China’s CO2 emissions fall by record 8% in second quarter of 2022
China’s emissions have now fallen year-on-year for four consecutive quarters, extending what was already the longest sustained decline in recent history.
East Asia
Nintendo announces it will recognize same-sex partnerships even though Japan doesn’t
The Japanese video game company Nintendo has announced that it will extend marriage benefits to employees who are in same-sex partnerships.
China installs massive 17 GB of offshore wind power in 2021
China now has 26 GW of offshore wind power installed, the most of any nation and nearly half of the world’s cumulative capacity.
Japan withdraws funding for major coal projects in Indonesia and Bangladesh, effectively canceling them
Two planned coal-fired power plants, one in Indonesia and the other in Bangladesh, have had their funding withdrawn by the Japanese government, as part of Tokyo’s decision to no longer bankroll coal projects in either country.
New Chinese EV boasts groundbreaking 578-mile range
The Chinese manufacturer, NIO, claims the new ES7 can go 578 miles on a charge. By comparison, Tesla’s leading Model Y has a range of only 330 miles.
Korean scientists develop “nanomachines” that can penetrate and kill cancer cells
This new method directly kills cancer cells via mechanical movements without anticancer medication, in contrast to the capsule-type nanocarriers that deliver therapeutic drugs.
China builds world-first full-function space solar verification tower
Xidian University in Xi’an has built a 75 meter-tall ground verification system to perform and test all phases of space-based solar power generation and transmission.
Japan successfully tests giant turbine that generates renewable energy using deep ocean currents
During future tests, developer IHI Corp is hoping to generate two megawatts, with the hopes of kicking off commercial operations in the 2030s, Bloomberg reports.
Fastest carbon dioxide catcher heralds new age for direct air capture
The Tokyo Metropolitan University team’s new technology promises unprecedented performance and robustness in direct air capture systems.
Japan’s first carbon capture and storage facility to be live by 2030
According to Japan’s Industry Ministry, the country will store 120 to 240 million tons of CO2 in the year 2050.