Hydrogen hookup - SHS Group, owner of German steelmakers Dillinger and Saarstahl, has signed a 10-year deal with France’s Verso Energy to supply at least 6,000 tonnes of green hydrogen annually starting in 2029, FCW reported. The hydrogen will be produced at Verso’s planned CarlHYng electrolyser in Carling, France, and delivered via the mosaHYc pipeline to Saarland steel plants. SHS said the supply will support its Power4Steel project, aimed at cutting emissions by up to 55% in the early 2030s, with long-term plans to use as much as 120,000 tonnes per year. German and Saarland officials called the agreement a significant step for both the regional hydrogen economy and industrial decarbonisation.

Seagrass solutions - Bahamas’ Prime Minister Philip Davis addressed a climate finance reception in the UK Parliament last week, calling for stronger global investment in nature-based solutions. Speaking via a recorded message at the event, co-hosted by Bankers for Net Zero and Laconic Infrastructure Partners, Davis highlighted the Bahamas’ seagrass meadows as critical carbon sinks, and urged greater use of Article 6.2 cooperation, blended finance, and high-integrity carbon markets to protect ecosystems as global assets. Positioning the Bahamas as both vulnerable to climate change and a leader in solutions, Davis emphasised partnerships with the UK and international institutions to mobilise private capital and enhance resilience through the protection of marine ecosystems.

Mercedes is the only carmaker in the EU not on track to meet the bloc's 2025-27 CO2 targets, according to NGO analysis published Monday, as over 150 European business leaders urged the bloc to stick by its 2035 zero-emission target for cars.

The prospect of linking the EU and British emissions trading systems (ETSs) creates further risks and uncertainty for the UK shipping industry, at a time when it is already straddling different rules and plans between the two sides and internationally, according to the UK Chamber of Shipping.

EU carbon allowance prices broke above their mid-year peak to reach a seven-month high as firming gas helped the carbon market maintain its steady rally, while UK Allowances rose again to set a new 26-month high as traders kept the spread to EUAs steady.

A carbon removal (CDR) certifier is seeking feedback for its enhanced rock weathering (ERW) methodology update, it announced Monday, which the standard says aligns with the Core Carbon Principles (CCPs).

Sustainable practices drive cost efficiencies in supply chains and competitive advantage, according to almost three-quarters of companies surveyed by a consultancy looking at the evolution of corporate value chains.

Somalia has committed to cutting its annual greenhouse gas emissions by 34% in 2035 compared to a business as usual baseline, provided it receives the right level of financing, according to the impoverished country's new Paris Agreement pledge.

An expert panel working on methodological elements of the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism (PACM) has proposed a 0.5-2.5% range over a 100-year period to define a "negligible" risk of reversal, in a bid to define a threshold for what is considered acceptable levels of permanence under new UNFCCC carbon crediting rules.

Signs of life flickered in the CORSIA carbon futures market in the first week of September, while prices ticked higher in the voluntary emissions avoidance and reduction sectors although retirement of credits remained low.

Copenhagen is keen to begin negotiations on linking the EU and UK emissions trading systems (ETSs) as quickly as possible, although how soon the two sides can reach an agreement depends on political will, an official from the Danish presidency of the Council of EU member states said on Monday.

Africa’s carbon bet - Africa’s push to align climate finance with growth is gaining traction through systemic reforms, with carbon markets emerging as a key pillar, according to a Kenyan government report published Monday. The report said that the Africa Carbon Markets Initiative (ACMI) has shifted the continent from fragmented participation to a coordinated market, building regional alliances across West, East, and Southern Africa to expand Africa’s market share. However, the continent still attracts only 2.5% of global climate finance, highlighting the urgency of reforms that should blend debt restructuring, concessional flows, and private capital with carbon market development. The report noted that if properly designed, carbon markets can transform Africa’s mitigation potential into tangible investment, jobs, and resilience. The report coincides with the opening of the second edition of the Africa Climate Summit in Ethiopia on Monday, after the inaugural summit was hosted by Kenya in 2023.

A London-headquartered multinational retailer has committed to ensuring that all of its British products come from farms using regenerative practices by the end of this decade.

Italy, Czechia, Greece, and Sweden want to make fertilisers, basic organic chemicals, and other industrial sectors eligible for indirect cost compensation under the revised state aid guidelines for the EU's Emission Trading System (ETS).

The EU should extend carbon pricing to agriculture to plug major climate policy gaps, a new paper suggested on Monday, warning that the bloc's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) currently finances nearly twice the emissions it is designed to abate.

Output boost - Eight members of OPEC+ agreed on Sunday to raise production from October by 137,000 bpd as leader Saudi Arabia pushes to regain market share - marking a slower pace of increases compared with previous months. This is due to an expected weakening of global oil demand and means the cartel has begun to unwind a second tranche of cuts of about 1.65 mln bpd by eight members more than a year ahead of schedule. This year's output increases come as Saudi Arabia sought to punish other members for overproducing, and as the UAE has build new capacity and pushed for higher targets. Output increases have led to a fall in oil prices of around 15% so far this year, though prices have not collapsed, trading at around $65 a barrel, supported by Western sanctions on Russia and Iran. This has emboldened OPEC+ to continue boosting output. (Reuters)

Global carbon emissions rise with economic growth but begin to fall once countries reach higher development levels, with policies like carbon taxes and emissions trading key to speeding up this shift, a study published Monday has found.

The third sale for Eligible Emissions Units (EEUs) is currently open for airlines who want to secure supply for Phase 1 (2024-26) of the CORSIA international aviation offsetting scheme, with a pool of 1 million credits available for bidders, the organisers confirmed to Carbon Pulse.

Major European automakers like Volkswagen and Renault have called for adding the electricity costs of battery manufacturing to the list of sectors eligible for indirect compensation under the revised state aid guidelines for the EU’s Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).

The Danish EU Council presidency has pledged to advance negotiations on the Green Claims directive during its six-month term, after the file became embroiled in a political row between EU institutions over the summer.

An association representing air transport operators has ramped up its carbon credit demand outlook for the Phase 1 (2024-26) of the CORSIA international aviation emissions offsetting scheme, with the updated forecast placing expected requirements at between 146 mln and 236 mln over the three-year period.

2040 politics - Germany's environment minister, Carsten Schneider, has warned against delaying a decision on a 2040 EU climate target. His comments to the Spiegel on Sunday followed media reports that France and Germany both support postponing a decision on the 2040 target from a meeting of environment ministers on Sept. 18 to a European leaders'  summit on Oct. 23-24. Schneider is from the centre-left SPD, which has also warned against a "reorientation" of energy policy that slows down the energy transition. Germany's coalition partners the centre-right CDU and SPD - and its economy and environment ministries - have traditionally not seen eye to eye on climate and energy policy. (Spiegel)

Helsinki has officially endorsed the European Commission’s proposal for a 90% net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, while urging greater attention to technical and biogenic carbon sinks in the process.

A coalition of European health and medical professionals has called on Brussels to resist pressure to weaken or delay the bloc’s 2035 phaseout of internal combustion engines, warning that air pollution from fossil-fuelled transport is driving “hundreds of thousands” of premature deaths each year.