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.

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‘one-in, one-out’ approach where each tonne of CO2 removed from the atmosphere is matched by a corresponding allowance withdrawn from the market.

Emissions drive - The members of Pledge to Net Zero - the environmental sector's climate partnership - have cut almost 1 mln tonnes of corporate emissions since joining forces in 2019. This year, 125 organisations of all sizes reported their performance, up from 110 in 2024 and 89 in 2023, stated the press release. Members include Port of London Authority, AECOM, and consultancy RSK. There was significant investment from members in electric vehicles and renewable energy, alongside supply chain decarbonisation. Scope 3 emissions continue to pose a challenge for many companies.

AI partners - AI company Univers is partnering with Microsoft on accelerating the sustainable energy transition through AI technology. The memorandum of understanding signed during London Climate Action Week will see the two explore enhancement of energy efficiency in data centers through the use of Microsoft AI Cloud capabilities, to strengthen Univers’ sustainability offerings. The partnership strives to improve cooling efficiency, renewables integration, and intelligent operations within data centres worldwide, stated the press release.

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.

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)

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)

The seasonal migration of zooplankton such as krill plays a key role in storing CO2 in the Southern Ocean, though these dynamics are at risk of being disturbed by climate change, a new study has found.

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

Reducing data centre emissions - Singapore-based AI and IoT tech company Univers has partnered with Microsoft to accelerate energy transition using advanced AI and cloud technologies, the company said in statement. Announced at the London Climate Action Week, the partnership will integrate Univers’ EnOS Ark platform with Microsoft’s AI and data capabilities to help organisations track, manage, and reduce their energy consumption and carbon emissions - starting with energy-efficient data centres. As well, the initiative will aim to improve cooling efficiency, renewable energy integration, and intelligent operations within data centres worldwide.

The Q1 2025 results for carbon offsetting under Colombia’s national CO2 tax have this week been published, showing higher retirements that build upon recent rebounds in local demand after post-2022 lows.