Home/Posts Tagged ‘japan’
Posts Tagged ‘japan’
Business, Science & Technology, Sustainable living, Apr 6th, 2010,
On April 26th the city of Tokyo, Japan will experiment with a new public system for charging electric vehicles. The ‘battery swap’ method robotically changes empty batteries for fully charged ones at specially equipped charging stations. This innovative system, developed by the American company Better Place, provides a much quicker way of charging electric cars than the traditional ‘plug in and wait’ option. The battery swap system will be tested for a three-month trial period by a major taxi firm located in Tokyo’s central Roppongi district. From an article in the Guardian: All of our components will be tested together…
Tags: battery, better place, cars, charging, electric, EV, Fluence, japan, Renault, stations, swap, system, Tokyo, trial, vehicle
Nature, Wildlife & Flora, Apr 3rd, 2010,
There are many options when it comes to dealing with the issue of whaling. Some will take the political or legal route. Others may steal a package of whale meat, do some detective work at a sushi restaurant, or become involved in the chaos at sea. While all of these acts have their own point and purpose, sometimes there is never any as daring or dedicated as that of a protest. Yesterday, Greenpeace activists chained themselves to a ship’s mooring ropes to stop the shipping of whale meat from the Netherlands to Japan. Located in Rotterdam, the protesters believed the…
Tags: Greenpeace, japan, Netherlands, protest, whale meat
Science & Technology, Sustainable living, Mar 31st, 2010,
What, you mean you haven’t been breathless with anticipation regarding the large-scale storage of renewable energy from wind and solar power? Well get with the program. Presidio, a small town on the U.S. side of the border with Mexico, is also on the frontier of energy storage technology. Life in Presidio, Texas is harsh, isolated, hot and stormy. So why would anyone live there? Well, I don’t have the answer to that, but those who do reside in Presidio endure some of the hottest temperatures in the United States as well as frequent electrical storms, which tend to disrupt the…
Tags: battery, electricity, energy, japan, power, Presidio, renewable, Sodium-sulfur, Solar, storage, technology, Texas, wind
Nature, Videos & Documentaries, Wildlife & Flora, Mar 20th, 2010,
On Thursday in Qatar, the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) voted not to implement a ban on the international trade of bluefin tuna. The Associated Press reported that the rejection of the ban was seen as good news by Japanese fish dealers, who were worried that it might put bluefin out of many consumers’ price range. Atlantic bluefin tuna stocks have fallen by 60 percent from 1997 to 2007, and environmentalists argue that a trading ban imposed by the 175-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, or CITES, would protect the fish. –AP Currently 80%…
Tags: Atlantic, bluefin, China, endangered, growing, japan, Japanese, sushi, taste, tuna
Nature, Politics, Wildlife & Flora, Mar 19th, 2010,
The threatened bluefin tuna will not be granted protected status. Japan and Canada opposed a ban on international trade on bluefin for economic reasons and received support from many developing nations. The Guardian reports that the vote at the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in Qatar tallied 172 member nations against the ban, with 43 in favor and 14 abstentions. The proposed trade ban was introduced by Monaco and had the support of the United States, Norway and Kenya. The European Union requested the implementation of any ban to be delayed until May 2011. It is…
Tags: Atlantic, ban, bluefin, convention, endangered, European, japan, Monaco, species, tuna, Union
Science & Technology, Wildlife & Flora, Mar 16th, 2010,
About 6 weeks ago, a group of researchers set out on a mission: to prove that Japan does not need to perform “lethal whale research” in order to obtain accurate and effective scientific information about the large marine mammals. The mission was a success. Australian, French and New Zealand scientists set out to Antarctic waters to perform their own nonlethal scientific research on the whales. Most of the whales studied were humpbacks; which the scientists took photos of and biopsy samples from 60 of them. They also attached satellite tracking devices to 30 of the whales in order to study…
Tags: Antarctica, expedition, humpback whales, IWC, japan, nonlethal whale research, study, whaling
Wildlife & Flora, Mar 13th, 2010,
The Japanese Coast Guard has arrested an anti-whaling activist of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society for “vessel invasion” after he boarded a Japanese whaling ship last month in the Southern Ocean. The activist, Captain Peter Bethune, from New Zealand, boarded the Japanese ship, the Shonan Maru 2, on February 15, and presented the captain of the ship a bill for $3 million in damages incurred when the Japanese vessel collided with and sunk the Sea Shepard trimaran, the Ady Gil. Immediately after boarding the vessel, Bethune was detained by the Japanese crew and held on board the ship for a…
Tags: Ady Gil, arrest, japan, sea sheperd, whale activist, Whale Wars, whaling
Nature, Politics, Wildlife & Flora, Mar 12th, 2010,
The 12 day CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) meetings begin on Saturday in the city of Doha, capital of the Arab emirate of Qatar. The talks will attempt to hammer out transnational policies concerning the management and protection of animal and plant species that are threatened with endangerment or extinction due to international commerce. From the CITES website: Annually, international wildlife trade is estimated to be worth billions of dollars and to include hundreds of millions of plant and animal specimens. The trade is diverse, ranging from live animals and plants…
Tags: African, bluefin, CITES, elephant, endangered, ivory, japan, New York Times, polar bear, species, trade, tuna, United States, US
Climate & Change, Nature, Wildlife & Flora, Mar 10th, 2010,
Back in the headlines after a triumphant Oscar win for Best Documentary Feature, the makers of the anti dolphin slaughter and capture film The Cove have not been relaxing in the glow surrounding the awards ceremonies. According to an article in the Guardian, The Cove‘s director Louie Psihoyos and company have helped bust an American sushi restaurant for serving whale meat. Called The Hump, the Santa Monica, California establishment was filmed serving sei whale meat to undercover members of the crew from The Cove. ‘These are endangered animals. They are protected species. It is one thing for the Japanese to…
Tags: dolphin, japan, meat, Psihoyos, restaurant, slaughter, sushi, The Cove, whale
Nature, Mar 8th, 2010,
Two months ago, the Ady Gil was rammed, severed in half, and destroyed. About a month ago, Captain Pete Bethune of the Ady Gil, jumped aboard the Shonan Maru #2, with the intentions of handing over a bill for the cost of his ship plus making a citizen’s arrest of the Shonan Maru #2’s captain. However, the attempt was futile and resulted in Captain Bethune being held captive aboard the Japanese ship. Now, the Shonan Maru #2 is moving ever closer to Japan—and to Captain Bethune’s arrest. The Japanese Coast Guard is currently waiting for the Shonan Maru #2’s arrival,…
Tags: Ady Gil, arrest, Captain Pete Bethune, japan, Japanese whalers, Sea Shepherd, Whale Wars
Nature, Politics, Science & Technology, Wildlife & Flora, Mar 7th, 2010,
Last week, 25 nations met in Florida to discuss ongoing whaling issues. The main focus of the meeting was a compromise that would allow Iceland, Japan and Norway to hunt whales openly (despite a 1986 ban on commercial whaling); but in turn the 3 nations would be required to greatly reduce their quotas over a 10-year period and their whaling activities would also be closely monitored by the IWC. The meeting resulted in absolutely nothing. No compromise was struck and nothing was agreed to, especially between Australia and Japan, who are clashing the most on the issue. Japan basically wants…
Tags: 1986 ban on commercial whaling, australia, compromise, Florida, International Whaling Commission, IWC, japan, meeting, moratorium, whaling
Climate & Change, Nature, Politics, Science & Technology, Wildlife & Flora, Mar 2nd, 2010,
Today, a number of officials are gathering in Florida to discuss the ongoing issues with whaling. Things appear to be split at least 3 ways amongst them and right now it’s hard to tell what direction the meeting will go in. First, you have the IWC (International Whaling Commission), which is responsible for slapping a 1986 ban on commercial whaling. Since Japan uses “lethal research” as a loophole, while Iceland and Norway completely ignore the ban altogether, the IWC is hoping to strike up a compromise. Part of this compromise includes more control over the whaling done by those nations,…
Tags: 1986 commercial whaling ban, australia, carbon, climate change, compromise, global warming, IWC, japan, meeting, research, study, the forests of the ocean, whales, whaling
Nature, Politics, Wildlife & Flora, Mar 1st, 2010,
Last week the European Commission backed a ban on the international trade of bluefin tuna due to overfishing and a critical decline in global fish stocks. The EU will look for support from its 27 member states. According to a report from the Voice of America, key European players Italy and France have already voiced support for the ban, but European fishermen are opposed. Japan – the major consumer of bluefin tuna – said it would not recognize a ban. A spokesperson for the WWF was quoted by the VOA: “We are seeing a historic decline in the order of…
Tags: ban, bluefin, End of the Line, EU, European, fishermen, ignore, japan, overfishing, tuna
Nature, Videos & Documentaries, Wildlife & Flora, Feb 22nd, 2010,
![]( "<!--:en-->Preserving Japan")
' src='http://gf1.statico.be/wp-content/themes/greenfudge/thumbnails/7577.jpg' alt='preserving-japans-giant-salamanders' class='art-teaser' width='95' height='95' /> In Japan, the giant salamander – or hanzaki – is a national monument. Children sing its praises and a festival is held in its honor. Unlike most salamanders, which are generally only a couple of inches or a few centimeters in length, the hanzaki can grow to be an enormous 1.5 meters (5 feet) long and weigh as much as 34 kg (80 lbs). This ancient species of giant salamander has barely changed for 20 million years and has a definite prehistoric look to it. But human activity threatens its continued survival. The building of dams and dykes has significantly…
Tags: BBC, Chinese, giant, habitat, hanzaki, human, japan, salamander
Nature, Videos & Documentaries, Wildlife & Flora, Jan 29th, 2010,
Kinki University in Japan has developed a way to farm prized bluefin tuna, but it is far from eco-friendly according to Greenpeace. The WWF predicts Mediterranean bluefin will be wiped out by 2012 because of overfishing to sate the appetite of gourmet diners. –CNN Read the CNN article on bluefin tuna ranching and check out the embedded video report. CNN Eco Solutions – Japan’s ‘greener’ tuna Additional resources: The overfishing of tuna causes environmental and economic problems around the world
Tags: bluefin, CNN, japan, overfishing, problem, tuna
Climate & Change, Politics, Videos & Documentaries, Dec 6th, 2009,
![]( "<!--:en-->Mixed reactions for Obama")
' src='http://gf1.statico.be/wp-content/themes/greenfudge/thumbnails/2357.jpg' alt='mixed-reactions-for-obamas-emissions-target' class='art-teaser' width='95' height='95' /> Though Barack Obama has confirmed that he’ll be attending the COP15 climate summit in Copenhagen, the U.S. president’s recently stated goals have received ‘Lukewarm praise’ from the UNFCCC among others. While many welcomed news of President Obama’s participation in Copenhagen, organizations like the WWF and Friends of the Earth would clearly like to a greater commitment than the promised 17% drop from 2005 levels of greenhouse gas emissions for the U.S. According to an AFP article: ‘The European Union has vowed to reduce its emissions by 20 percent from 1990 levels before 2020, raising the target to 30 percent in…
Tags: cop15, emissions, european union, japan, Obama, US
Nature, Videos & Documentaries, Wildlife & Flora, Nov 30th, 2009,
In the oceans around the world tuna stocks are disappearing due to massive overfishing, causing imbalances in ecosystems and a loss of livelihood for many who depend on their healthy stocks. General Santos City in the southern Philippines is one place where plummeting tuna populations spell economic hardship for many of residents. Much of the large yellowtail tuna caught off of General Santos is shipped for consumption in Japan, another place feeling the economic strain of tuna depletion. Japan also consumes 80% of the 60,000 tons of bluefin tuna caught annually around the world. And bluefin can be expensive. A…
Tags: bluefin, environmental, japan, overfishing, Philippines, tuna, yellowfin
Uncategorized, Nov 25th, 2009,
A recent study by the Breakthrough Institute and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation shows that the U.S. could be eclipsed by Asia in terms of investing on clean technology and clean energy. Governments of China, Japan and South Korea will shell out an estimated $519 billion from 2009 to 2013 for clean technology while the U.S. government budgeted around $172 billion for the same. Now that Asia is offering a better business and investment climate than the United States, the U.S. is slowly losing its edge in attracting venture capital and other private funding. This means that the U.S….
Tags: Asia, China, clean energy technology, investment, japan, renewable energy, South Korea, US
Climate & Change, Wildlife & Flora, Nov 17th, 2009,
People in the Chesapeake Bay area are stung 500,000 times per year (sometimes more than once) by jellyfish. The Philippines have It worse, with death tolls averaging between 20 and 40 people per year; also due to jellyfish. Jellyfish are becoming a big problem the world over—and not only for beachgoers. Due to climate change, nearly 2,000 species of jellyfish have been expanding their ranges, increasing in numbers and appearing in places earlier in the year. US Marine Scientist, Jennifer Purcell, found a connection between the change in jellyfish numbers and global warming at 11 different locations; including the North…
Tags: China, climate change, global warming, japan, largest jellyfish, Lion’s Mane jellyfish, migration, Nomura’s jellyfish
Politics, Wildlife & Flora, Sep 24th, 2009,
Hundreds of whales are killed per year, using cruel methods like explosive harpoons; and a number of the whales are also listed as Endangered, but apparently this is not enough to stop the horrendous efforts of the Japanese whaling industry. Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada met with Stephen Smith, his Australian counterpart, in an attempt to encourage Australia to help prevent violent attacks by activists against Japanese whalers. A Japanese foreign ministry official said that “our minister did not clearly state that the new Japanese government supports whaling, but I understand that his remarks were quite in line with the…
Tags: japan, sea sheperd, whaling, Wildlife & Flora
