Sinking, slow-decaying organic matter to the ocean floor could permanently store a significant share of carbon while avoiding the severe ecological disruptions associated with more labile material, according to a new study.

Brazil has established a new department within the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MMA) for carbon pricing initiatives, including under Article 6, according to a Friday executive decree.

The Irish government has published a draft set of principles to guide the creation of a national carbon farming programme, while also launching a second public consultation on the initiative.

Malaysia’s state pension manager KWAP has launched a 2 billion ringgit ($473 mln) climate-focused investment fund aimed at accelerating domestic and regional decarbonisation projects across multiple asset classes.

A North American methane well-plugging firm has launched an internal investigation into alleged misconduct by its founder and former CEO, just as he announced plans to replace the company’s board in a move that has escalated into a public governance battle.

A US-headquartered offset supplier reported a surge in quarterly revenue on the back of newly launched carbon credit trading activities, though sharply higher procurement, payroll, and marketing expenses left the company with a wider net loss.

Under its G20 presidency, South Africa this week reportedly introduced two climate-finance instruments at an Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group Ministerial Meeting (ECSWG) in Cape Town

The European Commission is preparing to review key climate legislation, including the EU’s car CO2 rules, in a bid to secure support for its proposed 2040 emissions target at an EU summit next week, Carbon Pulse has learned.

Falsely attacked - An Oregon county that’s suing the oil and gas industry for $51 bln over climate-related damages accused Chevron of making “false and unsubstantiated” claims in its effort to strike two scientific studies about rising temperatures from the court record. The assertion by lawyers representing Multnomah County came after Chevron asked the Oregon Circuit Court last month to disregard the studies and review whether the research was “supported or otherwise influenced” by the lead attorney for the county’s 2023 lawsuit. The oil company’s accusation that Roger Worthington, the county’s lawyer, initiated fraud on the court has “no basis in law or in fact,” the county told the court in a brief filed last week. It argues that Chevron’s “headline-grabbing accusations” came “at the very moment in time Defendants seek to have legislation enacted granting them immunity from this type of lawsuit.” (E&E News)

Hand slap - ICE Futures US has fined Citigroup Global Markets $10,000 for delayed delivery of California Carbon Allowances under the exchange's Dec-2024 futures contract. The exchange said Citi inadvertently failed to meet its delivery deadline on Dec. 27, 2024, breaching Rule 18.06(a) on physical delivery for environmental contracts. The firm self-reported the issue and later fulfilled its obligation, with the fine made effective on Oct. 15, 2025.  No further information was provided.

Romania’s state-controlled gas producer Romgaz on Friday lodged a legal challenge against the European Commission over new EU rules that oblige oil and gas companies to collectively deliver 50 million tonnes of annual CO2 storage capacity by 2030, arguing the allocation system unfairly penalises Romanian producers and exposes them to disproportionate financial and operational risks.

New kid on the block - Canada's carbon offset tracking system has introduced a new account type for Other Market Participants (OMP), the environment ministry announced Friday. This account is intended for entities such as brokers, traders, companies that are not regulated under federal industrial carbon pricing and governments or public bodies located in Canada who wish to own and/or manage federal offset or surplus credits and track their credit transactions.

Bringing carbon credits into the sports arena - UK-based carbon market platform Abatable announced a partnership with US carbon investment manager Artemeter to support decarbonisation across sports and entertainment industries. The two plan to work with major sporting and entertainment organisations to use emissions reductions initiatives and high-integrity carbon programmes. The companies used UN estimates to say professional sports generate roughly 400 MtCO2 each year, or almost 1% of global emissions. The companies will release a study later this quarter with insights for sports organisations to reduce their environmental impact.

A new cleantech collaboration between shipping and energy technology companies has launched a project to develop an onboard energy system combining liquefied natural gas (LNG), solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC), and carbon capture.

A US think tank published a report on Thursday with analysis on adding small modular reactors (SMRs) or carbon capture and storage (CCS) to help transition Colorado away from coal-burning power generation, asking regulators to consider renewable energy solutions instead.

Central retrofits - Canada and the province of Manitoba are investing up to C$23 mln ($16.4 mln) to launch the Manitoba Climate and Economy Solutions Program. The programme will target projects to lower energy costs for Manitobans and reduce GHGs, helping the province move toward a low-carbon economy on its path to net zero emissions. Funding will be available for stationary equipment retrofits for fuel switching from fossil fuels, energy efficiency upgrade projects, industrial or commercial vehicle retrofits, and renewable energy and fuel production.

Indigenous-led microgrid - Canada’s federal government has announced C$1.9 mln ($1.4 mln) in federal support for the development of a state-of-the-art smart microgrid serving the communities of La Plonge and Poplar House District in northern Saskatchewan. Led by Aurora Renewables, a First Nation clean energy service provider owned by the Des Nedhe Group and Extropic Energy, the project will integrate solar power and battery storage to improve energy resilience, support grid stability, and increase renewable energy generation in these communities. The project is fully owned by English River First Nation through the Des Nedhe Group.

California would see a federal court deny the latest in a number of moves by the US Chamber of Commerce to halt the Golden State’s incoming climate disclosure laws.

Brazil's National Commission for REDD+ (CONAREDD+) approved the eligibility of two states to raise funds from controlling deforestation and forest degradation in their areas, it announced on Friday.

Brazil has published an executive decree allowing developers to choose a carbon credit certification methodology for sustainable forest management and forest restoration activities on concessions, given the absence of national rules.

Third time's a charm? - Oregon state Senator Janeen Sollman (D) is planning to file a bill during the state’s upcoming legislative session that would create a cap-and-invest programme, Bloomberg Law reported Friday. Sollman told the publication that a cap-and-invest programme overseen by the legislature could create more certainty for businesses and have more staying power than the current Climate Protection Programme (CPP). The CPP is Oregon’s cap-and-trade programme that was invalidated in 2023 by a state court. Lawmakers previously attempted to replace the programme with a cap-and-trade programme that would be linked with similar markets along the West Coast. However, GOP members sank the effort via walkouts in protest of the measure.

The US federal government has withdrawn a set of guidelines designed to help large financial institutions manage climate-related risks, claiming that the guidelines are unnecessary and duplicative.

A California fossil fuel producer broke ground Friday on the Golden State’s first carbon capture and storage (CCS) project.

EU ETS reform – The EU should extend the issuance of allowances in its EU ETS beyond the current end-point of 2039 to 2040-45 – without changing the overall emissions cap, state secretary in Germany's environment ministry Jochen Flasbarth told Politico, reported Clean Energy Wire on Friday. This would translate into stretching out auctions over time. The comments came after German ministers and industry called for an extension of allowance issuance to keep the ETS functional beyond 2039, and a continuation of free allowances despite CBAM kicking in next year. The European Commission’s top climate official confirmed on Wednesday that it would revisit the 2039 timeline. The official also said the Commission did not intend to return to a free allowance regime. Flasbarth suggested free allowances might be necessary if CBAM was not reformed to reduce bureaucracy and better protect Germany's export-oriented economy. (Clean Energy Wire)

The European Commission should purchase international credits issued under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and place them in a reserve to use against climate targets, but only if compliance costs spike or global events impair the EU's progress towards its 2040 goals, an NGO said a report published this week. 

EU carbon prices ended the day only 0.1% down amid an early gap lower and a day-long recovery, but failed to breach a key level after carbon allowances had enjoyed a 4% rally in the second half of the week, highlighting the underlying resilience of long-positioned traders who see EUAs as "the hot commodity of 2026".

A Brazilian federal court on Wednesday ordered the immediate suspension of a commercialisation agreement and all activities of a nature-based solutions (NbS) project developed in the Amazon rainforest, on one of the largest Indigenous territories in the country.

Nations on Friday opted to postpone by one year a decision to adopt the first ever global carbon pricing scheme covering the international shipping sector, following an opposition campaign led by the US and Saudi Arabia.

A Norwegian non-profit has issued a formal response defending the financial risk analysis behind a $125-billion tropical forest finance mechanism proposed by Brazil after external critics alleged that the model understates potential losses for public sponsors. 

An improved forest management (IFM) project on Indigenous land in Canada that aims to generate 2 million carbon credits over its lifetime has struck a carbon offtake agreement with a UK-based carbon marketplace, the project developer said Tuesday.

Bold green claim - Salzgitter CEO Gunnar Groebler said green hydrogen–based steel could become cheaper than coal-based steel as early as 2030, depending on renewable energy and hydrogen availability. The company plans to offer green steel from 2027, using around 150,000 tonnes of green hydrogen annually, making it one of Germany’s largest hydrogen consumers. Groebler urged stronger EU and German regulatory support to sustain the industry’s climate transition, warning that retreating now would waste billions. Germany’s steel sector faces high energy costs, trade pressures, and subsidised imports. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz plans a steel summit, while the SPD suggests possible state stakes to aid climate-neutral steel production. (Clean Energy Wire)

Smart move - Rublevo-Arkhangelskoye, developer of Moscow’s SberCity smart district, has been issued around 2,000 carbon units marking the first carbon issuance in Russia’s construction sector. Registered in the Russian Carbon Unit Registry, the units stem from the Energy-Efficient Solutions for SberCity climate project, verified in 2025 under national law. SberCity’s three registered projects integrate advanced energy technologies to cut emissions through 2040, with projected reductions of 306,193, 661,773, and 466,685 tonnes of CO2 in successive phases. Overall, more than 1.4 mln tonnes of CO2 reductions are expected, setting a precedent for sustainable urban development in Russia, according to a registry statement Friday.

Activity in China's national emissions market remained robust over the past week as the compliance deadline draws near, with permit prices continuing to drop amid persistent selling pressure.

India’s four largest private sector steelmakers risk locking in up to 12 billion tonnes of CO2e emissions by mid-century, if they proceed with planned coal-based blast furnace expansions, according to an analysis published Friday.

The European Commission needs to fix its IT system and plough ahead with its anti-deforestation law – because pressing pause again out of concerns of a data overload will cause further problems for companies that are ready to comply, according to two industry executives.

A London-based carbon insurance provider said Thursday it has decided not to submit a policy for approval under Gold Standard’s first round of CORSIA-eligible insurance schemes, as it awaits greater market maturity.

The Japanese government has proposed a fixed reduction rate for permit allocation for those subject to grandparenting under the country's emissions trading scheme.

Verra has issued corrections and clarifications to two of its carbon methodologies concerning grasslands and agriculture projects and one soil carbon tool as it aims to improve consistency and enable integration between them.

Build for the future - Six green building organisations - BRE, GBCA, mindful MATERIALS, ILFI, IWBI, and USGBC - have formed a global partnership to align major rating systems, including BREEAM, Green Star, LEED, Living Building Challenge, and WELL. The collaboration aims to harmonise how the environmental impacts of building products are assessed, reducing duplication and confusion across the construction sector. With construction driving over half of global raw material extraction and sustainability reporting standards becoming more rigorous, the partners seek to create consistent, comparable metrics that support transparency, benchmarking, and more effective progress toward climate and nature-related goals.

Southeast Asian nations have endorsed an action plan to increase the share of renewable electricity to 45% of total capacity, but a lack of funding and energy transition policy progress remain key challenges. 

A Bolivian biochar developer expanded its production facility and led global deliveries of durable carbon removals (CDR) in the third quarter of 2025, it said in a report released Thursday.

Indonesia’s recent decision to reopen international carbon trade after a four-year pause was lauded by market participants, who said the regulation provides long-needed clarity on exports and project standards, though questions around taxation and implementation still persist.

Nature-based carbon project developers are working out which markets to turn to now, after experts said they believe it will take “years” for key methodology decisions under Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement to be resolved.

Holdings of Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) have peaked at 56.8 million as of Sep. 30, a new record, as the number of new projects registered also climbed.

The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) expects a major increase in the supply of Core Carbon Principle (CCP)-stamped credits next year, as carbon projects transition from legacy methodologies and newer CCP-aligned methods start issuing fresh credits, its CEO told Carbon Pulse on Friday.

Carbon offsets are failing to deliver meaningful climate benefits and are instead delaying the urgent phaseout of fossil fuels, academics have warned in a commentary published this week.

Carbon project developers in Papua New Guinea are once again waiting on the Papua New Guinea government to establish market infrastructure to monitor new projects.

California Carbon Allowances (CCAs) edged higher week-on-week (WoW) following state regulator ARB's announcement of a workshop later this month on updating the state's Quebec-linked ETS, while Washington Carbon Allowances (WCAs) dipped from all-time highs after a Department of Ecology (ECY) webinar on its implementation of recent legislation.