Phase-out of commitment – New Zealand’s government has backtracked from its previous commitment to push for a global phase-out of fossil fuels, Newsroom reported on Wednesday, in a significant shift in position. The country did not sign on to a roadmap to phase out fossil fuels at COP30, with Climate Change Minister Simon Watts telling RNZ this was because New Zealand had already committed to transition away from them at COP28 in Dubai – and that this is the language the country supports. Newsroom noted that the minister’s comments contradict his previous statements to the outlet in support of a global phase-out. The lack of consensus in Belem on the roadmap is further reason why the government did not back it, Watts told the outlet, but instead continued to support the COP28 nuanced-language to transition away from fossil fuels.

The attempted reopening of Article 6 rules at COP30 surprised an already-skittish private sector, which needs regulatory stability and time to begin investing, according to a carbon-specialised banker speaking on a post-COP webinar Tuesday.

The UK government is seeking feedback on its plan to bring emissions from international shipping into the UK Emissions Trading Scheme from 2028, in a new consultation opened on Tuesday.

Carbon removal expertise - The IPCC panel agreed on the outline last month of the '2027 IPCC Methodology Report on Carbon Dioxide Removal Technologies, Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories'. The report will be a single methodology report, and will address topics including soil carbon sinks, carbon removal in coastal wetlands, CO2 capture from combustion, direct air capture, CO2 utilisation, CO2 transport, and CO2 injection and storage. Over 150 experts are expected to participate in the writing process, to be completed by 2027. These contributors will be selected by the Task Force Bureau taking into account scientific and technical expertise, and the first lead authors' meeting will be held in Rome in Apr. 2o26.

Swiss Art. 6 deals - Switzerland’s Federal Council has approved the country's bilateral climate agreements with Zambia, Mongolia, and Uganda, enabling the country to count resulting emission cuts toward its 2030 target, the government said in a statement. Switzerland signed the world’s first such treaty under Article 6 with Peru in 2020, followed by agreements with Ghana, Senegal, Georgia, Vanuatu, Dominica, Thailand, Ukraine, Morocco, Malawi, Uruguay, Chile, Kenya and Tunisia. All deals include safeguards to prevent double counting and uphold environmental and human rights standards.

Curbing emissions from ships berthed at EU ports is being driven by EU legislation to electrify all container terminals by 2030, but achieving that goal will require significant grid expansion and an improved business case for ports to make the robust investment required.

2026 will be a crunch year for implementing UN carbon markets, after Article 6 decisions at COP30 cleared up key administrative uncertainties such as funding shortages and the closure of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), and affirmed previous agreements on crediting standards and trading rules, according to experts. 

A handful of countries are still keeping out of the race to trade carbon credits through Article 6 – although the number is dwindling, as even the most ideologically opposed see pragmatic business opportunities.

US state and local official made up an informal climate delegation for the absentee nation, reaching international counterparts with a message of resilience in Belem.