Partners - DHL Global Forwarding and Hapag-Lloyd have signed a three-year framework agreement to cut Scope 3 emissions through the use of sustainable marine fuels in Hapag-Lloyd’s fleet. The partnership has already delivered its first 25,000 tonnes CO2e well-to-wake reduction in July 2025 using second-generation biofuels made from waste and residue feedstock. The deal applies the book-and-claim mechanism, which allows customers to claim Scope 3 emission reductions separately from the physical fuel use, helping scale decarbonisation despite limited global biofuel supply. Hapag-Lloyd has been using biofuels since 2020 and launched its Ship Green product in 2023, while DHL integrates sustainable fuels into its GoGreen Plus portfolio. Both companies have long-term climate goals, with Hapag-Lloyd targeting net zero fleet emissions by 2045 and DHL aiming for net zero across its operations by 2050.

The Chilean government has uploaded its third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) climate targets, including a dramatic increase in the national CO2 tax by 2035, extra targets, and a minor deepening of emissions cuts relative to June’s public draft.

Roadshow - The Global Carbon Council (GCC) has conducted a four-day mission to Brazil, holding nearly 20 meetings in Sao Paulo and Brasília with government ministries, industry associations, financial institutions, and project developers. The visit aimed to position GCC as a credible partner in both voluntary and compliance carbon markets, while exploring opportunities under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement. Talks focused on Brazil’s readiness for Article 6.2 implementation, the development of domestic carbon market frameworks, and potential cooperation to support knowledge exchange and capacity building. Stakeholders reportedly showed interest in GCC’s initiatives such as GCC 2.0, nature-based solutions, carbon finance facilities, and compliance opportunities under CORSIA. Energy efficiency, hard-to-abate sectors, and other innovative projects were highlighted as areas for potential new submissions. Financial institutions expressed willingness to engage in high-integrity credit issuance, climate finance access, and tailored training, while ministries and project owners explored GCC’s Article 6.2 registry and broader carbon market infrastructure. The visit concluded with strong interest from both public and private stakeholders in advancing collaboration with GCC, opening pathways for new projects, strategic cooperation, and potential joint activities ahead of COP30. GCC framed the mission as part of its commitment to supporting Brazil’s climate goals and accelerating the development of credible carbon markets.

More than 50 NGOs active in climate finance issued a joint letter to central banks and financial regulators across the world on Sunday calling for greater restrictions on fossil-fuel financing.

The European Commission unveiled a €545 million package on Saturday to accelerate the deployment of renewable energies across Africa, saying it will help create jobs, growth and the delivery of global climate goals.

Producers trimmed their net length in California Carbon Allowances (CCAs), while investors trimmed their net short position in V25 RGGI Allowances (RGAs) to its narrowest level since mid-July, according to the latest figures from the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

The Canadian government needs to step in and implement standardisation, modernisation, and liquidity across the country’s fragmented carbon markets, experts said at Climate Week NYC.

Global forest for the trees - Canada announced on Friday over C$1.4 mln ($1 mln) in funding for 10 projects worldwide under the natural resources ministry's Global Forest Leadership Program, which will help restore damaged ecosystems, support agroforestry and sustainable local businesses, empower Indigenous and local communities, and improve global forest management and protection.

No more retirements - The US DOE is considering issuing new emergency orders to prevent any baseload power plant from retiring over concerns that any retiring plant would harm President Donald Trump’s goals of lowering energy prices and building data centres, according to E&E News. The report, which is based on accounts of two people with direct knowledge of the effort, comes two days after DOE Secretary Chris Wright said that the agency will close old coal plants that are uneconomic. “Those will close. We’re not going to not close any coal plants. But we’re trying to protect the American consumers to have affordable electricity and we want data centres to locate here,” he said during a New York Times climate event. It wouldn’t be the first time the DOE has intervened to prevent a plant from retiring. Earlier this year, Wright used emergency powers to keep open 1.5 GW coal plant in Michigan.

LCFS hearing - California regulator has announced a Nov. 20 public hearing on various proposals, including one to allow the use of indirect accounting of renewable natural gas (RNG) for Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) reporting and crediting of electricity for vehicle charging produced by linear generators. The proposal may increase the near-term availability of low-carbon intensity electricity for electric truck refuelling, the agency added. Members of the public may make comment during the hearing and/or provide comments beforehand.

A senior renewable fuels executive told Carbon Pulse this week that US production tax credits for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) should be temporary, arguing that long-term subsidies risk distorting markets and discouraging necessary industry innovation.

Alberta’s Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) regulation was heading in the right direction until changes to the policy decreased market fundamentals, lowering prices further, experts told attendees of Climate Week NYC on Thursday.

Belize's Minister of Sustainable Development and Climate Change introduced a bill in the House of Representatives aimed at regulating carbon markets and aspects of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, including the creation of an authorisation application form, a national registry, a GHG emissions monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) system, and new institutions for climate oversight.

Cutting out the science - The US EPA’s incoming rule that will eliminate the endangerment finding may lean on a recent DOE report that downplayed the risks for CO2 emissions on the climate. That report has recently come under fire after it was released this summer by the Climate Working Group, a team of independent scientists hand-picked by DOE Secretary Chris Wright. The report prompted several lawsuits, one of which alleges that the report was developed by an unlawfully formed committee to support the EPA’s effort to repeal the endangerment finding. With these legal challenges ongoing, the EPA endangerment finding repeal – expected to come next week – may omit this report and any scientific rationale therewith, according to E&E News.

Return of the torts - Although fossil fuel and auto groups applauded the US EPA for its efforts to roll back the endangerment finding, they also hinted at potential legal trouble that the repeal could trigger. After Monday’s deadline for the public comment period associated with the repeal, the agency had received nearly 322,000 comments, according to E&E News – some of those raising concerns about legal uncertainties. Experts predicted these concerns as the agency worked to unwind the rule earlier this year, saying that the repeal could lead states and climate groups to begin filing federal tort suits against large emitters. These kinds of suits were common before the EPA began regulating emissions under the endangerment finding, and experts say they could become popular again after its repeal.

Microsoft's green steel - The Swedish green steel supplier Stegra announced a two-part deal this week with Microsoft. In the first part of the deal, the tech giant will buy green steel to be used in its data centre construction. In the second part, Microsoft will purchase environmental attribute certificates (EACs) tied to Stegra’s manufacturing facility in Biden, Sweden. Those certificates will represent the emissions reductions associated with Stegra’s steel, and selling those certificates separately decouples the green value from the physical steel product. Stegra, formerly known as H2 Green Steel, will use green hydrogen in its processes at its Boden plant, which will go live in 2026.

Brazilian officials played down US President Donald Trump’s latest dismissal of climate action at the UN General Assembly (UNGA), stressing that the Paris accord remains strong as preparations accelerate for the global climate summit in Belem in November.

A European carbon removal standard is setting its eyes on having crediting programmes approved for use in the CORSIA international aviation offsetting scheme, as well as for high-integrity Core Carbon Principles (CCPs) labels, its founder told Carbon Pulse on the sidelines of Climate Week NYC.

Forest carbon projects are being slowed by a lack of transparent data and fragmented collaboration between academics, practitioners, and investors, panellists warned during a Climate Week New York discussion on Thursday.

Pacific Island nations have launched a global fundraising drive at the 80th UN General Assembly (UNGA80) to fund a regionally-run climate resilience fund, securing more than $160 million in initial pledges from donor governments.

A new alliance of academic institutions, private sector innovators, and non-profits has unveiled the VCM+ Coalition at Climate Week NYC, which aims to to reduce or remove 5 billion cumulative tonnes of CO2 over the next decade.

Let's align - The International Carbon Registry (ICR) has opened a public consultation on proposed updates to its programme documentation, aiming to strengthen environmental integrity, governance, and alignment with global carbon market standards, it said. The revisions cover core documents, including definitions, requirements, and methodologies, alongside a new additionality specifications document. Key proposals introduce a multilevel additionality framework with mandatory ex-post reporting, dynamic baselines, new permanence terms, and improved oversight of validation and verification bodies through milestone reporting. The registry will expand its functions to include sub-accounts and focal entity representation, enhancing usability and transparency. New governance measures address withdrawals, exemptions, and grievance redress. CEO Guomundur Sigbergsson emphasised the updates’ alignment with international frameworks such as the ICVCM Core Carbon Principles, ICAO CORSIA, ISO standards, and the Paris Agreement’s Article 6. The consultation is open until Oct. 26, with revised documents available for review and stakeholder feedback through ICR’s website

Don’t say we didn’t warn you - The insurance industry is worried about the disappearance of US climate data, E&E News reported. Firms said that reliable, long datasets are needed to evaluate weather-related risks, and efforts under the administration have already stripped away at data collection methods, firing scientists and taking websites offline earlier this year. President Donald Trump is expected to implement further budget and staffing cuts across the federal government.

EU carbon allowance prices began Friday by extending their recent run of losses, but as they reached a key technical and psychological support, the market rebounded sharply, reinforcing the recent price range after EUAs had spent the summer trading around €5 lower, while UKAs dropped sharply amid some concentrated morning selling.

A senior European Commission official said this week that the EU executive expects carbon prices under the new emissions trading system for heating and transport fuels (ETS2) to be around €30 per tonne of CO2, even though the market currently values them at more than three times that level.

DRC in the REDD – A new REDD forest conservation project is being planned in the Democratic Republic of Congo that will cover 740,000 acres and protect endangered Bononbo monkeys. Comprising 13 community forests that blanket a buffer zone around the Salonga National park, the Oshwe project will secure land tenure and management rights for Indigenous Peoples and local communities. A new initiative, the 'Appui a la Securisation et au Developpement Local' (ASFD), was launched this week to garner local support. The Rainforest Trust UK is fund raising for the project.

The EU and Indonesia signed a free trade agreement this week allowing duty-free palm oil exports to bloc, stirring fears among environmentalists that deforestation has dropped from EU leaders' agendas.

A Californian company claims to have built the lowest-cost direct air capture (DAC) process globally, and is set to sell e-fuels from CO2 and renewable electricity that cost less than gasoline, diesel, or jet fuel.

Scope 3 EV credits - EV infrastructure investor and developer Current and carbon financier Triangle Digital, both based in the US, have announced a partnership to launch a so-called "Zero-Emission Mile" credit to offset Scope 3 transport emissions. Through the partnership, the pair said companies will be able to track, sort, and report emission reductions on a per-mile basis to meet compliance and sustainability reporting requirements, and also to record these credits as carbon credit assets until they retire them. Current said it will pledge its next 1 million zero-emission miles, delivered through its Vehicle-as-a-Service platform, to Triangle Digital to inaugurate the new asset class.

After falling short in the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS), a group of youth activists attempting to sue the country for its alleged failure to address climate change is turning to an international court.

Officials in Brussels are weighing potential “flexibilities” in the implementation of the EU’s methane regulation, amid growing US pressure to roll back legislation that could hinder America’s exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe.

Billions for Brookfield - Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM) has agreed to invest $1.5 bln in Brookfield Asset Management's latest energy transition fund (BGTF II), it was announced Friday. The arm of Norway's central bank that manages the country's $2 trillion sovereign-wealth fund said that since receiving a mandate in 2019 to invest in unlisted renewables infrastructure, it has completed eight direct investments in European solar, onshore, and offshore wind, and electricity transmission, plus one indirect investment through a global renewable energy fund. BGTF II focuses on business transformation, clean energy, and sustainable solutions.

Verra’s new REDD methodology for reducing deforestation risks ‘under-crediting’ projects due to its overly stringent approach to baselining land marked as indigenous-owned, leading to some projects potentially becoming unviable and moving to another standard, sources say.

Ethiopia on Friday released its updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets under the Paris Agreement, revealing recent and massive emissions reductions due to domestic investment in land-based mitigation, and promising more.

Colorado has approved a grassland carbon credit project on 500 acres of a degraded state land trust in what it described as a "significant expansion" of its biological sequestration leasing programme.

China's national emissions market over the past week fell below the RMB 60 ($8.41) mark for the first time since July 2023, with analysts expecting the price to dip further in the coming months with a glut of allowances in the market.

BP sees global oil demand peaking in 2030 and then easing slowly out to 2050 to leave the world missing its Paris Agreement target, though the report will likely have been produced before China announced a pledge to cut emissions up to 10% by 2035.

Nuclear revival – The European Investment Bank (EIB) is considering its first investment in nuclear power in 40 years, as European opposition to the technology wanes, Bloomberg reports. The bank is examining a symbolic venture-debt investment in small modular reactor (SMR) companies, aiming to help the sector compete globally. Beneficiaries may be chosen within a year, with funding expected in the tens of millions of euros. The bank’s potential move, prompted by surging demand for clean, round-the-clock electricity, could encourage further private and public investment. Any decision would require board approval, with discussions still at an early stage. (Bloomberg)

Waste biomass potential – Waste biomass pellets could boost energy security and cut emissions by providing a renewable alternative to fossil fuels, found a recent report by Malaysia-based researchers published in ScienceDirect. However, while demand in Europe and Asia already exceeds production, feedstock variability, supply chain issues, and policy gaps hinder growth, the study said.

Colombia on Thursday released its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) climate targets through 2035, pledging to work towards a “resilient” oil and gas sector and setting an overall emissions goal without specifying a baseline.

Climate support - More than half (54%) of voters who planned to vote for UK right-wing party Reform UK in local elections on May 1 support policies to halt climate change and put in place respective targets to keep the country on track, according to new polling from Focaldata for the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU). Meanwhile, 40% opposed the statement and just over 5% said they didn't know. In general, there is overall public support in the UK for net zero by 2050 at just over 65%, while 25% oppose the measure, according to Focaldata polling of 1,524 adults in England in late April. Six in 10 people also say that green and low-carbon industries are the best way for the UK to regrow its industrial base, compared to just 40% saying the transition threatens it.

Europe’s effort to build an integrated CO2 market and transport network is stymied by a fragmented regulatory landscape, legal ambiguities, and financial risk - barriers that must be urgently lifted if the EU is to hit its climate targets, according to a new report from the Zero Emissions Platform (ZEP).

One of South Korea’s major state-owned power companies has teamed up with a project developer to explore opportunities in international carbon markets.

The NZU price drifted down this week but regained ground on Friday as sellers are slowly coming back into the market, according to traders.

Australian environment and clean energy groups have raised concerns that the government’s environmental law reforms are not reflecting the need to massively scale up carbon removal and renewable energy, as outlined in its sectoral decarbonisation plans.

Australia’s Clean Energy Regulator expects nearly all  carbon credit supply to be sourced from existing and developing projects between now and 2030, as the market waits on finalised methods to see new projects established.

Disappointing - EU's climate chief said China's 2035 NDC "falls well short" and will make it harder to reach global targets to slow climate change, Reuters reported. "We will continue to push China (and others) to go beyond the current level of ambition, and respect our joint commitments under the Paris Agreement," EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said. Chinese President Xi Jinping this week said that by 2035, his country would cut GHG emissions by 7%-10% from their peak, a target experts consider underwhelming.

Carbon capture pilot - Japan's OOYOO Co. and Otsuka Chemical have begun a demonstration project to capture CO₂ from gas boilers at a plant in Tokushima. The initiative will use a high-performance separation membrane module developed by OOYOO to capture CO₂ from gas boiler exhaust gas. The companies said they aim to establish a new model for CO₂ reduction and recycling in the manufacturing industry.  

Milestone - US-based Aircapture has launched its first commercial direct air capture (DAC) facility in Japan, making its entry into the Japanese market. The company said its modular DAC system is now installed at the Fukushima RDM Center through a partnership with Aizawa Concrete Corporation, capturing CO₂ directly from the air and turning emissions into building materials. Aircapture also has projects in development across North America, Europe, and Latin America.

Solid effort - The New South Wales state government has awarded A$2 mln ($1.3 mln) to low-carbon concrete manufacturer Solidcast, it announced. The company has developed patented precast panels that cut emissions by up to 60% compared to traditional concrete, the government said. The grant funding has been awarded through the A$480 mln Net Zero Manufacturing Initiative and will go towards expanding the company's operations.

China's newly announced 2035 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), while introducing absolute emission reduction targets for the first time, reflects the government’s cautious approach to climate action, experts told Carbon Pulse.

Deals, deals - Australian miner Fortescue has announced Heads of Agreement (HoA) with multiple technology companies to advance its efforts to reach 'real zero' Scope 1 and 2 emissions target by 2030. The agreements will see Chinese automaker giant BYD supply it with energy storage solutions, solar developer LONGi to supply PV modules and solar technology, and wind developer Envision to supply wind turbines and integrated energy solutions. Additionally, it has signed agreements with XCMG and Liebherr to supply zero-emissions haul trucks between 2028-30, following an earlier agreement struck in April. Finally, it has expanded its stake to acquire full ownership of Spanish wind technology company Nabrawind.

The government of Peru published on Thursday a regulation operationalising the existing implementation agreement with Singapore to apply Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement, establishing a framework for the authorisation and transfer of Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs).

California Carbon Allowances (CCAs) traded rangebound as the market await news of how regulator ARB will implement programme changes, while Washington Carbon Allowances (WCA) prices jumped over 4% week-on-week (WoW) on increased but still limited volumes.

Luck is when hard work meets opportunity - The Canadian oil and gas industry has lobbied for years for a revamp of Alberta’s carbon pricing, ahead of recent provincial changes, the St Albert Gazette reported on Thursday. Alberta recently updated its carbon pricing regulations to allow covered entities to use their emissions reductions investments to meet a majority of their compliance obligations, rather than pay into a provincial fund or purchase credits. The local newspaper reported that groups such as the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, TransCanada Pipelines Limited, and the Explorers and Producers Association of Canada all lobbied Alberta's Ministry of Environment and Protected Areas on matters relating to carbon pricing and emissions standards.

Limited time offer - Climate Vault Solutions, a carbon consultancy, has waived the application submission fee for its request for proposals (RFP) for innovative CDR projects, the company announced this week. Accepted projects could end up in the company’s CDR portfolio for buyers. Climate Vault Solutions is accepting applications until Oct. 31.