Japan records highest temperature ever – Heat wave has killed 50 – “It is so hot these days that I cannot figure out whether I am in South Korea or in Southeast Asia”

By Mari Yamaguchi and Hyung-Jin Kim 23 July 2018 TOKYO (Associated Press) – Japan recorded its highest temperature ever Monday as a deadly heat wave continued to grip a wide swath of the country and nearby South and North Korea.The mercury hit 41.1 degrees Celsius (106 degrees Fahrenheit) in Kumagaya, a city in Saitama prefecture […]

Storms, landslides, and extreme heat hit Asia – More than 900,000 people evacuated in China and the Philippines

By Sandi Sidhu and Susannah Cullinane 22 July 2018 (CNN) – Extreme weather is striking parts of Asia with deadly flash-flooding in Vietnam, a tropical storm prompting evacuations and disrupting travel in China and an ongoing heat wave in Japan.In Vietnam, 21 people have died and more people are missing after Tropical Depression Son Tinh […]

Japan suffers deadly record heat wave – AccuWeather estimates death toll likely in the hundreds, may climb into the thousands – Emergency personnel respond to record number of calls

21 July 2018 (VOA News) – Japan is in the midst of a deadly, record-breaking heat wave. Thirty people have died with the high temperatures and thousands have been rushed to the hospital across the country. Officials are advising people to be sure to drink water and find air conditioning in an effort to avoid […]

All-time records melt in northern Scandinavia – Extreme heat grips Japan and Korea

By Bob Henson 18 July 2018 (Weather Underground) – Temperatures soared into the nineties Fahrenheit north of the Arctic Circle on Tuesday and Wednesday, as 2018’s parade of exceptional heat continued marching across the Northern Hemisphere. This week has been northern Scandinavia’s turn under the sizzling klieg lights, including Lapland (Sápmi), the region of northern […]

44 dead as record rains devastate parts of Japan – Evacuations ordered for two million people

By Hiroshi Hiyama 7 July 2018 HIROSHIMA, Japan (AFP) – The toll in record rains that have devastated parts of Japan rose Sunday to at least 44, officials said, with authorities issuing new warnings as torrential downpours continued. Local media put the toll at 50, with dozens more missing and the number of fatalities expected […]

Hitting Paris climate target could yield trillions in economic benefits

By Michelle Horton 23 May 2018 (Stanford University) – Failing to meet climate mitigation goals laid out in the U.N. Paris Agreement could cost the global economy tens of trillions of dollars over the next century, according to new Stanford research. The study, published  23 May 2018 in Nature, is one of the first to […]

Poachers kill 122 pregnant minke whales during summer months – “A shocking statistic and sad indictment on the cruelty of Japan’s whale hunt”

By Daniel Hurst 30 May 2018 (The Guardian) – More than 120 pregnant whales were killed during Japan’s annual “research” hunt in the Southern Ocean last summer, a new report has revealed.Of the 333 minke whales caught during the controversial 12-week expedition, 181 were female — including 53 immature ones. Figures show that of the […]

Single-use plastic has reached the world’s deepest ocean trench

18 April 2018 (UNEP) – A new article, Human footprint in the abyss: 30 year records of deep-sea plastic debris, reveals human activities are affecting the deepest part of the ocean, more than 1000km from the mainland.Plastic pollution is emerging as one of the most serious threats to ocean ecosystems. World leaders, scientists and communities […]

Iceland resumes poaching endangered fin whales after two-year pause – “This decision is not based on real market needs and is not in line with public opinion polls on whaling, which doesn’t belong in modern times”

17 April 2018 (AFP) – Icelandic whaling company Hvalur said Tuesday it would resume its controversial hunt of endangered fin whales after a two-year suspension, sparking angry protests from animal rights activists. The only company in Iceland that hunts fin whales, Hvalur packed away its harpoons in 2016 because of commercial difficulties in Japan, its […]

China is massively betting on coal outside its borders, even as investment falls globally

By Huileng Tan 6 April 2018 (CNBC) – Once globally vilified for extensive air pollution due to heavy coal usage, China now talks a big game about its environmental efforts after the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris climate pact.But, beyond its borders, the country has been the world’s biggest investor in coal power.”Chinese banks’ and […]

Social media & sharing icons powered by UltimatelySocial