Party for lower power bills – Detroit’s east side was festive last Sunday as environmental advocates, community leaders, and members of the Michigan legislature gathered for food and festivities while demanding accountability from the state’s largest energy providers. According to the News From the States, the groups offered information about the ratepayer bill of rights, a slate of bills aiming to address affordability issues and political spending related to energy providers.

Another plant hits pause - The Danish technology manufacturer Topsoe has halted work on its $400 mln electrolyser factory in Virginia, citing the One Big Beautiful Bill’s (OBBBA) treatment of the 45V tax credit for clean hydrogen. The company has paused work on the plant ahead of reaching a final investment decision, the company’s spokesperson told Latitude Media. The company will evaluate market conditions before deciding if or when to move forward. The OBBBA dealt the clean hydrogen industry a blow when it diminished the 45V tax credits, which were designed to award up to $3 per kilogram of hydrogen produced via electrolysis.

Net zero nowhere - A new report published Monday from the Trottier energy institute at Polytechnique Montreal found that Canada is far from meeting its net zero GHG targets, projecting only an 18% reduction by 2030 and 20% by 2035 – well below official goals of 40% and 50%, respectively. Drawing on findings from Environment and Climate Change Canada, the report highlights that even with additional “advanced measures,” emissions cuts would reach only 30% by 2030. The analysis pointed to weak policy implementation, political uncertainty, and the federal government’s poor record of forecasting emissions, noting that Canada’s progress lags behind many OECD countries that have achieved sustained declines since 1990.

Trump wind whisperers - International offshore wind developers are calling in help from lobbyists who might have US President Donald Trump’s ear, according to E&E News. The outlet reported Norwegian oil giant, Equinor, and Danish wind developer, Orsted, have tapped lobbyists tied to Trump amidst his crusade against the industry.

Gas-guzzling gumption - Car makers Ford and General Motors are set to ramp up manufacturing of gas-powered pickups and SUVs, E&E News reported. The outlet reported both auto majors are expecting big profits from their EV backslide amid the Trump administration’s vehicle pollution standards rollback as the gas guzzlers are the most profitable vehicles they sell.

RGGI Allowance (RGA) futures jumped nearly 7% last week to extend past the $24 threshold on sharply higher volumes, reaching a year-to-date (YtD) trading high above $25 on Friday before retreating Monday.

Four young people are taking Canada’s largest pension fund to court for allegedly failing to protect their investments from climate-related risks.

Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism (PACM) standards will not make or break the voluntary carbon market (VCM), but sabotaging the commoditisation of carbon credits could, according to the co-founder of a PACM-accredited validation and verification body (VVB).

A new UN report found advances in bioeconomy sectors, spanning carbon capture and bioenergy systems to sustainable agriculture and low-carbon materials, are gaining momentum worldwide, even as high costs, uneven regulation, and patchy funding slow growth.

Geothermal gains – Geothermal energy is winning rare bipartisan backing in Washington as lawmakers eye it as a reliable, clean alternative to wind and solar, E&E News reported. Advances in enhanced geothermal systems, which enable deeper drilling to tap heat from rock, have expanded its potential beyond the western US, spurring new legislation and investment. Republicans, drawn by geothermal’s baseload reliability and overlap with oil and gas drilling expertise, have joined Democrats in pushing bills to streamline permitting and boost development. Industry groups say geothermal’s inclusion in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and rising lobbying activity mark a turning point, with advocates framing it as a bridge between fossil fuel and renewable energy camps.

Climate council clash – Representatives, led by Juan Vargas (D-CA) and Sean Casten (D-IL), urged Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, as chair of the Financial Stability Oversight Council, to reinstate its climate-risk committees, warning their disbandment weakens oversight of financial threats from climate change. In their Oct. 24 letter, they cited mounting disaster losses – $746.7 bln since 2020 and $250 bln from the January Los Angeles wildfires – and referenced the Council’s own 2021 finding that climate change poses systemic risk. The lawmakers asked the Council to continue analysing and reporting on such risks, maintain interagency data sharing, and expand tools like scenario analysis.

Jamaica has formally launched a five-year initiative aimed at integrating nature-based solutions (NbS) into urban development, supported by funding from the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada (GAC).

Litigation limit – Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) has introduced the Fair Air Enforcement Act in an effort to repeal Section 304 of the Clean Air Act, which allows citizens to sue companies or the US EPA over alleged violations, E&E News reported. Lee, who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said the measure would stop “climate extremists” from using the courts against small businesses. Environmental groups have condemned the proposal, warning it would dismantle a core enforcement tool by transferring all authority to state and federal agencies.

California’s landmark corporate climate disclosure laws are not an attack on free speech, but a necessary step to protect investors, consumers, and markets from climate-related risks, two leading advocacy groups have told a federal appeals court.

A Washington DC federal judge declined on Friday to halt construction of a major offshore wind project off the New York and New Jersey coasts, ruling that local opposition groups failed to prove the wind farm would injure migratory bottlenose dolphins.

With COP30 right around the corner, Brazil is rushing to prove that the $125 billion global fund it proposes to reward the conservation of tropical forests is financially viable and attractive, and to respond to criticism about its complexity and risk-sharing model.

Credits sold from a now deactivated REDD methodology re-opened concerns about integrity last week, at a time when the EU is debating whether to allow the use of international credits under the Paris Agreement into the ETS, and delegates are preparing for UN climate talks in Brazil.

A coming surge in liquefied natural gas (LNG) capacity is expected to reshape world energy markets and raise new challenges for global decarbonisation efforts, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its annual Gas 2025 report.

A major US-based registry has issued corrections and clarifications to its soil enrichment methodology, tightening eligibility and accounting rules for agricultural carbon projects.

Extreme droughts could turn peatlands from long-term carbon sinks into sources of greenhouse gas emissions, according to research by US, Swiss and Australian scientists published last week.

New focus - IRENA chief Francesco La Camera said COP30 in Brazil will likely feature new global targets for sustainable biofuels, Reuters reported. He suggested the summit could include a pledge to quadruple biofuel production by 2035 or set a share target for sustainable aviation fuel. But an analysis earlier this month showed that biofuels emit 16% more CO2 than the fossil fuels they replace once the effects of deforestation, soil degradation, and land-use change are accounted for.

A growing pipeline of fossil fuel developments could emit over 11 times the world’s remaining carbon budget for 1.5C, according to data published Monday by a group of non-profit researchers.

First close - Astarte Capital Partners and Toesca Asset Management have reached a first close of $100 mln for their new regenerative agriculture fund, which will invest primarily in permanent crops through a mix of greenfield and operating assets. The vehicle, which was launched in Q4 2024, was seeding with $45 mln from both firms.  With an overall $350 mln fundraising target and an IRR goal of 17%, Toesca Permanent Crops II aims to promote sustainable land use and soil health by owning and managing farmland under regenerative practices, with around 70% of capital expected to go toward developing new projects and 30% into existing operations. The firms said they are looking into the contribution soil carbon credits can make to the fund's financial returns, but this has not been factored into the strategy's target returns. The fund has attracted institutional investors from Europe, North America, Australia, and Chile, reflecting growing global appetite for farmland and nature-based investments that align financial returns with environmental outcomes. Roughly 80% of the fund will be deployed in Chile, with Peru accounting for 20%. (Agri Investor)

ExxonMobil has filed a lawsuit against California seeking to block enforcement of two landmark state laws requiring large companies to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related financial risks, arguing the measures unlawfully compel speech and intrude on federal authority.

A Tokyo-based climate tech has acquired a new subsidiary to accelerate its growth in North American markets, eyeing rising demand for emissions monitoring solutions.