Cutting down – Chinese tech giant Alibaba is cutting down on offsetting use, cancelling just under 12,000 credits in the year to Mar. 2025 compared to 118,000 two years previously, according to its latest ESG report. Instead, the company is prioritizing insetting. Its net GHG emissions in the year ending this March amounted to 10.15 MtCO2e, up from 10.06 Mt the year before.

CDP trustees - The environmental disclosure non-profit CDP has appointed two new members to its Worldwide Board of Trustees, saying they will help to strengthen its efforts to scale up in Asia Pacific in particular – where disclosures are growing at record pace. Marc Berryman, named chair of finance on the audit and risk committee, has been focused on risk management and regulatory oversight, in over 20 years of experience in financial services. He currently works as investment operations director at UK wealth manager St. James's Place, and was previously CEO and COO of Credit Suisse Asset Management UK. Hideo Tomita, appointed Japan representative, is the vice chair for Japan at the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), and previously worked at Refinitiv Japan KK.

Voluntary carbon credit prices drifted sideways and retirements slid lower amid the summer holidays, while new Carbon Pulse analysis revealed the impact of up-and-coming registries in driving the sector towards retirement growth.

Ocean farming using large algae could contribute significantly to global CO2 removal, with current technologies falling short of what is needed to stabilise the climate, according to a policy paper released Monday.

Voyage to Zero - Singapore-based Swire Shipping has launched a carbon insetting initiative whereby clients can cut their Scope 3 emissions by claiming the GHG savings from second-generation biofuels used in its fleet, even while their own actual cargo is shipped using conventional fuels. This so-called book-and-claim model was launched on the MV Apia Chief in Suva, Fiji, with the GHG savings calculated using independently verified data. (shipandbunker.com)

Green ammonia certification - Envision Energy's Chifeng Hydrogen Net Zero Industrial Park has been awarded the ISCC Plus certification - making it the world's first project to receive the designation for green ammonia with a verified GHG footprint. The park is currently the world's largest green hydrogen-ammonia project and the first to reach commercial operation. ISCC is a globally recognised certificate for sustainable feedstocks, which sets strict evaluation criteria across GHG accounting and material traceability. The certification enhances the competitiveness of Envision's green ammonia products on the market, the release stated.

The G20's financial stability watchdog released a new strategy for approaching climate risks on Monday, but has paused further policy work amid the US retreat on climate action and at the request from some of its members.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) has set up a regional hub to accelerate the decarbonisation of aviation across the Asia Pacific, focusing on green finance and the development of a carbon market in the region.

First fuel steps - Australian fuel producer Viva Energy has processed 10 types of of tyre pyrolysis oil at its Geelong Refinery it announced Monday, as part of efforts to advance the country's sustainable fuel industry. The company said the refinery had already processed a similar quantity of pyrolysis oil derived from waste plastic, demonstrating its capability to process at-scale oil made from waste. However, the company said the pyrolysis oil it used was imported from Poland with permission from the Australian government, as it is currently not available domestically. Viva is seeking to develop a tyre-recycling facility in Melbourne, capable of processing up to 80,000 tonnes of used tyres per year.  

Brazil is working to boost the number of domestic and international flights landing in the Amazonian city of Belem this year, to accommodate the tens of thousands expected to descend for November's COP30 climate change summit, the organisers announced on Monday.

Gold Standard has opened a consultation on its new criteria for setting activity baselines that are aligned with the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism (PACM), as the organisation aims to align its voluntary carbon market instruments with the provisions of the Article 6.4 system.

The Malaysian government will introduce its National Climate Change Bill to parliament in the coming weeks, which will include provisions for carbon market mechanisms aimed at reducing industrial greenhouse gas emissions and incentivise emissions trading.

Keeping tabs - Australia's Clean Energy Regulator has informed 70 carbon projects they have missed their reporting deadline, it said in a compliance update. These projects are required to provide the regulator with a plan to return to compliance, or be revoked. Meanwhile, it said Fitzroy Mining had surrendered 172,900 prescribed carbon units for its Carlborough Downs and Ironbark Safeguard facilities, after they were in excess at the end of the last reporting period. Its final surrender is required by Dec. 15.

Mining giant BHP has signed an agreement with a Chinese technology company to investigate using batteries to electrify and decarbonise its mining operations, it announced Monday.

China under EU pressure – EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra urged China on Sunday to adopt more ambitious climate measures, particularly regarding coal dependency, during high-level talks in Beijing. The EU is delaying a joint climate agreement with China until stronger commitments are secured. While the EU is open to looking into a potential declaration, “the thing that is most important about these types of statements is the content that goes into it”, Hoekstra told Reuters in an interview. “We do encourage China to take more of a leadership role going forward and really hit the road with meaningful emission reductions in the next couple of years, and also move out of the domain of coal," he said.

Calling for proposals - Mitsubishi UFJ Research & Consulting, commissioned by Japan's trade ministry (METI), has issued this fiscal year's second call for proposals about feasibility studies under the bilateral Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM), according to a notice published Monday. The project aims to encourage the spread of decarbonisation technologies and products from Japanese companies, and to achieve GHG reductions in JCM partner countries. Up to eight feasibility studies will be subsidised with a maximum budget of JPY 15 million ($101,809) each, and applications will be accepted until Aug. 15, the notice said.    

Governments and validation and verification bodies (VVBs) are seeking to address what developers say is a major dearth of local experience, a conference heard last week.

EU-Indonesia trade deal – After 10 years of negotiation, the EU and Indonesia shook hands on Sunday on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), marking a decisive milestone towards its definitive conclusion in September, the European Commission said in a statement. Indonesia is a leading supplier of goods that are vital for the digital and green transitions and will help strengthen the supply chains of critical raw materials that Europe needs to power the clean and digital transitions, said Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The deal is more than just about securing supplies for Europe, as the agreement has a clear focus on local jobs and value creation, von der Leyen said.

Clean power shortage - South Korea’s four major industries – including steel and semiconductor manufacturing – face a projected shortfall of 21.4 TWh of carbon-free electricity by 2042, according to the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI). The FKI notes that this deficit, which can only be met through renewable energy procurement under current rules, is equivalent to roughly 46.7% of Seoul's total electricity consumption last year. With domestic power demand surging due to the surge of artificial intelligence, the FKI has called for the government to broaden the definition of carbon-free electricity to include output from existing nuclear power plants, it said in a statement.

Carbon inventory - The government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan has launched its first carbon asset inventory, with an aim to accelerate green energy adoption and unlock climate financing, the Peshawar Post reported. The inventory will track emissions reductions from renewable energy projects and convert them into carbon credits and renewable energy certificates. Developed in collaboration with the UK-funded SEED programme, the tool is designed to improve transparency, guide future energy planning, and align the province with global climate reporting standards.

Australia's Telstra says it is sticking to its plan to move away from using carbon credits to meet its emission reduction goals, despite cancelling several hundred Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) last month.

Big battery - A four-hour battery totalling 4 GWh has been proposed for a site north of Sydney to absorb excess solar power in the grid, RenewEconomy reports. Developer Bid Energy has put forward the 1 GW/4 GWh Kiar battery project for federal environmental approval. The battery would be located on the 330 kV transmission line between Sydney and several coal power stations that will retire in the coming years, a location the developer said was the "favourable location". The project is significantly larger than the 700 MW/2,800 MWh Eraring battery now under construction and is one of several significant battery projects being developed to help replace aging coal plants in Australia.

U-turn - Indian government has eased a mandate on sulphur emissions from coal plants, exempting 79% of coal plants from installing costly flue-gas desulphurisation (FGD) systems unless located near major cities, Reuters reported. The revised mandate, issued on July 12, limits FGD installation to only 10% of plants near densely populated areas by 2027, with another 11% to be considered on a case-by-case basis. This reversal comes despite investments of $4 bln by state-run electricity producer NTPC and plans for wider implementation.