Global carbon emissions hit record high in 2018 – Global energy demand rose at fastest pace in last decade, driven by record temperature extremes

By Nina Chestney26 March 2019 LONDON (Reuters) – Global energy-related carbon emissions rose to a record high last year as energy demand and coal use increased, mainly in Asia, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Tuesday. Energy-related CO2 emissions rose by 1.7 percent to 33.1 billion tonnes from the previous year, the highest rate […]

Study links Fukushima disaster to spike in infant heart surgeries

By Lucy Craft 14 March 2019 TOKYO (CBS News) – As Japan marks the eight-year anniversary of the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami that claimed some 22,000 lives, a new study suggests it could still be having a serious impact on the nation’s health. The disaster caused by the killer wave at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear […]

Japan’s squid industry in crisis amid record low catches

By Danielle Demetriou 21 January 2019 TOKYO (The Telegraph) – Grilled, raw, stewed, dried, fermented, fried: squid has long been consumed with abundance in Japan, appearing in countless everyday dishes. Now, however, Japan’s long-running love affair with squid is in danger, with growing reports that catches this season have hit a record low, causing prices […]

2018 was the fourth-costliest year since 1980 in terms of insured losses – Camp Fire in California caused highest overall wildfire loss on record

By Petra Löw8 January 2019 (Munich Re) – When compared with the record losses of the previous year from Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, the indications at the start of 2018 were that it would be a more moderate year. However, the second half of the year saw an accumulation of billion-dollar losses from floods, […]

World Economic Forum posts “Global Risks Report 2019” – In the “Age of Anger”, a tremendous increase in mutual hatred

20 January 2019 (Desdemona Despair) – At the beginning of each year, the World Economic Forum publishes its Global Risks Report, which “presents the results of our latest Global Risks Perception Survey, in which nearly 1,000 decision-makers from the public sector, private sector, academia and civil society assess the risks facing the world.” In 2019, […]

Sushi king pays record $3.1m for endangered bluefin tuna in Japan, more than double the price five years ago

4 January 2019 (The Guardian) – A record $3.1 m (£2.4 m) has been paid for a giant bluefin tuna at Tokyo’s new fish market, which replaced the world-famous Tsukiji late last year. The winning bid for the prized but endangered species at the predawn auction was more than double the 2013 annual New Year […]

Japan to resume commercial whale slaughter after leaving International Whaling Commission – “This is the path of a pirate whaling nation, with a troubling disregard for international rule”

By Justin McCurry and Graham Readfearn 19 December 2018 TOKYO (The Guardian) – Japan is to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and resume commercial whaling next year, a report claimed on Thursday, in a move that drew condemnation from Australia, with other anti-whaling nations expected to follow suit.Japan will inform the IWC of […]

Why the world’s recycling system stopped working – “If the recycling industry is good, why do America, Europe, Korea, and Japan have to export to other countries?”

By Leslie Hook and John Reed 24 October 2018 (Financial Times) – As Robert Reed examines a mountain of trash piled three storeys high, a thin white plastic bag catches his eye. He fishes it out and holds it up. “That is a problem plastic,” he says gravely. “These get stuck in the machines, and […]

World Economic Outlook, October 2018

14 October 2018 (Desdemona Despair) – On Monday, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released its semi-annual World Economic Outlook report for 2018. Twice a year, Des looks forward to browsing this hefty document for the latest financial and energy data, and this year’s report, Challenges to Steady Growth, has lots of good stuff. Here are […]

Japan, South Korea on alert for Super Typhoon Kong-rey – Ninth tropical system to make landfall in Japan in 2018

By Eric Leister 2 October 2018 (AccuWeather) – On the heels of deadly Typhoon Trami, Japan will face another dangerous typhoon this week. Super Typhoon Kong-rey is currently the equivalent of a Category 5 major hurricane in the Atlantic and east Pacific and will remain a dangerous tropical cyclone in the coming days. A northwest […]

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