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By Sharon Kimathi, Energy and ESG Editor, Reuters Digital

Hello,

It’s a tragic start to 2024 after a powerful earthquake struck central Japan on New Year’s Day, killing at least 48 people, destroying buildings, knocking out power to tens of thousands of homes and prompting residents in some coastal areas to flee to higher ground.

The quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6, triggered waves of about 1 meter along Japan’s west coast and neighboring South Korea.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) initially issued a major tsunami warning – its first since the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that struck northeast Japan killing nearly 20,000 people – for Ishikawa prefecture. It later downgraded the warning and eventually cut it to an advisory.

A man walks past a collapsed house, following an earthquake, in Nanao, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

Authorities have confirmed 48 fatalities, all in Ishikawa prefecture, making it Japan’s deadliest earthquake since at least 2016 when a 7.3 magnitude one struck in Kumamoto on the southern island of Japan, killing more than 220 people.

Many of those killed are in Wajima, a city on the remote northern tip of the Noto peninsula.

Scores more have been injured and authorities were battling blazes in several cities on Tuesday and hauling people from collapsed buildings.

“I’ve never experienced a quake that powerful,” said Wajima resident Shoichi Kobayashi, 71, who was at home having a celebratory New Year’s meal with his wife and son when the quake struck, sending furniture flying.

“Even the aftershocks made it difficult to stand up straight,” he said, adding his family were sleeping in their car because they could not return to their badly damaged home.

Rescue teams have been struggling to reach isolated areas where buildings had been toppled, roads wrecked and power cut to tens of thousands of homes.

A 3,000-strong rescue crew of army personnel, firefighters and police officers have been sent to the quake site on the Noto peninsula.

“The search and rescue of those impacted by the quake is a battle against time,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said during an emergency meeting on Tuesday, donning a blue outfit commonly worn by officials during disaster relief operations.

Kishida said rescuers were finding it very difficult to access the northern tip of the Noto peninsula where helicopter surveys had discovered many fires and widespread damage to buildings and infrastructure. There are around 120 cases of people awaiting rescue, his government spokesperson said.

Following the quake, a bright yellow message reading “Tsunami! Evacuate!” flashed across television screens advising residents in specific areas of the coast to immediately evacuate.

The quake also jolted buildings in the capital Tokyo, some 500 km from Wajima on the opposite coast.

Almost 32,000 households were still without power in Ishikawa prefecture late on Monday, according to utilities provider Hokuriku Electric Power, with temperatures set to drop to near freezing overnight in some areas. Tohoku Electric Power said 700 households remained without power in neighboring Niigata prefecture.

The quake also comes at a sensitive time for Japan’s nuclear industry, which has faced fierce opposition from locals since the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, which triggered nuclear meltdowns in Fukushima and devastated whole towns.

Japan last week lifted an operational ban imposed on the world’s biggest nuclear plant, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, which has been offline since 2011.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority said no irregularities were found at nuclear plants along the Sea of Japan, including five active reactors at Kansai Electric Power’s Ohi and Takahama plants in Fukui Prefecture.

Floodwater is seen at Lake Placid in Cairns, Australia. AAP/Nuno Avendano via REUTERS

“I see three critical sustainability trends this year. Firstly, there’s an urgent need for a sustainable energy revolution to address energy challenges. Secondly, managing water resources and ensuring access to clean water will be paramount. Lastly, a transition to a circular economy will gain prominence.”

Sérgio Ribeiro, CEO and co-founder of global ESG event,

Planetiers World Gathering

A tsunami measuring under one meter (3.3 ft) reached South Korea’s east coast in the wake of a massive earthquake that hit Japan on Monday, South Korea’s meteorological agency said, which added there may be more and larger waves in the next hours.

The first tsunami to reach South Korea’s coast was 67 cm (2.2 ft) but it may increase in size after the initial waves and may continue for more than 24 hours, the meteorological agency said.

Parts of Sakhalin island’s western coast and the mainland Primorsk and Khabarovsk regions, which are situated close to Japan on Russia’s Pacific seaboard, are under threat of tsunami, state news agency TASS reported on Monday, citing officials.

Jewelery produced from recycled and refined aluminium and sustainable lab-grown gemstones by jeweler Anabela Chan in her boutique in London, Britain. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

Marilyn Monroe sang “diamonds are a girl’s best friend”, but the unsustainable mining practices involved have since prompted some to look for ways to produce them.

This year’s first spotlight shines a light on the jewelry industry as an award-winning British designer sees greater worth in jewelry crafted using laboratory-grown gems and metal from recycled cans.

Anabela Chan said she chose her materials after witnessing what she said were poor working conditions in diamond mines.

“These are some of the most precious and valuable commodities in the world, that just didn’t make any sense to me,” she said, in her Knightsbridge boutique in central London.

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