Tag - pollution

 
 

POLLUTION

Japan Times
WORLD
May 2, 2019
Report urges U.K. to adopt world's toughest targets as Parliament declares climate emergency
British people need to fly less, drive electric cars, eat little meat and turn their home thermostats down to 19 degrees Celsius (66 degrees Fahrenheit) in order to rein in greenhouse gases damaging the planet.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 27, 2019
Not so fast: Trump's Alaska drilling study slammed by U.S. wildlife regulator
The Trump administration failed to adequately consider oil spills, climate change and the welfare of polar bears in its expedited study of proposed drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, according to comments published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 25, 2019
More than 40 million people work in artisanal mining, digging precious ore by hand: report
More than 40 million people around the world work in artisanal and small-scale mining where minerals including gold, diamonds and cobalt are dug up often by hand, a report by the World Bank and development organization Pact said on Wednesday.
WORLD / Science & Health
Apr 23, 2019
Trump's EPA chief vows to listen to scientists — sometimes
President Donald Trump's Environmental Protection Agency is promising to do a better job heeding the advice of its own scientific advisers — but only to a point.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 19, 2019
Landlords cry foul as NYC climate bill targets Trump Tower and other skyscrapers
New York City has passed sweeping legislation to curb energy demand from some of its most iconic skyscrapers, including Trump Tower.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 15, 2019
Joint study finds curry spices can suppress inflammation in airway cells caused by PM2.5 particles
Spices commonly used in curry may be able to curb inflammation caused by pollution-causing fine particles in the air, according to a joint study by Japanese curry roux maker House Foods Corp. and a Kyoto University professor.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 22, 2019
Pollution danger mounts as toxic cloud paralyzes Houston's refinery row after four-day fire
Now that the four-day fire is out at a Houston-area chemical storage complex, the real danger has emerged.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 20, 2019
Regulators said 'asleep at the wheel' in raising health alarm over Houston chemical conflagration
As a towering plume of black smoke billowed a mile above Houston for a third day, local officials said they don't know how long the petrochemical blaze that sent orange fireballs into the sky will continue.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Mar 13, 2019
South Korea labels air pollution a 'social disaster' in move that could unlock emergency funds
South Korea on Wednesday ramped up its firepower as it battles pollution, passing a set of bills that designate the problem a 'social disaster' and which could unlock emergency funds to tackle the issue.
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 Times
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...
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 22, 2019
Future of food under 'severe threat' amid rapid decline in species diversity, U.N. warns
The future of food supplies is under "severe threat" because of the number of animal and plant species that are quickly disappearing, a United Nations report said Friday as the world grapples with how to feed a growing population.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 21, 2019
Japan's plastic waste shipments fall 30% after China import ban; experts urge action to curb usage
The country's shipments to Southeast Asian nations such as Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam increased last year after China imposed the restrictions.
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
JAPAN
Feb 9, 2019
Japan, No. 2 generator of packaging waste, moves to ban plastic straws and cutlery in government cafeterias
The government decided Friday to ban in principle the use of plastic straws and cutlery in its cafeterias and to stop passing out plastic bottles to conference attendees — its latest policy on environmentally friendly procurement.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Feb 8, 2019
Startup's 'water from air' project aims to turn back Thailand's tide of plastic
Staying at a hotel on the Thai island of Koh Samui in 2015, Meghan Kerrigan noticed the four bottles of water she was given every day were clogging her trash can with plastic. Outside her door, Chaweng Beach was smothered in rubbish.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jan 27, 2019
Germany to phase out coal by 2038 in move away from fossil fuels
Germany should shut down all of its coal-fired power plants by 2038 at the latest, a government-appointed commission said on Saturday, proposing at least €40 billion ($45.7 billion) in aid to regions affected by the phase-out.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Jan 22, 2019
China vows to crackdown on underperformers in ongoing war on air pollution
China will order detailed punishment measures for officials in regions that miss air-quality targets this winter, refusing to accept unfavorable weather or mounting economic pressure as excuses, an environment ministry official said Monday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Jan 21, 2019
Factory night views of Yokkaichi a tourist draw and a bitter legacy of pollution
Factory night view cruises in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, are recently attracting visitors from across the nation. While the city's tourism association hopes the tour will help make the city become a major tourist destination, people who suffered from industrial pollution in the 1960s say they don't want...

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