NEWSWORTHY
Japanese government panel begins discussions on reducing plastic waste
A government panel began discussions Friday on setting a strategy to sharply cut plastic waste amid rising international concern over the marine pollution it causes. Japan, which produces the largest amount of plastic waste per capita after the United States, has lagged behind other countries ...
Restaurant chain operator Skylark Holdings Co. will cut almost all use of disposable plastic straws at all of its group outlets by 2020, officials said Thursday. Skylark will stop distributing plastic straws by the end of this year at its Gusto restaurant chain, which has ...
Under the sea, 'marine heat waves' seen wreaking havoc on wildlife, putting some in 'real peril'
The number of days marked by potentially destructive ocean heat waves has doubled in 35 years and will multiply another fivefold at current rates of climate change, scientists warned Wednesday. Even if humanity does manage to cap global warming "well below" 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 ...
Judge orders environmental review of Keystone XL pipeline, in setback for Trump
A federal judge in Montana on Wednesday ordered the U.S. State Department to do a full environmental review of a revised route for the Keystone XL crude oil pipeline, a move that could delay the project and prove a setback for the Trump administration. For ...
Illinois attorney general sues Trump Tower Chicago for river environmental violations
Illinois' attorney general announced a lawsuit on Tuesday against Trump Tower in Chicago, alleging the violation of environmental laws and a threat to fish in the Chicago River. The lawsuit filed by Attorney General Lisa Madigan in Cook County Circuit Court said the Trump International ...
Illegal fishing, harm to Amazon forest linked to firms using tax havens: study
Scientists called on Monday for greater transparency over the use of tax havens by companies involved in activities that have harmed the world's oceans and the Amazon rainforest. In a study published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, they said many firms involved in ...
Scientists warn that natural systems could accelerate climate change
Even if humanity slashes greenhouse gas emissions in line with Paris climate treaty goals, the planet could overwhelm such efforts and irretrievably tip into a hellish "hothouse" state, top scientists warn. Under such a scenario, Earth's average temperature would stabilize at 4 or 5 degrees ...
U.S. court orders ban on pesticide that harms babies after environment agency reversed Obama-era ban
A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that the Trump administration endangered public health by keeping a widely used pesticide on the market despite extensive scientific evidence that even tiny levels of exposure can harm babies' brains. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San ...
New Zealand became the latest country Friday to outlaw single-use plastic shopping bags, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern saying they will be phased out over the next year as a "meaningful step" toward reducing pollution. New Zealand uses "hundreds of millions" of single-use plastic bags ...
Earth risks tipping into irreversible 'hothouse' state due to fossil fuel use: study
The planet urgently needs to transition to a green economy because fossil fuel pollution risks pushing the Earth into a lasting and dangerous "hothouse" state, researchers warned on Monday. If polar ice continues to melt, forests are slashed and greenhouse gases rise to new highs ...
Breathing easy in Beijing may get pricier as Xi targets U.S. LNG amid trade row
Chinese President Xi Jinping's trade policies are threatening to make his environmental goals more costly to meet. The world's biggest gas importer on Friday included U.S. liquefied natural gas on a list of goods that could be hit with a 25 percent duty. While no ...
As Kaori Shibo bends her head down and peers at a log through a magnifying glass, she emits a delighted gasp. The object of her adoration? Moss. With her face almost close enough to kiss the fallen tree, she shouts out, "Oh, this baby's sporophyte ...
