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).

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.

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).

The lower, the better - Around 90% of the emitters regulated by Taiwan's newly introduced carbon levy programme are expected to submit their emissions reduction plans by the end of August, the island nation's environment ministry said in a statement released this week. Almost 500 entities are subject to carbon charges, and those having qualified voluntary plans can enjoy preferential rates under the scheme. The government is also formulating a preliminary plan to determine the criteria for carbon leakage-exposed sectors, a move that will affect how much emitters will have to pay under the carbon pricing scheme.

Polish it up - China's environment ministry is seeking feedback on a set of revised guidelines to better guide local governments in compiling GHG inventories at the provincial level, according to a recent notice. The proposal is set to replace the version released in 2011, in order to better align with the latest national emissions inventories and changes in international rules, the ministry said. The deadline for comments is Aug. 22, according to the notice. Meanwhile, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) recently issued its opinion on enhancing the country's carbon measurement capability, setting a primary target of building a number of national facilities by 2030.      

Not going to work - Mining giant Rio Tinto joined its peer BHP in tempering expectations for Australia's goal of developing a green iron industry, Reuters reported. High costs and a lack of economic incentives were cited as the biggest hurdles. BHP Australia chief in a social media post earlier this year said that producing green steel in Australia would cost twice as much as in China or the Middle East.

A white paper published Thursday said India’s depleted agricultural soils hold “high potential” as a source of carbon removal credits, claiming that modest improvements in soil organic carbon (SOC) could sequester billions of tonnes of CO2 while delivering co-benefits for farmers.

Switzerland has hired a ratings agency to evaluate Article 6 carbon projects in the wake of criticism over the additionality of the first-ever Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs) transferred under the Paris Agreement.

Japan has issued this fiscal year's second call to subsidise project proposals that can provide benefits beyond emissions reductions under the bilateral Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM).

CCS hopes - Chevron has submitted an environmental plan to the Western Australian state government for the CCS element of its Gorgon LNG plant. It aims to increase injection capability given the plant’s underperformance since commissioning in 2019. While capacity is supposed to be around 4 MtCO2 a year, Chevron has been injecting less than at 1.6 Mt from its wellhead gas, leading to heavy reliance on Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) to meet emissions obligations.

Back in business - India’s Bureau Veritas has been re-approved as validation and verification body (VVB) by the Global Carbon Council under its latest approval cycle, it said. Bureau Veritas has met the necessary requirements in line with the rigorous criteria set out in the UNFCCC/CDM Track, the standard said. This re-approval authorises the verification body to conduct validation services for projects seeking registration under the GCC programme, as well as for verifying GHG emission reductions for already registered projects.

The European Commission may delay some elements of its carbon border fee until global trade tensions ease, particularly as developing countries question the way that revenues will be spent and consider their own retaliatory instruments, experts say.

Current climate finance flows to Thailand are only around half of what the country needs to meet its Paris Agreement and net zero targets, leaving the country with an $11-17 billion annual investment gap, according to a report released Thursday.

A group of 21 NGOs has written to major banks around the world, calling on them to stop funding for a blast furnace relining project in South Korea, saying it would lock the steel manufacturer into at least 15 more years of coal use and at risk of hefty carbon border fees for exports to Europe.

Sign me up – Japanese chemicals firm Resonac has joined the Science-Based Targets initiative, it announced on Wednesday, effective as of June 30, 2025. The firm has been working towards a goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, undertaking energy efficiency improvements and expanding its use of renewable energy, it said, and will restate its 2030 target to align with the Paris Agreement.