Trouble in Tuvalu - The Pacific island nation, together with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and UN Development Programme (UNDP), convened a high-level donor roundtable to mobilise urgent support for its fight against climate change. The meeting gathered government leaders, experts, and donor representatives to align around national priorities such as coastal protection, climate adaptation, and sustainable development. Strategies discussed included resilient infrastructure, nature-based solutions, and community-led planning, building on lessons from the Tuvalu Coastal Adaptation Project. IPCC projections show that by mid-century nearly half of Funafuti could be regularly inundated, with only a fraction of land remaining above high tide levels by 2100. The roundtable, following a Tuvalu climate conference in Oct. 2024, underscored the need for inclusive, risk-informed measures and stronger partnerships. Leaders from Tuvalu, ADB, and UNDP stressed that the survival of the country depends on immediate financial and technical support, reaffirming a joint commitment to resilience and sustainable development.

An influential international finance association has backed a new model designed to strengthen voluntary carbon markets through standardised data, though urged flexibility on draft rules to help them scale.

Turning human excreta – namely faeces and urine – into biochar could provide a significant share of the world’s fertiliser needs while generating carbon removal credits, according to a new study that positions waste recycling as a pillar of both food security and climate mitigation.

Vacant residential building utilisation has emerged as a key strategy for effectively managing carbon budgets in China’s urban construction sector, according to a new study.

Contact plans – Despite an increase in thermal generation, New Zealand’s Contact Energy still reported a fall in its Scope 1 emissions in its FY2025 results on Monday. In its accompanying climate report, the gentailer said its Scope 1 emissions for the year came to 0.7 mln, down from 0.9 mln the year before, and reaffirmed its commitment to reach net zero in Scope 1 and 2 by 2035. Further reductions are planned as it continues to phase out fossil fuels in favour of renewables – including the 377-MW Taranaki Combined Cycle gas-fired plant, which accounted for 42% of its Scope 1 emissions, at the end of this year. It also plans to continue its CCS operations at its Te Huka geothermal site, estimating it can capture and store 24,000 tCO2 per year, and is exploring investing in the technology at its Ohaaki geothermal site, where it said an estimated 65,000 t could be captured annually and converted to food-grade CO2. Contact added that it has two long-term partnerships in place for forestry credits for use to meet its NZ ETS compliance obligations and to offset any residual emissions at 2035.

Second reading passed – A proposed bill to limit the conversion of farmland to forestry to register in the NZ ETS passed its second reading in New Zealand parliament on Tuesday, with 102 votes in favour and 20 opposed, from the Greens and Te Pati Maori. The bill now proceeds to the Committee of Whole House, in which MPs examine the bill in detail and can question the member in charge of it – in this case the agriculture and forestry minister, Todd McClay. Speaking at an industry event in Rotorua on Tuesday, Climate Minister Simon Watts said the bill will progress to its final reading in the coming weeks and give the sector clarity.

Insuring Fijian business – The ADB, UNDP, and UN Capital Development Fund have launched an initiative to create an insurance market for SMEs in Fiji that are vulnerable to climate change, the partners said in a press release on Monday. Building off work by the Pacific Insurance and Climate Adaptation Programme, which provides parametric insurance to the region, the partners will develop and test pilot products with local providers. In its own press release, the Fijian government said the parametric insurance product would see quick, automatic payments once weather thresholds – such as rainfall or cyclones – are reached, removing delays in payouts for businesses. It added that this is the first such endeavour in the Pacific Islands.

Singapore and Thailand on Tuesday signed an implementation agreement to collaborate on carbon credit projects under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, marking the city-state’s first such deal with an ASEAN partner and eighth overall.

E-methane solution - Japan's Osaka Gas has completed construction of an experimental facility for solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) methanation, which can synthesise methane from water and CO2, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reported. The solution can lower the power consumed in producing methane gas and thereby reduce production costs. According to the report, the gas supplier is "enthusiastic about the production of such synthetic methane", and the new facility is capable of producing an amount of methane gas equivalent to that consumed by 200 ordinary households.      

More to it - Scientists from the Australian Institute of Marine Science have found that more than half of the carbon stored in coastal wetland soils originates from plants outside the wetlands. The researchers used a mathematical model to analyse soil samples from mangroves, saltmarshes, and seagrass ecosystems, revealing significant contributions from seaweeds and land-based plants growing offshore and upstream. The findings show wetlands act as part of a “connected matrix” rather than isolated systems., with the authors calling for updated blue carbon crediting frameworks that currently overlook external carbon sources.

BHP on Tuesday said it will push back the bulk of its capital spending for decarbonisation to the 2030s, citing slow progress in technologies for diesel displacement, even as the mining giant reported lower year-on-year emissions driven by renewables and operation closures.

Financial support - The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) on Tuesday opened the A$500-mln ($325 mln) Battery Breakthrough Initiative (BBI) to support and grow battery manufacturing in the country, it said in a release. Through the initiative, ARENA said it will focus on awarding funding to projects related to materials used in electrochemical batteries,  battery cell manufacturing, and battery pack assembly. Funding provided through BBI may include capital grants, production incentives, or other payments, according to the statement.

Transmission overhaul - The Australian state of Victoria has released its 2025 Transmission Plan, designed to replace retiring coal-fired power plants with renewable energy. Developed by VicGrid, the plan identifies creation of six renewable energy zones (REZs) for the development of renewable projects and infrastructure, designed through community, traditional owner, regional stakeholder, and agricultural industry consultation, it said. According to the statement, failure to implement the plan could cost Victoria A$9.6 bln ($6.24 bln) over 30 years by undermining energy reliability and increasing costs. The REZs will cover approximately 7.9% of Victorian land. As well, the development of new capacity will create 67,000 jobs by 2040, it said.

A trade body under India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry has set up an end-to-end Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) reporting platform to aid local exporters comply with global carbon border taxes.

Australia’s carbon market is hoping the government’s 2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) will provide some much-needed direction, as participants grapple with foggy signals and a stubborn carbon price.

Humans have depleted global vegetation and soil carbon stocks by around a quarter, releasing an amount of carbon comparable to all fossil fuel emissions since the mid-1970s, according to new research.

Shell has begun initial inquiries to sell its 25% stake in an Australian carbon project developer, Carbon Pulse understands.

Using traditional greenhouse gas accounting methods could misrepresent the climate impact of livestock methane emissions and distort estimates of how much CO2 removal (CDR) is required to achieve global temperature goals, a new analysis warns.

Projected supply - Australia's Woodside Energy said in its half-yearly report it expects to plant 2 million biodiverse seedlings in Western Australia and 500,000 in NSW across its company-owned carbon projects in 2025, saying these activities were about 50% complete as of June 30. The planting activities fall under Woodside's Native Reforestation projects, under the Australian Carbon Credit Unit Scheme. The company has also progressed its international carbon projects in Paraguay and Senegal during the period, noting it is expected to receive some 2.4 and 1.8 mln credits respectively over 40 years.