Search - heat-wave

 
 
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 26, 2022

The end is nigh? Climate and nuclear crises spark fears of worst

With dangers rising from nuclear war and climate change, does the planet need to at least begin contemplating the worst?
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 20, 2022

Joy at 'historic' climate damages deal

A concerted effort among developing countries made it the defining issue of the conference, melting away the resistance of wealthy polluters fearful of open-ended liability.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 31, 2022

The world's biggest source of clean energy is evaporating fast

Dams are the world's largest source of clean energy, yet extreme weather is making them less effective in the battle against climate change.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 24, 2022

As water-related disasters mount, experts call for more warning tech

Risk assessment tools and early warning technologies are necessary to mitigate the damage such disasters cause, a leading Japanese researcher on disaster risk reduction has said.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 25, 2022

Fiona ravages Canada's east coast, causing 'terrifying' destruction

Federal assistance has already been approved for Nova Scotia, Trudeau said, and more requests are expected.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health / ANALYSIS
Sep 17, 2022

As climate 'tipping points' near, scientists plan for the unthinkable

With fossil fuel emissions still going up and climate-fueled disasters multiplying, one researcher says it's time for an 'honest assessment of the risks and what can be done.'
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 10, 2022

Charles, in first speech as king, pledges a reign of service to Britain

The king's speech capped a day of mourning across Britain, but it was also a vivid demonstration of continuity in this constitutional monarchy.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 8, 2022

How to save a forest by burning it

As useful as prescribed burns can be for maintaining forests, they are tough to carry out — costly, labor-intensive, contingent on narrowing windows of favorable weather.
Images of French scientist Jean-Michel Claverie and work by his research team from Information Genomique et Structurale at Aix-Marseille University, France
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 10, 2023

Probing the permafrost that could release 50,000-year-old viruses

Discoveries by virologist Jean-Michel Claverie shine a light on a little-known risk of global warming as it thaws ground frozen for millenniums
A portion of a Microsoft data center that supports the Pentagon, and is next door to a bitcoin mine operated by Chinese-owned Bit Origin, in Cheyenne, Wyoming, on Sept. 29. Aside from the intelligence-gathering concerns over Chinese bitcoin mines in the U.S., the energy sucking facilities can also put immense pressure on power grids.
WORLD
Oct 14, 2023

Across U.S., Chinese bitcoin mines draw national security scrutiny

Microsoft reported one site in because of its proximity to a nuclear missile base. Other cryptocurrency facilities have ties to the Chinese state.
The climate risks sparked by AI-driven computing are far-reaching — and will worsen without a big shift from fossil fuel-based electricity to clean power.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 27, 2024

AI is exploding data center energy use. A Google-created technique may help.

Data centers and transmission networks collectively contribute up to 3% of global energy consumption, with emissions comparable to the entirety of Brazil.
Climate change, with its natural disasters, is putting nuclear facilities and weapons complexes at risk.
COMMENTARY
Apr 4, 2024

Climate change and nuclear waste are a toxic stew

Nuclear power could be a crucial part of a clean-energy transition, but not if it comes with a high risk of multiple Fukushima-like catastrophes.
Voters register at a polling station in Gujarat, India, on May 7.
WORLD / Politics
May 13, 2024

Low turnout and acrimony coloring Indian election at halfway point

India began its seven-stage election on April 19, with voting scheduled to end on June 1.
The year 2023 was the hottest in recorded history. The next warmest 25 have all occurred since 1996.
COMMENTARY / World
May 16, 2024

It’s officially hotter than anytime since the birth of Jesus

Tree rings hold records that can go back thousands of years, giving us the perspective we need to understand what’s happening today.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv, Israel, on June 8.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 18, 2024

Israel's Netanyahu disbands war cabinet as tensions rise over Lebanon

There have been weeks of increasing exchanges of fire across the border between Israel and Lebanon.
Flames and smoke rise from a burning wildfire, as seen from a highway in Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Tuesday.
ENVIRONMENT
Jul 26, 2024

Wildfire roars through a Canadian town popular with tourists

The town is in the heart of Jasper National Park, which is one of Canada’s premier tourist destinations, receiving about 2.5 million visitors each year.
A supermarket worker puts up a sign asking purchasers to buy only one bag per person, in Tokyo on July 25.
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2024

Why it's hard to find rice at Japan's supermarkets right now

In recent weeks, store shelves have often been barren, with many shops displaying signs asking purchasers to stick to one bag per person.
“Marion” provides a glimpse into the lives of bull dodgers, who perform a nonlethal version of bullfighting.
CULTURE / Film
May 23, 2025

Six short films that capture our world in mere minutes

The Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia proves that less time doesn't have to mean a lack of substance.
The small village of Blatten in the Swiss Alps was destroyed by a landslide after part of a glacier collapsed last week.
ENVIRONMENT / Earth science
Jun 2, 2025

How Switzerland's Birch glacier collapsed

There are strong theories on the causes, and to what degree it is linked to climate change — but these are yet to be confirmed by scientific analysis.
Chelsea's Liam Delap celebrates after scoring his first goal with the club as part of a 3-0 victory over Esperance on Tuesday in Philadelphia.
SOCCER
Jun 25, 2025

Delap notches first for Chelsea as club eases into Club World Cup last 16

A game played in sweaty conditions at the end of a blisteringly hot day in Philadelphia was decided by two goals in first-half stoppage time.
Government-stockpiled rice aiming at resolving persisting price rises displayed at a supermarket in Tokyo on May 31
BUSINESS
Jun 27, 2025

Japan private-sector rice imports soar in May

Restaurants and consumers are increasingly turning to U.S. brands in search of cheaper prices.
Residents cool themselves in Parc Andre Citroen's fountains in Paris on Tuesday.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jul 2, 2025

Europe’s climate resolve faces big test as EU unveils 2040 goal

The European Commission is set to propose a binding law to slash emissions by 90% by 2040 as part of its overarching goal to reach climate neutrality by the middle of the century.
A pastry chef prepares croissants for sale at a Bakehouse bakery in the Causeway Bay area of Hong Kong on July 25, 2024.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jul 7, 2025

Butter’s global price surge hits croissants and kitchens alike

Around 70% of the butter exported around the world comes from Europe and New Zealand, and each began 2025 with historically low stockpiles.
Impeached former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (center) arrives for a court hearing to review a new arrest warrant requested by special prosecutors in Seoul on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 10, 2025

South Korean court orders new arrest of disgraced ex-President Yoon

Yoon sent shock waves through South Korean democracy when he made a short-lived declaration of martial law — which saw armed soldiers deployed to parliament.
A power supply agreement allowing Tokyo Electric Power and Chubu Electric Power to procure energy from leading generator Jera is set to expire at the end of March.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 10, 2025

Power trading in Japan set to grow as Jera purchase deal expires

The shake-up is already driving hedging activity in the futures market, as traders position for potential changes in supply and demand.
Torrential rains triggered a landslide in Sancheong, South Korea, on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 20, 2025

Death toll rises to 14 in South Korea as heavy rain triggers landslide and flooding

Two people have died and a further two were missing in the South Korean resort town of Gapyeong on Sunday amid heavy rainfall.
London’s worsening disorder — from soaring petty crime to reckless delivery riders and rising drug use — reflects a decades-old pattern of authorities and citizens normalizing lawlessness.
COMMENTARY
Jul 23, 2025

What turning a blind eye to deviant behavior is doing to London

The city’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, needs to take growing disorder on the streets more seriously.
A fish washes up on Glenelg Beach on July 13 in Adelaide, Australia. A toxic algal bloom has washed up dead and dying sea creatures along the South Australian coastline since mid March and was first detected on the state’s Fleurieu Peninsula and Kangaroo Island.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Aug 6, 2025

Toxic algae bloom off South Australia devastates marine life and tourism

The algal bloom, first detected in March, spans an area 4,500 square kilometers and has been aggravated by rising ocean temperatures.
An employee at a wholesaler puts a price tag on a package of sea urchins from Hokkaido at Tsukiji Outer Market in Tokyo on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 26, 2025

Warming seas add to food inflation woes as urchin rice bowls hit ¥18,000

Policymakers have mostly blamed rising food prices on the weak yen's upward pressure on import costs, but the effects of global warming now also loom as a risk.
A wheat harvest in Ukraine
ENVIRONMENT
Sep 20, 2025

NASA scientist starts food crisis hotline with tech giant funding

The aim is to use images from space that are then sifted and interpreted by AI models to predict potential crises early.

Longform

Rock group The Yellow Monkey played K-Arena Yokohama in June as part of a nationwide tour. Concerts are increasingly popular in the age of social media as users value in-person experiences.
Inside Japan’s arena boom: Sports, sound and city-building