Click on the coloured labels below to filter by region or topic
- Mon 00:58Governments should adopt risk-diversified tree-planting strategies to ensure long-term carbon removal targets are met cost-effectively amid worsening climate and economic uncertainties, new research contends.
- Mon 00:01Tax revenues offer a sovereign and reliable means of financing climate action amid nations’ failures to meet financial targets since COP19 in 2009, according to a report published Monday.
- Sun 23:11PACT acts - The UK Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions (UK PACT) programme announced two new funding opportunities this week. 1. Indonesia – Carbon Pricing Sector: A six-week call for proposals is now open, with a deadline of July 23, 2025. The new funding opportunity aims to support Indonesia’s readiness for carbon pricing by strengthening regulatory frameworks and developing market infrastructure.
- Theme 1: Focuses on regulatory support for instruments like compliance and voluntary carbon markets, including legal drafting, policy alignment, and technical capacity building.
- Theme 2: Supports the development of registries, MRV systems, high-integrity standards, market linkages, and strategic analysis.
- In Bolivia: The call aims to create enabling conditions for sustainable finance aligned with updated NDCs.
- In Peru: It seeks to develop the bioeconomy in the Amazon by facilitating finance access and market linkages, and by building a pipeline of investable projects.
- Sun 22:52A CO2 removal (CDR) startup has released a detailed scientific defence of its marine anoxic carbon storage (MACS) approach, seeking to allay environmental and regulatory concerns as it prepares to scale up operations in the Black Sea.
- Sun 17:00This week’s carbon allowance auction in New Zealand is unlikely to see any NZUs clear, market participants predict, as the secondary market continues to languish below the auction price floor.
- UN negotiators are expected to lock horns over climate finance as the meeting of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB62) kicks off on Monday, having historically struggled to summon new, substantial, and complementary funds from carbon markets and other sources.
- Sat 01:23The Brazilian Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MMA) has opened a public consultation to regulate a 2021 law concerning payment for environmental services (PSA).
- Sat 00:59The US EPA announced a proposal that would prioritise domestic biofuels by lowering RIN values for imported fuels, and also set ambitious renewable fuel volume (RVO) obligations for biomass-based diesel under the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).
- Sat 00:17Both emitters and investors increased their V25 California Carbon Allowance (CCA) net length in the futures only market, contrasting with activity in the combined futures and options segment, while adding RGGI Allowance (RGA) short interest in the aftermath of the Q2 auction, US Commodity Trading Futures Commission (CFTC) data published Friday showed.
- Fri 23:37Climate data non-profit CTrees has published what it says is the most detailed canopy height map of the Amazon rainforest to date, providing researchers and conservationists with a powerful new tool to monitor deforestation and assess the forest’s carbon storage potential.
That old chestnut - Chestnut Carbon has sold a tranche of nature-based carbon removal credits to US clean energy developer Sol Systems, the companies announced this week. The improved forest management (IFM) credits, certified by Verra, will help offset Sol Systems’ corporate emissions and those related to its Prairie Creek solar project in Illinois. The credits are sourced through Chestnut’s Forest Carbon Works programme, which supports conservation on over 160,000 acres of privately owned, at-risk forestland across 36 US states. Chestnut claims its methodology ensures highly additional and durable removals, delivering co-benefits aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Sol Systems said the credits complement its broader strategy of community-focused clean energy development. Both firms emphasised the local nature of the carbon removals, noting that many of the forest sites are near Sol’s Midwest solar assets.
Separately, Chestnut Carbon last week expanded its large-scale afforestation efforts into South Carolina, acquiring a 500-acre parcel in Barnwell County. This marks the seventh state in its Chestnut Restoration Project, which now covers over 50,000 acres across the Southeastern US. Since launching in 2022, Chestnut has planted 17 mln trees using native species and adheres to Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standards. The company’s latest site will be reforested with species such as loblolly pine and oak varieties and will also offer hunting leases to local residents. The project, verified through FSC's Verified Impact programme for biodiversity conservation, aims to improve water and air quality, enhance wildlife habitats, and support local economies. It is the largest afforestation initiative on the Gold Standard registry in the U.S., generating both full-time and seasonal employment across its active states: Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Texas, and now South Carolina.
- Fri 22:56A New York-based clean fuels startup is set to begin deployment of its modular direct air capture (DAC) machine throughout the US by next year, envisioning its technology as a key means to support decarbonisation in spaces ranging from residential neighbourhoods to island nations, its CEO told Carbon Pulse.
- Fri 22:50TFFF talk - The main negotiator for Brazil’s Tropical Forest Forever Fund (TFFF) told O Globo the new mechanism will yield more than three times the budget of the national environment ministry (MMA) for the country’s coffers. Andre Aquino told the national outlet that Germany, the UK, France, and Norway are investor countries, while the UAE is also involved but the US has disengaged from the initiative this year. On the other side of the fund, tropical nations set to receive compensation include Indonesia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Colombia, Ghana, and Malaysia. Aquino said Brazil has also been in discussion with other countries, and could imagine China joining as an investor country later. The TFFF aims to launch at COP30 in Belem in November.
- A southeastern Brazilian state needs to accelerate the development of local regulations for carbon capture and storage (CCS) to pave the way for a pilot hub led by ArcelorMittal and Petrobras, an executive from the state's industry federation told Carbon Pulse.
- Fri 22:00More than $100 million in funding aimed at helping US landowners conserve forests could be saved from budget cuts, according to new budget reconciliation bill text released Thursday by the US Senate Agriculture Committee.
- Fri 21:43Venezuela’s economic crisis has tanked agricultural production and left farmers reeling, making the voluntary carbon market (VCM) an increasingly attractive way to bring in badly needed hard currency and financing, according to the president of a national association.
- Fri 17:13European carbon prices jumped to a fresh four-month high on Friday morning after overnight attacks by Israel on Iranian military and nuclear targets sent energy markets spiralling higher at the opening, but EU allowances gave back more than half their gains in the afternoon while the energy complex stabilised and traders took profit even as EUAs posted a 3% weekly gain.
- Fri 16:43
Push for power - The North Carolina House of Representatives passed the Power Reduction Act (SB 266) which would repeal the state’s statutory goal of cutting CO2 emissions by 70% by 2030. Supporters argued the change prioritises affordability and grid reliability, in addition to reducing compliance costs by up to $15 bln over 25 years. The bill also proposed revisions to rules for Construction Work in Progress, allowing utilities to recover plant construction costs before operation, subject to cost-saving criteria and annual reviews. Environmental and renewables groups opposed the bill, citing threats to clean energy progress. The measure returns to the Senate for concurrence before heading to Gov. Josh Stein (D). (Carolina Journal)
- Fri 16:28The European Parliament’s lead negotiator on a proposal to simplify corporate reporting laws in the EU has proposed removing a requirement for companies to submit climate transition plans under the bloc’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).
- Fri 15:56If the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is expanded to new industrial sectors or to downstream supply chains within a sector already covered by the scheme, then it should happen all at once – not in phases, a European Commission official has said.
- Fri 15:43The EU-27’s nuclear power ambitions will require investments of just under a quarter of a trillion euros by mid-century, the European Commission said on Friday.
- Fri 15:42What's in a label? – The European Commission published a Working Document last week, providing an initial assessment of the EU’s 'Car Labelling Directive'. Adopted in 1999, and last amended in 2008, the directive seeks to empower consumers to make more informed choices towards vehicles with lower CO2 emissions and greater fuel efficiency. However, the Directive could become even more efficient by replacing printed labels with digital information tools and adopting a single, harmonised label across the EU, the Commission said. Aligning the Directive more closely with the EU objective of increasing the uptake of zero-emission vehicles, for example by including tailored information on battery-electric and fuel-cell vehicles, would further strengthen its impact, it added. A review of the directive is expected next year.
- Fri 15:26A deep learning framework could offer a rapid method with low computational cost to generate thousands of “synthetic” climate mitigation scenarios aligned with IPCC categories, research released Friday has found.
- Fri 15:17Eastern EU countries are behind on the EU’s new carbon market for heating and transport fuels (ETS2), with just two weeks left to submit national Social Climate Plans that could unlock billions in green finance for poorer households.
- Fri 15:14A $1 billion concessional finance initiative to decarbonise industry in emerging economies has chosen its first country participants, it announced in a release Friday.
- The Netherlands has expressed preference for carbon removals (CDR) incentives that are clearly separate from the EU’s Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), saying the bloc's carbon market needs to remain focused on delivering emission reductions to avoid mitigation deterrence.
- Fri 14:47Tools for Paris rules - Omtse Ventures, a climate firm headquartered in the Philippines, has announced a strategic partnership and investment in Earth Sama, a suite of digital tools built for Paris Agreement Article 6.4 compliance. The partnership will provide strategic backing, product support, and alignment with national-scale initiatives, the companies said in an email. Over the coming months, Earth Sama will roll out the tools built for Paris Agreement compliance, including a climate creator platform to mint traceable carbon assets, a blockchain-powered field application for GPS-tagged data collection, and a smart contract infrastructure for transparent revenue sharing and automated audit trails, it said.
- Fri 14:44Husk biochar - Australian CDR firm Biocare Projects has launched a carbon removal initiative in Vietnam's Mekong Delta, which aims to remove around 15,000 tonnes of CO2e annually. The region produces over 80% of the country’s rice harvest and generates huge amounts of agricultural waste, such as rice husks. Biocare’s initiative will use the biomass, which is either burned or left to naturally decompose, and convert it into biochar. Main partners of the project include the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), EnergyLink Services, the University of Adelaide, and Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology. The Australian biochar sector is on the verge of a boom, even though it remains relatively unknown in policy circles.
- Fri 14:17Direct Air Capture (DAC) technologies could play a pivotal role in the EU’s push to meet its 2040 climate targets, but high costs, energy demands, and regulatory gaps pose serious hurdles to large-scale deployment, according to a new report commissioned by the European Parliament.
- Fri 14:13A US-based environmental non-profit has commissioned a Dutch data specialist to lead the development of a standardised framework for marine carbon removal (mCDR).
- Fri 14:11Energy on the menu - The EU and Azerbaijan, represented by Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jorgensen and the Azerbaijani Minister of Energy Parviz Shabazov, met in Brussels on Friday to discuss continuous cooperation on gas supplies as part of the third energy dialogue between the two governments. This concerned the Southern Gas Corridor, as well as the possibility to expand green energy links and work towards market integration across the region in line with the recent EU Black Sea Strategy adopted by the Commission. The meeting follows the 11th Ministerial Meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council and the 3rd Ministerial Meeting of the Green Energy Advisory Council which took place in April, in Baku.
- Fri 14:08Making friends - On Sunday, the European Commission and the Government of Egypt will launch an 'Investment Guarantee for Development Mechanism', a platform to attract money towards clean energy, water and wastewater management, and sustainable agriculture among other areas. They want to mobilise up to €5 bln by 2027. This includes €1.8 bln announced as part of the EU-Egypt Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership.
- Fri 13:43The government of Pakistan has granted approval to the country's third carbon offset project for trading credits under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement.
- Fri 13:39The draft “Beyond Carbon Benefits” certification under the Architecture for REDD+ Transactions marks a major shift in carbon markets by integrating social, cultural, biodiversity, and forest service co-benefits - co-designed with Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLC) - to ensure REDD+ initiatives are more equitable, inclusive, and effective beyond carbon accounting alone. Representatives from IPLC organisations explain why they chose to co-lead the design of a new certification, and how they think it represents a shift, both in terms of how forests are valued, and also how market instruments are designed.
- Fri 13:30Cross border - Singapore and Indonesia signed several MoUs on Friday to advance cooperation on CCS, cross-border electricity trade, and the development of a sustainable industrial zone. The CCS deal includes plans to form a bilateral working group that will study the elements of a legally-binding government-to-government framework. The Southeast Asian countries aim to become the first in Asia to operationalise cross-border CCS, according to Singaporean minister Tan See Leng. The minister also said the region has a theoretical potential to store 133 billion tonnes of CO2.
- Fri 13:30Approval granted - Equinor Low Carbon Solution has been awarded an exploration licence for CO2 storage on the Norwegian Continental Shelf by the Norwegian government. The licence is offered with a binding work programme and built-in milestones to ensure rapid and efficient progress or relinquishment of the acreage if the licensees do not complete the project. 13 licences have so far been awarded for storage of CO2 in the area, encompassing one exploitation licence and 12 exploration licences. This marks the 14th such licence for subsea CO2 storage in the zone. (Offshore Energy)
- Fri 13:23Credit creation - Japanese project developer Bywill on Friday signed an agreement with the city of Tanabe and Kiyo Bank to create and sell J-Credits. The parties will cooperate on carbon offset initiatives, business model development, and information sharing, they said. The deal builds on a Mar. 2024 carbon credit pact between Kiyo Bank and ByWill. The developer has signed a string of similar agreements with local councils and regional banks across Japan.
- Eco-partnership - The Ecosystem Services Market Consortium (ESMC) has partnered with the MillPont Environmental Trust Infrastructure (METI) to enhance transparency and traceability in ecosystem service markets. By integrating METI’s Source Ledger into its Eco-Harvest programme, ESMC aims to securely record and verify environmental benefits such as soil carbon increases, GHG reductions, improved water quality, and biodiversity gains. Eco-Harvest, launched in 2022, now involves over 375 producers managing more than 250,000 acres across 26 US states and Canadian provinces. The partnership strengthens the infrastructure needed to scale regenerative agriculture while supporting accurate Scope 3 reporting and reducing risks of double counting. Backed by stakeholders ranging from Fortune 500 companies to NGOs, ESMC applies rigorous, science-based methodologies. Both organisations say the collaboration will increase trust and scalability in environmental markets, aligning producer efforts with credible corporate climate goals.
- Fri 12:45The recent agreement between the UK and EU to start negotiations over linking their respective emissions trading systems “has fundamentally shifted the outlook” for UK Allowances, according to an analyst who has raised their forecasts for British prices for the second half of this year onwards.
- While Article 6 implementation has gathered pace in the months since last November's historic COP29 decision, there is still a lot of work to be done, particularly in capacity building across host countries, many of which still need to finalise key carbon markets regulation before they are "open for business".
- Fri 12:16Indonesia's carbon market recorded a moderate increase in activity during May, with trading volumes recovering from April's lows, though international transactions remained absent due to the ongoing government moratorium.
- Fri 12:12Intersessional climate talks opening next Monday in Bonn are poised to be a tense waypoint on the road to COP30 in November, with progress clouded by a lack of commitment against a backdrop of diplomatic challenges.
- Fri 12:10Permit prices in China's national CO2 emissions market saw a modest recovery over the past week with improved liquidity, though analysts remained cautious about the near-term price outlook.
- Fri 11:56The UK government has launched a public call for evidence seeking feedback from businesses on how to unlock private investment in biodiversity conservation and restoration, including within emerging nature markets.
- Fri 11:54The myriad number of complex and competing technologies in the durable carbon removal (CDR) market is stalling growth by hindering first-time buyers from taking the plunge, a data platform warned, as it updated its classification of credits in the sector.
- CO2-nnecting People - Nokia has unveiled a comprehensive climate transition plan, approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), aiming to achieve net zero emissions by 2040, with at least 90% absolute emissions reductions and the remainder neutralised via high-integrity carbon removals, Sustainability Magazine reports. The plan, building on over a decade of climate action, prioritises energy efficiency, circularity and renewable energy across its operations and supply chain. Key 2030 targets include a 50% absolute emissions cut from 2019 levels, 100% renewable energy use in all facilities by 2025, zero emissions from final assembly suppliers, and 95% waste circularity. By 2024, Nokia had already cut its total emissions by 36%, driven by 87% renewable energy use, a 56% emissions cut among assembly suppliers, and a 78% reduction in its own facilities. However, 95% of its total emissions still come from the use phase of sold products, highlighting the critical importance of product energy efficiency. Detailed plans across scopes include:
- Scope 1: 85% emissions cut in facilities; 85% of its car fleet is now electric
- Scope 2: Transitioning to full renewable energy by 2025 via solar, wind and geothermal solutions
- Scope 3:
- Upstream: Supplier decarbonisation, recycled materials, and greener logistics
- Downstream: AI-driven energy savings and more efficient network technologies
- Fri 10:18Climate risk ratings - EDHEC has launched the rating agency Scientific Climate Ratings, which is fully dedicated to quantifying the financial impact of climate risk. The agency is born out of research from the EDHEC Climate Institute and offers forward-looking ratings that quantify how climate transition risks and physical risks affect the financial value of assets. This year, climate ratings are freely available for over 6,000 infrastructure assets and in 2026, the agency will extend its coverage to over 5,000 listed companies worldwide, it said Friday in a release.
- Fri 10:03CO2-eating vending machine - Japan's Yoshikei Group, which provides meal kit delivery services, is promoting the implementation of the "CO2-eating vending machine" developed by beverage producer Asahi, and has installed the first one in Tottori prefecture, according to a company statement. Such facilities can absorb CO2 from the air through special absorbent materials, and the captured CO2 can be used in materials for concrete and asphalt. Each machine is expected to absorb up to 60 kg of CO2 per year, equivalent to the annual CO2 storage of 20 cedar trees.
- Fri 09:55CCS pledge - £200 mln will be provided to progress the Acorn carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has confirmed. During a visit to the St Fergus gas terminal where the project will be based, Miliband said he expects the project to reach final investment decision by the end of the parliament and for it to see strong progress "by the turn of the decade". The investment in the Acorn project comes as part of the government's Spending Review this week, during which it pledged almost £10 bln towards CCS out to 2030 and announced support for two additional CCS clusters - Acorn and Viking in northeast England. These will join the East Coast and HyNet clusters already underway. (BBC)
- Fri 08:56Singapore has released eligibility lists for carbon credit projects Rwanda and Bhutan under its International Carbon Credit (ICC) framework.
- Fri 08:27Australia has launched a new tool to better account for emissions reductions under new savanna fire management (SFM) methods that are being developed under the national carbon credit scheme, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment, and Water (DCCEEW) said Friday.
- Fri 08:17Australian companies will soon be able to retire certificates documenting their use of renewable gases they use as part of amendments made to the country’s emissions reporting framework, according to an outcomes paper published Friday.
- Fri 07:33Shoring up defenses - Indonesia plans to build an $80-bln seawall stretching 700 km along Java’s north coast to defend against worsening floods amid rising sea levels, President Prabowo Subianto announced Thursday in a press conference. The megaproject will run from Banten to East Java and could take up to 20 years to complete. Sea levels around Indonesia have risen over 4 mm a year since 1992, and the pace is quickening, prompting the archipelagic nation to invest huge sums in adaptation even as its economy remains reliant on fossil fuels. Prabowo also said that he welcomes foreign investment from countries like China and Japan, and will set up a dedicated agency to oversee the effort.
- Fri 05:45
Recycling carbon - Japanese companies along with University of Toyama said they will develop a new method to make glycine using CO₂ emissions instead of fossil fuels. The team, comprising of chemicals maker Resonac and Nippon Steel, aims to produce methanol from captured CO₂ and convert it into glycine through a catalytic process. Unlike pure fossil methanol, CO₂ derived methanol contains more impurities, which is a challenge the team is trying to address in a bid to potentially lower costs and boost scalability. Glycine is widely used in agrochemicals, food, and electronics. The project was selected by state-backed NEDO and will run for two years.
- Fri 05:32The South Korean government is soliciting feedback from the power industry in a bid to solve the issue of carbon allowance over-allocation in the emissions trading scheme, according to local media reports.
- Fri 04:27Approval process extended - Woodside Energy said Friday the consultation process with Canberra over the 40-year licence of the North West Shelf LNG facility had been extended, though formal approval was granted in late May. The approval process being extended relates to conditions around air quality and cultural heritage management, Woodside said. The heritage in question is the Murujuga rock art, petroglyphs that are up to 50,000 years old which could be impacted by emissions of corrosive gases from the plant. Australia wants UNESCO World Heritage status granted to the ancient art, but this has been put on hold due to concerns relating to the emissions impacts.
- Fri 02:51Hydrogen highway - Victoria has opened what will be Australia’s largest hydrogen refuelling station and the first public service station that will offer hydrogen to commercial trucks and other heavy haul transport, it said Friday. It is in the state’s second-largest city Geelong, where the state’s oil refinery operates. Viva New Energies, which operates the refinery and plans an LNG import terminal received A$34 mln ($22 mln) via Australia’s renewable agency and another A$1 mln from the state government. The station has an on-site electrolyser to make hydrogen from the local water supply. Initial nameplate refuelling capacity is five trucks per day rising to 12-15 within two years. Refuelling takes 15 minutes.
- Fri 02:24Welcome ART - Exchange operator ICE has announced its intention to designate the Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART) as an eligible registry for use in its CORSIA Eligible Emissions Units futures contracts for 2024-26). This designation is subject to the successful completion of relevant internal processes. Stakeholders are invited to submit comments on this proposed change within 14 days. ICE's current list of eligible CORSIA registries includes ACR, Verra, and Gold Standard. Eligible registries must be approved by the ICAO Council as part of an Emissions Unit Programme for CORSIA. ART is known for its jurisdictional REDD+ credits and its alignment with the integrity frameworks sought by many compliance and voluntary markets.
- Fri 01:26Not everyone has jumped ship - Five public investment funds with a collective $2.7 trillion in assets under management shared their approaches to integrating physical risk – the potential for financial loss due to climate-related events – into their investment processes, in a paper published by think tank OMFIF and Canadian public investor CPP Investments on Thursday. Public funds still have difficulty assessing physical risks and face barriers to integration, the authors wrote. While funds are expanding their analysis of physical risks through investment into new analytics and modelling, engagement with investees has also proved to be a key strategy. The authors said that climate risk management should become a driver of resilience, value creation, and stronger returns for investors.
