environment
Japan’s ‘cheapest’ cardboard beds can be bought and shipped to adventurous sleepers in the US for $50
A Japanese company specializing in cardboard boxes, Aasu Danboru (“Earth Cardboard”), has designed a cardboard bed that is available to purchase online for $50.
Cardboard beds have been used for some time in Japan at evacuation centers during disaster reliefs due to the ease of mass production, transport and disposal. Earth Cardboard, however, has made the bed available to everyone through online retailer Rakuten.
Last known Irrawaddy dolphin in northeastern Cambodia dies after fishing net entanglement
- The last known freshwater Irrawaddy dolphin in Northeastern Cambodia was found dead on Tuesday inside of a fishing net it had become entangled in.
- The fishing net hindered the dolphin’s ability to properly swim or hunt, which led to its death.
- Irrawaddy dolphins are considered a critically endangered species, with the total population dwindling to a mere 89 in 2020 from the 200 recorded in 1997.
The last known freshwater Irrawaddy dolphin in Northeastern Cambodia has died after getting caught in a fishing net on a riverbank of Stung Treng Province.
Cambodia’s Department of Fisheries Conservation announced the death of the freshwater dolphin, also known as the Mekong River dolphin, on its Facebook page on Wednesday, reported the Associated Press. The dolphin’s tail was reportedly seen tangled inside of a fishing net about a week before the animal’s remains were found.
East Asia could be flooded by ‘rivers in the sky’ due to climate change, scientists warn
- Researchers used model simulations to predict behaviors of atmospheric rivers under different climate change outcomes.
- A study found that an increase of 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius) would result in “unprecedented extreme rainfall” in East Asia.
- The greatest rainfalls, according to the simulation, would occur in Taiwan, northeastern China, the Korean Peninsula and parts of Japan, mainly the southwestern slope of the Japanese Alps.
East Asia will suffer severe rainfalls unlike anything in the past if global warming persists, scientists from Japan’s University of Tsukuba say in a new study.
Such rainfalls, according to the researchers, will be the result of “long, narrow bands of concentrated vapor” called atmospheric rivers, which form as more water is transported through the air. These “rivers” in the sky can cause major flooding as soon as they hit barriers such as a mountain range, according to the university.
‘Apocalypse’: The world could be without internet for weeks after a solar storm, UCI researcher warns
A solar superstorm could cause a global internet collapse comparable to an apocalyptic event that could last for weeks, according to a study based on modeling experiments from the University of California, Irvine (UCI).
Key findings: Solar storms, also known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), can destabilize the Earth’s magnetic field and cause events that affect space and ground technology. Among them is the production of geomagnetically induced currents (GIC), which may enter and damage long-distance undersea cables that run the internet.
Small Chinese Village Spends 40 Years Transforming a Treeless Desert Into a Lush Forest
Thanks to afforestation efforts that span generations, a village in northwestern China managed to transform from a bare desert into a thriving green community.
Yikeshu, meaning “one tree,” is an incorporated village in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (NHAR).
9 Ways to Be More Eco-Conscious This Holiday Season
With the holiday season comes endless tinsel, gifts, and decorations. And with it, also comes mountains of waste piled as high as a Christmas tree.
If Greta Thunberg hasn’t scared you enough into being more eco-conscious lately, let me just reiterate:
Growing Rice May Release as Much Greenhouse Gases as 1,200 Coal Power Plants
Whether one grew up in an Asian household or chose to hop on the growing trend of vegetarianism or veganism, having rice as a staple part of one’s diet, unfortunately, hurts the environment.
According to nonprofit group Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), global rice cultivation poses the same catastrophic effect on climate change as 1,200 average-sized coal power plants, at least in the short term, Bloomberg reported.
Indonesia is Becoming a Landfill for Western Countries Because of Environmental Loopholes
Environmental activists in Indonesia are speaking out against the alleged loopholes of the Trade Ministry’s 2016 regulation on waste imports that have essentially turned their home into a dump site for other countries.
The environmental group Bali Fokus called upon the authorities to improve Indonesia’s policies so plastic waste smuggling can be prevented, the Jakarta Post reported.
China Closes Mount Everest’s Base Camp Because Tourists Turned it Into a Dump
The Chinese government has closed down the base camp of Mount Everest and the area beyond, with officials citing the growing number of waste and garbage left by tourists as the reason.
The local government in Dingri County in Tibet posted several notices in December 2018 about the new national environmental protection law, which states, “no unit or individuals are allowed entry into the core area of the Mount Qomolangma (Tibetan name for Everest) National Nature Reserve.”
China Opens the World’s First Underground 5-Star Hotel to the Public
The world’s first underground luxury hotel in Songjiang, Shanghai is now accepting reservations beginning Nov. 20 with prices starting at 3,380 yuan ($490) a night.
McDonald’s in Japan Starts Using Trays Made Form Recycled Plastic Toys
McDonald’s in Japan are using trays recycled from plastic toys as part of the fast food chain’s attempt to reduce plastic waste.
China’s First Pro Surfer Calls to Save the Ocean From ‘Waves of Trash’
Darci Liu, regarded as “China’s first pro surfer,” is now an environmental activist rallying to save the country’s coastlands.
Liu, who was raised about 1,000 kilometers away from the nearest ocean, earned recognition as China’s first professional surfer in 2014, when media outlets reported her participation in various surfing competitions a few years earlier.
