Partners - Canada Nickel Company has announced the next phase of its strategic partnership with Australian firm NetCarb to advance a zero-carbon industrial cluster in Northeastern Ontario, centred on the company’s Crawford Nickel Project near Timmins. The collaboration, first unveiled in June, aims to use mine tailings to capture and permanently store CO2 while generating high-value by-products such as hydrogen, ammonia, urea, and magnesium materials. NetCarb’s proprietary process can mineralise serpentine minerals in ultramafic tailings, potentially sequestering up to 10 times more CO2 than Canada Nickel’s existing IPT Carbonation technology. Each tonne of Crawford tailings could store about 300 kg of CO2 and produce roughly 55 kg of hydrogen, which could be used to make 310 kg of ammonia or 545 kg of urea. The technology also yields magnesium-based materials such as MgO and MgCO3, with MgO serving as a CO2 scrubbing agent that could be distributed to industrial users across Eastern Canada. The companies said the project could support production of “blue-green” hydrogen – a hybrid of blue and green hydrogen – by combining steam methane reforming with in-tailings carbon mineralisation to create a carbon-neutral product. Canada Nickel and NetCarb will submit funding proposals through 2025 to support lab-scale work in 2026, leading to pilot demonstrations in 2027 and eventual commercial deployment. The companies plan to attract additional industrial and strategic partners to develop each opportunity within the proposed zero-carbon cluster.

South Africa’s iron and steel industry will need as much as $25-30 billion in investment by mid-century to cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 85% and align with net zero targets, according to a new report.

A new bladeless turbine could make the seas the next frontier in renewable power and become cheaper than solar generation in the UK, a start-up told Carbon Pulse on Friday.

New hire - Emily Wimberger of Sacramento has been appointed chief of staff and policy advisor to the chair at the California Air Resources Board. She previously served as managing partner at Hua Nani Partners and as a climate economist at the Rhodium Group. From 2013 to 2019, she held several positions at CARB, including chief economist. The role does not require Senate confirmation.

Pyrolysis of paper industry residues could enable cost-effective CO2 removals across Europe at credit prices of around €100 per tonne, outperforming similar systems based on sewage sludge that would require far higher support levels, according to new research.

Another lawsuit - A South Dakota couple, Jared and Tara Bossly, have filed a trespassing lawsuit against Iowa-based Summit Carbon Solutions and affiliated firms, accusing them of unlawfully surveying their land for a carbon pipeline project. The case, lodged in Brown County, follows years of conflict between Summit and South Dakota landowners opposed to the company’s plan to build a multi-state CO2 pipeline linking ethanol plants to underground storage sites. The Bosslys, long-time opponents of the project, were among landowners who successfully challenged Summit’s right to use eminent domain at the South Dakota Supreme Court in 2023. However, the family alleges that Summit conducted a survey on their property in June 2023 despite a pending appeal, amounting to trespass. They claim Jared Bossly was barred from approaching within 300 feet of surveyors by security and law enforcement, describing himself as a "prisoner on his own land". The lawsuit seeks damages for alleged trespass, nuisance, negligence, and property damage from drilling, as well as for a separate incident the previous month in which Summit representatives allegedly entered an outbuilding and frightened Tara Bossly. Summit declined to comment on the ongoing litigation. (South Dakota Searchlight)

Open for business - US-based climate solutions provider 3Degrees this week launched a new digital marketplace enabling small and medium-sized buyers to directly purchase renewable energy certificates (RECs) and carbon credits through a self-service platform. The company said the tool offers transparent pricing, clear documentation, and streamlined transactions, along with educational resources to guide organisations in meeting sustainability goals or taking early steps in climate action. 3Degrees noted that its marketplace supports both Scope 1 and 3 emission reductions through verified carbon credits, and Scope 2 management via RECs that fund renewable energy development and provide additional revenue to project owners.

Calling all utilities - The Washington Department of Ecology has rescheduled its Oct. 30 electric utility allocation workshop to Nov. 13, the regulator announced Thursday. It will take place from 0900-1200 Pacific.

Strong and free - The Tamarack DAC project in Alberta reached first CO2 capture on Wednesday, according to US DAC company Carbon Capture. True North Carbon, the company's Canadian subsidiary, is responsible for the project, located at Deep Sky Alpha near Innisfail, Alberta. The project is designed to remove up to 2,000 tCO2 from the atmosphere each year. The project was initially targeted for Arizona but relocated north earlier this year.

A judge ruled on Friday that a New York executive agency must issue regulations by Feb. 2026 for meeting emissions reductions targets under the state’s flagship climate law.

Webpages detailing a US national laboratory’s research efforts on direct air capture, hydrogen, and other net zero technologies have been quietly removed from public access, Carbon Pulse found on Friday.

Canadian researchers published a report highlighting that the country's GHG emissions goals are at odds with the current plans for fossil fuel production.

GHG emissions released over just the next three decades under current climate policies will lock in an additional 0.3 metres of irreversible sea-level rise by 2300, a new study has found.

Canadian beef producers looking to reduce their emissions through new feeding strategies and management practices can now capitalise on carbon credits under a newly published federal policy.

Hydrogen horizon - Saskatoon-based MAX Power Mining Corp., a Canadian exploration company focused on emerging clean energy resources, has received approval to drill the country’s first dedicated natural hydrogen well in southern Saskatchewan. Drilling at the Lawson site, part of the 200-km Genesis Trend, is slated to begin around Nov. 7. Supported by the provincial energy ministry, the project will test geological formations thought to trap naturally occurring hydrogen and helium.

Speeding up - DOE Secretary Chris Wright directed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to propose a rule aimed at accelerating the interconnection of large loads on the grid, according to a Friday press release. FERC will now initiate rulemaking procedures for a rule that will allow customers to file joint, co-located load and generation interconnection requests, which the DOE says will significantly reduce study times, grid upgrade costs, and the overall time it takes for new power generation sources to come online. Wright also directed FERC to propose a rule that will remove regulatory burdens for preliminary hydroelectric power permits.

Funding freeze foiled - A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s move to terminate more than $9 mln in federal climate funding for Washington state. US District Court Judge Marsha Pechman granted a preliminary injunction preventing the Department of Commerce and NOAA from cutting the grants, which support climate resilience programs including a $9.3 mln Tribal Steward initiative and a $250,000 coastal hazards project. The court found the state had shown the terminations were likely unlawful, with Pechman warning that allowing administrations to upend multi-year grants would create “unnecessary chaos.” Washington Attorney General Nick Brown called the ruling a victory for communities facing worsening climate impacts.

The implementation of the Paris Agreement in 2016 has had an insignificant effect on strengthening the effectiveness of carbon taxes in the Latin American region, in part due to modest carbon pricing levels, according to a recent study.

An Israeli-US startup has raised $60 million to test a controversial technology that aims to cool the planet by spraying reflective particles into the atmosphere, media outlets reported this week.

NHS solar rollout - Dozens more National Health Service (NHS) trusts across England will install solar panels under Great British Energy’s £255 mln clean energy programme, the UK government announced Friday. The expansion adds 34 trusts and around 70 new sites, bringing the total to roughly 260 NHS locations expected to benefit from lower energy costs. The rollout could generate lifetime savings of up to £325 mln, which will be reinvested in frontline healthcare. The initiative is part of efforts to boost energy security, cut carbon emissions, and protect public services from volatile fossil fuel prices.

Tocantins tangle – The Brazilian Federal Prosecutor’s Office in Tocantins (MPF-TO) has backed the continuation of the state’s jurisdictional REDD+ (J-REDD+) programme, rejecting requests from local communities to suspend its implementation, Bom Dia Tocantins reported on Thursday. The Federal Public Defender’s Office (DPU) had previously identified at least 30 alleged irregularities, citing failures by the Tocantins government to conduct free, prior, and informed consultations (FPIC) with local and traditional communities. Associations representing these groups said the lack of land regularisation casts doubt on the programme’s effectiveness, stressing that land tenure security must be ensured. After the MPF’s decision, the communities appealed to the 6th Chamber of the MPF in Brasilia, a higher rung of the institution, in an attempt to overturn the local ruling.

A mangrove restoration project in Senegal completed its planting phase and began its validation process, serving as the first pilot for Verra’s latest push to digitalise its certification process, the developer announced.

California could meet its entire 2045 CO2 removal (CDR) target of 75 million tonnes annually using only biomass carbon removal and storage (BiCRS) pathways, at a significantly lower cost than its current direct air capture (DAC)-heavy strategy, a report published Friday found.

EUAs recorded a second weekly decline after moving in their narrowest range in more than a month on Friday, ending the day just 0.1% lower, as the market continued to lack direction in the absence of strong endogenous drivers, while compliance demand for EUAs was seen at a low ebb.

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) for natural gas-fired power has “arrived”, marking a decisive shift from decades of discussion to real-world deployment, a representative of a carbon management advisory firm told Carbon Pulse this week following Google’s landmark US deal to procure gas power paired with CCS.

Airlines should be forced to purchase permanent carbon removals credits, creating a much needed demand signal for the market, a UK government commissioned review said on Thursday.

Morocco’s Council of Ministers this week approved guidelines for the Finance Bill 2026, revealing plans to delay a long-awaited fuel levy and protect the domestic solar PV industry.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith defended her government’s oil and gas ambitions while reaffirming a 2050 net zero goal Thursday, highlighting tensions with Ottawa over climate policy. 

A Saudi non-profit and investment group announced on Thursday a strategic partnership with a voluntary carbon market company aimed at expanding the global carbon market.

Technical discussions on key policy details of the first ever global carbon pricing system for international shipping proceeded in a more constructive and respectful fashion this week, following last week's chaotic convening that resulted in a delay to the framework's adoption.

Malaysia on Friday pledged to cut up to 30 million tonnes of CO2 by 2035, supported by the use of international credits delivered under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, after reaching peak emissions around the turn of this decade.

Singapore and Peru have opened a call for project applications under their bilateral Implementation Agreement, in a step towards operationalising Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement and expanding the pipeline of government-authorised international carbon credit projects.

South Africa on Friday released its latest Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the Paris Agreement through 2035, pledging to achieve greenhouse gas reductions in a band at or just below 2030 levels.

Greens in the crosshairs - Several major US environmental organisations have tightened security and legal protocols in response to what they view as politically motivated threats from the Trump administration, which has moved to investigate them under claims they are linked to anti-fascist networks promoting political violence.  According to E&E News, groups such as the Sierra Club, the Center for Biological Diversity, and the Sunrise Movement have reportedly begun using burner phones, encrypted communications, and enhanced legal protection, though none spoke publicly on record out of concern for reprisals. They deny any involvement in violence, describing the administration’s actions as assaults on free speech. The scrutiny follows a directive issued on Sep. 25 by President Donald Trump, known as National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (NSPM-7), ordering federal agencies to dismantle organisations accused of promoting “organised violence.” The memo broadly defines such violence as being driven by anti-American, anti-capitalist, or anti-Christian sentiments and opposition to “traditional American values,” a scope critics say enables the targeting of liberal and environmental groups. At an Oct. 8 White House roundtable, Trump directed top law enforcement agencies to review allegations made in two conservative reports that claim a network of left-leaning organisations, including climate groups, are part of a coordinated Antifa-linked "protest industrial complex". Both reports link these organisations to Arabella Advisors, a Democratic-aligned consulting firm accused by conservatives of funnelling “dark money” to liberal causes. The reports have been denounced by the groups named. Arabella Advisors said it operates legally and rejects all forms of political violence, while Sunrise Movement spokesperson Denae Avila-Dickson called the allegations “baseless.” The Sierra Club described the administration’s actions as "fear tactics and intimidation to suppress criticism". Conservative activists involved in the reports have met with administration officials and urged investigations into liberal non-profits’ funding and activities, suggesting their tax-exempt status could be challenged. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson defended the administration’s stance, alleging that left-wing groups had “fuelled violent riots,” though no evidence was provided to support claims that environmental organisations were involved in illegal activity. Trump and senior adviser Stephen Miller have portrayed the investigations as part of a wider effort to counter a “domestic terror movement” they associate with Democratic-aligned organisations. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that the administration is preparing changes to the IRS to make it easier to prosecute left-leaning groups, prompting Senate Democrats to warn Treasury Secretary and acting IRS Commissioner Scott Bessent against the “politicisation” of the agency.

Permit prices in China's national emissions market continued to fall amid a wider sell-off, with some traders offering deals priced below the level at which the market launched four years ago.

North Sea countries must harmonise management policy and infrastructure to scale up carbon capture and storage (CCS) and meet the EU's target of storing more than 250 million tonnes of CO2 annually by 2040, according to a new report.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that France supports allowing up to 5% of the EU’s 2040 climate target to be achieved through high-quality international carbon credits, going beyond the 3% cap proposed by the European Commission.

Talent needed - UNDP is recruiting several experts to advance carbon market readiness in Mongolia, according to tenders published this week. Consultants in energy, transportation, and environmental sectors are needed to provide technical support to the market readiness project. Supported by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the initiative seeks to strengthen institutional, technical, and regulatory foundations for a carbon market aligned with the Paris Agreement.

Updates - China has released its electricity carbon footprint factors for 2024, according to a notice published Friday by the environment ministry. The updates include those for coal-fired power generation, gas-fired power generation, renewable energy, biomass, as well as the factor for transmission and distribution. These factors can be used to calculate the carbon footprint of electricity production and consumption for products in various industries.

Plans to expand several UK airports risk putting the country’s carbon budget in "serious jeopardy", while bringing uncertain economic benefits, a parliamentary enquiry concluded on Friday.

Indonesia’s plan to almost double geothermal capacity by 2034 looks “highly ambitious” against decades of modest additions and persistent social, financing, and permitting hurdles, according to analysts.

Gold Standard has launched a public consultation on a new methodological tool for the digital monitoring of cookstoves carbon projects, as it aims to improve accuracy and transparency in its crediting of the sector.

Verra has announced that the digitalisation of its project review process system will go live on Nov. 1.

On track - Malaysia is on track to meet its renewable energy targets of 40% by 2035 and 70% by 2050 under its National Energy Transition Roadmap, Edge Malaysia reported, citing Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof. Renewable sources now make up 30% of national capacity, driven by over 5 GW of solar power. Malaysia plans to halve its coal capacity by 2035 and phase out coal entirely by 2044.

Family matters -  Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has appointed his brother Hashim Djojohadikusumo to head the national delegation to COP30 in Belem this November, national news agency Antara reported. He also voiced his support for Brazil’s leadership of COP30. Prabowo will skip the summit, but pledged Indonesia’s participation in Brazil’s Tropical Forest Forever Facility. The delegation will also attend side events including a business roundtable on Indonesia’s new carbon market regulation.

Blades turning - French renewable energy developer Neoen on Friday celebrated the inauguration of its Goyder South Wind Farm in South Australia, it announced. The 412 MW project is the largest wind farm in the state and the largest in Neoen's portfolio. The project consists of 75 wind turbines and is expected to generate 1.5 TWh of renewable energy per year. It is projected to boost wind generation in South Australia by more than 20%, and is now serving three long-term power purchase agreements, including one with the Australian Capital Territory government, electricity retailer Flow Power, and is also supplying power to BHP's Olympic Dam mine.

Hailing funds - ANZ Bank announced Friday it has provided a major green structured asset financing facility to ComfortDelGro Corporation (CDC) Victoria, to support the rollout of an electric bus operation as part of the Victorian state government's Zero Emissions Bus Transition plan. ANZ said the transaction is among the first green structured asset loans linked to the government's transition plan and is CDC Victoria's first green loan transaction. The facility will support CDC deploy 37 battery electric buses on 251 public and school routes and will help replace 600 diesel buses, reducing carbon emissions by 45,000 tonnes per year. CDC Victoria will transfer its bus fleet to 100% electric by 2034.

Indian ERW - India-based carbon removal company Varaha has achieved Asia’s first registry-backed enhanced rock weathering (ERW) carbon credit issuance, it announced on LinkedIn, marking only the third such issuance globally under the Puro.earth Standard. The project, located in Khargone, Madhya Pradesh, works with cotton-growing smallholder farmers who apply finely ground basalt rock powder to their fields, capturing atmospheric CO2 while improving soil health and yields. Varaha has become the world’s first company to secure verified carbon credit issuances from two distinct carbon removal pathways, following its earlier biochar-based CDR credits issued last year, it said.

A group of Japanese companies have teamed up to support the creation of credits from rice paddy projects under the bilateral Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM).

California Carbon Allowances (CCAs) retreated toward the lower end of their trading range over the Oct. 16-22 period as the benchmark failed to breach the $32.8 level, while traders await an Oct. 29 workshop from air regulator ARB.