Envision joins RE100 and makes most ambitious climate target of any member from mainland China
Shanghai-based energy technology manufacturer Envision has joined the global RE100 initiative committing to be powered by 100% electricity by 2025.
East Asia
East Asia spans countries including China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. This archive gathers reported milestones from the region — covering public health, environmental efforts, technology, and social progress. Each entry highlights specific, verifiable developments worth knowing about.
China’s solar power is now cheaper than grid electricity, scientists reveal
Scientists found that all of the 344 cities they looked at could have cheaper electricity powered by solar energy, according to the study published in the journal Nature Energy.
Japan records lowest suicide rate since statistics were first kept in 1978
2018 marks the ninth consecutive with a year-on-year decrease in suicides in Japan and the first time in 37 years for the total to fall below 21,000.
China set to reach carbon emission goals years early
China’s emissions could peak at 13 to 16 gigatonnes of CO2 and begin declining between 2021 and 2025. The official target is a peak by around 2030.
Japan elects Taiga Ishikawa as first openly gay male lawmaker
Taiga Ishikawa made history on July 21 when he became the first openly gay male lawmaker in the country’s history.
Tokyo unveils 2020 Olympic medals, made entirely from recycled cellphones
The Tokyo 2020 organizing committee unveiled its Olympic and Paralympic medal designs. They are all completely made of over six million recycled cellphones.
Scientists make ‘landmark’ discovery synthesizing anti-cancer molecules found in sea sponges
Their new strategy has already helped speed up research into these molecules, including a planned clinical trial in humans.
Thousands of Japanese women join campaign to ban workplace high heel requirements
More than 19,000 people in Japan have signed a petition to ban office dress codes which force women to wear high heels to work.
Taiwan legalizes same-sex marriage in historic first for Asia
Lawmakers in Taiwan have approved a bill legalizing same-sex marriage, making it the first place in Asia to pass gay marriage legislation.
China’s electric vehicle sales grow 118% year on year and fossil sales fall 13% in Q1 2019
The China passenger car association’s first quarter figures are in, and electric vehicle sales continue their rapid rise, up 118% year on year, to over 254,000.