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The Spix macaw, a bird that had once vanished in the wild, is now thriving in its South American homeland after a successful breeding programme

Twenty years ago, the future of the Spix’s macaw could not have looked bleaker. The last member of this distinctive parrot species disappeared from the wild, leaving only a few dozen birds in collectors’ cages across the globe. The prospects for Cyanopsitta spixii were grim, to say the least.

But thanks to a remarkable international rescue project, Spix’s macaws – with their grey heads and vivid blue plumage – have made a stunning comeback. A flock now soars freely over its old homeland in Brazil after being released there a month ago. Later this year, conservationists plan to release more birds, and hope the parrots will start breeding in the wild next spring.

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Campaigners warn crucial legislation must not be abandoned while the UK government is distracted

Crucial environment legislation must not be allowed to be sidelined or abandoned amid the distraction of a Tory leadership race, campaigners have warned.

Ministers openly admit they do not know what is going on with much of the legislation, but those who remain in government are working with skeleton teams to get bills in shape to be passed.

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A daily summary of our news plus bite-sized updates from around the world.

Speculators saw their California Carbon Allowance (CCA) rebound slightly this week as the third quarter began, while compliance entities’ position decreased for the first time in five weeks, according to US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) data published Friday.

This year’s COP UN climate talks host Egypt has unveiled an updated NDC, setting an emissions goal that would still see its GHG output rise by 2030, a move that still represents a scale-up on its initial target-free pledge.

EU industries have another thing to worry about when it comes to the EU's proposed carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), and have moved on from campaigning against the removal of free allowances, to opposing the policy's scope expansion, because of its knock-on effect for government handouts.

Emlyn Rees fined £1,600 as judge says he is unable to imprison him for seven-year operation that ‘significantly’ impacted fish stocks

The ringleader of a fish-poaching operation that caused “staggering damage” to salmon and sea trout populations in a Welsh river has avoided prison after a judge expressed regret that he did not have the power to give him a custodial sentence.

Bricklayer Emlyn Rees, 35, from the village of Cenarth in Carmarthenshire, headed an operation that caught 989 sea trout and 302 salmon over seven years.

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A Pennsylvania judge on Friday afternoon blocked the state from implementing its RGGI-linked cap-and-trade regulation just one week after the state entered the power sector carbon market, with further court hearings on the legality of the programme scheduled for this fall. 

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A European carbon price of around $300 per tonne in 2030 is required to remain on an 'orderly' pathway to a Paris Agreement-aligned warming target, according to modelling in the European Central Bank's first climate stress test published Friday that said stringent policy measures were urgently required to avoid billions of financial losses across euro zone banks.

Sustainable agriculture firm UPL on Friday announced the European leg of its plan to sequester 1 bln tonnes of CO2 through the generation of carbon offsets.

EU ETS prices ended H1 2022 nearly 12% higher than where they ended 2021, as soaring energy costs have raised the spectre of carbon demand destruction despite a steady bullish drumbeat coming from the revival in coal-fired power generation as Europe accelerates its switch away from Russian fossil fuels.

Countries including France made a tad more progress in June handing out this year’s free carbon permit allocations under the EU ETS, according to data from the European Commission.

A new blockchain-based carbon venture that raised some $2.4 million in crypto coins in a recent launch will initially offer trade in tokenised EUAs and other compliance carbon units while promising a 916,474% first-year return for those investing in its governance token.

Court of appeal judgment allows £5bn lawsuit against mining giant BHP by more than 200,000 victims of 2015 Mariana dam disaster

More than 200,000 victims of Brazil’s worst environmental disaster will have their case heard in a UK court, making it the largest group claim in English legal history.

The lawsuit is against the Anglo-Australian mining company BHP – one of the biggest companies in the world – for their involvement in the collapse of the Mariana dam in 2015, which released toxic mining waste down 400 miles (640km) of waterways along the Doce River. Claimants are seeking at least £5bn ($6bn) in compensation.

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Sustainability is key to survival of billions of people, says UN study, which notes income from wild species incentivises conservation

• Patrick Vallance: ‘We need to change if we’re to survive’

Wild plants, animals, fungi and algae support half of the world’s population but their future use is threatened by overexploitation, according to a new assessment by leading scientists.

From the 10,000 known wild species that humans harvest for food to the firewood that one in three people need for cooking, nature is key to the livelihoods and survival of billions of people in developed and developing countries, says a new UN report.

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The best of this week’s wildlife pictures, including baby lemurs, a fulmar and a sulphur-crested cockatoo

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Carbon was heading for its first five-day loss in a month on Friday morning, albeit amid modest volume and wide bid-offer spreads, while energy commodities also snapped their recent run of strong bullish performances amid speculation that gas flows from Russia could soon increase.

Tiwi elder Dennis Tipakalippa seeks to prevent drilling at Barossa gas project until a court challenge to project approvals is resolved.

The post Tiwi elder seeks injunction to block start of drilling at Santos Barossa gas project appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A landmark report calls for action to stop the over-exploitation of wild plants, animals and fungi.