Swedish investment company Crown Energy has expanded its backing of Kaya Climate Solutions, an Angola-based developer of nature-based carbon projects, as part of its strategic pivot away from fossil fuels and into sustainable markets, the company said in its 2024 annual report.

A different kind of green spin - Heineken is scaling up its forest restoration work in Brazil through a new business-minded approach that could serve as a model for climate-positive operations in the corporate sector, Capital Reset reports. Although the Dutch brewer began planting trees in Brazil three years before it launched local operations in 2010, its commitment has evolved from philanthropic support to a structured green investment strategy. The launch of Heineken Spin in 2024 - a dedicated unit focused on forests, renewable energy, glass recycling, and social impact - marks a pivot towards financially sustainable environmental action. By early 2026, Heineken will have planted 860,000 trees in Brazil, more than it had in the previous 17 years combined. The push is driven by Spin’s aim to balance impact with financial discipline: it received an initial R$150 mln ($26.2 mln) investment and is expected to operate without further capital injections. Projects are now designed backwards from key performance indicators, including water replenishment and carbon removal, to ensure long-term viability. The reforestation programme, developed with agroforestry firm Rizoma Agro, is restoring 830 hectares in Itu, Sao Paulo. Half will be completed by early 2026. Around 100 hectares will also be used for organic lemon farming, boosting local ecosystems and contributing to water infiltration thanks to the trees' deep root systems. Heineken expects these efforts to generate 997 mln cubic metres of water over five years - 50% more than its local operations will consume - and remove 500,000 tonnes of CO2 over 25 years. These climate benefits will be used to reduce the company’s global emissions footprint, rather than being sold as carbon credits, as it targets net zero by 2040.

A Brazilian community association has accused a local carbon offset project developer of harassment and unauthorised use of traditional lands in the Amazon, escalating tensions over benefit-sharing the country’s jurisdictional REDD+ (J-REDD+) schemes.

Overruled - The Attorney General of Brazil's Para state and his predecessor took actions that effectively overruled lower-level prosecutors and supported the state government's push to advance controversial COP30-related projects - including environmentally damaging roadworks and a high-value carbon credit agreement, Folha de S.Paulo reports. At the centre of the conflict is the expansion and extension of Rua da Marinha, a major avenue in Belem that borders Amazonian vegetation. Although a lower court initially halted the project due to environmental concerns, including the removal of over 60 tree species - some endangered - the decision was overturned in higher court. Then-Attorney General Cesar Mattar Jr. supported the state’s position in court, contradicting an earlier request for suspension filed by local prosecutors from the Ministerio Publico do Estado do Para (MPPA). The project is part of the state’s infrastructure plan ahead of COP30, which Belem will host in November, and is funded in part by a R$248.5 mln ($43.4 mln) loan from Brazil's development bank BNDES. While the city government refused to grant an environmental licence for the project, citing its ecological impacts, the state overrode that decision - a move accepted by both the courts and the development bank. In a separate matter, current Attorney General Alexandre Tourinho intervened to counter a recommendation made jointly by state and federal prosecutors (MPPA and MPF) calling for the cancellation of a R$1 bln offset deal with the LEAF Coalition. The deal involves the future sale of jurisdictional carbon credits by Para’s state environmental asset company, CAAP. The prosecutors warned that the contract could amount to an illegal advance sale of carbon credits under Brazil’s new carbon market law, and that it was signed without proper consultation with traditional communities, including Indigenous and quilombola groups. Tourinho requested that the recommendation be suspended, citing the need for legal certainty and market stability. The National Council of the Public Prosecutors’ Office (CNMP) subsequently froze the recommendation and scheduled a conciliation hearing. The state argues the agreement is a lawful preliminary agreement with no payment due before emissions reductions are verified, and has pledged to begin consultations with affected communities. Critics, however, maintain that both the roadworks and carbon deal show how Para's prosecutors' leadership has acted to shield the state government from environmental accountability ahead of COP30.

Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court (STF) has signed an agreement with a local carbon offset firm to compensate for all greenhouse gas emissions linked to the institution's operations in 2023 and 2024, as part of broader efforts to decarbonise the country’s judiciary.

Maine has enacted a new law requiring forest landowners to report their participation in carbon credit programmes, becoming the second US state to establish a public tracking system for forest-based offsets.

No demand - Ryanair has quietly discontinued its passenger carbon offsetting scheme and carbon calculator, citing low uptake, The Irish Times reports. The airline had allowed passengers to pay a small fee to fund environmental projects, but participation never exceeded 3%. The initiative raised over €3.5 mln by 2022 and supported projects including Renature Monchique – a reforestation project in the Algarve; the distribution of energy-efficient cookstoves in Uganda by First Climate; Balikesir’s Wind Power Plant Project in Turkey, and Improved Kitchen Regimes in Malawi powered by CO2 Balance (the latter two in partnership with Shell). Despite promoting itself as Europe’s "greenest airline", Ryanair faced criticism and regulatory pushback over misleading sustainability claims. Advertising authorities in the UK and Netherlands previously ruled that the airline’s green marketing was deceptive, particularly the suggestion that carbon offsetting made flying sustainable. Following these rulings, Ryanair modified its website to clarify that CO2 compensation does not negate the environmental impact of flying, and removed icons such as green leaves.

The West African Development Bank (BOAD) is planning to launch a carbon market place during COP30 in Belem later this year, with an aim to consolidate and channel funding for carbon market development in the West African region, a bank official announced Friday.

Qatar-based Global Carbon Council (GCC) will in July launch an interoperable and integrated carbon market and national registry infrastructure to speed up the implementation of Article 6.2 under the Paris Agreement, its chief operations officer told Carbon Pulse on Friday.

Carbon Pulse has made a string of new hires across Europe and Latin America that will add to its already industry-leading coverage of carbon and nature markets across the regions, as well as bolster its data journalism offering.

Dutch carbon project developer DGB Group reported a wider annual loss for 2024 and received a disclaimer of opinion from its auditor, raising concerns about financial governance even as the company marks progress in project validation and revenue generation.

Brazil's Federal Public Prosecutors Office (MPF) has published a series of recommendations for its members to follow in order to protect the rights of Indigenous peoples and traditional communities during the development and planning of carbon credit projects.

Canada eh? - The Canadian carbon removal (CDR) industry vouched for government and corporate-supported scale-up beyond the voluntary carbon market at technology conference WebSummit Vancouver on Friday. During a panel hosted by funder NorthX Climate Tech, panellists said that regulation needs to kick in and the cost of removals need to come down, with the eventual goal of offering CDR-as-a-service to high-emitting industries, in order to unlock the trillion-dollar market by 2050. Paul Needham, CEO of CDR developer Arca, called on governments to commit to purchasing CDR credits, noting an opportune moment for federal government as Canada holds the G7 presidency this year. Some experts have said that the next four years under PM Mark Carney will have "tremendous" impacts on the industry's future in the country. 

Deforestation data - In Apr. 2025, the Brazilian Amazon lost over 230 sq. km of forest, a 24% increase compared to the same month in the previous year, according to a report published Thursday by Belem-based scientific research non-profit Imazon. The most deforested states were Amazonas (40%), Mato Grosso (38%), and Para (11%), which together concentrate 89% of the total affected area. The most impacted conservation unit during the month was Triunfo do Xingu in Para, while the most affected settlement was Rio Juma in Amazonas. Seasonal deforestation remained up about 18% from 2024 levels.

Reducing headcount - Digital forest monitoring company Pachama is reducing the size of its team in response to macroeconomic challenges facing broader sustainability markets, CEO Diego Saez Gil said on LinkedIn Friday. The company still has significant capital for long-term development, he added.

A climate non-profit focused on decarbonising cookstoves is partnering with eight project developers to test-run a tool designed to ensure integrity in cookstove credits.

Kenya could access $5-8 billion in carbon credit revenues under Article 6 and the UN’s CORSIA aviation offsetting scheme – but only if the government makes strategic public policy choices, according to the head of Kenya’s carbon industry grouping.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has cut more than $3 billion in funding across two dozen projects targeting emissions reductions, according to a Friday announcement.

Liberia plans to pass its climate change law by the end of this year, which will have provisions for the country’s carbon market, an official told a conference Friday.

Two UN bodies and an Africa-focused trust fund announced Thursday the launch of a $15 million investment initiative aimed at tackling deforestation in the Congo Basin.

Verra is looking for more carbon projects to pilot the open-source digital platform it recently launched at a mangrove project in Senegal, as part of the standard body’s effort to shift from analog to digital, according to a company executive. 

Big buyers - Germany’s DAX-listed companies are expected to spend hundreds of millions of euros in the coming years to improve their climate records by buying carbon credits, Der Spiegel reports. Between 2025 and 2030, the 40 firms are forecast to purchase certificates covering nearly 33 Mt of CO2, according to Berlin-based trading platform Goodcarbon, which analysed recent corporate sustainability reports. Of the companies surveyed, 28 reported voluntary offsetting, with estimated total costs reaching €500 mln by 2030. However, the effectiveness of these offsets is limited. In 2024 alone, DAX companies emitted 173 Mt of CO2 - more than 15 times the volume they plan to offset. The Goodcarbon study only includes voluntary credits and does not account for mandatory EU ETS purchases by power producers and energy-intensive industries. The quality of offsets also varies. Purchases of more expensive removal credits were found to be less common compared to cheaper, more widespread offsets focussed on protecting existing forests or investing in renewable energy. Volkswagen was the largest buyer in 2024, offsetting 6.7 Mt of CO2 from its electric vehicle supply chain, production, and logistics - though this voluntary programme is set to end this year. DHL offset 1.1 Mt to offer climate-neutral shipping, while utility E.On bought credits for 0.7 Mt to market "green" gas contracts. Despite these efforts, DAX companies still rely heavily on fossil fuels, Der Spiegel reported. In 2024, they met 84% of their energy needs from non-renewable sources, according to EY.

European cement maker Holcim announced Friday it has broken ground on a facility in Greece that will integrate carbon capture technologies to produce 2 million tonnes of "near-zero" cement annually from 2029.

A UK-based registry has launched a standard for nature-based solutions that integrates offsetting, insetting and nature stewardship.

Concerns about the shrinking value of the voluntary carbon market (VCM) have been brushed aside by participants who paint a bright future for their market.

Saltmarsh sequestration - UK saltmarshes are critical carbon sinks that absorb more CO2 in summer than they release in winter, according to a new study by WWF working with the UK's Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. The researchers installed solar-powered GHG monitoring stations on Hesketh Out Marsh, a saltmarsh in Northwest England restored and managed by the RSPB. The findings highlight the importance of saltmarshes in tackling climate change, and call for them to be added to the official UK inventory of how much carbon is emitted and how much removed from the atmosphere each year. It's hoped doing so could provide more of an incentive to restore and protect these sites such as through a UK Saltmarsh Carbon Code. The UK has lost about 85% of its saltmarshes since 1860 largely due to agriculture. (BBC)

Tech behemoth Microsoft on Thursday reported that its total greenhouse gas emissions have risen by more than 23% from 2020 levels, driven by the rapid expansion of its AI and cloud infrastructure, even as the company significantly increased investments in carbon removals and clean energy.

RJ Reynolds Vapor Company and its parent British American Tobacco (BAT) are facing a proposed class action lawsuit in California alleging they misled consumers by falsely claiming that their Vuse vape products are carbon neutral by using offsets tied to questionable forestry projects.

A regional Brazilian development bank announced this week it will offer R$7.8 billion ($1.4 bln) in sustainable credit to projects in areas including environmental recovery, low-carbon agriculture, and green hydrogen, among others.

A Sao Paulo-based carbon trading firm and an agricultural producer in Brazil’s Cerrado region are collaborating on a large-scale soil carbon project.