Indonesia has signed two new agreements to advance its voluntary carbon market and deepen climate cooperation with the UK, while simultaneously stepping up efforts to attract international buyers for the more than 90 million credits it plans to showcase during COP30.

Switzerland announced Sunday at COP30 a donation of R$33 million ($6.2 mln) to Brazil's Amazon Fund, doubling the country's financial support to the initiative.

A large European bank has been mandated by the governments of Honduras and Suriname to exclusively arrange a potential sale of the two nations' sovereign carbon credits.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has for the first time authorised carbon capture and storage (CCS) and engineered removal methodologies for use under its CORSIA international aviation offsetting scheme, with a number of voluntary carbon standards also receiving eligibility approval for the current and next trading periods.

The four main political groups in the European Parliament have joined forces behind a set of compromise amendments on the EU’s proposed 2040 climate target, paving the way for its smooth adoption during a plenary vote next week.

COP concerns – Survival International has reiterated its concerns over nature-based solutions and Article 6 ahead of the start of COP30 negotiations in Belem this week. The London-based charity said carbon offsetting threatens the human rights Indigenous People, particularly uncontacted groups who cannot give Free Prior Informed Consent (FPIC) for projects to proceed on their lands. The charity called for Indigenous rights to be given greater prominence in countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and to be clarified under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement at COP30.

Big conservation calls – Conservation International has called for a shift in the way nature and climate are financed ahead of the start of COP30 negotiations next week. The global non-profit urged those working on standards for trading carbon credits under Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement to make sure nature-based climate solutions remain eligible for crediting and trading. Conservation International also shared its support for the Tropical Forests Forever Fund (TFFF) conservation mechanism which has received ​​contributions totalling over $5 bln, with Norway and Indonesia confirming commitments in Belem, Brazil, on Thursday. Under the TFFF, Indigenous People must receive equitable payments for their conservation work, the organisation said.

The EU, China, the UK, and eight other countries in Europe, Latin America, and Africa have endorsed Brazil's proposal for a coalition to collaborate on global compliance carbon markets and pricing mechanisms.

At the Leaders’ Summit in Belem ahead of next week’s COP30, global leaders announced agreements on protecting forests and advancing the global energy transition, while outlining their goals and expectations for the upcoming conference.

Market intelligence provider MSCI is preparing to officially launch a credit rating system for Paris Agreement Article 6 transactions, as momentum builds to bring greater consistency to a global carbon market that remains voluntary and “uncapped” by design, an executive told Carbon Pulse.

Money for energy transition – Brazil will create a fund to finance the country’s energy transition using resources from fossil fuel exploration, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Friday. During the Leaders’ Summit that precedes COP30 in Belem, Lula did not mention the state-owned oil company Petrobras’s interest in exploring oil and gas in the Amazon region, Folha de S. Paulo reported.

Senior financiers and development experts are calling for a radical rethink of how global capital is mobilised for climate action, urging reforms that make finance simpler, faster, and more locally driven while integrating adaptation, resilience, and natural capital into mainstream investment strategies.

G20 pledges for carbon removals (CDR) are "limited and lacking credibility," with only a handful of member nations providing transparent and credible plans to scale up the technology, a report has found.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has released updated guidelines to help cities generate reliable and comparable information on GHG emissions.

A pledge to quadruple the use of sustainable fuels by 2035, co-sponsored by Brazil, Italy, Japan, and India, has been endorsed by 15 more countries, it was announced Friday during the pre-COP Leaders’ Summit.

Germany lightly pushes TFFF – After high expectations that Germany would announce an investment in the Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF) on Friday, the Brazilian-led initiative to reward countries for conserving their forests, Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed support for the fund but did not disclose any figures. The country still needs to make final internal decisions, but it will contribute a considerable amount of money, Merz said during a conference in Belem at the Leaders’ Summit for COP30.

Natural CO2 uptake by ocean biology cannot deliver credible carbon credits, a group of scientists said in a commentary published this week.

The Interamerican Development Bank (IDB) has partnered with agencies from Northern European countries looking to unlock $800 million in guarantees for programmes focused on supporting sustainable development in the Amazon and Central America regions, they announced on Friday.

Paraguay has reaffirmed its climate action commitments and embedded new provisions for international carbon trading under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, as part of a revised national strategy that broadens sectoral coverage and extends its implementation horizon to 2035.

Experts have predicted that EU demand for Article 6 credits could reach as high as 709 million by 2040, in light of a recent EU Council agreement to allow the bloc to meet up to 5% of its new flagship target with international carbon units.

Taxing private jets - Plans to tax commercial flights and private jets were outlined Friday by Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, ahead of COP30 in Brazil starting on Monday. Countries are working together on the initiative to ensure those who pollute more, pay their fair share, said Sachez. A declaration is expected at COP30 to increase levies on the priciest forms of air travel, with a portion of proceeds directed to climate-vulnerable countries. (Bloomberg)

Ahead of COP30, a multi-stakeholder group has issued several policy recommendations aimed at strengthening the role of nature-based solutions (NbS) in global climate action.

Twenty-one European airlines have committed to revise their environmental marketing practices following talks with the European Commission and national consumer protection authorities, the EU executive announced on Thursday.

More than 5,300 fossil fuel lobbyists have attended UN Climate Summits over the last four years, a non-profit said on Friday, calling on the UN climate body to establish better accountability rules to root out industry interference.

Fiji has reaffirmed its commitment to hit net zero by 2050, revised its energy sector targets, and signalled interest in voluntary carbon markets in its latest contribution to the Paris Agreement.

European shipping emissions increased by 13% last year despite a fall in trade, a non-profit said on Friday.

The Bahamas has pledged to cut emissions 30% by 2035, but said meeting its climate ambitions will be dependent on the availability of financing and support from richer, higher emitting countries in its latest Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).

Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) on Friday appointed three carbon rating service providers to help assess the integrity of units issued under its International Carbon Credit (ICC) framework.

A Chinese company has shared plans to invest in a project in Laos that aims to distribute improved cookstoves to around 170,000 households between 2026-27, generating millions of carbon credits.

Relying on carbon capture and storage (CCS) and carbon removal (CDR) to offset fossil fuel use could undermine global climate goals, a new study warned Friday, urging governments and companies to aim for “real zero” instead.