An upturn in iron ore prices on the back of promises from Chinese President Xi Jinping to take more effective measures to achieve the country’s economic and social development goals has proven to be just a blip. When Xi made his comments on June 23, iron ore prices bounced off a seven-month low of $109 .
Opinion: Japan must tackle plastic pollution on a global scale to truly win gold
July 12, 2021 (Mainichi Japan)
Christina Dixon (Courtesy of the Environmental Investigation Agency) Although the Japanese government deserves credit for striving to make the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games the greenest games ever, we need lasting solutions to plastic pollution. The media continues to fawn over efforts to green the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Projects include making medals, athletic apparel and even beds from recycled material. And it was reported that 24.5 tonnes of used plastic, equivalent to roughly 400,000 laundry detergent bottles, were gathered to produce recycled plastic podiums. It is safe to conclude that the Japanese Olympic Committee certainly takes home gold for public relations. But when it comes to plastic, are recycled plastic podiums just a gimmick hiding an uncomfortable truth?