Panellists on Wednesday said the voluntary carbon market (VCM) is under pressure to address long-running integrity concerns, debating whether contribution claims and stricter baseline approaches could help stabilise confidence in the system.

Paraguay has unveiled the implementation plan for its Article 6 partnership with Taiwan, prioritising electric mobility and reforestation as the backbone of a joint carbon credit pilot, local media reported.

Redacted – The US DOE is removing support for the National Definition of a Zero Emissions Building, according a notice filed Wednesday. It was filed under the previous Biden administration in June 2024, and the current DOE no longer supports the definition, discouraging states, municipalities, and standards-setting organisations from referencing the definition.

Climate analysts considered the extent to which climate policy and carbon markets have had an impact on emission curves versus economic trends during a Thursday panel discussion, with all agreeing that it’s virtually impossible to objectively know for sure.

Gas rule rework - The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) is proposing new changes to rules aimed at reducing methane emissions from natural gas distribution mains and services. The changes are related to Massachusetts’ methane emission limits on gas operators, which Mass DEP has imposed since 2021. The methane limits, which ratchet downward annually, were introduced under the state’s Global Warming Solutions Act. The agency is accepting written public comments on the changes through Jan. 9, 2026.

The Council of EU member states and the European Parliament struck a political deal on Thursday to delay and simplify implementation of the bloc’s regulation on deforestation-free products, pushing back core obligations by a year to give companies and national authorities more time to prepare.

Researchers and practitioners have outlined eight recommended actions to strengthen ecological restoration planning and long-term project performance, presented as part of a new framework.

Honey, I shrunk the EPA – The US EPA is shedding office space in San Francisco (EPA Region 9) and Chicago (EPA Region 5), E&E News reported Tuesday. The government agency has framed it as “rightsizing” in order to make best use of taxpayer dollars. Nicole Cantello, union president, said that management has not been forthcoming and they are putting together unrelated offices and divisions.

Companies’ entrenched focus on carbon accounting is diverting scarce sustainability resources away from supplier engagement and real-world action to reduce emissions, a former chief sustainability officer (CSO) warned on Thursday.

Jurisdictional MRV – The state of Minas Gerais, in Brazil, launched this week a new platform for monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) of its CO2 emissions. The project aims to promote a more assertive and strategic approach to climate action by the state, it said in a statement. It was developed by think tank Centro Brasil no Clima and the company WayCarbon, in partnership with Minas Gerais’ Secretariat for Environment and Development (SEMAD). Resources were provided by the UK Pact, a programme of the British government to support other countries in accelerating climate transition.

Scope 3 farming guidance - Guidance published by South Pole and WBCSD has called on companies to adopt more consistent approaches to engaging farmers in agricultural supply chain decarbonisation, with recommendations to ensure fair benefit-sharing, flexible financing, capacity building, and long-term investment. The document outlined strategies for different farm types and stressed the importance of tracking social outcomes such as livelihoods and food security alongside carbon metrics.

A study published Thursday has highlighted structural price inequalities at the heart of the voluntary carbon market (VCM), showing that carbon credits generated in advanced economies command nearly 30% higher prices than otherwise similar projects in emerging and developing countries.

Airline, non-profit, and hotel groups on Wednesday warned that decarbonisation efforts risk stalling unless companies shift from “transactional” emission cuts to more complex, capital-heavy transformations.

Climate policy ambition is accelerating in Africa, Asia Pacific, and Latin America, with carbon markets growing and policy ambition sometimes overtaking that of the EU, UK, and North America, found a new report.

High-integrity natural climate solutions (NCS) carbon credits are essential to effective, efficient and equitable climate policy, including under Paris Article 6.4, write eleven scientists and researchers in response to a recent Nature comment.

Verra has issued the first carbon credits bearing the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market’s (ICVCM) Core Carbon Principles (CCP) label under its revised improved forest management (IFM) methodology, the US-based standards body said Thursday.

A roadmap for financial institutions to develop mangrove-positive lending approaches has been launched by a financing initiative focused on these coastal trees.

Digital monitoring, reporting, and verification (dMRV) could significantly accelerate investment in industrial CO2 capture and removal projects, researchers have found, with measurement estimated to account for up to 15% of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) and 13% direct air capture and storage (DACCS) project costs.

An annual global asset owner survey, published Thursday, has revealed that sustainable investment continues to hold a central place in institutional strategies, as concerns about climate risk and regulatory complexity grow.

Carbon credits of a low quality saw their prices rise last month, moving close to an average $6 per tonne, according to updated analysts indices.

A startup risk management company is investing in electric cookstoves in Sub-Saharan Africa to ward off integrity concerns that is sees as undermining Article 6 trading, an executive told Carbon Pulse.

Nuclear power is set for a revival global because it will be a cheaper option for countries seeking to decarbonize their electricity grid compared to just relying on renewable energy, a study claims.  

A global food company this week partnered with an Indian developer on a five-year regenerative agriculture project aimed at cutting emissions across its corn supply chain and improving outcomes for farmers.

Canada needs to turn to domestic, public procurement amid its trade rift with the US, addressing the long-standing gap between its investment in clean technology R&D and deployment, said an executive from a Toronto-based innovation hub.

Another one - Canadian project developer Deep Sky announced a strategic partnership with Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation to build a robust DAC and carbon removal market in Japan. The pair will develop commercial pathways for DAC offtakes in Japan, financing structures, and policy frameworks.

Three months after the case was nearly dismissed, a North Dakota judge ruled Tuesday in favour of a landowner group in finding the amalgamation law of the state’s CO2 injection programme to be unconstitutional.

The rural US, which accounts for 19% of the population, produces a disproportionate amount of emissions, according to a new report published on Tuesday that highlights the opportunities to decarbonise such regions.

Bye-bye Buttigieg's baby – The US Department of Transportation has proposed to reset the federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for 2022-31, which were established under the former Biden administration. The rules laid out how far vehicles must travel on a gallon of fuel, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy accused the previous administration of illegally using the CAFE standards as a "backdoor electric vehicle mandate". The new proposal, titled Freedom Means Affordable Cars, proposes to increase the fuel economy standard across all vehicle classes through 2031. It will eliminate the credit trading programme that was set to begin in 2028 and is projected to save $109 bln over the next five years, the government agency said.

A group of major glass, packaging, mining, and automotive companies on Thursday announced the launch of a global certification programme to cut emissions and raise sustainability standards across the glass supply chain.