-
ECSP Weekly Watch | September 9 – 13
›A window into what we’re reading at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program
Fukushima Nuclear Clean-up Begins (The Diplomat)
It has been over 13 years since a massive 9.0 earthquake near the coastline of Japan in 2011 triggered a tsunami that irreversibly damaged the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Failing cooling systems within the plant led to the melting of its radioactive core reactor, which dripped toxic fallout across the plant and in the larger ecosystem. Since that catastrophe, Japan has been devising ways to responsibly clean the waste in Fukushima—and it might be getting closer to a final answer.
-
ECSP Weekly Watch | July 15 – 19
›A window into what we are reading at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program
Shedding Light on Imperial Oil’s Dark Waters (Mongabay)
Canada has the fourth-largest tar sands (oil deposits) in the world. Separating the bitumen used in industries and construction creates large volumes of toxic wastewater, which is stored in tailings ponds that now cover a staggering 270 square kilometers. Unresolved infrastructure mishaps at one such site in Alberta operated by Imperial Oil means that contaminants have polluted nearby waters so significantly that it has affected public health and the livelihoods of indigenous communities in downstream areas.
-
Methane Emissions: Can the United States and China Find Common Ground?
›As relations between the United States and China become increasingly acrimonious, reducing methane emissions from oil and gas operations remains an exceptional arena where respectful engagement between both countries endures.
Methane is a highly-intensive, short-lived climate pollutant, and it is responsible for about 30 percent of current global warming. Two-fifths of the global total of human-caused methane derives from fossil fuel production, including oil and gas. And the U.S. and China play an outsized role. The US leads the world in oil and gas production and sectoral methane emissions, while China ranks in the top five producers. China is also the global leader in total methane releases, including agriculture, livestock, coal production, and waste emissions.
-
Tackling Food Waste in China’s Restaurants
›China Environment Forum // Cool Agriculture // Guest Contributor // May 2, 2024 // By Shiyang Li & Sam GrayBack in 2020, Shiyang Li at Rare visited restaurants across China to interview over 30 different owners and staff about the attitudes, beliefs, and everyday behaviors that contribute to food waste. Similar to global trends, food waste in China remains a significant challenge. A 2020 survey found restaurants in Chinese cities wasted at least 34 million tons of food every year, which can feed as many as 49 million people.
-
Food Waste: A Low-Hanging Fruit for Methane Reductions
›China Environment Forum // Cool Agriculture // February 8, 2024 // By Jennifer Nguyen, Jennifer Turner & Karen ManclThis blog is modified from the Wilson Center-OSU “Cultivating US and Chinese Climate Leadership on Food and Agriculture Roadmap” publication.
“Waste is something that most of us just don’t see,” stressed Pete Pearson, Senior Director, Food Loss and Waste, WWF, at a recent Wilson Center event. Though people are “conditioned” to be blind to food waste, continued Pearson, this not-so-invisible problem wastes a third of food grown around the world. When this wasted food decomposes, it emits methane, accounting for 8 to 10% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
-
From Animal Waste to Energy: A Climate Solution on Chinese Farms
›China Environment Forum // Cool Agriculture // Guest Contributor // waste // November 16, 2023 // By Tongxin Zhu & Diego Montero
Showing posts from category methane.