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).

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.

European carbon prices fell for a fifth day in a row on Monday, reaching their lowest in eight sessions amid a steady pulse of selling pressure before rallying towards the close, as energy markets reacted to weak weather fundamentals and shook off the positive impact from the weekend's news that the US and China had reached agreement on trade issues.

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.

Scaling up the carbon dioxide removal (CDR) sector to the multi-million-tonne level will require sustained innovation to cut costs and improve performance, with the International Energy Agency (IEA) urging governments to play a catalytic role in supporting the industry.

Mozambican credit trickle - Mozambique has only issued 3 mln carbon credits, out of a potential 100 mln, a climate change specialist at the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment, and Fisheries said recently, according to Club of Mozambique. The country has the potential to generate credits from areas like renewable energy, mangroves restoration, and forestry, Luis Nhamucho was quoted as saying. Of the 3 mln credits, 2.4 mln are on Gold Standard's platform.

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.

Global methane emissions from onshore oil and gas operations rose in late 2024 and early 2025, reversing a steady downward trend observed since 2020, according to a report published Monday.

Egypt’s Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA) will develop its own carbon credit ratings agency, starting with the creation of a regulatory and technical framework, a senior official said Friday.

Solar struggles - More than a million old solar panels have been broken up, burnt, or buried in Zambia, found new research from the University of Reading, highlighting the urgent need for careful lifecycle management of renewable technologies. The researchers found over 1 mln devices sold between 2018 and 2022 have already stopped working, and though over 90% could be repaired, rural areas lack such services. The panels potentially contain toxic materials and to make matters worse, counterfeit products have been found to flood the market and accelerate the problem. Genuine devices tend to last 6-10 years, while counterfeits have been known to fail within 2-3 months. The researchers called on Zambia to develop policies to manage solar waste in order to avoid replacing one environmental problem with another. 

Europe faces a stark gap between its vast potential for industrial electrification and the readiness of politicians to deliver the necessary policies to realise it, a new academic study has warned.

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) has agreed with a standard-setting body to collaborate on strengthening the integrity and effectiveness of global carbon markets, using joint certification tools and methodologies, they announced on Monday.

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.

Grant to Burundi - The African Development Fund (ADF) has approved an additional $8.6 mln grant in additional finance to support the rollout of the first phase of the Water Sector and Climate Resilience Building Support Programme (PASEREC) in Burundi. The grant adds to the initial $13.3 mln approved by the bank in 2023 for the programme, allowing it to be extended for another year. The programme will help provide access to safe and reliable drinking water for half a million people in five rural provinces, whilst improving santitation and creating new green jobs. It will fund the build of 17 solar-powered water systems, eco-friendly sanitation facilities, and irrigation systems, and shall empower  local communities and cooperatives to manage water services sustainably, as well as supporting agro-pastoral cooperatives. The programme is co-financed by the Global Centre on Adaptation (GCA) and the government of Burundi.

An African government has become the first to sign up for an AI-powered, blockchain-based platform designed to track implementation of the Paris Agreement, in a move it says will help to put the country's national carbon registry system in motion.

'Social massacre' - Slovakia's Voice-Social Democracy party is calling for EU ETS2 to be completely scrapped or postponed due to the potential social impact. The introduction of EU ETS2 for heating and transport fuels from 2027 will mean an average yearly burden of €3,000 for every Slovak household, warned Voice-SD Matus Sutaj Estok at a press conference on Friday, calling the system a "social massacre". A government including Voice-SD will never support such a measure, he said, adding that Parliament on Friday will discuss a resolution authorising the Slovak government to request a revision of ETS2 at EU level. The party believes the new system will not only affect household direct energy expenditures, but also the overall price level in Slovakia's economy. Opposition MP Karol Galek from the Freedom and Solidarity party said the EU ETS2 should be accompanied by some form of compensation, such as reduced tax burdens. The Commission plans to propose measures to smooth the entry into force of EU ETS2.

Just 0.6% of all aviation fuel supplied to EU airports last year came from sustainable sources – avoiding around 714,000 tonnes of CO2, according to a new report by an EU agency.

First BECCS listing - Supercritical has added BioCirc - a Danish bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) project - to its carbon removal marketplace, it stated Monday in a release. BioCirc aims to permanently remove almost 1 mln tonnes of CO2 over its project lifetime and is the first such project to pass Supercritical's internal due diligence process. The project will use amine-based and membrane separation systems to capture CO2, which will then be liquefied and transported offshore to store around 1.8 km below the seabed via Project Greensand. The BioCirc project is expected to generate around 125,000 tonnes of high-integrity (1,000 years+) carbon removals annually across five commercial biogas plants. BECCS now accounts for nearly 70% of all contracted durable carbon removal globally, with scrutiny growing over its additionality, delivery, and data transparency.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has agreed a €40 million loan to a Swedish company developing modular gasification systems that convert biomass residues into renewable industrial biogas, with biochar produced as a by-product.

Livestock methane pricing – Denmark is pushing for EU-wide pricing on methane emissions from livestock, mirroring its national tax set to start in 2030, according to Johannes Flatz, of Danish think tank Concito. At a webinar last week, Flatz said the Danish government has “a mandate” to push for a similar solution at EU level and create a level playing field for Danish farmers compared to their European peers who don’t have similar obligations. Proposals include extending the EU Emissions Trading System to agriculture, or an agri-food emissions trading scheme to incentivise reductions. (Agriland)

BMW's biofuels push – BMW Group has launched a demonstration fleet to showcase the use of diesel replacement fuels based on renewable raw materials. The company is promoting the use of HVO100, a hydrotreated vegetable oil fuel it said can cut lifecycle CO2 emissions by up to 90% compared to fossil diesel, and is urging EU regulators to recognise HVO100-only vehicles under fleet legislation. All BMW diesels produced in Germany since Jan. 2025 have been filled with HVO100 before delivery, while pilot projects with major fleet operators in Germany and Italy are underway to trace fuel use and collect performance data.

European Union countries may review their 2040 climate target every two years under a new compromise proposal, according to a draft document seen by Reuters, part of efforts to forge a deal before the COP30 international climate summit next month.

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)