Region: International

Notes From Japan

A few environmental observations from my family vacation in Tokyo.  The first is an obvious one:  Tokyo’s public transportation system is a marvel.  Several American cities have admirable subway systems but what is so impressive about Tokyo’s is the sheer area it covers.  It’s the largest subway and train system in the world.  No American …

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North Korea and the Environment

Like most people, I knew that North Korea was short on food.  What I didn’t realize is that this is largely due to environmental degradation.  According to a 2004 U.N. report,”Major crop yields fell by almost two thirds during the 1990s due to land degradation caused by loss of forest, droughts, floods and tidal waves, …

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Some good news from Afghanistan

With the help of the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and others, Afghanistan is in the process of creating its first national park, Band-e-Amir, a region of lakes and waterfalls among the mountains in Bamiyan province. The effort is not without challenges, including an extraordinarily remote location, leftover land mines, and …

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Can NEPA save the world?

New Scientist‘s blog, Short Sharp Science, reports that repairs on the proton-smashing Large Hadron Collider at Europe’s CERN may be complete by September. What’s the environmental law connection? You might recall that before the LHC was briefly fired up in September 2008 (it only worked for 9 days before crashing), a lawsuit was filed in …

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An International Renewable Energy Agency

Prometheus and Nature News report that on January 26th, 75 nations signed an agreement calling for the creation of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).  Its mission is to become  “the main driving force in promoting a rapid transition towards the widespread and sustainable use of renewable energy on a global scale. Acting as the …

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