Urine luck – New Zealand’s public-private agtech investment vehicle AgriZero has invested NZ$1.2 mln ($684,627) in a wearable device for cattle which enables its urine to be spread and be used as a fertiliser, allowing better absorption of nitrogen and reducing the use of chemical fertilisers. Developed by Canterbury-based start-up Amua, the device could reduce nitrous oxide emissions by up to 95% and nitrate leaching by 93%, the government said in a press release Tuesday. AgriZero has invested NZ$191 mln over its first four years, including NZ$13 mln to a US company developing enzymes and probiotics to lower methane emissions from livestock and almost NZ$20 mln to two companies developing methane vaccines.

Fast power – New Zealand’s fast track panel has approved the first renewable energy project, the government said on Monday. The application, from Genesis Energy, is to continue to use, operate, and maintain the Tekapo power scheme in the South Island, including work on the canal system. The government noted that Genesis had initially sought standard consent in July 2023, but a year on indicated that further delays were likely due to the lengthy approvals process. Following the passage of the Fast Track Approvals Act at the end of 2024, Genesis lodged its fast track application in Apr. 2025. Genesis has owned and operated the 190-MW Tekapo hydropower scheme since 2011.

Genetic tinkering for climate – Agritech company Nbryo has secured A$10 mln ($6.5 mln) to expand and scale its bovine in vitro embryo production (IVP) technology, which can reduce seven years of selective breeding to one week. The cash to the Queensland-based company came from QIC Ventures and New Zealand’s AgriZero, said the Australian investment manager in a press release. Nbryo’s technology will enable the faster adoption of genetic traits to increase productivity, reduce environmental impact, and increase sustainability, it said.

An Australian robotics company has secured A$16 million ($10.4 mln) to expand its rollout of novel climate tech that reduces emissions by cleaning ships hulls, it announced.

Prices rallied last week as optimism surged ahead of COP30 and the market started the typical uptick in demand for credits in the fourth quarter to cover annual emissions.

A Japan-based agritech company has launched a digital monitoring, reporting, and verification (dMRB) platform to support traceable farmland emissions and removal accounting in line with emerging land-sector disclosure frameworks.

ICAO has published the CORSIA sectoral growth factor for 2024, which should translate to robust demand for carbon credits eligible for the offsetting scheme, after last year's aviation emissions across participating states was calculated at 60 million tonnes above the agreed baseline.

A new report from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has found that setting science-based climate targets delivers measurable business benefits, boosting competitiveness, investor confidence, and long-term growth across sectors.

Global warming is accelerating as land and ocean carbon sinks reach critical limits, threatening to narrow the remaining carbon budget, according to a new scientific assessment released ahead of COP30 in Belem.

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) remain in the early stages of implementing carbon pricing policies, despite its growing role as a tool to steer investment in climate action, according to a recent UN-backed report.

Bank's green push - South Korea’s Nonghyup Bank has purchased 8,245 carbon credits from 22 farms to support low-carbon agricultural practices and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, local media reported last week. The credits, certified through a partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Korea Agricultural Technology Promotion Agency, will help offset emissions in line with upcoming 2025 guidelines. The initiative is part of the bank’s broader ESG efforts, which also include renewable energy projects and zero-emission vehicles.

It's official - China on Monday officially submitted its third NDC, pledging to cut economy-wide net GHG emissions by 7-10% from peak levels. The NDC was first announced in September by Chinese President Xi Jinping. The pledge, while introducing absolute emissions reduction targets for the first time, reflects Beijing's cautious approach to climate action, as the government did not specify a specific base year. The world's largest emitting nation should be capable of peaking its coal power and power sector emissions this year, but tighter controls are needed, Greenpeace has estimated.

A firm-led carbon finance model delivers greater emissions reductions and better economic outcomes for small and medium-sized suppliers (SMSs) compared to a bank-led approach, according to a report published last week.

Political sensibilities at COP30 could colour discussion and implementation of last year’s Article 6 rulebook, as “fairly dry” bureaucratic matters play out muted versions of old debates, according to observers and officials.

Emerging markets are taking the lead on climate policy as wealthier nations scale back, according to new analysis, as carbon pricing and emissions disclosure regulations keep progress across G20 countries stable.

A Middle Eastern voluntary carbon markets company has teamed up with a financier of carbon removals (CDR) to deploy projects together, mostly in the Global South, the two announced on Sunday.

Xpansiv has acquired a global clean energy registry provider in a move that consolidates two major companies in the renewable energy certification sector.

Foray into Qatar - Samsung C&T, the construction unit of South Korea's Samsung Group, has won a 1.9 trillion-won ($1.13 bln) order for a carbon capture and storage project in Qatar, Yonhap reported, citing a company statement. QatarEnergy has awarded the Korean company to run the project, which will capture around 4.1 MtCO2e annually in the formers' existing LNG production complex in Ras Laffan. Samsung has also been awarded the contract for Qatar’s largest solar power project, which will generate enough electricity to power around 750,000 households.  

China's planned adoption of absolute caps for its emissions trading scheme (ETS) should be accompanied by a fixed annual reduction rate similar to the EU's, in order to enhance market certainty and strengthen carbon price signals, a think tank has said.

Looking for opportunities - South Korea's Hyundai Motor Group has signed an MoU with Singapore’s Economic Development Board (EDB) to identify partnership opportunities in building up capabilities in low-carbon technologies such as hydrogen, they announced Monday. The MoU builds on the existing partnership between Hyundai and EDB through the Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Center Singapore (HMGICS), which is the Korean carmaker’s first global open innovation hub and testbed, EDB said in a statement.

The Cambodian government has launched a national carbon registry to manage and record credits generated from the country’s carbon projects.

Chilling stuff - European negotiators say they were subjected to direct personal threats by US officials during fractious talks over a proposed global levy on maritime emissions, according to accounts shared with Politico. The confrontation occurred at last month’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) meeting in London, where the US successfully pushed to delay a plan to introduce a carbon tax on shipping emissions by one year — a move widely viewed as a major victory for Washington and a setback for climate advocates. European Commission officials said American delegates and embassy staff used “unprecedented” pressure tactics, including summoning negotiators to the US Embassy and threatening business retaliation, visa revocations, and personal consequences for delegates and their families. “Our negotiators had never seen this before in any international talks,” one EU official said. Several European diplomats reportedly returned home shaken after the exchanges. The threats formed part of a wider campaign by the Trump administration to block the measure, which President Donald Trump argued would unfairly penalise US shipping interests. Ahead of the talks, the US issued a joint statement from the Secretaries of State, Transportation, and Energy warning of tariffs, port fees, visa restrictions, and potential sanctions against officials supporting “activist-driven" climate policies. While most EU countries backed the emissions levy, Greece and Cyprus broke ranks, with Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis insisting his government’s decision to support a postponement was made independently of US pressure. Observers described the US campaign as unusually aggressive, with Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins reportedly calling more than 20 governments to press them to oppose the measure. Caribbean and small island nations were also said to have faced tariff threats. Vanuatu’s Climate Minister Ralph Regenvanu told Politico that island states faced “relentless pressure", while academic observer Christiaan De Beukelaer said the intimidation “created an atmosphere of fear” that disrupted the negotiation process. The US State Department declined to discuss the reported threats, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio later defended the outcome in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, saying the US-led coalition had successfully blocked “unaccountable bureaucratic schemes” at the IMO.

Charging up - Electricity infrastructure company Amber Electric is being funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to install 50 vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capable chargers in a residential setting, it announced. The project will allow electric vehicles to discharge electricity from their batteries back into the grid, providing Australians with flexibility, savings, and increased control over their energy use, ARENA said. V2G technology could help EVs become a viable solution for grid stability and renewable energy storage, Amber Electric CEO Chris Thompson said in a statement. The funding figure associated with the project was not disclosed.

The Australian government officially launched its Guarantee of Origin (GO) scheme on Monday, allowing companies to certify emissions and renewable electricity within their supply chains.

The junior party of Australia’s Coalition political opposition, the Nationals, has formally scrapped its commitment to net zero emissions by 2050, it announced.

An Australian carbon capture and storage (CCS) project has received the single largest issuance of carbon credits in the market’s history, marking the first time the method had been awarded.

Captive projects remained a loophole in China's overseas coal ban despite a shrinking pipeline, with plants under construction in countries including Indonesia and Zimbabwe, a recent report has found.