Search - environment

 
 
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2023

As disease ravages Japan's oak trees, researchers tap tech to aid neglected forests

By digitally cataloging the trees and facilitating their use for green tourism or the building of furniture, researchers say extensive oak wilt can be prevented.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Jan 13, 2023

China and Canada pressed on biodiversity leadership after delivering COP15 pact

The two countries, which worked together to broker a landmark global deal to protect nature, now need to help countries meet biodiversity goals at the national level, green groups say.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 11, 2023

New Indonesia capital imperils ancient Eden with 'ecological disaster'

With construction ramping up this year, environmentalists warn that the project will speed up deforestation in one of the world's largest and oldest tropical rainforests.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 6, 2023

Collapse and contamination: Mexican scientists sound alarm over Mayan Train

The debate over the train project exemplifies struggles developing countries across the globe face to balance economic progress with environmental responsibility.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 4, 2023

Robot fireflies and okra band-aids: 2022's nature-inspired solutions

'If we look to nature, we can shortcut our development process and get to a valuable solution right away,' said one researcher.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 3, 2023

A plea and a promise for 2023: No more ‘pacifism’

The characterization of Japan as a “pacifist” country is widespread — and very misleading.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 28, 2022

Saving the bees isn’t the same as saving the planet

Mother Nature spent millions of years creating the most efficient pollinator on the planet. We owe it to the bees to save them.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 27, 2022

Human activity puts 1 million species on the brink, threatening ecosystems

The speed at which species are now vanishing is unprecedented in the last 10 million years.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 26, 2022

India chases clean energy, but economic goals put coal first

India is in the crosshairs of a global challenge: How to bring power to the world's poor and fight climate change at the same time.
JAPAN
Dec 26, 2022

With wildlife pests on the rise, Japan turns to novel countermeasures

The old-school approach of the nation's hunters is being pushed to its limits, prompting some to turn to unusual kinds of drones and robots.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 21, 2022

Landmark U.N. deal on biodiversity gets finance and business thumbs up

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, agreed to at recent U.N. talks, is expected to create some red tape but also new opportunities.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Dec 19, 2022

Hokkaido kelp farmers aim to boost storage of 'blue carbon' in seaweed beds

Stakeholders in the major kelp-producing region this year started researching the growing conditions of seaweeds and the amount of absorbed carbon with an aim to sell blue carbon credits.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
Dec 19, 2022

Japan commences aid for decarbonization of public facilities

The aid is intended to help the introduction of solar power generation systems and renovations for energy conservation.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 19, 2022

Ministers near global deal at landmark U.N. nature talks

Policymakers hope an ambitious deal can spur nature conservation in the same way that a pact in Paris in 2015 helped mobilize efforts to limit carbon emissions.
JAPAN
Dec 18, 2022

Tokyo's solar panel mandate a major shift in a country where fossil fuels reign

The capital is moving to break away from a longtime reliance on other regions — and planet-warming fossil fuels — to meet its massive energy demand.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 18, 2022

Europe reaches deal to bolster carbon market in Green Deal push

The deep reforms are part of the region's plan to cut emissions by at least 55% from 1990 levels by 2030, and reach net-zero by 2050.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 18, 2022

What campaigners want to see in U.N. nature deal

Many Indigenous activists want to make sure their rights are not trampled in the name of conservation — an outcome that has been dubbed 'green colonialism.'
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Dec 15, 2022

Children of India's burning coalfields dream of a fire-free future

Youth face an uphill struggle in an area where there is no other thriving industry.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 15, 2022

Developing nations demand more money at crunch U.N. biodiversity talks

The thorny issue of how much money wealthy countries are willing to pony up to protect the world's remaining biodiversity took center stage Wednesday at U.N. talks in Montreal aimed at creating a "peace pact with nature."
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 9, 2022

Disappearing plant populations jeopardize a green future

With jungles and boreal forests still being destroyed, at least 40% of the world's remaining plant species are in trouble.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 6, 2022

From flickering fireflies to lowly dung beetles, insects are vanishing

Amid deforestation, pollution and climate change, bugs are struggling — along with the crops, flowers and animals that rely on them to survive.
JAPAN
Dec 4, 2022

From Kyoto Protocol to ‘fossil’ awards: Japan’s climate image stained by inaction

A quarter century after Japan hosted the COP3 climate talks where the Kyoto Protocol was adopted, the country's record at the national level is a study in contrasts.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / JAPAN TIMES GONE BY
Dec 4, 2022

Japan Times 1997: 160 nations adopt Kyoto Protocol

Environmental concerns hit the front pages of newspapers in 1997, with the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol, and 1922, when residents tried to appease an 'angry tree.'
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 1, 2022

A greener ride: West Africans switch on to electric motorbikes

Local authorities also are encouraging the switch to electric in a bid to replace old, highly polluting motorcycles.
Emissions from industry in fiscal 2023 declined 4.0% from the previous year, and those from households fell 6.8%, according to the Environment Ministry.
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2025

Japan's greenhouse gas emissions fall to a record low in fiscal 2023

The decrease came as the proportion of renewable and nuclear energy exceeded 30% of overall power sources and manufacturing activities slowed.
An Environment Ministry survey found that PFAS in groundwater and river water exceeded the provisional standard at 242 locations nationwide.
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2025

Potentially carcinogenic PFAS chemicals over standard at 242 sites in Japan

Japan banned the production and import of PFOS and PFOA, both of which are main components of PFAS, by 2021.
Stopping superpollutants like methane, which is the most potent short-lived climate pollutant, offers a fast-track opportunity to slow warming and improve public health, yet global climate plans have only recently begun to target them explicitly.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 28, 2025

The world is waking up to the dangers of superpollutants

Cutting superpollutants like methane offers a fast way to slow warming and boost public health, but climate plans have only recently begun to target them.
In the European Parliament, the plan for urgent consideration of the greenhouse gas reduction law aimed at cutting emissions 90% by 2040 from 1990 levels was backed by the Socialists & Democrats, Renew and Greens.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Jul 10, 2025

EU’s far right to help shape 2040 climate goals after vote fails

An initiative to fast-track legislation, which would have stripped power from the climate-skeptical Patriots of Europe group, on the European Union's 2040 climate goals failed.
Lake Inawashiro in Fukushima Prefecture
JAPAN
Jul 16, 2025

Lake Inawashiro registered as internationally important wetland under Ramsar Convention

The designation marks the 54th wetland in Japan to be registered under the international treaty.
A demonstrator holds the Mohawk Warrior Flag during a protest in front of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario against the federal government’s Bill C-5, as members of the Canadian Armed Forces fire cannons in the background during a celebration marking Canada Day in Toronto on July 1.
WORLD / Politics
Jul 21, 2025

Indigenous people in Canada challenge fast-track mine and energy projects

The tensions between the government and Indigenous communities reflect longstanding concerns over consultation and the environmental impact of mining projects in Canada.

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear