Environmental Disaster Sites I Would Like to Visit

Fukushima

Koji Suzuki, a surfer and a surf shop owner, walking on the beach in front of a thermal power station after a surfing session in Minamisoma, Fukushima prefecture. Photo: Charly Triballeau/AFP (Getty Images)

Like Chernobyl, Fukushima has become a vessel for nuclear energy fears. A 2011 tsunami that led to the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant. Japan has since been struggling to figure out what to do with the radioactive waste at the site; some towns have offered to stash it away while the government has weighed dumping radioactive water into the ocean.

The exclusion zone has also become, like Chernobyl, a hot spot for animals rewilding the once-populated region. (Those animals have even been enlisted in monitoring radiation levels.) Some people are also returning and even partaking in activities like they used to, including surfing.

Previous Next

LA Has a Big Flea Problem. Typhus Cases Reached Record High Last Year

Cases of the serious bacterial disease reached a record high in the region last year. Here's how to avoid catching it.

Health Ed Cara Apr 6

California gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer speaking at a town hall in San Diego, California, on March 31, 2026.

This California Billionaire Wants to Tax AI Tokens to Create a Sovereign Wealth Fund

"We cannot have 12 trillionaires and 40 million people who can't make rent," says Tom Steyer.

Artificial Intelligence Matt Novak Apr 3

High Res Sonar Image Of Komsomolets Soviet Sub On The Seafloor Of The Norwegian Sea

Sunken Soviet Submarine Is Quietly Leaking Radiation Decades Later, Study Finds

While the nuclear-powered attack sub’s reactor appears to be ‘corroded,’ years of collaboration with Russian authorities has avoided a true marine disaster.

Science Matthew Phelan Mar 23

Tesla Goes After California DMV, Suing Over False Advertising Decision

Tesla claims California "wrongfully and baselessly" branded it a false advertiser over its “Autopilot” and “Full Self-Driving” labels.

Transportation Zac Estrada Feb 24

An artist's concept of MethaneSAT in space, showing the satellite against a starry black backdrop

An $88 Million Satellite Died Early—and Still Blew the Lid Off Industry Emissions

Researchers have released an initial assessment of the emissions data MethaneSat gathered before it suddenly went dark. The findings are damning.

Climate Change Ellyn Lapointe Feb 6

TikTok Swears It Didn’t Ban Sharing the Name ‘Epstein,’ as Gavin Newsom Announces Investigation

The scrutiny follows a rocky first week under new U.S. ownership./

Social Media Bruce Gil Jan 27