Search - environment

 
 
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 18, 2022

A U.N. pact may restrict plastic production. Big Oil aims to stop it.

U.N. members are set to meet this month to draft the blueprint for a global plastics treaty. That's a problem for Big Oil, with the plastic industry set to double output within 20 years.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jan 17, 2022

After sun-dimming setback, geoengineers seek a diplomatic fix

One aim is to have solar geoengineering discussed for the first time by the U.N. General Assembly in a session starting in September 2023.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 27, 2021

China talks up 'green' Olympics but prepares to fight smog

Beijing has improved its air quality since China won its bid to host the Games, but the Ministry of Ecology and Environment has said the risks of winter smog remained 'severe.'
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 3, 2021

Yahoo exits China due to 'challenging business and legal environment'

Fortnite creator Epic Games will also halt its China servers this month, and the latest moves follow Microsoft's recent decision to shutter LinkedIn in the country.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 1, 2021

Trash and burn: Big brands' new plastic waste plan faces skepticism

Experts say that burning plastic in cement kilns, a practice firms are promoting, emits harmful emissions and amounts to swapping one dirty fuel for another.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 13, 2021

Building a more sustainable car, from headlamp to tailpipe

Carmakers around the world are turning away from traditional materials that are hard to recycle, such as leather and plastics.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Sep 7, 2021

Two years on, forest pact's 'good intentions' do little to protect Amazon

Pledges have remained largely unfulfilled, with scant evidence of up-and-running forest protection and restoration efforts as a direct result of the pact, critics say.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Aug 11, 2021

To hit climate goals, Indonesia urged to permanently ban new palm oil plantations

Home to the world's third-largest tropical forests and also its biggest palm-oil producer, Indonesia introduced a three-year freeze on plantation permits that expires in September.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 3, 2021

Stung by 2015 fires, Indonesia's shift to forest protection reaps rewards

A bold policy reset amid the crisis has helped the country achieve four straight years of declines in deforestation.
Japan Times
WORLD / FOCUS
Apr 15, 2021

Biden’s global climate debut risks falling short on new goals

Before the U.S. can lead on climate change, it will first have to overcome the world's mistrust.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 15, 2021

Road to ruin: Informal byways sow destruction in Colombia's Amazon

The dirt tracks winding through southern Colombia's tangled jungle often mark the beginning of the end for besieged patches of Amazon rainforest.
JAPAN / Remembering 3/11
Mar 7, 2021

Ten years after Fukushima nuclear disaster, Japan finding path to renewable energy future

Almost immediately after the triple meltdown at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, the shift toward renewable energy sources began to accelerate.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Mar 2, 2021

China expected to favor green tech over coal in new five-year plan

China is today the world's largest emitter of planet-heating gases, responsible for about 28% of total global emissions.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 27, 2021

Indonesia boosts steps to curb climate risks as disasters hit growth

The country is expanding programs to mitigate the impact from climate change following a recent spate of natural disasters that has added pressure to economic recovery.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 19, 2021

As floods hit Borneo, Indonesia urged to boost climate action under Paris accord

The archipelago is already suffering the impacts of rising global temperatures, with its cities and coastal areas hit by regular flooding and rising sea levels.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 23, 2020

The secret origins of China’s 40-year plan to end carbon emissions

With a September speech to the United Nations, Chinese President Xi Jinping put a 2060 end date on his country's contribution to global warming, taking almost the whole world by surprise.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health / FOCUS
Nov 10, 2020

Trump’s environmental legacy may be lasting harm to the climate

Greenhouse pollution accumulates in the atmosphere, so the heat-trapping gases emitted as a result of loosened regulations will remain for decades, regardless of policy shifts.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 10, 2020

Virus-triggered economic meltdown threatens Europe's war on plastic

A drop in oil demand due to worldwide lockdowns has driven barrel prices to historic lows, making virgin plastics more affordable despite their environmental impact.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jun 21, 2020

Pope says coronavirus should spark new environmental awareness

The drastic reduction in pollution during coronavirus lockdowns around the world should lead to greater concern for the environment as restrictions are lifted, Pope Francis said on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 21, 2020

Great expectations: Has Koike delivered on parenting, gender and climate?

Some believe support from the marginalized voices that christened Koike's first victory may no longer be present during the upcoming vote.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 12, 2020

Plastic piles up in Thailand as virus fight sidelines pollution battle

Thailand began the year with a ban on single-use plastic bags that Bangkok office worker Nicha Singhanoi hoped would cut back the waste that puts her country among the world's top five choking the oceans with plastic.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 2, 2020

As loggers exploit virus, Cambodian forest protectors defy state ban

A Cambodian conservation group has warned that logging in the protected Prey Lang forest has ramped up during the coronavirus pandemic, vowing it would continue to monitor the destruction despite government threats of legal action to stop that work.

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight