The quake, with a focal depth of 50 kilometers, injured 16 people in Aomori Prefecture and triggered a sudden, intense fire near a local nursery school. Over 100,000 residents received evacuation orders, while power outages affected approximately 4,200 households across Aomori and Iwate prefectures.

On December 5, the African Union convened a high-level pledging conference on the Horn of Africa drought in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Parts of Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya have now experienced five consecutive rainy seasons with insufficient rainfall, triggering a severe drought that has left over 28 million people facing a food crisis. The conference raised…

Recent torrential rains brought by Tropical Cyclone “Dithwa” have triggered floods and landslides across multiple countries in South Asia. As of December 3, Indonesia’s Sumatra Island has recorded 753 fatalities, 650 missing persons, and 3.3 million affected individuals; Sri Lanka has confirmed 390 deaths and 352 missing persons, with the country under a state of…

Japanese media reported on December 1 that a water body near the U.S. military base in Iwakuni, Japan, tested positive for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at a concentration of 134.4 nanograms per liter—approximately 2.7 times Japan’s national standard. This marks the third consecutive test showing elevated levels of these substances. These “persistent chemicals” are…

On December 1 local time, Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency reported that floods and landslides in Sumatra had claimed 604 lives with 464 people still missing. Such frequent disasters are often linked to extreme rainfall triggered by climate change. Heavy downpours loosen mountain soil while causing floods, delivering devastating blows to the lives of residents…

Since November 2025, Delhi, India, has been shrouded in a “toxic haze,” with the Air Quality Index (AQI) exceeding 400 for consecutive days. In some areas, it surged above 450, with PM2.5 concentrations 30 times higher than the World Health Organization’s safety standard—equivalent to inhaling 16 to 20 cigarettes daily. Hospitals have seen a surge…

The mercury pollution incident in Chile’s northern Atacama Region has intensified, with historical mining activities identified as the source. The latest monitoring in November revealed soil mercury levels exceeding safety thresholds by 50 times, impacting drinking water supplies and agricultural production in surrounding communities. Local residents exhibit widespread elevated blood mercury concentrations, with childhood developmental…

A massive explosion at a chemical plant near Yazoo City, Mississippi, has caused a significant leak of toxic ammonia gas. A white toxic gas cloud several meters high rose from the site, prompting the emergency evacuation of residents within a three-kilometer radius. Some individuals who did not evacuate in time reported symptoms including eye irritation…

By October 2025, the Israeli-Hamas conflict had left 39 million tons of rubble piled across Gaza, containing toxic substances like asbestos and lead that pollute the air and groundwater. A report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations reveals that 86% of Gaza’s farmland has been destroyed, 82.8% of agricultural wells are…

A UNICEF report released in October indicates that Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia have experienced a third consecutive failed rainy season, leaving over 7 million children under the age of five severely malnourished. Drought has caused food prices to soar and led to mass livestock deaths among pastoralists, while conflict and climate change have exacerbated the…