Tag - pollution

 
 

POLLUTION

Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 24, 2019
Is Japan's 'clean coal' initiative lagging behind the rest of the world?
Even as coal continues to draw renewed criticism, why is Japan continuing its push for what it calls “clean coal” energy?
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Sep 20, 2019
China's energy game plan features a giant coal-hauling rail line
There is nothing quite like a massive coal rail to demonstrate China's loyalty to the dirtiest of fossil fuels.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 17, 2019
Osaka mayor Ichiro Matsui offers to take in tainted Fukushima water and dump it into Osaka Bay
Ichiro Matsui, the mayor of Osaka and head of Nippon Ishin no Kai, said Tuesday that water tainted by radioactive tritium from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant could — if proven environmentally safe — be sent to Osaka and dumped into Osaka Bay.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 17, 2019
Turning blue: China Inc. holds its breath as Beijing eyes smog-free skies for Oct. 1 National Day
When the sun comes up in Beijing on Oct. 1, the Chinese government will aim to celebrate its 70th birthday under a brilliant blue sky — and factory bosses hope they can get through it without blanket closures.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Sep 15, 2019
Schools closed for a week due to 'dangerous' air pollution in Indonesia's Borneo Island
Schools in two cities in the Indonesian part of Borneo Island will be closed for a week after smoke from forest fires caused air quality to hit "dangerous" levels, a local government official said Sunday.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 15, 2019
Indonesian forest fires push Singapore's smog to the worst in three years
Singapore's air quality deteriorated to "unhealthy" levels on Saturday for the first time in three years, data from the National Environment Agency showed, threatening to deepen a regional dispute over forest fires.
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 11, 2019
Beijing clamps down on fuel, firework sales ahead of China's 70th anniversary
Beijing will temporarily halt self-service at filling stations and sales of fireworks, part of a series of measures intended to keep the Chinese capital safer and cleaner before celebrations marking 70 years since the founding of the country.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Sep 7, 2019
Speed bumps and potholes on the road to 2020 Tokyo Olympics
When planners proposed the opening date of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, they pored over historical weather data in search of the day with the lowest statistical likelihood of rain. It turned out to be Oct. 10. Happily that day, a Saturday, was fine. As the national teams marched onto the track of Yoyogi...
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / JAPAN TIMES GONE BY
Aug 31, 2019
Japan Times 1994: Juliana's Tokyo closes after police crack down on dress code
Thousands of young men and women turned out to dance on the last night of a farewell festival at Juliana's Tokyo, an early '90s phenomenon characterized by skin-tight dresses, sensual moves on stages and “techno” music.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 31, 2019
Humans will be remembered for their mess
The first step toward solutions is to admit people caused the problem.
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
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2019
Japan's Environment Ministry plans to boost ocean cleanup budget in bid to tackle plastic waste
The Environment Ministry plans to substantially increase its budget for reducing plastic waste in the ocean in fiscal 2020, in line with an action plan adopted by relevant Cabinet ministers in May, informed sources said Thursday.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 21, 2019
Water pollution an 'invisible threat' to global development goals, economists warn
Water pollution threatens nearly all the globally agreed upon development goals to end environmental destruction, poverty and suffering by 2030, economists warned in a report on Tuesday, citing the largest-ever database on the world's water quality.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Aug 15, 2019
Microplastic found even in remote Arctic ice
Tiny pieces of plastic have been found in ice cores drilled in the Arctic by a U.S.-led team of scientists, underscoring the threat the growing form of pollution now poses to marine life in even the remotest waters on the planet.
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
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Aug 9, 2019
To cut smog and boost profits, stop burning fields, scientists tell Indian farmers
Every year, a choking smog descends on northwest India as the region's farmers burn their fields following the rice harvest — a phenomenon that has helped make New Delhi one of the world's most polluted cities.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 30, 2019
A call for healthy, blue oceans in Asia and the Pacific
Without action, the world's oceans will contain nearly 250 million tons of plastic by 2025.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 29, 2019
Miner CAP says oil spill on remote Chilean island contained
An oil spill under investigation by the Chilean navy on the far southern coast of Patagonia was contained, mining company CAP SA said on Sunday.
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.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 26, 2019
California and four automakers defy Trump, agreeing to tighten emissions rules
Four major automakers said Thursday they had reached an agreement with California on fuel efficiency rules, bypassing a Trump administration effort to strip the state of the right to fight climate change by setting its own standards.

Longform

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals