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The UK population is getting older and faces deep financial, emotional and health issues. In the latest part of our series on the fallout from the nation's 'age quake', we examine how a crisis will affect us all as company pension schemes collapse and stock market failures hit private policies. Ruth Sunderland reports on a generation who face working into their seventies - or living out their old age in penury

In summary- the Japanese have developed the ability to extract a new (well actually it is old, but new type of gas to us) from deep within the ocean seabed.  This not unlike the recent developments with Shale Gas in the United States.  The process is far from perfect yet (and still in its infancy), but given the recent developments, it is likely that the Japanese will invest more into this project in order to fully realize the potential of this energy source.   a couple of points-  This new gas (methane hydrate) would still be considered a fossil fuel, but would burn cleaner than many of Japan's current energy suppliers (coal). Japan's largest supply of energy (nuclear) is under heavy scrutiny lately after the Fukishima disaster- which could be argued as the largest, most far reaching enviornmental disaster in History.  They are trying to move away from relience on nuclear energy which has resulted in a heavy increase on imported fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas)- which has had the consequence of driving up energy prices for its citizens and hurting the economy. If this energy source were to work out/pay out- this would bring much needed relief to Japan's "energy crisis" and relience on imported fossil fuels. This extraction of this new type of energy, like Shale Oil and Gas, is likely very very risky and could have calamatious effects on the surrounding enviornment, if in the event a spill/leak where to happen (this gas is deep deep within the ocean seabed.. A leak would be very very hard to stop). Recent developments could mean movement away from Japan's current trend of investing in (and development of) green energies such as wind, solar, and geothermal. The exact properties of undersea hydrates and how they might affect the environment are still poorly understood, given that methane is a greenhouse gas.   So my questions are: Should Japan pursue this course of action (developing this new type of energy)? What happens if

With stories of old TVs ending up in Nigerian landfill sites, the collapse in demand for recycled materials, and claims that incineration is a better way to dispose of waste, there's a growing backlash against recycling. So should we still be washing up those baked beans cans? Leo Hickman finds out

100 Year Old - Increases

China rethinks its One Child Policy

Sep 28th 2011, 13:54 by The Economist online The economic impact of demographics in Asia INVESTORS are often lured to countries like India and Vietnam by their demographic promise-by their fast-growing population of workers and consumers. Likewise, investors in China often worry that it "will grow old before it grows rich".

Which countries have most elderly people?

Britain's ageing population is staying younger for longer, say medical experts. Though there are far more people in their 80s and 90s than ever before, many remain cheerfully independent