Alberta is looking to "fight" against federal climate policies that "attack" the province's economy, said Premier Danielle Smith in a statement released Monday.

Brazil’s office of federal public prosecutors (MPF) has filed a civil action against a REDD+ developer and a municipality in the state of Amazonas.

Vroom vroom - Senators in Congress voted 53-41 to advance a bill that would repeal hazardous air pollutant standards for tire manufacturers on Monday, according to congressional filings. The standards were updated and published in Nov. 2024 under the Biden administration and elected officials are using the Congressional Review Act to repeal the rules, which allows Congress to overturn certain federal agency actions. It now requires signature by President Donald Trump to enact the repeal.

Struggling nickel prices in recent years have posed challenges for carbon removal (CDR) project developers trying to break into the mining sector as global mining companies divest their interests in the metal, a CDR technology developer said Tuesday.

Insurance partners – The ADB has signed a new agreement with 10 insurance companies to mobilise $2.75 bln of private capital, allowing the development bank to increase its lending capacity via the use of credit insurance, it said on Tuesday. This follows its 2022 three-year $1 bln agreement with Tokio Marine, AXA, Chubb, Liberty Speciality Markets, and Allianz Trade. The five have signed the new agreement, alongside Swiss Re, Coface, Everest, AXIS Capital, and The Hartford, which will see the ADB transfer its credit risk to the insurers’ balance sheets, freeing up the bank’s capital to support sustainable growth in the Asia-Pacific region. In 2024, the ADB committed a record $11.1 bln in climate finance, including $1 bln in loans to Indonesia and the Philippines.

The influential Nature Positive Initiative (NPI) on Wednesday launched a pilot of its draft metrics for businesses and financial institutions in a bid to enable the measuring of progress towards nature positive.

A Canadian clean tech startup has secured C$20 million ($14.5 mln) in its first major round of funding.

The US EPA confirmed Tuesday plans were in motion to repeal its emissions standards for new and existing power plants, as well as state plans to limit CO2 from coal-fired electricity generation.

A Maine environmental commissioner recommended delaying proposed climate superfund legislation introduced in both chambers at a hearing Monday.

Spark notes - A new report from Resources for the Future, a US non-profit think tank, outlined how state and local governments can better reduce wildfire exposure in the wildland-urban interface by coordinating land use planning with hazard mitigation. It claimed that although local tools like zoning, comprehensive plans, and hazard mitigation plans are widely used, they often fail to adequately address where and how communities grow in fire-prone areas. The report recommended aligning planning documents such as Community Wildfire Protection Plans with land use goals, enhancing the role of states in guiding local decisions, and using tools like wildfire resilience zoning overlays or transfer of development rights to steer development away from high-risk zones.

Workaround - A federal judge has found that EPA’s decision to terminate nearly 800 grants awarded during the Biden administration does not violate an earlier ruling, which directed the EPA to release funds that were “unlawfully” suspended in January. Judge Mary McElroy, for the US District Court for the District of Rhode Island, ordered several federal agencies on Apr. 16 to unfreeze $20 bln in climate funds. In a subsequent status report on Apr. 23, EPA said it would cancel almost 800 grants following an individualised review process. McElroy ruled on Tuesday that the termination did not violate her prior order to unfreeze funding. (E&E News, Washington Post)

Don't knock NOx rules - The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality held its second public hearing on its advanced truck rules on Tuesday. Echoing messages delivered during the first hearing, participants made comments about potential delays of the proposed Heavy-Duty Low NOx Omnibus and Advanced Clean Truck regulations. Environmental advocates and health experts urged the DEQ to avoid rollbacks or delays in the implementation of the programmes, and criticised the additional allocation of optional credits to manufacturers under the ACT. Meanwhile, industry voices, including Rep. Shelly Boshart Davis (R) who made a public comment on behalf of Oregon businesses, warned that the rules are too aggressive and will negatively impact the state’s economy. The staff will continue to receive public comments until 1600 PT on May 7.

Focused on forests - The US Senate Committee of Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry held a hearing on Tuesday, regarding the Fix Our Forests Act (S 1462). Sen. John Boozman (R) requested unanimous consent to submit letters of support for the Act into the official record. With no objections raised, the letters were accepted. The bipartisan bill, which passed the House in January, would expedite forest management projects and reduce wildfire risk by streamlining permitting processes and expanding collaboration with state and local partners. Senators have until May 8 to submit written questions for the record.

The 51^st state – Luxembourg is officially joining the Global Green Growth Institute, becoming its 51^st member state. This follows seven years of collaboration, the intergovernmental organisation said in a press release, including a project in Vanuatu to introduce solar-powered water pumps and develop a national climate funding mechanism. The GGGI and Luxembourg in 2023 formed the SIDS Climate Action Program, to support climate mitigation and adaptation across the Pacific and Caribbean, as well as launched the Global Trust Fund on Sustainable Finance Instruments, which leverages capital markets and builds capacity for sustainable finance. In its first two years, the GTF has mobilised $2.1 bln in climate finance for projects in 18 countries, including climate smart agriculture in Uzbekistan and renewable energy in Namibia.

A global IT and consulting firm has reinforced its environmental commitments in an updated ESG policy, pledging deeper emissions cuts and expanded investment in “high-quality” carbon offsets as it targets net zero by 2040.

A Brazilian metropolis has authorised just under R$722,800 ($126,400) in tax credits for businesses that have offset a collective 34,800 tonnes CO2, it announced last week.

The 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM) bloc of countries last week launched a sustainability framework highlighting forest carbon and international trade restrictions as key policy considerations for an aligned front.

A US energy regular approved the extension of Maryland coal plants that were scheduled to retire at the end of the month, potentially increasing the long-term emissions profile for the RGGI state.

A New Hampshire Senate committee took up a bill Tuesday that seeks to tax forest land enrolled in carbon offset projects.

A Texas bill aiming to ban the state from enacting a carbon tax and a clean fuel standard passed the Texas House Monday with the support of a handful of Democratic lawmakers.

The UK's Woodland Carbon Code has unveiled changes in a new version of its crediting framework, including lengthening the minimum project duration to align with the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) standards, as well as introducing biodiversity baselining.

The European Commission has unveiled on Tuesday a long-awaited roadmap detailing its strategy to phase out Russian fossil fuels for good by the end of 2027, with the plan to be followed by legislative proposals next month.

A carbon credit provider raised $4.5 million in funding from several venture capital investors and also launched its backstop measure to mitigate risk, the company announced Tuesday.

European carbon allowances shrugged off a weak session on Monday to advance to their highest in nearly five weeks as technically-focused buyers targeted a key resistance level, while gas prices climbed steadily as the EU confirmed it would legislate for a Russian energy ban, and UK Allowances rose to their highest in more than 18 months amid continued speculative buying ahead of a key EU-UK summit.

Registry update - The operator of the Russian registry of carbon units has developed and approved the procedure for making changes to information on climate projects and participants in the circulation of carbon units. More details here.

Greensand lift-off - Construction has begun on Greensand's CO2 transit terminal at Port Esbjerg in Denmark, it announced in a release Tuesday. Touted as 'the first gateway for carbon storage in the EU', the terminal will have six large holding tanks, each able to store about 1,000 tonnes of liquefied CO₂ to be shipped for permanent storage in the Greensand reservoir. It will also include the necessary infrastructure for offloading and shipping CO₂. Construction is expected to complete this autumn, at which point Ineos Energy will take over operations on behalf of the Greensand consortium. Greensand has secured liquefied CO2 from several Danish biogas plants, which will ultimately be stored in sub-surface reservoirs by way of the Greensand terminal. Offshore injection is expected end of this year or early next.

European lawmakers agreed on Tuesday to use the urgent procedure for a targeted change to CO2 emission performance standards for new cars and vans, adding the item to the voting list for May 8.

Expanded cover - France's Label Bas Carbone is expanding its forest cover with a newly approved method titled 'continuous stock forest management'.  This method applies to forestry projects lasting 20 years and located in metropolitan France, with the aim of sustainably maintaining forest carbon sinks made up of harvestable woodland. It only applies to mixed coppice-high forests, regularised or irregular high forests with a majority of broadleaf trees, irregular high forests with a majority of conifers, and mixed high forests.

Peatlands for oil - The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has greenlit the opening of 52 new oil blocks in the Cuvette Centrale peatlands – the world’s largest terrestrial carbon sink and a critical ecosystem for biodiversity. The move has sparked outrage from environmental and human rights campaigners for its lack of transparency and risk it poses to the country's forests, with fears that key conservation areas may fall within the new concessions. Concerns are also growing about crossover between the new blocks and recently created Green Corridor, set up by the DRC government as proof of its role in the climate change fight. Yet expansion of oil exploration into the peatlands risks derailing the country's credibility on climate and conservation on the global stage. (Rainforest Foundation UK)

ICE launched its EU ETS2 futures on Tuesday, with the nearest Dec-28 contract seeing trade at €73.57/tonne on thin volume, much higher than official reference prices for the scheme.

A combination of factors, including but not limited to the state’s climate mandates, has kept California’s gasoline prices higher than the national average, said the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Sylvera will now offer project developers access to pre-issuance assessments for carbon credits in a bid to raise supply-side integrity in the market, the carbon ratings agency and data provider revealed exclusively to Carbon Pulse.

A Munich-based nature tech firm has launched a two-year initiative aimed at advancing biodiversity monitoring in agricultural areas in Germany, in a bid to reward farmers who implement nature conservation and restoration activities on their lands.

CORSIA take-off is still stymied by uncertainty about supply, as well as a long haul until the compliance deadline, experts told a webinar on Tuesday.

CCS on ships - Integrating biofuels with onboard carbon capture and storage (CCS) could achieve up to 121% well-to-wake GHG emissions savings, according to a study by the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation. The captured CO2 can then be used for purposes such as blending into concrete production. The study analysed five ocean-based CCS technologies and six marine fuels, focused on monoethanolamine-based systems, the most mature carbon capture methane. This is where a chemical solvent absorbs CO2 from ship exhaust, which is then compressed or stored and repurposed. This technology reduced emissions 29% for HFO-fuelled ships, but pairing with bio-LNG or biofuels boosted savings to 69-121%. The hybrid strategy also eases compliance with the IMO's GHG Fuel Intensity targets until 2035, allowing ships to delay transition to costly alternative marine fuels. (shipandbunker.com)

The EU must recognise technological removals in its emissions trading scheme and prioritise biogenic CO2 in infrastructure in order to achieve its 2040 emissions reduction goal, according to an industry body.

Where to start? - Climate Action Center of Excellence (CACE) has launched 'A6 Assist' — a multilingual, real-time support service to guide government officials in developing countries to set up and manage an Article 6 framework. The framework is free to use and designed to access fast, simple answers in English, French, Spanish, or Arabic, and to navigate Article 6 implementation step-by-step, stated the announcement on LinkedIn.

Seagrass loss worldwide could lead to the release of nearly 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 over the next 25 years, with estimated costs of more than $200 bln, according to a paper released on Tuesday.

Maximising the value of forests as assets able to generate numerous revenue streams, from carbon credits to timber, can revitalise the voluntary market, provided developers ensure projects deliver real climate impact, according to a study published Tuesday.

France-based asset manager Mirova has launched an engagement campaign on biodiversity disclosures targeting up to 20 European companies in an initiative it hopes to scale up over time.

Moldova has submitted its new Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the Paris Agreement, outlining an economy-wide 75% emissions reduction target by 2035, compared to 1990, while marginally raising the ambition of its 2030 goals.

An analysis of 50 multinational food companies with over $1 billion in North American revenues found that a majority of them have disclosed Scope 3 emissions but have failed to quantify emissions reductions targets.

Uniper has said it plans to build 2 GW of new gas capacity in Germany as it saw its coal-fired generation covered under European compliance carbon schemes halve in Q1 2025, compared to one year prior.

Countries will once again come under pressure to strengthen and widen the scope of the national pledges to the Paris Agreement, as around 30 ministers and leaders gather for the Copenhagen Climate Ministerial on Wednesday and Thursday.

A carbon project restoring habitat for koalas has received its first Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs), but its steep start-up costs mean it will likely be forced to search for buyers beyond the Safeguard Mechanism to recoup costs, according to its developers.

Decarbonising shipping - HD Hyundai, one of the largest South Korean conglomerates engaged in shipbuilding and heavy equipment, has signed a MoU with Maersk to develop decarbonisation solutions for vessels, they announced Tuesday. Their collaboration will include optimising engine efficiency, increasing container ship cargo capacity, and retrofitting dual-fuel propulsion systems. They will also collaborate on joint research to examine the feasibility of the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system.

Carbon credit issuance from nature-based projects make up just 1% of the mitigation potential across ecosystems in Southeast Asia's six major economies, largely due to lack of policy incentives, according to a report published Tuesday.

Microsoft has boosted its agreement to purchase carbon removals from a Swedish energy provider and carbon removal developer, raising the volume of procured credits by over 50% to around 5 million, compared to the initial deal signed last year.

Germany has notified the European Commission of its intent to cancel around 500,000 EUAs linked to the closure of coal-fired power plants in 2022, in a bid to ensure that its phaseout of the polluting fuel source delivers genuine climate benefits.

Singapore on Tuesday inked an implementation agreement with Rwanda under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, adding the East African nation to a string of potential suppliers of carbon credits to its domestic market.

Gas rise - Southeast Asia’s gas demand is set to rise steeply to 2050 as the energy source replaces both oil and coal, according to consultancy Wood Mackenzie. It will make up 30% of the region’s primary energy in a move that WoodMac said was based on a transition away from more emissions intensive fossil fuels as nations work to reach net zero. Compound annual growth (CAGR) will be 3.1% a year until 2035 across SE Asia. Regional gas power capacity is expected to double, with consumption projected to rise by approximately 89.5% from 2025 to 2050, it said. Nations like Vietnam plan to vastly increase LNG imports, while gas producers Indonesia and Malaysia are both working to develop more of their own resources.

A carbon utilisation firm has partnered with a technology provider to launch a commercial CO2-curing solution for precast concrete production, the two companies announced Tuesday.

Geothermal biomass - New Zealand’s Foresta, which is listed primarily on the Australian securities exchange, said this week it had signed an initial agreement with the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) to study using geothermal steam as a process heat for its planned biomass facility. The company plans to make torrefied wood pellets and pine chemicals, with a capacity of 190,000 and 20,000 tonnes, respectively. It will hire Aurecon as lead engineering advisor. Foresta will spend A$30,000 ($19,370) and receive A$20,000 from EECA in co-funding.

Pakistan and Azerbaijan are exploring cooperation in environmental conservation, climate resilience, and carbon trading, Pakistan’s Ministry of Climate Change has said in a statement.

Voluntary carbon standard Verra has unveiled a new methodology that will credit the early retirement of coal plants that are replaced with clean energy sources.

In the first half of the 2025 financial year, sustainable finance lending at one of Australia's top four bank grew 16%. while its operational emissions fell. 

The New Zealand government has launched a public consultation on proposals to implement its 2030 biodiversity strategy, including ways to increase investment in nature and support the development of a framework for nature-based financial disclosures and reporting.

A Chinese tech major has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to offtake at least 1 million verified, high-quality carbon credits within GenZero’s investment portfolio, over a period of 15 years, according to a statement on Tuesday.

India and the UK have reached a trade deal after three years of negotiations, with no current exemption in the agreement for the South Asian country from Britain's planned carbon border adjustment mechanism, although talks on this are reportedly set to continue.

RGGI Allowances (RGA) reversed early week losses in overall low activity as programme risks from White House guidance to explore legal action against state-led cap-and-trade schemes remain unresolved.

Winding up for a fight - A coalition of 17 Democrat-led states and Washington DC filed a lawsuit on Monday against President Donald Trump, in an effort to block his executive order targeting wind energy development. The group of attorneys general is asking a federal judge to rule that the EO is unlawful and to prevent its implementation by federal agencies. Arizona, California, Colorado, New York, and more are trying to protect their energy infrastructure investments following the Trump administration’s attempt to freeze federal approval processes for offshore and onshore wind development.

Canadian carbon policy is set to strengthen following last week's re-election of a Liberal government, though stakeholders are watching how Ottawa will keep provinces on board with emissions reductions, experts said on a webinar Monday.

Emissions under the US Northeast and Mid-Atlantic power sector cap-and-trade scheme rose about 8% year-on-year (YoY) in the first quarter of 2025, while New Jersey’s Q1 electricity generation CO2 output fell to the lowest recorded for the state as part of RGGI, programme data showed Monday.