The Japan Times

Featured

Tentative tree planting 'decades overdue' in sweltering Athens

On a cloudy spring morning in one of Athens' most densely inhabited districts, thousands of fresh saplings dotting a small hilltop park mark a fledgling effort to tackle crippling heat that critics say is long overdue.

Morocco volunteers on Sahara clean-up mission

It may be the gateway to the vast Sahara desert, but that doesn't mean it's free of that modern scourge of the environment -- the rubbish humanity discards.

Last news

Himalayan snow at 23-year low, threatening 2 billion people: report

Snowfall in Asia's Hindu Kush-Himalayan mountain range has reached a 23-year low, threatening nearly two billion people dependent on snowmelt for water, scientists warned in a report on Monday.

Germany sees 'worrying' record dry spell in early 2025

Germany's environment minister on Wednesday warned of a high risk of forest fires and poor harvests after a "worrying" lack of rain in recent weeks.

Prague zoo breeds near-extinct Brazilian mergansers

Five chicks of the critically endangered Brazilian merganser have been born at the Prague Zoo, fuelling hopes for a reintroduction of the duck in the wild, a breeder said Wednesday.

Warnings issued, flights cancelled as strong winds whip north China

Residents in some areas were warned not to go outside as strong winds swept Beijing and parts of northern China on Saturday, causing hundreds of flights to be cancelled and rail services suspended, state media said.

Early holiday, more fans: Philippines schools adapt to climate change

Kindergarten teacher Lolita Akim fires up five standing fans with three more at the ready as she fights to hold the attention of her pint-sized pupils in Manila's soaring heat.

Orcas, dolphins stuck in closed French marine park

Two orcas, Wikie and Keijo, and 12 dolphins are stuck in a shuttered French Riviera marine park after Spanish authorities refused to let them move to their country, an official told AFP on Thursday.

Census shows high number of brown bears in Romania

A census of brown bears using DNA for the first time has revealed that up to 13,000 of the protected species are living in Romania, much more than the 8,000 previously estimated, the government announced on Thursday.

Slippery business: France jails men over eel smuggling

A French court on Thursday sentenced eight people to up to five years for smuggling eel larvae destined for Asian markets, in a scheme worth about two million euros that prosecutors likened to cocaine trafficking.

Nepal fights wildfires and pollution amidst drier winter

A dry winter is intensifying wildfires in Nepal, experts said Wednesday, as the capital Kathmandu continued to suffer from hazardous air quality that ranks it among the most polluted cities globally.

France struggles to find new home for two orcas after park closes

France is struggling to find a new home for an orca mother and her son after a marine park on the French Riviera closed down over a law banning shows featuring marine mammals.

The Metals Company courts Trump for deep-sea mining contract

A Canadian deep-sea mining pioneer, The Metals Company, is charting a new course to land the controversial extraction practice's first commercial contract -- by appealing to US President Donald Trump.

Global temperatures at near historic highs in March: EU monitor

Global temperatures hovered at historic highs in March, Europe's climate monitor said on Tuesday, prolonging an extraordinary heat streak that has tested scientific expectations.

EU funding of NGOs 'too opaque', auditors find amid political storm

EU funding of non-governmental organisations is "too opaque", auditors found on Monday in a report set to further fan a heated political tussle over the financing of environmental groups.

German climate activist faces expulsion from Austria after ban

Austria has banned a German climate activist for two years, she said on Monday, adding she would fight the decision, which could see her expelled from the Alpine EU member.

Artificial glaciers boost water supply in northern Pakistan

At the foot of Pakistan's impossibly high mountains whitened by frost all year round, farmers grappling with a lack of water have created their own ice towers.

The race to save the Amazon's bushy-bearded monkeys

One morning in 2024, Armando Schlindwein found an orange-bearded monkey on the roof of his farmhouse on the edge of the Brazilian Amazon.

Clamping down on 'forever chemicals'

Contaminating water and soil, human-made "forever chemicals" widely used since the mid-20th century, are facing increasing regulation worldwide.

Cuba looks to sun to solve its energy crisis

Not far from the ruins of an unfinished nuclear power plant in the Cuban province of Cienfuegos, hundreds of workers are hastily installing 44,000 solar panels as the island seeks once again to reduce its reliance on oil to escape an energy crisis.

Nepal capital chokes as wildfires rage

Nepal's capital was blanketed in acrid smog Thursday as wildfires across the country pushed air pollution levels to among the worst in the world.

Remains of 30th victim of Los Angeles fires found

The death toll from the fires that ravaged Los Angeles in January has risen to at least 30 after the remains of another victim were discovered, local authorities said.

Health concerns swirl as Bolivian city drowns in rubbish

Health officials in Bolivia's fourth-biggest city raised disease concerns Wednesday as tons of rubbish have accumulated on the streets due to a 12-day-old protest by residents blocking access to its main landfill.

New coal capacity hit 20-year low in 2024: report

The world added the smallest amount of new coal capacity in two decades last year, a report said Thursday, but use of the fossil fuel is still surging in China and India.

Deutsche Bank asset manager DWS fined 25 mn euros for 'greenwashing'

Deutsche Bank's asset management arm DWS was hit Wednesday with a 25-million-euro ($27-million) fine over misleading advertising for supposedly sustainable products, with activists hailing one of the world's biggest ever "greenwashing" penalties.

Thailand rescue dogs double as emotional support

Thailand's search and rescue dogs are taking on the role of emotional support animals for grieving relatives of victims of a Bangkok skyscraper flattened in a deadly earthquake.

French prosecutors demand Volkswagen face fresh Dieselgate trial

Prosecutors in Paris have called for German carmaker Volkswagen to face justice in France to compensate French consumers over the Dieselgate emissions fraud scandal, according to a court filing seen by AFP on Tuesday.

Battery boom drives Bangladesh lead poisoning epidemic

Bangladeshi Junayed Akter is 12 years old but the toxic lead coursing through his veins has left him with the diminutive stature of someone several years younger.

Tourists and locals enjoy 'ephemeral' Tokyo cherry blossoms

Tourists and Japanese locals marvelled at Tokyo's cherry trees on Monday at the peak of the annual blossom season that traditionally represents fresh starts but also life's fleeting impermanence.

Japan-Australia flagship hydrogen project stumbles

Japan wants to become a hydrogen fuel leader to meet its net-zero goals, but one blockbuster project is hanging in the balance over questions about its climate credentials.

Tunisian startup turns olive waste into clean energy

In a northern Tunisian olive grove, Yassine Khelifi's small workshop hums as a large machine turns olive waste into a valuable energy source in a country heavily reliant on imported fuel.

Clouds changing as world warms, adding to climate uncertainty

People have always studied the skies to predict the weather, but recently scientists have noticed that clouds are changing on a global scale -- posing one of the greatest challenges to understanding our warming world.

Clean energy giant Goldwind leads China's global sector push

China has rushed ahead in recent years as the world's forerunner in wind energy, propelled by explosive local demand as Beijing aggressively pursues strategic and environmental targets.

Arctic sea ice hits lowest peak in satellite record, says US agency

This year's Arctic sea ice peak is the lowest in the 47-year satellite record, the US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) said Thursday, as the planet continues to swelter under the mounting effects of human-driven climate change.

The Japan Times - Nature (English)