Let's get digital - Verra has released its carbon capture and storage (CCS) methodology, VM0049 Carbon Capture and Storage v1.0, in digital form on the Verra Project Hub, along with four related modules (VMD0056-59). The move is part of Verra’s ongoing digitalisation initiative aimed at streamlining project registration under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Programme. By enabling digital submissions, Verra expects to simplify credit generation for CCS projects, enhance resource efficiency, and channel finance towards CO2 removals, emissions reductions, and related socio-environmental benefits. With this addition, Verra now has 23 digitalised methodologies across its programmes, with more under testing, including those for fuel switching, gas leak detection, and building weatherisation.

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).

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.

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.

Thailand’s upcoming Climate Change Act could drive up to 98% demand for the Southeast Asian country’s carbon credits as compliance mechanisms such as an emissions trading system (ETS) and carbon tax are brought into force, according to a recent report by the market regulator.

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

Indonesia on Monday submitted a new climate plan that opts for absolute emissions caps for the first time, setting a 2030 peak, but with a hefty price tag that Jakarta hopes to pay for by using Article 6 carbon trading and foreign finance.

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.

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.

Indonesia’s forest carbon projects have failed to deliver lasting improvements in rural household incomes and may even have reduced earnings from agriculture, a study looking at some of the country’s flagship Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) schemes has found.

Cement methodology - KCCI Carbon Standard (KCS), run by South Korean business lobby KCCI, is seeking feedback on a new proposed methodology that encourages the use of low-carbon concrete products, according to a recent notice. The proposal, submitted by Daewoo E&C, requires developers to use early-strength slag cement concrete to replace Portland cement, a greenhouse gas-emitting raw material used in conventional concrete production. There are around 30 eligible methodologies under the KCS programme.    

Agri pilots - Vietnam will pilot at least 15 carbon credit farming models between 2025 and 2035, targeting key crops such as rice, coffee, cassava, sugarcane, and bananas, Net Zero VN reported, citing a government official. The scheme aims to cut agricultural emissions by 15% from 2020 levels by 2035 and develop low-emission certification for major crops. It will start with pilot projects in 34 provinces, focusing on rice-based and crop rotation systems.

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)