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July 29, 2026
 

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ENVIRONMENT

Climate change
Energy
Sustainability
Wildlife
Earth science
A French Civil Security Canadair CL-415 aircraft flies past flames burning a forest surrounding Cotignac, southeastern France on July 23.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
France and Spain race to curb wildfires before new heat wave arrives
By Janis Laizans and Emma Pinedo
Authorities have evacuated ?about 220,000 people in France, while in Spain around 100,000 have been told to seek shelter.
In 2008, Nishiawakura announced a 100-year plan to promote forest health through measures including structured thinning of its artificially planted <i>sugi</i> and <i>hinoki</i> trees. Since then, it has earned nationwide recognition for its innovative forest health management initiatives.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability / OUR PLANET
The tiny Okayama village providing Japan with a blueprint for forest management
By Kimberly Hughes
Nishiawakura is prioritizing long-term forest health and biodiversity, while also strengthening the local economy.
A drone view shows the cooling towers of the defunct Orlando Power Station, in Soweto, South Africa, on May 12, 2025. President Cyril Ramaphosa this month hailed the growth of data centers as essential for the country&#039;s security and its businesses.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
South Africa¡¯s data center ¡®gold rush¡¯ risks resource crunch
By Kate Bartlett
South Africa boasts advanced digital infrastructure, including connections with international sub-sea cables, helping to make it home to 70% of the continent¡¯s data centers.
ENVIRONMENT
¡®Difficult night¡¯ as France and Spain fires intensify again
ENVIRONMENT
Investors see pollution plan silver lining in EU carbon overhaul
ENVIRONMENT
Wildfire haze hangs over eastern U.S. ¡ª and World Cup final
ENVIRONMENT
South Korea issues first emergency heatwave warning under new rating system
By Kang Jin-kyu

Climate change

Residents look at the sky illuminated by wildfires in Le Porge in southwestern France, early on Thursday.
Climate change
Spain and France continue to battle wildfires as intense heat grips Southern Europe
Wildfires have burned more land in Europe this year than the annual average in the past two decades, as the continent has ?endured three virtually back-to-back heat waves.
Climate change
U.N. to list more sites as ¡®in danger¡¯ from conflict or climate change
Climate change / OUR PLANET
Summer has arrived in Japan and so have hot sleepless nights
By Tomoko Otake
Climate change
To stay cool, wear flowing robes and throw water around? Yes, says science.
By Hiroko Tabuchi
Climate change
Heat and wildfire smoke become a dangerous new climate reality
By Emma Court
Climate change
Drones, AI and white paint: Europe races to protect infrastructure from heat
By Giulia Segreti and Sam Tabahriti
Climate change
Wildfires ravage over 1,300 hectares of historic forest near Paris

Sustainability

Yuji Suzuki (background) and others set up "green curtains" at temporary housing for people affected by the Noto Peninsula earthquake, in the city of Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture, in August last year.
Sustainability
¡®Green curtains¡¯ take root as communities seek out eco-friendly sun protection
Such curtains ¡ª which involve growing vines such as bitter melon and morning glory near windows ¡ª leverage on plant physiology to cool down homes.
Sustainability
Study warns biodiversity loss could trigger wave of debt crises
By Marc Jones
Sustainability / OUR PLANET
How carbon finance could give a boost to Japan¡¯s ailing forestry industry
By Annelise Giseburt
Sustainability
New gold rush threatens indigenous havens in Brazil¡¯s Amazon
By Fran BLANDY
Sustainability
Trees taking drastic measures to survive climate-driven heat
By Sofia BOUDERBALA
Sustainability / OUR PLANET
Japan¡¯s automotive industry is driving ¡ª slowly ¡ª toward a greener future
By Eric Margolis
Sustainability
Iran war promises green edge for Asia as plastic packaging runs short
By Minwoo Park, Kaori Kaneko and John Geddie

Energy

Open-pit coal mine emissions are trickier to measure than emissions from underground mines.
Energy
Europe¡¯s coal mines say they slashed emissions. Experts don¡¯t believe them.
By Petra Sorge
The dramatic falls in reported emissions have been traced to a small but fundamental change in the methodology for measuring them ¡ª one introduced by the EU.
Energy
U.K. grid issues another supply warning as heat tests network
By Eamon Akil Farhat
Energy
Fast-tracked power plants fuel AI boom, with little public scrutiny
By Valerie Volcovici
Energy
Italy pays the price of Meloni¡¯s stalled green energy transition
By Giuseppe Fonte, Gavin Jones and Francesca Landini
Energy / OUR PLANET
Japan¡¯s new emissions trading program: Key climate tool or paper tiger?
By Nithin Coca
Energy
Clean energy seen as ¡®structurally immune¡¯ to Hormuz-style shock
By Alastair Marsh
Energy
Solar power is so big in Europe that electricity is being wasted
By Eamon Farhat

Wildlife

An employee walks past cabinets containing different varieties of dried fish maws and shark fins (top left) in Hong Kong in March 2016.
Wildlife
¡®Cruel, wasteful¡¯: Senegal port a hot spot for illegal shark fins
By Marchio Gorbiano and Becca MILFELD
Finning, the practice of removing fins and casting the rest of the shark overboard, often alive, is largely prohibited across a variety of regulatory zones and countries.
Wildlife
Cambodia wants to bring back tigers, but should it?
Wildlife
Japan deploys bear cameras in mountains as attacks surge
Wildlife
Iceland kills first whales since 2023, resuming commercial hunt
Wildlife
EU nations want reduced protection for bears
Wildlife / OUR PLANET
Citizen science in Japan¡¯s Ogasawara Islands spotlights ties between ships and birds
By Richard Pallardy
Wildlife
Greek fishers struggle to keep up with puffer fish invaders
By Will VASSILOPOULOS

Earth science

Nearly half of Japan¡¯s population suffers from hay fever, fueled by pollen from vast cedar and cypress plantations.
Earth science / Longform
The human-made roots of Japan¡¯s hay fever crisis
By Alex K.T. Martin
Efforts to thin forests and breed low-pollen cedar advance, even as labor gaps and neglected land complicate the work.
Earth science / EXPLAINER
Why did such a powerful earthquake produce such a weak tsunami?
By Katrina Miller
Earth science
When Earth¡¯s surface shifts, a new satellite will see it
By Kenneth Chang
Earth science
Restoring sea floor after mining may not be possible, researchers warn
By Amelie Bottollier-Depois
Earth science
How Switzerland¡¯s Birch glacier collapsed
By Robin Millard
Earth science / Longform
Do Japan¡¯s trees no longer occupy the sacred space they used to?
By Eric Margolis
Earth science / Longform
If the ¡®Big One¡¯ hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami
By Alex K.T. Martin
Read more ENVIRONMENT stories
Mall collapses after powerful quake rocks Kumamoto
Emergency crews outside an Aeon Mall in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture, on Tuesday after the second floor of the building collapsed in the wake of a major earthquake.
Tough new permanent residency measures trigger concern in Japan
The Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau in the capital&#039;s Shinagawa Ward in March. Japan&#039;s revised guidelines for permanent residency are set to be introduced as early as Oct. 1 and applied to applications filed from April 2027.
Japanese man arrested for years of guitar noise
Police seized over 40 guitars ¡ª many electric ¡ª from a Kyoto musician&#039;s residence, along with CD and radio cassette players and amplifiers.
More foreign nationals joining fire brigades in Japan, but barriers remain
Mauricio Ojeda (center) takes part in a flood prevention drill in Kiyosu, Aichi Prefecture, in June.
Japanese author Keigo Higashino, known for penning intricate mystery novels, dies at 68
A display featuring Keigo Higashino¡¯s work, with a range of his titles translated into multiple languages, at Books Kinokuniya Tokyo in the capital¡¯s Shinjuku Ward on Tuesday
Japanese author Keigo Higashino, known for penning intricate mystery novels, dies at 68
A display featuring Keigo Higashino¡¯s work, with a range of his titles translated into multiple languages, at Books Kinokuniya Tokyo in the capital¡¯s Shinjuku Ward on Tuesday
Tough new permanent residency measures trigger concern in Japan
The Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau in the capital&#039;s Shinagawa Ward in March. Japan&#039;s revised guidelines for permanent residency are set to be introduced as early as Oct. 1 and applied to applications filed from April 2027.
The tiny Okayama village providing Japan with a blueprint for forest management
In 2008, Nishiawakura announced a 100-year plan to promote forest health through measures including structured thinning of its artificially planted <i>sugi</i> and <i>hinoki</i> trees. Since then, it has earned nationwide recognition for its innovative forest health management initiatives.
How foreign workers became an essential part of Japan¡¯s ubiquitous konbini
Myanmar national Nyan Linn, who works at a Lawson outlet in Tokyo¡¯s Shinagawa Ward, is one of over 110,000 foreign workers employed by Japan&#039;s three largest convenience store chains.
Out of the shadows: Japanese women building a life beyond motherhood
Miyako Kudo addresses an Osaka fertility clinic during a speaking engagement on understanding and supporting women without children.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

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