China pressed the EU in a tense pre-dawn standoff at COP30 on Saturday, offering to support tougher language on ambition and adaptation in the final outcome text in exchange for Brussels agreeing to kill its Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), according to sources.

Countries and civil society welcomed the Brazilian presidency's pledge to establish two roadmaps on transitioning away from fossil fuels and ending deforestation, even as several have described it only as a consolation prize after a reference to the two issues failed to make it into the main COP30 decisions.

Brazil's international coalition could be uniquely positioned to facilitate mutual recognition of credits and knowledge exchange between countries amid a global explosion of carbon pricing systems - if certain steps are taken, experts said during COP30 in Belem.

As the world lags behind 2030 restoration targets, nine governments announced a new coalition which will coordinate planting 1 billion native trees on World Environment Day.

Negotiators at COP30 in Belem on Saturday accepted a final decision concerning the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA), distilling the list of indicators, nixing any new funding commitments, and reiterating the GGA’s non-prescriptive nature.

Boiling - India's average temperature rose by 0.9C in the last decade, PTI reported, citing a study. The South Asian country, which is among the most vulnerable to effects of climate change, also saw the temperature of its hottest day in the year rise by 1.5-2C, according to the paper which synthesised observational data and climate models. It added that glacier melt accelerated, Gangetic plains saw higher heat stress, and rainfall decreased in monsoon months.

As the Brazilian presidency on Saturday gavelled through a Mutirao text and several negotiated decisions, officials and civil society offered mixed reactions – generally supporting COP30 policy advances and the spirit of multilateralism, while alternately welcoming or decrying efforts to secure climate finance.

Countries failed to strengthen international efforts to drive an energy transition after two fraught weeks of COP30 negotiations, beyond doubling down on an existing 2023 pledge, agreeing to speed up decarbonisation targets, and reaffirming last year's goal to boost climate finance.

Day 12 at COP30 in Belem. The final day, as most expect, with Brazil frantically organising huddles throughout the night to push forward on the Belem Package deal. Meanwhile, possible 'quorum', whereby not enough parties are present to seal a deal, was also looming over negotiations, leaving the presidency to scramble to achieve consensus with time fast running out.

Forest surface fuel biochar offers a cost-effective wildfire mitigation alternative that can deliver substantial carbon sequestration, soil-health improvements, and pollution-control benefits, according to new research.

Australia and Turkiye have drafted a partnership arrangement that would see them share various roles of the presidency at COP31 next year in Antalya.

Draft text for an international plan to forge a just transition towards a low-carbon future includes words to "develop" a transition mechanism, much to the delight of civil society, however observers are concerned that the language remains weak and lacks a reference to shifting away from fossil fuels.

Ethiopia is finalising its first memorandum of understanding (MoU) under Article 6.2 with Singapore, while also beginning discussions with a group of priority buyer countries and finishing its national carbon market regulation, a senior official told Carbon Pulse.

Inflation over the next 10 years could erode a huge share of the $300 billion that rich countries have pledged to mobilise for developing countries each year by 2035, Carbon Pulse analysis of projected inflation rates indicates. 

Recycling gains – A multi-country lifecycle analysis finds that recycled concrete aggregates can reduce global warming impacts by up to 97% compared with natural aggregate production in regions with mature construction-waste recycling systems. The study, covering Brazil, Colombia, Hong Kong, India, Mainland China, and Spain, shows that these benefits drop sharply in less-developed markets where long transport distances or inefficient processing offset advantages, underscoring that the sustainability value of construction and demolition waste recycling remains highly context-dependent and that establishing uniform global guidelines is challenging due to regional disparities

National governments from across the globe have launched Friday at COP30 a coalition led by Switzerland, meant to push forward voluntary mitigation efforts under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.

The Brazilian-led tropical forest fund should support carbon markets by reducing regulatory risk to attract private capital, and providing more funds to forest preservation, observers have said, though there is also risk that carbon project additionality gets undermined.

Some 24 countries have signed the Belem Declaration to Transition Away from Fossil Fuels on Friday, spearheaded by Colombia and the Netherlands, with a date set for the first international conference on the subject to be held next year.

Prices in China's national emissions market remained well above the RMB 60 ($8.44) level over the past week amid growing compliance demand, while the country's undersupplied voluntary market saw the release of three methodologies as the government seeks to expand offset pipelines.

Parties in Belem agreed not to significantly change existing decisions made on Article 6 and to channel nearly $30 million to the new Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism (PACM) from the Kyoto Protocol-era Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), as part of decisions made at COP30 on Friday.

Day 11 in Belem, and the last scheduled day of negotiations. Less than 12 hours after COP30 talks were suspended, and the venue evacuated, after a fire erupted in the pavilion area, the Brazilian presidency dropped its Belem Package of texts.

Climate pledges are increasingly placing emphasis on biodiversity, but they will remain ineffective unless they incorporate spatial data, an expert has told Carbon Pulse.

The call to kickstart a roadmap away from fossil fuels has dropped out of the latest COP30 negotiating text, quickly triggering pushback from over two dozen developed and developing countries who said they wouldn't accept it.

Southeast Asia risks slowing its clean energy transition despite rising investor interest and growing corporate demand, experts have warned, even as governments across the region continue to set higher renewable energy targets.

One of Australia’s states on Friday unveiled its Renewable Fuels strategy, backed with A$170 million ($109.6 mln) to scale supply.

The New Zealand government has yet to formally reply to the Climate Change Commission (CCC) about advice on the 2050 targets, due by Friday, despite slipping its decision into a release last month.

Capping car-bon costs – Changes to New Zealand’s Clean Vehicle Standard passed their third reading in parliament on Thursday, cutting the carbon cost imposed on imported vehicles. As of Jan. 1, 2026, the top rate for new car imports will be NZ$15 ($8.38) per gram of CO2 for the next two years, down 78% from NZ$67.50, while the levy on used cars has been slashed a similar amount, to NZ$7.50/g from NZ$33.75. Transport Minister Chris Bishop claimed that this will save consumers from an estimated NZ$264 mln of pass-through costs, however, official advice said that would be offset by an extra NZ$115 mln of fuel costs, Newsroom reported this week. The outlet also noted that the government in 2024 slowed the rate of decline, while demand for EVs also collapsed following the scrapping of the Clean Car Discount at the end of 2023.