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The south-western Japanese islands of Okinawa were hit by Typhoon Khanun on Wednesday, grounding flights and forcing local authorities to issue evacuation orders across the area. Khanun is the third typhoon to hit the east Asia region in recent weeks, following Talim and Doksuri, and registered wind speeds above 110mph, according to Japan's meteorological agency. A third of homes in Okinawa are believed to have had their power cut off because of the storm

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Covid-19 restrictions ushered in worldwide avian enthusiasm, with potential wellbeing benefits

Interest in wild bird feeding surged over the pandemic, a study has found.

Researchers used data from Google Trends to assess the weekly frequency of searches for terms including “bird feeder”, “bird food” and “bird bath” from January 2019 to May 2020. After two weeks of lockdown, there was a dramatic increase in bird-related searches.

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Cross-border loans from public banks could become a key driver of investment in gas-fired power plants in the Global South, researchers said in a report published on Wednesday that flagged signs of interest in fossil fuel financing caused by Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. 

Direct ocean carbon capture using membrane contactors that bring a solvent into contact with seawater to siphon off the CO2 offers a promising way to capture carbon from the ocean, which is at levels around 50 times greater than the amount in the atmosphere and providing a focus for several developers of innovate climate mitigation projects.

The market for UK peatland restoration projects is growing fast but needs clear parameters in the way of more regular verifications, contractual obligations, and better reporting guidelines for businesses in order to improve market liquidity and carbon credit sales.

Marina Silva welcomes progress but says climate crisis means upcoming regional summit needs to produce real action

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon fell by at least 60% in July compared to the same month last year, the environment minister, Marina Silva, has told the Guardian.

The good news comes ahead of a regional summit that aims to prevent South America’s largest biome from hitting a calamitous tipping point.

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Juvenile killer whales in the Atlantic are learning a dangerous game by copying adults.

Rising ocean temperatures caused by climate crisis are also said to be causing China’s extreme weather

Summers in China are often wet, sometimes very wet, but nothing like the drenching that has engulfed Beijing and its neighbouring provinces this week.

As Beijing authorities lifted the flood alert on Wednesday morning, after the city’s heaviest rainfall for 140 years, 21 people across the region were confirmed dead. Dozens more were missing.

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Failed states, a rise in authoritarian politics and heightened risks of conflict among potential threats outlined in thinktank’s assessment

Australia must prepare for “devastating” climate-fueled disruption in the Asia-Pacific, including failed states, forced migration and regional conflicts over water shortages, a stark briefing for federal politicians warns.

The Breakthrough National Centre for Climate Restoration thinktank has summarised the potential threats and impacts of the climate crisis in a note targeted at MPs.

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Team forced to practice in indoor pool ahead of competition in Spain amid high sewage levels off coast of Lancashire

British triathletes preparing for next month’s world championships have been forced to abandon open water swim training because of sewage in the sea off the coast of Lancashire.

Adam Diver, along with his teammates Richard Addison and Paul Bamber, will represent Great Britain at the World Triathlon Championship finals in Pontevedra, Spain, on 22-24 September.

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From the hills of Rio de Janeiro to Greece's Temple of Poseidon, stargazers across the world witnessed this month's supermoon. Called the sturgeon moon, it became visible at dusk on 1 August. Supermoons are full moons that come closest to Earth’s orbit, making them seem larger and brighter. The August full moon is named after the abundant sturgeon found in the lakes of North America in that month. It will be followed by a second full moon on 30 August, which will be called a blue moon as it appears in the same calendar month

• Starwatch: First of August’s two supermoons this week

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Patrick Vallance and Laura Sandys believed to be candidates for one of most senior climate policy jobs

At least 60 people have applied to be the next chair of the Committee on Climate Change, with the government planning to appoint a new head in November, the Guardian has learned.

Several of the most likely candidates for the role – one of the most senior jobs in the field of UK climate policy – have been ruled out or ruled themselves out.

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The canopies of the world’s tropical forests may be approaching vital high-temperature thresholds faster than previously thought, according to recent study.

European carbon prices extended their recent losses to a two-month low in active trading on Wednesday morning before rallying after weekly data from ICE showed investment funds had boosted their net long position last week, while UK Allowance prices continued their five-month decline to reach a new record low.

Heavy rain has hit China after Typhoon Doksuri, which has caused flooding that has destroyed roads, uprooted trees and knocked out power. Torrential rain in areas around Beijing has killed at least 20 people and left 27 missing. Thousands of people were evacuated to shelters in schools and other public buildings in suburban Beijing and in the nearby cities of Tianjin and Zhuozhou

• Beijing reports heaviest rain in 140 years

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The US federal government has released draft guidelines to support public agencies in including ecosystem services when doing cost-benefit analyses.

Turkey has withdrawn from hosting the 2024 UN biodiversity summit, citing a force majeure following the three devastating earthquakes earlier in the year, officials confirmed this week.

A Tokyo-listed industrial gas and hydrogen supplier has teamed up with a government-backed forestry company in Western Australia for a forestry project in the hope of acquiring carbon credits abroad.

An Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) deal for credits sourced from an environmental plantings project has traded for nearly double the generic market price level, sending a clear market valuation for the credit type, a trader said Wednesday.

Canada’s The Mining Company (TMC) said Tuesday it will apply to the International Seabed Authority (ISA) for a deep sea mining licence after the ISA Council meeting in July next year, and expects to begin operations in an area more than twice as big as initially planned in Q4 2025.