A Nordic climate funding initiative in Africa has signed an agreement to support a clean cooking developer scale its bioethanol solution, it announced this week.

Toll-free trucks – The European Commission is proposing to exempt zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles from road tolls and user charges until 2031, according to a statement published on Friday. This would extend the current exemption period from Dec. 31, 2025 to June 30, 2031 – a move the Commission said aims at providing incentives for companies to invest in zero-emission trucks. The proposed exemption period will be synchronised with the EU’s CO2 emission performance standards for new heavy-duty vehicles, which target a 43% reduction in emissions by 2030.

Nuclear talks - Centrica is in advanced talks to purchase 15% of the UK's Sizewell C nuclear power project, with a decision expected in coming weeks, say people familiar. Earlier this year the UK announced it would invest £14.2 bln to help build the Suffolk-based plant after years of delays, and further backing would support the government in its quest for low-carbon, baseload power supply. Others reportedly considering bidding for minority stakes include Brookfield Asset Management and pension manager Caisse de Dépôt et Placement du Québec. (Bloomberg)

The United Kingdom is committed to include permanent, high-quality carbon removals (CDR) into its Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), a senior official confirmed, saying the government will initially follow a strict ‘one-in, one-out’ approach where each tonne of CO2 removed from the atmosphere is matched by a corresponding allowance withdrawn from the market.

Money in trees - A UK government scheme, England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO), that helps landowners plant trees in England has revealed a case study where a 100-hectares of woodland will receive maintenance payments of £400 per hectare for 15 years after planting, totalling £614,800, on top of reaping benefits from selling credits certified by the UK Woodland Carbon Code. These maintenance payments help with the cost of tree replacement, weeding around the trees, and the management of open space within the woodland. For a project of this scale, up to 165,000 replacement trees might be needed in the first few years, EWCO said. The project has already received a payment of £426,800 for capital items needed to make the woodland happen. This covered the cost of buying trees and tree tubes, fencing, gates, and other essentials, which offsets most of the establishment costs for this woodland. The highest expenses were deer fencing, purchasing and planting a total of 550,000 trees. Overall, the more than 100 hectare woodland project will receive £1,206,300 (£11,800 per hectare) in EWCO grant payments over 15 years following initial capital work. In addition, over the first 35 years, the new woodland is likely to deliver over 30,000 carbon credits, or WCU.

Nordic countries should consider establishing a regional biodiversity offsetting market to complement the EU's nature credit scheme being developed by the European Commission, a climate non-profit said in a position paper this week.

A UN Environment Programme (UNEP) working group this week released a report seeking to address a gap in guidance on nature-related assessments for insurance underwriting portfolios.

EU carbon allowance prices rebounded modestly on Friday morning after falling to their lowest in nearly four weeks, finding support from bullish-positioned traders even as energy markets continued to retreat amid easing supply constraints.

Analysts at a bank have raised their expectations for 2026 European carbon allowance prices by 5%, driven by tightening supply, but cautioned that there is still significant uncertainty around free allocation policy and ongoing trade conflicts.

A Brazil-led innovative financing model, designed to fight tropical deforestation, is said to be within reach following talks between government officials and philanthropies in London.

Climactic raise - A Berlin-based tech company has raised €10 mln in a Series A funding round to enhance its AI-driven automation of emissions calculations, including Scope 3. Climatiq said that it will also invest in expanding its scientific database of emissions conversion factors across jurisdictions and economic sectors, as well as in growing its partner ecosystem. The company has integrated its technology with more than 200 business operation platforms, and delivered over 1 bln carbon calculations via its APIs in the last 12 months to global businesses, it claimed. Climatiq’s carbon calculation engine uses a dataset of over 200,000 emission conversion factors. The funding round was led by independent early-stage venture capital fund Alstin Capital, with participation from existing investors Singular and Cherry Ventures. (ESG Today)

For whom the exemption tolls - The EU Commission has proposed to extend the exemption period for zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles from road tolls and user charges until June 30, 2031. The executive said it recognised the upfront cost of these vehicles is currently higher than their conventional counterparts, making them less attractive to buyers. The proposed exemption period will be synchronised with the EU’s CO2 emission performance standards for new heavy-duty vehicles which target a 43% reduction in emissions by 2030.

Environmental markets should prioritise maintaining and restoring ecological connectivity, as countries worldwide are facing massive infrastructure buildout with great impacts on biodiversity, an expert told Carbon Pulse.

Biochar asphalt - Novocarbo and Hansa Asphalt have launched a pilot in northern Germany for a biochar-infused asphalt mix that stores carbon while enhancing road performance. Early findings show increased material efficiency, potential substitution of raw materials like fillers or bitumen, and durable carbon storage. About 75 kg of CO₂ equivalent is stored per tonne of asphalt, totaling 17.5 tonnes at the test site. The removals are certified by Novocarbo and verified independently, generating credits, with a commercial rollout planned for this autumn. (Biochar Today)

A Dutch project developer has sold voluntary credits at an average of €22.28 ($26), higher than originally estimated, it revealed Friday.

The EU needs time for a genuine democratic debate on the bloc’s next climate target for 2040, according to French President Emmanuel Macron, who has pleaded for decoupling the negotiations from the EU’s 2035 contribution to the UN due in September.

A majority in the Dutch Parliament has voted in favour of scrapping a national CO2 levy on industry that sits on top of the EU ETS – after the government only recently proposed to maintain it.