevelopment project for the Meiji Jingu Gaien district in Tokyo in February.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 25, 2023
Petitioners try to halt razing of thousands of trees in historic Tokyo park
Tokyo's percentage of public green space is far lower than other major cities such as New York, Seoul and London.
The Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur
JAPAN
Sep 24, 2023
Japan to discuss carbon storage with Malaysia
Japan plans is to store 120 to 240 million tons of carbon dioxide per year underground, which is 10% to 20% of current output.
Women with portable electric fans in the Yurakucho district of Tokyo on Sept. 12. In Japan, Cool Biz became especially popular with women, who tended to wear lighter clothes and often complained about the cold temperatures needed to make business suits comfortable for their male colleagues.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 24, 2023
Where did all the dark-suited Japanese businessmen go?
Under Cool Biz, salarymen and government workers don short-sleeved shirts in the summer as offices are kept above 28 degrees Celsius to save energy.
Katsuura in Chiba Prefecture — around 90 minutes by express train from Tokyo — has never seen the mercury climb above 35 degrees Celsius, a benchmark the meteorological agency uses to describe “extremely hot” weather, since records began in the city in 1906.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
Sep 24, 2023
Japan’s endless summer pushes some toward cooler places
Amid a summerlong heat wave, more people are showing interest in moving to places like Katsuura that are known for their milder temperatures.
Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare addresses the 78th Session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 23, 2023
Solomon Islands leader 'appalled' by Japan on Fukushima water
Addressing the U.N. General Assembly, Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare warned of effects on his South Pacific archipelago.
Former Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel (left) helps Lewis Hamilton prepare the Mercedes team's "bee hotel" at Suzuka Circuit in Mie Prefecture on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Sep 22, 2023
Sebastian Vettel creates a buzz in Japan amid biodiversity crisis
The retired former champion invited current F1 drivers to make a small contribution to nature by building "bee hotels" next to the Suzuka Circuit track.
Burnt olive groves following a wildfire in the village of Dikella, west of Alexandroupolis, Greece, on Aug. 29. Nature-based investment aims to back projects that tackle land degradation, rectify biodiversity loss and combat climate change.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 22, 2023
Japan an outlier as interest in nature-based investment grows
Such investments aim to back projects that tackle land degradation, rectify biodiversity loss and combat climate change.
Oil pump jacks in Tatarstan, Russia, on June 4
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 21, 2023
Oil companies cautious about drilling as energy transition looms
Instead of spending big to boost output, oil companies are boosting dividends or buying back shares to reward investors.
Antonio Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations, speaks during the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 21, 2023
Poor nations have 'every right to be angry' on climate: Guterres
The U.N. chief said that poorer countries had done the least to cause global warming but were bearing the brunt of its impacts.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addresses the 78th Session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 20, 2023
Climate fault lines in clear sight at U.N. General Assembly
Disconnects are likely to remain front and center when many of the same leaders gather in Dubai for COP28 in November.

Longform

Sociologist Gracia Liu-Farrer argues that even though immigration doesn't figure into Japan's autobiography, it is more of a self-perception than a reality.
In search of the ‘Japanese dream’