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ENVIRONMENT

Sustainability

The Monrovia NSU Challenger bulk carrier transits the expanded canal through the Cocoli Locks of the Panama Canal in April 2023.

ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability

Mar 22, 2024

'We all need water': Panama's canal, and people, thirst for more

By Anastasia Moloney

A severe drought last year caused water levels in Gatun Lake, which provides drinking water and is the main reservoir for the canal, to fall.

A commuter walks along an overpass in Jakarta.

ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability

Mar 20, 2024

Only 10 countries had healthy air quality in 2023, report finds

By Kendra Pierre-Louis

Sources of PM2.5 pollution vary widely, but the overwhelming cause is the burning of fossil fuels.

A container ship passes at Keelung port in northern Taiwan in July 2010.

ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability

Mar 18, 2024

Pressure builds for charge on shipping sector's CO2 emissions

By Kate Abnett

At an International Maritime Organization meeting, 47 countries are supporting the imposition of a fee on each ton of greenhouse gas the industry produces.

Awang Suang trims weeds from palm trees on his small plantation in Membakut, Malaysia on Feb. 12. He has been cultivating oil palms for more than 50 years after switching from rubber trees. Palms require less labor and produce more frequent harvests — roughly every two weeks, year round — providing a steadier income, he explained.

ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability

Mar 18, 2024

Can Europe save forests without killing jobs in Malaysia?

By Patricia Cohen

A new regulation aims to rid the palm oil supply chain of imports that come from former forestland.

A hiker walks toward Asahidake in Hokkaido. The health and environmental issues around PFAS could be a particular problem for Japan, which boasts a number of globally renowned outdoor brands and related suppliers.

ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability / OUR PLANET

Mar 10, 2024

Japan’s revered outdoor brands face down PFAS challenge

By Tomoko Otake

Outdoor apparel consumers are generally more environmentally conscious, but are likely to be using products that have a big environmental footprint.

A worker checks the carbon fiber at the composite production line at the Swancor factory in Nantou, Taiwan, in February.

ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability

Mar 9, 2024

Recycling wind turbine blades can solve the industry’s biggest problem

By Dan Murtaugh and Spe Chen

Swancor is one of several firms globally trying to develop products that mimic the physical properties of current blade material but can be recycled.

Environmental costs are estimated at $3 trillion from current agricultural land use and food production methods, which scientists say account for a third of planet-heating greenhouse gas emissions.

ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability

Jan 30, 2024

Fixing food could produce trillions in annual benefits

On the current trajectory, food systems alone will push global warming above 1.5 degrees Celsius, potentially soaring to 2.7 degrees by 2100.

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.

[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.

The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Students ‘study abroad’ on island of Suo Oshima

Students ‘study abroad’ on island of Suo Oshima

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