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July 01, 2026
 

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ENVIRONMENT

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.
A rickshaw is seen in the Asakusa district of Tokyo on Sunday. A “special heatstroke warning alert” will be issued when unprecedentedly dangerous heat levels are forecast for a particular prefecture between Wednesday and Oct. 21, the Environment Ministry says.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 20, 2026
‘Special heatstroke warning alert’ to be implemented for summer
The special alert is issued on a prefectural level if the heat index is thought to surpass 35 degrees Celsius at most observation points the following day.
Japan on Friday adopted a new name for days with temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius or higher.
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2026
JMA introduces new name for days of 40 C heat
Beginning this summer, the weather agency will refer to the hottest days as kokushobi, a description that translates as “severely hot day.”
Japan’s greenhouse gas emissions fell 1.9% to a record low of about 1.05 billion tons of carbon dioxide in fiscal 2024, the Environment Ministry said.
ENVIRONMENT
Apr 14, 2026
Greenhouse gas emissions in Japan fell to record low in fiscal 2024
In fiscal 2024, emissions in Japan were down 28.7% from fiscal 2013 and the amount of carbon dioxide released slipped below 1 billion tons for the first time since then.
A deer that appeared at a park in the city of Osaka in March
JAPAN
Apr 13, 2026
Study shows deer and boar habitats to spread across most of Japan by 2050
Deer and boar habitats could extend to the northeastern prefectures of Aomori and Akita, where their populations are currently believed to be small.
Kazumasa Hayakawa, president of Marine Tourism Development, checks undersea carbon dioxide concentration levels in Naha Port in Okinawa Prefecture in February.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Apr 13, 2026
Eco-tourism operator in Okinawa bets on corals as carbon absorber
The company hopes to encourage visitors to think of climate change as a personal issue through combining sightseeing, environmental conservation and CO2 reduction.
A drawing of Fujiwara no Teika, known as a courtier, <i>waka</i> poet and scholar of the late Heian and early Kamakura periods
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 10, 2026
Japanese researchers look at 800-year-old books and trees for signs of extreme solar events
Japan has a wealth of old literature that provides scientists with clues on past climate events.
Workers monitor the water at the Sea Water Desalination Plant in Fukuoka.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Apr 9, 2026
Waste water to clean energy: Japanese engineers harness the power of osmosis
Engineers in the city of Fukuoka and their private partners have opened what is only the world’s second osmotic power plant.
Uruguay federation reportedly cancels charter flight after World Cup exit
Uruguay&#039;s Jose Maria Gimenez reacts after the team&#039;s loss against Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Yen hits 40-year low against the dollar, breaking ¥162 level
Japan&#039;s currency broke ¥162 to the dollar on Tuesday in Tokyo.
Japan falls in gut-wrenching fashion as Brazil strikes late to win World Cup clash
Brazil&#039;s Gabriel Martinelli (right) shoots past Japan defenders Shogo Taniguchi (left) and Takehiro Tomiyasu to score in the second half of a match in the round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Houston on Monday.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.
‘The colors speak for themselves’: How Japan’s chroma bible went global
“A Dictionary of Color Combinations” is meant to function as a quick-reference guide for artists, designers and anyone with a passing interest in aesthetics as a quantifiable pursuit.

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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