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July 09, 2026
 

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ENVIRONMENT

An uncovered sandbar due to low water levels of the Mississippi River in Greenville, Mississippi, in 2022
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
May 14, 2026
Why more intense bursts of rain are making the planet drier
Intense, concentrated rainstorms have been on the rise for decades. And those bigger storms turn out to have a counterintuitive effect.
A team of Japanese researchers has found that people who have suffered from heatstroke were twice as likely to develop cataracts.
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 13, 2026
Heatstroke doubles risks for cataracts, Japanese study finds
The study by researchers at the Nagoya Institute of Technology is the largest one to show a possible link between a rise in body temperature and the condition.
There are more than 3,500 types of mosquitoes buzzing around the world, but only around 100 bite humans.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
May 13, 2026
Mosquitoes: bloodsuckers and flower lovers
The role that mosquitoes play in flower reproduction is far less studied than that of bees or butterflies.
An aerial view shows cattle walking on a tract of the Amazon rainforest that has been cleared by loggers and farmers near the Virola-Jatoba Sustainable Development Project in Anapu, Para state, Brazil, in 2019.
BUSINESS
May 12, 2026
How China’s evolving consumer habits may protect the Amazon rainforest
A pledge from a meat association in Tianjin to buy deforestation-free beef is challenging a long-held assumption among Brazilian farmers that China cares only about price.
Penguins are seen on an iceberg as scientists investigate the impact of climate change on Antarctica's penguin colonies, on the northern side of the Antarctic peninsula in 2022.
JAPAN
May 12, 2026
Emperor penguins in focus as Antarctic talks start in Japan
Officials from the nearly 60 countries signatory to the Antarctic Treaty are meeting in Hiroshima for annual discussions on protecting and managing the fragile region.
Batteries for electric vehicles at a Gotion High-tech Co. plant in Hefei, China
BUSINESS / Tech
May 12, 2026
China’s green tech firms target new consumers hit by Iran war energy shock
Chinese manufacturers of electric vehicles, batteries and solar panels have been wooing nations looking to wean themselves off costly fuel imports.
The nature guides and conservationists at Picchio Karuizawa focus on nonviolent interventions like collaring and tracking bears to keep the animals away from human settlements and oft-used hiking routes.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
May 9, 2026
Rising bear encounters test Japan’s approach to wildlife management
Government officials and nature guides say more countermeasures can reduce harm caused by rogue bears.
Water buffaloes wade through the Chibayish marshes in Iraq on Thursday.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
May 8, 2026
Iraq’s historic marshes revive as water returns after years of drought
Rising water levels are beginning to revive the country’s wetlands, drawing buffalo herders and fishermen back to areas once abandoned.
Sheep near the eastern shores of Lake Hawea, near the town of Wanaka on the South Island of New Zealand.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
May 6, 2026
Court case challenges New Zealand’s ‘magical thinking’ climate plans
After unraveling several green policies since 2023, the right-leaning government is accused of relying too much on unproven future technologies to meet its carbon emission targets.
David Attenborough, whose landmark documentaries have changed popular understanding of the natural world, will turn 100 on Friday.
ENVIRONMENT
May 6, 2026
100 years on Earth: Iconic naturalist Attenborough to mark century
The BBC is leading the celebration of David Attenborough’s centenary with a full week of programming dedicated to his life, such as episodes of series including “Planet Earth II.”
A man collects waste at the Suwung landfill in Denpasar, on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, on April 17.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 6, 2026
Bali drowning in trash after landfill closed
The government aims to set up several waste-to-energy projects, including one in Bali that could process about 1,200 tons of waste daily, but these could take years to come online.
Amid senseless global suffering and authoritarian threats, recent democratic activism and crises such as U.S. President Donald Trump’s actions and the Iran conflict show that tragedy can spark hope for moral progress and climate action.
COMMENTARY / World
May 4, 2026
From despair to action: Tragedy is reborn as hope.
The crisis of democracy feeds the climate crisis.
Shorebirds gather in dense flocks at Higashiyoka Higata (tidal flats), pushed together by the rising tide.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife / Perspectives
May 4, 2026
At 70, chasing birds across a changing Japan
From subtropical islands to northern coasts, a quest for rare sightings becomes a meditation on memory, effort and environmental change.
The city of Otsuchi on Saturday
JAPAN
May 3, 2026
Iwate town declares forest fire under control on 11th day
According to the prefectural government, the fire burned about 1,633 hectares.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro (right) and Colombian Environment Minister Irene Velez attend the International Conference on the Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels in Santa Marta, Colombia, on Tuesday.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Apr 30, 2026
Nations urged to ‘go further’ as fossil fuel exit talks wrap in Colombia
Ministers and envoys from nearly 60 countries gathered in Colombia in the hope of speeding up the shift away from fossil fuels and breaking a stalemate at the U.N. climate talks.
A helicopter conducts firefighting operations as wildfires continue in Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, on Sunday.
JAPAN
Apr 29, 2026
Iwate wildfire starting to be brought under control, authorities say
While the town lifted evacuation orders in most areas as the fire is being brought under control, there is still no clear timeline for full containment.
An experiment shows smoke being emitted by old lighting fixtures after fluorescent lamps were switched to LED lighting.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 29, 2026
Replace fixtures too when switching to LED lighting, safety watchdog urges
Over 50 cases reported to the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation in the 10 years until 2025 involved fires believed to have occurred due to aging fixtures.
While climate-change skeptics downplay the issue, earlier blooming cherry trees in Washington and Kyoto serve as visible indicators of the climate crisis, driven by global warming.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 28, 2026
Cherry blossoms are proof of a planet going awry
It was the seventh consecutive year in which the trees flowered earlier than their 20-year average.
Oil disruptions from the war in Iran and the turmoil in energy markets highlight Asia’s vulnerability to imported fossil fuels and underscore the need to rapidly scale domestic renewable energies.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 26, 2026
Iran war is a renewable energy wake-up call
The old narrative that fossil fuels are stable and reliable has been proved wrong.
French President Emmanuel Macron during a press event after a meeting at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on Tuesday
WORLD / Politics
Apr 23, 2026
Climate scrubbed from G7 meeting to appease U.S., host France says
The Trump administration has withdrawn the U.S. from global agreements on climate change and weakened environmental protections since the president returned to office in 2025.
Japan needs caregivers. Young Indians are answering the call.
Young people in India's northeast are increasingly studying Japanese in hopes of building new lives and careers in Japan.
Osaka trumps Tokyo as both ranked among world’s top 10 most livable cities
Osaka’s infrastructure earned higher marks than Tokyo’s in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s latest Global Liveability Index.
Japanese teen arrested for booting users off streaming service
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has arrested a 15-year-old boy for allegedly creating a malicious program and canceling subscription accounts on the Bandai Channel.
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Long-stalled maglev line finally gets green light from Shizuoka Prefecture
Environmental concerns relating to the construction of Central Japan Railway’s high-speed maglev line had contributed to years of delays for the project.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.
Filmmaker explores history of discrimination against foreign nationals in Japan
Takashi Nishihara, the director of "Now and Then," in Tokyo on Wednesday. The director has spent 10 years traversing politically charged terrain while exploring youth-driven grassroots political movements that scrutinize the status quo.
Japanese nail salons are tourists’ new obsession
Tourists in Japan have always been interested in quintessentially Japanese approaches to modern culture, and, increasingly, visits to nail salons have become the new hot thing.
Okinawa’s prized seaweed under threat as oceans warm
Local harvesters gather <i>mozuku</i> during low tide at Hyakuna Beach in the city of Nanjo, Okinawa Prefecture. As the planet warms, rising ocean temperatures are placing increasing pressure on the seaweed industry.
‘Defense,’ not ‘warfare,’ stressed as pacifist Japan beefs up capabilities
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi attends an annual training session near Mount Fuji at Higashifuji Training Field in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, on June 7.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

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