Search - environment

 
 
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 28, 2019

'Flight shaming' is in the air as U.N. summit faces climate crisis

As world leaders met in New York, one question kept coming up at climate change events: How did you get here?
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 27, 2019

As new disease wipes out Caribbean coral, scientists tear up reefs to stop the spread

Off the coast of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, a group of scientists is tearing a reef apart in a feverish attempt to save some of its coral.
JAPAN
Sep 24, 2019

Shinjiro Koizumi faces baptism of fire in Japan as criticisms of style over substance pile up

In the two weeks since joining the Cabinet, Koizumi has seen his populist rhetoric increasingly turn into a liability, earning him criticism and ridicule on social media.
JAPAN
Sep 18, 2019

U.S. eager to spur military tech as China innovates, but Japan industry in 'lukewarm environment'

The United States is eager to spur innovation in its defense industry at a time when China is investing in advanced technologies including fifth-generation, or 5G, high-speed communications equipment, artificial intelligence systems and hypersonic weapons.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Aug 30, 2019

China's CO2 emission targets jeopardized by U.S. trade war, its senior climate change official says

China's greenhouse gas emission targets are at risk as a result of the trade war with the United States, which has put Beijing's coal-reliant economy under heavy pressure, a senior climate official said Friday.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 27, 2019

Managing the next gold rush

The international community must proceed with care in exploiting the seabed's riches to avoid triggering an environmental catastrophe.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 12, 2019

German minister prepares law to ban plastic bags after voluntary efforts by businesses fail

Germany plans a law to ban the use of plastic bags because voluntary agreements with retailers to curb usage have not yielded good enough results, Environment Minister Svenja Schulze said on Sunday.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 6, 2019

Big Tech needs to save the deep seas

Companies should slow the rush to mine the ocean floor until environmental costs are much better understood.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Jul 28, 2019

Will our insects keep on disappearing?

With concern, but little surprise, I read an article by Daphne Rousseau in The Japan Times on July 2 about a mass extinction of insects in Krefeld, Germany, near the Dutch border.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Jul 27, 2019

Indonesia plans new regulations to curb rise in imports of plastic waste

Indonesia plans tighter rules to combat a surge in imports of plastic waste, such as a registry of trash exporters and tougher border checks, officials said Friday.
WORLD
Jul 25, 2019

'Ecological Chernobyl' looms at abandoned Siberian chemical factory, official warns

A Russian state official warned on Wednesday that an abandoned chemicals factory in Siberia could cause an environmental disaster akin to the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident unless urgent action is taken to tackle it.
GLOBAL INSIGHT / Bahrain report 2019
Jun 26, 2019

Beyond oil

Although the outlook is bright for the Bahraini oil industry, the kingdom has no intention of straying off its very successful path of diversification and embracing the Fourth Industrial Revolution by combining Bahrain’s traditional strengths with emerging technologies.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 21, 2019

Green-tech megacity taking shape in China

Entrepreneur Tony Verb is on a mission to promote technology that can help make cities greener and smarter in China's Greater Bay Area, now being shaped as a low-carbon megalopolis.
JAPAN
Jun 7, 2019

Japanese government paper calls for review of handling of plastics

In an annual report released Friday, the government stressed the need to review the handling of plastics by offering successful examples of municipal and corporate efforts to reduce plastic waste.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 3, 2019

Shell to quit U.S. refining lobby over climate disagreement and will back Paris accord

Royal Dutch Shell on Tuesday became the first major oil and gas company to announce plans to leave a leading U.S. refining lobby due to disagreement on climate policies.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 1, 2019

Europe must do more than ban plastic forks

A new law outlaws some disposable products, but doesn't curb the EU's huge exports of waste.
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
WORLD
Feb 13, 2019

Eleven EU states have already met their 2020 renewable energy targets, data shows

The European Union produced 17.5 percent of its power needs from renewable sources in 2017, while 11 of the bloc's 28 members had already achieved a 2020 goal of 20 percent or more, the latest data released by Eurostat showed.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 8, 2019

The best diet for the planet isn't the best for humans

If you listened to Mother Earth, you'd probably eat more corn and soy than nutritionists suggest.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 5, 2019

Norway's Arctic islands at risk of 'devastating' warming, report says

Icy Arctic islands north of Norway are warming faster than almost anywhere on Earth and more avalanches, rain and mud may cause "devastating" changes by 2100, a Norwegian report said on Monday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 28, 2019

Vegetarians, carnivores and technology

Technology can't save us, but it can certainly shift the odds in our favor when it comes to the impact of meat consumption on the environment.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 10, 2019

Trump makes ex-coal lobbyist's position as chief of U.S. environment agency permanent

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday nominated acting EPA chief Andrew Wheeler to run the agency permanently, the White House said, placing a former energy lobbyist at the helm of the nation's top environmental regulator.
Japan Times
UAE report 2018
Dec 14, 2018

Attracting international scholars to create a vibrant and interactive learning environment

United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) was founded in 1976 by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as a higher education beacon for the UAE, providing the youth with higher education opportunities. It was the first university to be established in the country and the only university established...
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 1, 2018

Too young to vote, children strike, protest and sue for climate action

Skipping school, marching on the streets and suing governments, children who are too young to vote are demanding more action on climate change as world leaders gather at a major U.N. summit in Poland.
Japan Times
Nov 30, 2018

Affordable "Parent-Child work-study abroad program" to learn English in immersive environment and work in innovative Nature city in Cambodia

vKirirom Nature City located in Kirirom National Park in Cambodia, built by a famous Japanese entrepreneur, has started "Parent-Child work-study abroad program" from November 2018. The concept of this program is to provide parents with jobs and opportunities to improve themselves at vKirirom Nature City,...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 28, 2018

Japan gets mixed assessment from U.N. over efforts to curb greenhouse gases

The United Nations warned Tuesday that current national commitments to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions are insufficient to meet a 2030 reduction goal, and that unprecedented and urgent action is required by all nations — especially from members of the Group of 20 — to ensure global warming...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 27, 2018

Ben Lecomte ends bid to swim from Japan across Pacific after support boat suffers damage

On June 5 Ben Lecomte entered the ocean off Chiba Prefecture to begin his attempt at a record-breaking swim across the Pacific, with the aim of shining a light on ocean pollution and plastic contamination.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami