Occidental Petroleum said Thursday that its direct air capture (DAC) facility Stratos has sold most of its CO2 removals (CDR) volume through 2030 after signing two additional offtake agreements in Q2 2025.

Keep it simple stupid - As corporate climate practices have matured over the last decade, a specialised industry of climate experts has materialised. This industry evaluates climate performance within and outside firms of all kinds – looking at GHG footprinting, decarbonisation methods, and other corporate practices. While frameworks around these forward-looking transition plans add rigour, they are becoming increasingly complex. Yet this complexity risks alienating decision-makers, argues Ilmi Granhoff, a senior fellow at the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law. Terms like “1.5°C targets” and “transition plans” remain abstract to many in finance. Granhoff argues for a simpler approach: focusing on a company’s capital asset mix to gauge current climate performance, and on its capital expenditures to understand its climate trajectory.

The Supervisory Body for the Article 6.4 Mechanism (SBM) has adopted a new standard that addresses when and how inadequate local living conditions are recognised in project baselines under the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism (PACM).

British Columbia has finalised its carbon capture and storage (CCS) protocol, coming in on the heels of its new compliance market and anticipated offset demand.

Marine CO2 removal (mCDR) projects such as ocean alkalinity enhancement and biomass sinking should be regulated under the London Convention and London Protocol in a way that advances climate goals while safeguarding the marine environment, according to new legal guidance.

Not much - Carbon Brief analysis finds that US President Donald Trump’s new tariffs are likely to have only a minimal impact on global CO2 emissions, despite some suggestions they could slow economic activity enough to cut emissions. The study estimates the measures – including a 10% universal levy on all imports and additional “reciprocal tariffs” on selected countries – would reduce 2025 emissions by just 110-150 Mt of CO2 (0.3-0.4%) compared to pre-tariff forecasts. In 2026, the effect could rise slightly to 190-300 MtCO2 (0.5-0.8%). The calculation uses changes in GDP growth projections from the IMF, OECD, and World Bank between late 2024 and mid-2025 to estimate the knock-on effect on emissions from fossil fuels and cement. Although headline rates from the April “liberation day” announcement have since been lowered through deals with the EU, UK, Japan, the Philippines, and others, US import levies remain at their highest since the 1930s, sustaining uncertainty over trade and growth. Experts warn that any short-term climate benefit would likely be outweighed by longer-term harm, as tariffs risk slowing investment in clean-energy projects, particularly by disrupting supply chains for low-carbon technologies. Carbon Brief notes that since returning to office in 2025, Trump has repealed multiple climate policies, including the Inflation Reduction Act, and is set to miss the previous US 2030 emissions target by a cumulative 7 bln tonnes of CO2. While tariffs may slightly dampen global GDP growth and thus emissions in the near term, Carbon Brief concludes that their overall climate impact is small and likely negative over the medium-to-long term.

Biomass-derived biochar applied to soils could sequester between 0.7 and 1.8 billion tonnes of CO2e each year, provided production methods and field application are optimised, a comprehensive scientific review has calculated.

President Donald Trump’s administration has rewritten or deleted significant information from federal websites relating to environmental justice and climate change, according to a public interest research collective published a report on Wednesday.

Not welcome – The city council of Belem, which will host COP30 in November, approved on Wednesday a motion declaring US President Donald Trump persona non grata, Folha de S. Paulo reported. The proposal was a response to the recent 50% tariffs imposed by the US government on Brazilian products. On Thursday, Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he would not call Trump to negotiate the tariffs, as the American leader is unwilling to discuss them, but rather to invite him to attend COP30 in Brazil to talk about climate issues.

Risk map update - Verra announced Wednesday it has released its provisional allocated unplanned deforestation risk map for the Brazilian state of Acre as part of its revamped REDD+ methodology. The map, which captures deforestation rates within a given jurisdiction, were prepared by independent data service providers and are pending a final review by third parties to ensure they meet Verra’s requirements. With it, project proponents can explore the feasibility of registering a VCS project under Verra’s new REDD+ methodology. Launched in 2023, the VMD0055 module of VM0048 will replace several earlier REDD+ methodologies. Verra has also finalised risk maps for the Brazilian states of Para and Mato Grosso, and released another provisional map for Rondonia. An update timeline expected timetable for the release of further maps can be found here.

Expensive even for the president – Austria’s President Alexander Van der Bellen will not attend COP30 in Belem. The head of state acknowledged the symbolic importance of holding the summit in the Amazonian city, but said the “particularly high costs” are beyond the presidency’s limited logistical budget. A delegation of Austrian negotiators and Environment Minister Norbert Totschnig will represent the country. (G1)

Moving target – The Arizona Public Service, the state’s largest utility, will no longer pursue 100% clean energy by 2050 and is scrapping its interim climate goals. The company is instead targeting to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, indicating that it would offset emissions from fossil fuelled-power through other means. (E&E News)

Pipeline push - Ontario, backed by Alberta and Saskatchewan, announced a request for proposals on Thursday for a feasibility study exploring how best to establish a new economic and energy corridor aiming to bring Western Canadian oil and gas to refineries in Southern Ontario and tidewater ports. The study, announced amidst tariff uncertainty from the US, aims to reduce reliance on US infrastructure, bolster energy security, and create jobs by building east-west pipelines entirely within Canada. The study will also explore Indigenous participation, a national strategic petroleum reserve, and infrastructure to support mining and broadband expansion in the north.

Fission funding - New York is weighing a plan to extend subsidies for three upstate nuclear power plants until 2050 as part of its strategy to meet decarbonisation goals, E&E News reported. The proposal, backed by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), would replace existing subsidies set to expire in 2029 with a new long-term contract framework. The facilities collectively supply about 15% of the state’s electricity and are considered by proponents as crucial to avoiding increased reliance on fossil fuels. Critics, including environmental groups, argue the plan could slow the growth of renewables and saddle ratepayers with high costs.

The Mexican state of Queretaro has approved a soil carbon project into its state-level offsetting system, marking the first time a Verra-registered soil carbon project has been recognized in the system, according to a Wednesday announcement.

A South Carolina court has dismissed the City of Charleston’s climate liability lawsuit against more than a dozen fossil fuel companies, ruling that the claims are precluded by the federal Constitution and preempted by federal law.

Two companies are working together to choose new sites for an agricultural carbon project, generating credits by reducing methane emissions from rice paddies, a climate tech firm announced on Thursday.

Verra has partnered with a global insurance firm to assess whether specific insurance products meet the requirements for carbon credits intended for use under the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).

A ratings agency has assigned its first score to a direct air capture (DAC) activity, giving the project a low assessment due to the possibility of over-crediting, though deeming it to have strong additionality and low non-permanence risks.

All aboard the (no) love boats - Details have emerged surrounding the cost and availability of rooms aboard two cruise ships to be docked outside of Belem to provide additional supply of accommodations during COP30 in November. According to marketing materials prepared by Flytour and Qualitours – the tour operators managing the COP30 cruise ship offering – and seen by Carbon Pulse, the 1,862-cabin Costa Diadema and the 2,020-cabin MSC Seaview will be moored in the expanded Port of Outeiro some 25 km or 45 minutes from the climate summit venue. Launched in 2014, the Costa Diadema can accommodate nearly 5,000 people, offering eight restaurants, 11 bars, and 11 swimming pools and whirlpools. The MSC Seaview, inaugurated in 2018, can accommodate more than 5,300 passengers and features an “interactive” waterpark. But these oceanic options are not cheap. The brochure shows the cheapest options are €1,200-1,400 per night for a single-occupancy veranda/balcony room, based on a minimum 17-night stay. That price drops to €600-700 per person per night with two people sharing a 17-20 square metre cabin, with most rooms featuring a double bed and a pull-out sofa. Triple and quadruple options are also available, bringing the price down as low as €300-350 pp pn, but that would involve attendees sharing beds – and it doesn’t avoid the minimum cost of €20,000 per room. Some 75 suites on the Costa Diadema and 86 on the MSC Seaview are also available, but prices go up to €2,900-3,100 pn for the cheapest single-occupancy options, and to €3,450-4,400 pn for the more lavish ‘Grand Suites’, which can sleep up to five people across two bedrooms and a ‘separate living area’ sofa. According to the booking website, all of the Costa Diadema’s 940 ‘internal’ and ‘external’ cabins, plus the 480 equivalent options on the MSC Seaview, have been booked, with a further 56% of the 846 veranda/balcony rooms on the Costa Diadema also now reserved. At around 1,370, the MSC Seaview features significantly more veranda/balcony cabins, but it’s not clear how many remain available. The revelation confirms Carbon Pulse’s reporting from earlier this week that COP30 organisers are expecting delegates to share beds – a proposition that is being resolutely rejected by governments. Parties have also heavily criticised the exorbitant accommodation costs, with prices for private residences in Belem being offered to delegates via the bnetwork-managed COP30 booking portal ranging from $200 to over $15,000 per night (some lower-priced apartments appear to have been made available since the last update). Brazilian officials have rejected calls to relocate the conference to another, larger city, insisting there will be enough beds in Belem (over 55,000 across nearly 30,000 rooms) for the expected 50,000+ attendees. “In 30 years of participating at COPs, I have never seen an accommodation situation as extortionary and chaotic as in Belem. While there has been a tendency to see COP participants as victims to ‘milk’ as done by the Egyptian government in Sharm el-Sheikh in 2022, and by Azerbaijan in Baku in 2024, Belem pricing excesses dwarf these past events,” said Axel Michaelowa, senior founding partner at the Perspectives Climate Group consultancy. “COP stalwarts should protest by bringing a camping kit and putting up one’s tent inside the blue zone – probably the safest place in Belem and following the recommendation of Brazilian President Lula to ‘sleep under the stars’.”

Pressure campaign - The Trump administration is intensifying pressure on the International Energy Agency (IEA), seeking to oust Deputy Executive Director Mary Warlick, a former US diplomat, over the agency’s perceived anti-fossil fuel stance. Republicans accuse the IEA of discouraging oil and gas investments through forecasts showing declining demand. Energy Secretary Chris Wright has publicly criticised the IEA and warned of potential US withdrawal if reforms aren’t made. A key point of contention is the IEA’s shift away from its “Current Policies Scenario”, which reflects only enacted national policies, towards scenarios seen as favouring clean energy transitions. The IEA has pledged to restore the Current Policies Scenario in its 2025 World Energy Outlook. Warlick, appointed in 2021, is reportedly facing pressure from the Department of Energy to step down. Though the State Department initially resisted her removal, recent bureaucratic changes may now ease such efforts. However, the US cannot unilaterally dictate IEA staffing decisions, as it is one of 32 member countries. The administration is also threatening to cut IEA funding in the 2026 budget, aligning with broader moves to withdraw support from international organisations seen as misaligned with Trump’s energy agenda. Despite the pressure, IEA leadership has defended its work, emphasising its commitment to energy security and broad scenario analysis. (E&E News)

A UK-based bank announced on Thursday a partnership with a Brazilian state to sell carbon credits from a jurisdictional REDD+ (J-REDD+) system in the Amazon.