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Japan's Mount Fuji Eyes China-Made Tram to Transport Hikers, Source Says

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Sunday, November 17, 2024

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese authorities seeking to reduce the carbon footprint and overcrowding at Mount Fuji will propose a trackless, rubber-tyred tram system made by China's CRRC to transport climbers, a person with direct knowledge of the plan said.The new proposal, which has not been previously reported, would replace the original plan to build a light-rail system connecting the base to the fifth hiking station of the popular Yoshida Trail to the top after a local city and other parties, voiced concern over its environmental and cost impact.Yamanashi Prefecture, home of the most popular route used by climbers of the 3,776-metre (12,3388-foot) volcano, is set to announce the plan soon, the person told Reuters, asking for anonymity because the information is not yet public.Mount Fuji, which straddles Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Japan, whose numbers have surged in recent years.Pollution from the constant stream of tourist buses and cars arriving at the fifth station, as well as overcrowding on the trails, have become headaches for authorities seeking to clean up the site, which Japanese people hold sacred.Mount Fuji was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2013, further boosting its appeal. But the distinction came on the condition that Japan reduce overcrowding, environmental harm from visitors, and fix the artificial landscape, such as the large parking lots constructed to accommodate tourists.Shanghai-listed CRRC's "Autonomous Rapid Transit" is a new-generation tram that uses magnetic road markings and can be operated unmanned.Yamanashi prefecture plans to use locally produced hydrogen to power the tram, the source said. The transit system is expected to slash the project's cost by as much as 40% from the roughly 140 billion yen ($895 million) estimated for the rail system, said the source.The new plan would allow the prefecture to use the existing Fuji Subaru Line toll road and prohibit the entry of all private vehicles and sightseeing buses, the person said. The prefecture hopes to conduct a pilot run as early as the next fiscal year starting in April.Yamanashi is also aiming to build a tram network that would extend to local municipalities and connect to a magnetic levitation rail system planned by Central Japan Railway in the 2030s, the person said.Yamanashi prefecture declined to comment on the plan.During the summer climbing season between July to September this year, the mountain hosted 204,316 climbers. Authorities have said they hoped to control the number of visitors through a public transit system.(Reporting by Mariko Katsumura; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim and Christian Schmollinger)Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters.

By Mariko KatsumuraTOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese authorities seeking to reduce the carbon footprint and overcrowding at Mount Fuji will propose a...

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese authorities seeking to reduce the carbon footprint and overcrowding at Mount Fuji will propose a trackless, rubber-tyred tram system made by China's CRRC to transport climbers, a person with direct knowledge of the plan said.

The new proposal, which has not been previously reported, would replace the original plan to build a light-rail system connecting the base to the fifth hiking station of the popular Yoshida Trail to the top after a local city and other parties, voiced concern over its environmental and cost impact.

Yamanashi Prefecture, home of the most popular route used by climbers of the 3,776-metre (12,3388-foot) volcano, is set to announce the plan soon, the person told Reuters, asking for anonymity because the information is not yet public.

Mount Fuji, which straddles Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Japan, whose numbers have surged in recent years.

Pollution from the constant stream of tourist buses and cars arriving at the fifth station, as well as overcrowding on the trails, have become headaches for authorities seeking to clean up the site, which Japanese people hold sacred.

Mount Fuji was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2013, further boosting its appeal. But the distinction came on the condition that Japan reduce overcrowding, environmental harm from visitors, and fix the artificial landscape, such as the large parking lots constructed to accommodate tourists.

Shanghai-listed CRRC's "Autonomous Rapid Transit" is a new-generation tram that uses magnetic road markings and can be operated unmanned.

Yamanashi prefecture plans to use locally produced hydrogen to power the tram, the source said. The transit system is expected to slash the project's cost by as much as 40% from the roughly 140 billion yen ($895 million) estimated for the rail system, said the source.

The new plan would allow the prefecture to use the existing Fuji Subaru Line toll road and prohibit the entry of all private vehicles and sightseeing buses, the person said. The prefecture hopes to conduct a pilot run as early as the next fiscal year starting in April.

Yamanashi is also aiming to build a tram network that would extend to local municipalities and connect to a magnetic levitation rail system planned by Central Japan Railway in the 2030s, the person said.

Yamanashi prefecture declined to comment on the plan.

During the summer climbing season between July to September this year, the mountain hosted 204,316 climbers. Authorities have said they hoped to control the number of visitors through a public transit system.

(Reporting by Mariko Katsumura; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim and Christian Schmollinger)

Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters.

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South Korea's Mountain of Plastic Waste Shows Limits of Recycling

By Joyce LeeSEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea has won international praise for its recycling efforts, but as it prepares to host talks for a global...

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea has won international praise for its recycling efforts, but as it prepares to host talks for a global plastic waste agreement, experts say the country's approach highlights its limits.When the talks known as INC-5 kick off in Busan next week, debate is expected to centre around whether a U.N. treaty should seek to limit the amount of plastic being made in the first place.Opponents of such an approach, including major plastic and petrochemical producers like Saudi Arabia and China, have argued in previous rounds that countries should focus on less contentious topics, such as plastic waste management.South Korea says that it recycles 73% of its plastic waste, compared to about 5%-6% in the United States, and the country might seem to be a model for a waste management approach.The bi-monthly MIT Technology Review magazine has rated South Korea as "one of the world’s best recycling economies", and the only Asian country out of the top 10 on its Green Future Index in 2022.But environmental activists and members of the waste management industry say the recycling numbers don't tell the whole story.South Korea's claimed rate of 73% "is a false number, because it just counts plastic waste that arrived at the recycling screening facility - whether it is recycled, incinerated, or landfilled afterward, we don't know," said Seo Hee-won, a researcher at local activist group Climate Change Center.Greenpeace estimates South Korea recycles only 27% of its total plastic waste. The environment ministry says the definition of waste, recycling methods and statistical calculation vary from country to country, making it difficult to evaluate uniformly.South Korea's plastic waste generation increased from 9.6 million tonnes in 2019 to 12.6 million tonnes in 2022, a 31% jump in three years partly due to increased plastic packaging of food, gifts and other online orders that mushroomed during the pandemic, activists said. Data for 2023 has not been released.A significant amount of that plastic is not being recycled, according to industry and government sources and activists, sometimes for financial reasons.At a shuttered plastic recycling site in Asan, about 85 km (53 miles) south of Seoul, a mountain of about 19,000 tonnes of finely ground plastic waste is piled up untreated, emitting a slightly noxious smell. Local officials said the owner had run into money problems, but could not provide details."It will probably take more than 2-3 billion won ($1.43 million-$2.14 million) to remove," said an Asan regional government official. "The owner is believed unable to pay, so the cleanup is low priority for us."Reuters has reported that more than 90% of plastic waste gets dumped or incinerated because there is no cheap way to repurpose it, according to a 2017 study.South Korean government's regulations on single-use plastic products have also been criticised for being inconsistent. In November 2023, the environment ministry eased restrictions on single-use plastic including straws and bags, rolling back rules it had strengthened just a year earlier."South Korea lacks concrete goals toward reducing plastic use outright, and reusing plastic," said Hong Su-yeol, director of Resource Circulation Society and Economy Institute and an expert on the country's waste management.Nara Kim, a Seoul-based campaigner for plastic use reduction at Greenpeace, said South Korea's culture of valuing elaborate packaging of gifts and other items needs to change, while other activists pointed to the influence of the country's petrochemical producers."Companies are the ones that pay the money, the taxes," said a recycling industry official who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue, adding that this enabled them to wield influence. "The environment ministry is the weakest ministry in the government."The environment ministry said South Korea manages waste over the entire cycle from generation to recycling and final disposal.The government has made some moves to encourage Korea Inc to recycle, including its petrochemical industry that ranks fifth in global market share.President Yoon Suk Yeol said at the G-20 summit on Tuesday that "efforts to reduce plastic pollution must also be made" for sustainable development, and that his government will support next week's talks.The government has changed regulations to allow companies like leading petrochemical producer LG Chem to generate naphtha, its primary feedstock, by recycling plastic via pyrolysis. SK Chemicals' depolymerisation chemical recycling output has already been used in products such as water bottles as well as tyres for high-end EVs.Pyrolysis involves heating waste plastic to extremely high temperatures causing it to break down into molecules that can be repurposed as a fuel or to create second-life plastic products. But the process is costly, and there is also criticism that it increases carbon emissions."Companies have to be behind this," said Jorg Weberndorfer, Minister Counsellor at the trade section of the EU Delegation to South Korea."You need companies who really believe in this and want to have this change. I think there should be an alliance between public authorities and companies."(Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters.

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‘The Mountain Wagtail’: How Pollution and Mining Are Destroying Kyrgyzstan

As mining operations destroy millennia-old glaciers, Kyrgyzstani director Begaly Nargozu’s new film reflects a disappearing landscape and culture. The post ‘The Mountain Wagtail’: How Pollution and Mining Are Destroying Kyrgyzstan appeared first on The Revelator.

Every winter young Altyn, the protagonist of Kyrgyzstani director Begaly Nargozu’s 2023 film The Mountain Wagtail, would mount her horse, leave her village in the valley, and head to the syrt, an unchanging landscape of snow and glaciers stretching across the mountaintops of Kyrgyzstan, to help her nomadic grandparents herd their yaks. Altyn’s innocent, kind-hearted nature — nurtured by the beauty of the icy landscape and her grandparents’ reverence for it — is tested when, in the twilight of her teenage years, she moves to the capital of Bishkek to attend university. Staying with her older sister, a fully urbanized entrepreneur with a disdain for all things rural, Altyn soon finds herself confronted by all the trappings and evils of modern-day society, from substance abuse and sexual assault to domestic violence and environmental pollution. The Mountain Wagtail premiered in 2023 and has recently played at ecology-themed Sprouts Film Festival in Amsterdam and other film festivals across Europe and Asia. Nargozu says his village, like Altyn’s unnamed hometown, is surrounded by “holy mountains which hundreds of people visit every day to pray and ask for a better life.” His tale of Altyn’s journey to the city echoes the journeys of many young Kyrgyzstani women as heavy industry and mining operations turn the countryside increasingly inhospitable. “Tons of dust rise into the air each day from mining development and settle on the surrounding glaciers,” he tells The Revelator. “Millions of cubes of ice are melted, billions of tons of harmful substances are poured into rivers. Every year, there are fewer pastures and grasslands. 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Historically, says Nargozu, “the Kyrgyz did not treat the mountains as consumers; they did not look for valuable materials there, blowing up anything and everything. On the contrary, they worshiped and prayed to them, living for thousands of years without major problems with nature, in harmony.” According to Nargozu, it was only with the advent of the colonization of imperial Russia that the extraction of valuable metals and toxic substances from the Kyrgyz mountains on an industrial scale began. Official film poster for The Mountain Wagtail. The distinction at the center of The Mountain Wagtail isn’t between urban and rural but syrt and non-syrt. Altyn’s village, though isolated, pastoral, and idyllic by western standards, is presented as a kind of Bishkek writ small: a sign of the future that awaits the Kyrgyzstani countryside.  Only the syrt remains free of the spiritual corruption radiating from Bishkek. 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On Friday at 11 p.m. an air quality alert was issued valid until Saturday at 8 p.m. for Tualatin Valley, West Hills and Chehalem Mountains, Inner Portland Metro, East Portland Metro and Outer Southeast Portland Metro."The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has issued an Air Quality Advisory, which is in effect until 8 p.m. Saturday. An Air Quality Advisory for Ozone has been issued. High levels of ozone in the lower atmosphere in the region combined with forecasted conditions will cause air quality to reach unhealthy levels at times through 8 p.m. Saturday. Pollutants in smoke can cause burning eyes, runny nose, aggravate heart and lung diseases, and aggravate other serious health problems. Limit outdoor activities and keep children indoors if it is smoky. Please follow medical advice if you have a heart or lung condition," says the National Weather Service.Guidance for air quality alerts: Insights from the weather serviceWhen an air quality alert is in effect, following the weather service guidance is pivotal. Here are some simple tips from the weather service for safeguarding your well-being:Retreat indoors whenever feasible:If you can, take refuge indoors, especially if you have respiratory concerns, underlying health conditions, or belong to the senior or child demographics.Minimize outdoor exposure:When you can't avoid going outdoors, keep outdoor activities to the bare essentials. Reducing your time outdoors is the key.Mitigate pollution sources:Be mindful of activities that increase pollution, like driving cars, operating gas-powered lawnmowers, or using motorized vehicles. Limit their usage during air quality alerts.A no to open burning:Resist the urge to burn debris or any other materials during an air quality alert. This practice only adds to the air pollution problem.Stay informed:Keep yourself well-informed by tuning in to NOAA Weather Radio or your preferred weather news outlet. Staying in the loop empowers you to make informed decisions regarding outdoor engagements during air quality alerts.Respiratory health caution:If you have respiratory problems or underlying health conditions, exercise extra caution. These conditions can increase your vulnerability to adverse effects from poor air quality.By adhering to the recommendations from the weather service, you can enhance your safety during air quality alerts and reduce your exposure to potentially harmful pollutants. Stay vigilant, stay protected, and prioritize your health above all else.Advance Local Weather Alerts is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to compile the latest data from the National Weather Service.

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On Wednesday at 1:27 p.m. an air quality alert was issued valid until Thursday at 8 p.m. for Tualatin Valley, West Hills and Chehalem Mountains, Inner Portland Metro, East Portland Metro, Outer Southeast Portland Metro, East Central Willamette Valley, West Columbia River Gorge of Oregon above 500 ft, West Columbia River Gorge I-84 Corridor, Clackamas County Cascade Foothills and North Oregon Cascades."The Southwest Clean Air Agency and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality have issued an Air Quality Advisory, which is in effect until 8 p.m. Thursday. An Air Quality Advisory for smoke and ozone has been issued. Wildfires burning in the region combined with forecasted conditions will cause air quality to reach unhealthy levels due to smoke and ozone at times through 8 p.m. Thursday. Pollutants in smoke can cause burning eyes, runny nose, aggravate heart and lung diseases, and aggravate other serious health problems. Limit outdoor activities and keep children indoors if it is smoky. Please follow medical advice if you have a heart or lung condition," says the National Weather Service.Guidance for air quality alerts: Insights from the weather serviceWhen an air quality alert is in effect, following the weather service guidance is pivotal. Here are some simple tips from the weather service for safeguarding your well-being:Seek shelter indoors when possible:Whenever possible, seek refuge indoors, especially if you grapple with respiratory concerns, health issues, or belong to the senior or child demographicMinimize outdoor ventures:When venturing outside becomes unavoidable, limit your outdoor exposure strictly to essential tasks. Reducing your time outdoors is the name of the game.Scale back pollution-inducing practices:Be mindful of activities that exacerbate pollution, such as driving cars, operating gas-powered lawnmowers, or using other motorized vehicles. Limit their use during air quality alerts.A ban on open burning:Refrain from igniting fires with debris or any other materials during air quality alerts. Such practices only contribute to the problem of poor air quality.Stay well-informed:Stay updated by tuning in to NOAA Weather Radio or your preferred weather news outlet. Staying informed helps you make wise choices regarding outdoor activities during air quality alerts.Respiratory health matters:If you have respiratory problems or underlying health conditions, exercise extra caution. These conditions can increase your vulnerability to adverse effects from poor air quality.By adhering to the advice from the weather service, you can enhance your safety during air quality alerts while reducing your exposure to potentially harmful pollutants. Stay aware, stay protected, and make your health a top priority.Advance Local Weather Alerts is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to compile the latest data from the National Weather Service.

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