East Asia | Peter Schulte

Japanese scientists build world’s first wooden satellite

By Peter Schulte / May 30, 2024 / Good news links

The satellite dubbed LignoSat, a collaboration between Kyoto University and the company Sumitomo Forestry, is reportedly slated for launch in September onboard a SpaceX rocket. If successful, the tiny device — just four inches on each side — could represent a major breakthrough in space sustainability efforts. The idea is that it’ll burn up entirely upon reentry, vastly reducing its environmental impact compared to traditional metal spacecraft.

G7 agree to close all coal-fired generating stations by 2035

By Peter Schulte / April 30, 2024 / Good news links

Energy ministers from the G7 countries — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union — agreed at a meeting in Turin, Italy, to close all coal-fired generating stations in their countries by 2035 if not sooner. Putting an end date on coal — the most polluting of all fossil fuels — has been highly controversial at international climate talks. Until this point, Japan, which derived 32% of its electricity from coal in 2023 according to the climate advocate Ember, has blocked progress on the issue at past G7 meetings.

Number of houseless people in Japan hits record low

By Peter Schulte / April 26, 2024 / Good news links

The number of unhoused people in Japan fell 8.0% as of January from a year earlier to 2,820, the lowest level since data began in 2003, the health ministry said in a recent survey report.

Mongolia signs landmark climate finance deal for its grasslands

By Peter Schulte / April 23, 2024 / Good news links

Mongolia’s government and a coalition of partners have signed a nature finance agreement aimed at protecting 35.6 million acres of the country’s lands and waters, including the world’s last great tract of temperate grassland. The agreement dubbed “Eternal Mongolia” will see a global donor-supported transition fund worth $71 million combined with a government commitment to spend $127 million on conservation over a 15-year period.

Solar panels reflect sparkling light from the Sun

Japan “fossil fuel dinosaur” launches massive 20GW global renewables platform

By Peter Schulte / April 16, 2024 / Good news links

Jera, Japan’s largest power company and one of the largest thermal power producers in the world, has announced the launch of a major new global renewables business, becoming the latest fossil giant to act on the existential threat of net zero to its business model. Based out of the U.K., the new company – called Jera Nex – will be tasked with delivering on Jera’s stated ambition to develop a massive 20GW of renewable capacity by 2035, enough to power millions of homes.

Global life expectancy increased by 6.2 years between 1990 and 2021

By Peter Schulte / April 3, 2024 / Good news links

A new study from the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation found that the super-region of Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Oceania had the world’s largest net gain in life expectancy between 1990 and 2021 (8.3 years), largely due to reductions in mortality from chronic respiratory diseases, stroke, lower respiratory infections, and cancer.

Aichi becomes Japan’s first prefecture to consider same-sex couples with children as family

By Peter Schulte / March 30, 2024 / Good news links

Aichi – which is home to Japan’s fourth largest city Nagoya – will become the country’s first prefecture to recognize non-heterosexual and common-law couples and their children as families under a “family ship” oath system that will come into effect on April 1. Those who take the oath will have the right to public housing provided by the prefecture and will have the right to give consent when a loved one needs surgery at a hospital managed by the prefecture.

Chinese fossil car production plunges amid surging EV demand

By Peter Schulte / March 17, 2024 / Good news links

A Financial Times story reports that the asset value of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle factories has plummeted as legacy carmakers scale back production because of the growing popularity of electric vehicles. China’s 2023 ICE vehicle production is down a staggering 37% from its peak of 17.7 million in 2017, in a major win for climate action.

Japanese high court rules same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional

By Peter Schulte / March 14, 2024 / Good news links

Japan’s march toward marriage equality took a giant leap when a high court ruled the country’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. Civil code rules limiting marriage to couples of the opposite sex, the high court in Sapporo ruled, are “unconstitutional” and “discriminatory.” Existing law, the justices wrote, should be revised or rewritten to include other types of unions in addition to those between a man and a woman.

Japan expands free day care centers to all children

By Peter Schulte / March 5, 2024 / Good news links

The Japanese government announced that it will now offer free daycare to all children aged 6 months to 2 years old, regardless of parents’ employment status. The “Childcare Access for All” program, set to begin in April 2024 with a trial run in 150 municipalities, will see nationwide implementation by 2026. All children within the age range will be eligible, with initial access capped at 10 hours per month, though an increase is planned for 2026.