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A twice-weekly summary of our biodiversity news plus bite-sized updates from around the world. All articles in this edition are free to read (no subscription required).

EU electricity market design reforms (EMR) will only see the light of day if member states, namely France and Germany, find compromise and let go of currently unsustainable practices, according to experts calling for a quick resolution to deadlocked negotiations amid signs that tensions are easing between the two largest economies in the bloc.

Tiny crustaceans described as ‘the bioequivalent of a Dyson vacuum cleaner for wastewater’

Tiny water fleas could play a big role in filtering out drugs, pesticides and industrial chemicals from wastewater to make it safe, according to scientists.

“We’ve developed our bioequivalent of a Dyson vacuum cleaner for wastewater, which is very, very exciting,” said study co-author Karl Dearn, a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Birmingham.

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A sharp drop in forecast emissions in the EU ETS out to 2030 compared to pre-Covid forecasts, together with the expected additional supply of allowances to be released under the REPowerEU policy, has led a large bank to slash its EUA price forecast by 11% for 2023, with larger reductions in its predictions in subsequent years out to 2027.

A London-based investment firm, fresh from raising $1.5 billion, is targeting Brazil as it launches its new nature-based strategy featuring carbon projects as well as commodity production, it announced Tuesday in a move designed to complement an earlier focus on decarbonising heavy industry.

SMEs will not want to implement the recommendations of Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) unless they are “defogged”, a construction company has said.

Experts on the UNFCCC process have expressed scepticism that buyers are immediately lining up to buy Article 6-ready REDD+ results, which are expected to be offered to the market in the near future by at least three rainforest nations, though they suggested that there may significant future demand for such jurisdictional units if their use is fully established for transfer under the Paris Agreement.

Two bird conservation groups and the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) are seeking to raise $3-5 billion over the next decade, including through a new bond, to launch more than 30 projects to reverse the decline of migratory birds in the Americas.

A programme for building nature projects up to investable standard is receiving funding from the UK government, but biodiversity credit-related initiatives will not initially be eligible.

In the mythology of birds, some can bring luck, others rain. But when that famous laugh portends a snake in the grass, it’s hard to deny

Kookaburras don’t usually laugh in the daytime. Their calls ring out at dawn and dusk, a raucous chorus that can provoke homesickness in any Australian unfortunate enough to be stuck in country with less interesting birds.

But at midday on a clear day in January, a kookaburra’s laugh gives you pause. Enough to notice the brown snake moving quietly through the grass a few feet away, intent on business that does not concern you but might if you carried on unawares and accidentally trod on it.

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Development of the UK Saltmarsh Carbon Code is being accelerated, with a first pilot version expected in late-2024, as experts come together to reach consensus around how to measure and validate the carbon sequestration rate of different saltmarsh ecosystems, a conference heard on Tuesday.

Thinktank Create Streets calls for people to be allowed to grow plants and trees in barren urban areas

A right to plant and grow trees and other greenery in public spaces should be given to people across Britain, an adviser to Michael Gove has said.

Nicholas Boys Smith, who heads the Office for Place in Gove’s Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), also chairs the thinktank Create Streets, which has released a report calling for more greening of cities.

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Food and beverage companies will be able to track progress against their science-based emissions targets down to ingredient level, with an improved software platform released on Tuesday by a sustainability intelligence company.

Country already trails well behind Europe and PM’s backtracking on climate policies could widen the gap

The UK has fallen well behind the rest of Europe in the growth of electric vehicle sales and risks falling further back after Rishi Sunak’s “screeching U-turn” on its climate policies, according to industry analysts.

UK sales of electric vehicles grew by 31% in the 12 months to July, one of the slowest rates of growth in Europe, according to data analysed by Cornwall Insight and the law firm Shoosmiths.

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The UK and Germany will partner up to further advance hydrogen developments, the two countries announced in a joint press release on Tuesday, as a report published on the same day finds that domestic production of the low-carbon gas for European nations is likely to prove much cheaper than import reliance.

European carbon prices dropped by the most in nearly four weeks on Tuesday morning before consolidating, while gas prices fell back after a short squeeze on Monday had boosted prices by 11% as the market prepared for the expiry of the September TTF options contract.

The economy will thrive under the energy transition, not suffer. So why is the government rowing back on its green pledges?

• Chris Skidmore is a former energy minister

Last week’s announcement that the government would delay key net-zero targets came as a surprise to anyone who has followed the policy. The existing targets were fair and well considered, and enjoyed wide political support. It’s strange to cite our world-leading progress in reducing emissions and developing low-carbon technologies, then decide that is a reason for slowing down, especially when doing so risks surrendering that position and those investment opportunities to other countries.

Make no mistake, the government cannot stop our collective progress towards net zero. But it can, all too easily, slow progress at a critical time when we should be accelerating our efforts. Businesses and innovators are in a global race to create and deploy the technologies that will help us get there, and with a lack of clear political commitment Britain is lagging in some areas. Up until recently, Britain was the global leader in offshore wind power. It is now China.

Chris Skidmore is Conservative MP for Kingswood, the former energy minister who signed net zero into law, and chair of the Mission Zero independent review of net zero

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An international NGO has denied local media allegations that it forcibly removed residents and burned homes as part of conservation efforts near a REDD+ project in Cambodia.

German renewable energy giant RWE has begun testing an innovative wind power technology which uses massive kites to generate power.

The post Germany energy giant begins testing kite power in Ireland appeared first on RenewEconomy.

A global investor initiative has listed some of the world's largest companies that its financial sector partners will now pressure for tangible progress on addressing nature-related risks and dependencies.