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- Mon 23:41CO2 flowing - US biorefinery firm Green Plains announced Monday it has that biogenic CO2 from all three of its Nebraska facilities - Central City, Wood River, and York - is now being captured, transported on the Trailblazer pipeline, and permanently sequestered at Tallgrass’ southeast Wyoming sequestration hub. The company also reported receipt of its first 45Z clean fuel production credit payment of approximately $14 mln, representing a portion of the 2025 production tax credits transferred under a previously announced agreement. Additional payments related to the remaining 2025 tax credits are expected in Q1 2026.
- Mon 23:30Delaying Alberta’s methane emissions reduction target could lead to more than 50 million tonnes of CO2e of emissions, according to a senior analyst at a Toronto-based think tank.
- Mon 23:18Antipodean climate collab – The governments of Australia and New Zealand have agreed to further measures to deepen trans-Tasman climate action, including alignment on standards for EV chargers and sustainable finance taxonomies, progress the sustainable aviation fuel supply chain in the region, and knowledge sharing on solar and batteries for residential use, they announced in a joint statement, as part of the 2+2 climate and finance dialogue. The ministers emphasised the importance of clear net zero plans to attract investment, as well as streamlining and modernising regulatory standards. The two countries also intend to collaborate on reducing emissions from livestock, which accounts for the largest share of New Zealand’s GHG emissions and around 10% of Australia’s.
- Mon 23:01RGGI Allowance (RGA) futures retreated from recent highs following last week's Q4 auction, falling towards the $27 mark after results showed lower compliance participation in the sale.
- Mon 23:01A non-profit has filed a formal complaint against ArcelorMittal under the OECD’s guidelines for responsible business practice, on the grounds that the steel major has not published a recent climate strategy consistent with 1.5C global warming.
- Mon 23:01One of the Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) Scheme’s biggest critics has said the updated landfill gas method has done nothing to convince him that the integrity of the market has improved since the reforms of the Chubb review.
- Gotta Czech it out - Reclaiming areas in the Czech Republic after mining extraction and other activities offers a strategic opportunity for carbon sequestration, according to an article published by researchers at the Technical University of Ostrava at the end of November in the Engineering Proceedings journal. Recent EU legislation to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 sets carbon sequestration targets by 2030 and establishes a framework for the voluntary certification of natural carbon storage to strengthen carbon sinks. The research reviews studies confirming that CO2 sequestration in soil within the Czech Republic is possible through vegetation planting or applying compost, biochar, or other organic material. The authors emphasise that the land use, land use change, and forestry (LULUCF) sectors are expected to be included in the EU ETS.
- Mon 22:53Gas for data - The clean power developer NextEra Energy announced Monday its plans to build gas-powered data centres via an expanded partnership with Alphabet Inc. Already the partnership has 3.5 GW of electricity in operation or contracted. The new deal will expand that goal to develop multiple large-scale data centres in the US with new power plants. The announcement did not specify how much capacity would be added or any financial details. In October, the partnership also announced an agreement to restart a NextEra nuclear plant in Iowa to power a Google data centre.
- Mon 22:51Retail review - CDR standard Puro.earth adopted a "minor change" to its main biochar methodology, to enable retail distribution for being eligible for CO2 Removal Certificates (CORCs), according to an announcement on Dec. 3. Retail was initially excluded in the 2025 methodology published in April, pending the definitions of suitable safeguards, particularly in regions where consumer products may enter mixed waste streams. Since then, the standard has defined conditions and safeguards, including consumer guidance and labelling for eligible uses, contractual clarity within the distribution chain, and product-level controls or requirements for pure biochar. The update is critical to support market growth through retail channels, while maintaining compatibility with high-integrity carbon accounting, according to the statement.
- Mon 22:44Amazon's Head of Carbon Neutralization argues that a carbon credit's value depends on its underlying quality and impact rather than its vintage, with older vintages often arising from slow but necessary measurement and verification cycles, meaning buyers should focus on methodological integrity and real-world outcomes instead of assuming newer credits are inherently better.
- Mon 22:40US CO2 pipeline developers are increasingly linking community compensation to the volume of CO2 transported or stored, unlike other clean energy sectors that still rely largely on fixed host payments, according to a report.
- Mon 22:37The US EPA’s proposed repeal of the federal Greenhouse Gas Reporting Programme (GHGRP) will likely increase compliance costs for firms as states develop their own reporting programmes in the wake of the GHGRP’s repeal, according to a recent analysis.
- Mon 22:34Pushing ahead – Climate Minister Simon Watts has introduced amendments to the Climate Change Response Act to New Zealand’s parliament. The amendments would give effect to the government’s decision to reduce the biogenic methane target, delink the NZ ETS from the country’s NDC, and change the frequency of decisions on ETS settings, among other changes. The legislative proposal is set for its first reading, and the government is intending to pass the amendments before parliament breaks for summer on Dec. 18, absent any consultation.
- Mon 22:32Green abuse of the system - A hearing this week before the US House Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee will probe for what Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) has described as “abuse” by environmental groups in using the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA) to sue the federal government over violations of wildlife protections. The 1980 law allows litigants who are successful in their suits against the government to recoup legal fees. Now, Gosar and his subcommittee want to curb excessive litigation and abuse of the EAJA, according to E&E News.
- Mon 22:31Batting back - British-American Tobacco (BAT) and tobacco company Reynolds American have asked a California court to throw out a lawsuit over vaping brand Vuse’s carbon-neutral marketing. BAT argued last week it shouldn’t be part of the case because it’s a UK holding company with no real ties to California. Reynolds argues the lawsuit lacks a clear injury and that its carbon-neutral statements were either accurate or not misleading, noting the product was independently certified. Both sets of defendants say the plaintiffs’ claims remain too weakly supported to move forward. The suit accuses Reynolds and BAT of deceiving consumers by marketing Vuse e-cigarettes as carbon neutral based on forestry offsets that critics say lack real climate benefits.
- Mon 21:17A natural assets-focused company announced it has acquired a US-based grasslands carbon credit developer, as it looks to build a vertically-integrated platform for soil carbon projects.
- Mon 20:51Clean cut - US House Republicans have unveiled four bills aimed at easing Clean Air Act permitting, arguing the measures will speed industrial projects and boost economic growth, while Democrats warned they could weaken existing protections, E&E News reported. The package, formally introduced after a September hearing, includes Rep. Pfluger’s (R) FENCES Act, which would broaden regulators’ ability to seek compliance waivers for pollution attributed to foreign or uncontrollable sources. House Energy and Commerce Chair Brett Guthrie (R) said the legislation would cut regulatory barriers without sacrificing air-quality standards, though no markup has been scheduled.
- Mon 20:50Rebooted roadmap – After the roadmap to phase out fossil fuels failed to gain traction at COP30, Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is making a renewed push at home. On Monday, Lula issued an executive order for the Ministries of Mines and Energy, Finance, Environment and Climate Change, and the Presidential Chief of Staff’s Office to prepare, within 60 days, guidelines for the development of a roadmap for a just and planned energy transition in Brazil. The document shall outline a gradual reduction in dependence on fossil fuels and propose suitable financing mechanisms for implementing the transition – including the creation of an Energy Transition Fund that will receive part of government revenues from oil and natural gas exploration, the directive said.
- Mon 20:47Coming in hot - The US House is preparing to table the SPEED Act, aimed at overhauling environmental reviews and streamlining greenlights for energy and other projects, Axios reported. The outlet said proponents are looking to the bill to unlock fossil fuels and renewable energy. It includes protection for pre-approved projects under threat by the Trump administration, particularly offshore wind.
- Mon 20:46Agency autonomy - SCOTUS this week will hear arguments in Trump v. Slaughter, a case that could weaken the long-standing limits on presidential power to remove leaders of independent agencies such as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), E&E News reported. The dispute stems from US President Donald Trump’s dismissal of Federal Trade Commission member Rebecca Slaughter, raising questions about whether the court will narrow or overturn its 1935 Humphrey’s Executor precedent, which protects multimember agencies from at-will removal. While some conservative justices have signalled openness to revisiting the ruling, legal experts noted the court may still carve out protections for ratemaking bodies like FERC, whose former commissioners warn that greater presidential control could undermine investor confidence and disrupt energy regulation.
- Mon 20:44Green Earth courts deal - Dutch carbon project developer Green Earth Group has signed a non-binding letter of intent with an undisclosed large international investor to purchase approximately 1.5 mln carbon credits over the next 15 years. The developer valued the deal at above €30 mln, which it noted would triple its €10 mln sales target from its 12-month strategic plan from June 2025. Credits would be sourced from the group’s Mount Kenya regenerative agroforestry project, registered and verified under Verra. The prospective buyer now has exclusive rights to negotiate an Emissions Reduction Purchase Agreement with Green Earth before the end of March 2026. The project is advancing towards its first issuance of credits in 2027.
- Mon 20:43Fuel ready for takeoff - North Vancouver clean fuels developer Hydron Energy has successfully deployed DAC to produce key elements for satellite propulsion fuels, zenon and krypton. The company said the accomplishment represents a major step forward in Hydron Energy's mission to produce carbon-negative xenon and krypton at a fraction of current global market costs, where supply has faced significant disruption with Russia’s war on Ukraine.
- Mon 18:17EU cars and industry plans delayed – The European Commission has delayed proposals to present a revision of its CO2 regulation on cars by one week, until Dec. 16 instead of Dec. 10, a spokesperson said on Monday. Another proposal, the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA), was also delayed, until Jan. 28 instead of Dec. 10, according to media reports.
- Retirement of credits from the big four standard bodies was thin for the first week of December when there is usually a sudden jump in volumes, as prices trended sideways.
- Mon 18:06
Kenya recruiting carbon advisor – The Office of Kenya’s Special Climate Envoy is looking to hire a Carbon Markets Advisor to support the President of Kenya on matters related to climate policy, and to represent Kenya in regional and international fora. The holder of this position will be a hybrid technical and strategic advisor, combining policy leadership, research and insights, stakeholder coordination, partnership development, and delivery support across the office’s carbon market agenda. Responsibilities will include: assessing emerging global mechanisms, Article 6 developments, and supply- and demand-side market risks; analysing voluntary and compliance carbon markets; writing policy and regulatory briefs; and providing sectoral or thematic insights. The 20-month position is based out of Nairobi. As per Kenya’s NDC 3.0, national climate targets will be implemented through a mix of domestic and international support, including participation in international carbon markets. The East African country is a founding member of the global Coalition to Grow Carbon Markets alongside the UK, Singapore, France, and Panama.
- Mon 17:15Bye, bye coal - Poland's Parliament approved a government bill aimed at facilitating the early closure of coal mines by introducing financial support for miners who lose their jobs and redevelopment of former mining areas. The right-wing opposition largely abstained from voting while the lawmakers from Prime Minister Donald Tusk's coalition voted in support. The bill means mining companies can decommission mines independently but with state financial backing, allowing them to be used for investments, revitalisation projects or infrastructure construction. The plan foresees five mines closing within the next decade and a complete phaseout of thermal coal mining by 2049. The bill may still be vetoed by far-right President Jaroslaw Nawrocki. (Notes from Poland)
- Mon 17:14Benchmark EU carbon allowance prices ended Monday unchanged, still holding between the two main strike prices for December options with less than 48 hours remaining until the contracts expire, while energy markets gave up early weather-related gains as the nagural gas supply ootlook remained bearish for prices.
- Mon 16:29Sales of carbon removals (CDR) credits in November slumped month-on-month, with little in the way of deliveries as the year draws to a close, an analytics firm wrote in a monthly update.
- Mon 16:25EU ETS reform clarity unlikely before 2028 amid more challenging political environment, say analystsThere is limited political space to tighten the EU ETS, and any reforms are not expected to be finalised for at least three years, according to a report from analysts looking ahead to next year's much-anticipated market review.
- Welcome to our revamped VCM Portal, a free-access, dynamic platform dedicated to the voluntary carbon market (VCM), with data visualisations to stay on top of price movements and monitor shifting supply and demand for carbon credits.
- Mon 15:46The European Commission has drafted rules to bring forward auctioning of allowances in the EU’s Emissions Trading Scheme for road transport and heating fuels (ETS2), aiming to raise revenues for the Social Climate Fund and provide a smoother start to the system when it formally kicks off in 2028.
- Mon 15:46Brazil issued an executive decree on Monday establishing the Permanent Technical Advisory Committee for its emissions trading system (Portuguese: SBCE) which is under development.
- Mon 15:33The EU wants to use some of its revenues from its border carbon fee to help its industrial exports compete internationally, but members of the European Parliament and climate experts argue at least a part should be funnelled into helping developing countries cut their emissions.
- Mon 15:13A Sydney-based software development company will work with Eco-Markets Australia (EMA) to establish a second-generation registry for tracking credits, including those issued for minimising water pollution in the Great Barrier Reef.
- Mon 15:02VCM partners - Registry BCarbon is partnering with the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) in order to strengthen Kazakhstan's carbon market infrastructure. The agreement lays the framework to integrate BCarbon's credit protocols with the AIFC platform, and is designed to support the development of a transparent carbon market. Read more.
- CDR accelerator - Carbon removal developers can now apply to the second cohort of the Africa Carbon Removal Accelerator (ACRA) programme, which will offer coaching, expert sessions, and community exposure to the 12 chosen startups from sub-Saharan Africa. The programme will run from Apr-Sep. 2026 and is jointly developed by sus.lab | ETH, Max Planck Net Zero Lab, Strathmore University, Nuvoni Centre for Innovation Research and Remove accelerator programme. Interested parties can apply here. ACRA is enabled through funding from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the Swiss National Science Foundation SNSF as part of the SOR4D Solution-oriented Research for Development programme.
- Mon 14:02Consultation extension - Brazil-based standard Tero Carbon has extended the public consultation for its TERO.007 - Agricultural Land Management (ALM) methodology version 1.0 by one month to Jan. 5, 2026. The standard cited the "intense technical and institutional agenda" at last month's COP30 in Belem, which "significantly mobilised" carbon market stakeholders, as the reason for the extension. Comments on the methodology can be submitted here. Additionally, Tero said its Technical Guideline TC-DC.CER.003 – Carbon Quantification in AFOLU Projects document has been updated to version 1.2, featuring a Bayesian methodology for carbon stock quantification and certification, aiming to enable more robust and locally adapted estimates for agricultural systems.
- Mon 13:44Machine learning models can estimate corporate carbon emissions when businesses fail to report their CO2 output, which when combined with human expertise, can meet the financial sector's growing need to assess climate risk, the Bank of France has said.
- Mon 13:30The one-year postponement of the EU's Emissions Trading System for road transport and heating fuels (ETS2) will see member states miss out on billions in carbon revenues, according to new analysis from a campaign group.
- Mon 13:18India has the potential to become a low-cost hub for carbon removal (CDR) but risks missing the opportunity without faster policy, finance, and infrastructure support, according to industry experts.
- Mon 13:01As legislation on carbon capture and storage (CCS) makes its way through the Hellenic Parliament, Athens is looking to Italy and Egypt for storage, with a first Memorandum of Understanding signed earlier this year in Cairo, officials said.
- Mon 12:51WCI board meeting - The Board of Directors for market administrator Western Climate Initiative - which serves the California-Quebec and Washington programmes - will hold a teleconference meeting on Dec. 17 at 12oo Pacific (1900 GMT). During the public session, the board will elect officers, appoint members to standing committees, and consider minutes from its Sep. 24 meeting. It will also review and consider the approval of the New York Funding Agreement Amendment; WCI was chosen in Sep. 2024 to be the market administrator for the state's future cap-and-invest programme, dubbed NYCI. Parties interested in attending the teleconference can register here.
- Mon 12:43Delivery delays are becoming a dominant concern for corporate buyers of carbon removals (CDR), with many projects running late and only a small share of contracted volumes delivered, according to market participants.
- Mon 12:162025 looks set to be the worst year on record for wildfires, a European Commission-affiliated report has said, also highlighting destruction inside protected areas.
- Mon 12:00A province in Argentina dependent on oil, gas, mining, and agriculture has created a subnational carbon registry with voluntary registration, auditing requirements, and Article 6 compatibilities.
- Mon 11:58Coal remains a significant driver of emissions for the steel sector worldwide, in a sector where much of the pollution is still under-reported and decarbonisation is difficult to assess, according to data from a new steelmaker tracking tool.
- Mon 11:49JCM selection - Japan’s Ministry of Environment has selected a new project under its FY2025-27 subsidy programme for the Joint Crediting Mechanism facility introduction, approving a Chile-based initiative in the scheme’s fourth round. The selected project will install 14 MW of solar capacity and a 40 MWh battery system across three sites in the country, supplying electricity through a local distribution company. According to the ministry, the system will store excess daytime solar power for night time use, contributing to GHG emission reductions.
- Mon 11:45Rwanda has set a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 53% by 2035 compared to business-as-usual (BAU) in its latest climate plan, much of which is contingent upon external support such as international carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
- Mon 11:45The first 11 months of 2025 have seen the slowest decrease so far in coal emissions covered by the EU’s Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) since 2022, according to analysts.
- CCS for gas power - Capsol Technologies has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with an undisclosed utility in the US granting exclusivity to develop the first commercial-scale low-carbon gas power plant using Capsol's carbon capture technology. Capsol will support project development, working with partners to reach financial close. Capsol technology captures CO2 directly from the turbine exhaust while reusing waste heat, claiming to achieve more than 95% capture.
- Mon 11:19Automotive ambitions - BMW has set a new 2035 climate goal to save at least 60 Mt of CO2e compared with 2019 levels, on its way to net zero by 2050. The new target is up by around 20 Mt on the last, and builds on the company's reduction of 40 Mt of CO2e across its Scope 1-3 emissions so far. Global electric vehicle demand isn't currently enough to achieve its CO2e targets for 2030 and 2035, so the focus will be on decarbonising the entire value chain, irrespective of vehicle drive, the automaker said. The new milestone will also depend on greening the steel industry and developing battery cell technologies. Last year, almost a quarter of BMW's global sales were at least partially electric. (edie.net)
- Mon 11:19A results-based bond by the World Bank is expected to channel $200 million into the rollout of clean cookstoves across Ghana, with an aim of making clean cooking accessible to more than 1 mln people across the country.
- Mon 10:32Clean shipping – The Dutch government is consulting on a new subsidy of €33.6 mln for clean shipping fuels in 2026. The Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management launched the c0nsultation on Dec. 3 and it will remain open until Jan. 12. The support, which is within the context of a national Maritime Master Plan, is intended to support demonstration projects for alternative fuels – hydrogen, methanol, bioethanol, and ammonia – and carbon capture systems on ships. The goal is to accelerate the energy transition in Dutch shipping and enhance its international competitiveness. (Consultation)
- Mon 10:04Voluntary demand for carbon markets has “softened” to levels to levels that are not conducive to scaling carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies effectively, a US investment bank has warned, calling instead for targeted government support and compliance market access to unlock private investment.
- Mon 09:36CO2 imports - Stanlow Terminals has been awarded a £250,000 grant from the Liverpool City (LCR) Region Freeport Innovation Challenge Fund to support a pre-FEED study on a CO2 import terminal. The facility will be located at Tranmere and Stanlow within the port of Liverpool, northeast England, and will support the country's net zero goal by expanding non-pipeline transfer capabilities of captured CO2 such as road and rail. Completion of the pre-FEED (front-end engineering design) study is due by Q2 2026, it said in a statement Monday. The study will lay the way for development of a full-scale terminal capable of supporting future carbon transport across the region.
- Mon 09:00Study incoming - Indonesian think-tank Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) last week issued a request for proposals to study whether transition credits could help finance the early retirement of captive coal power plants supplying mineral processing industries such as nickel, steel, and aluminium. The study will assess feasibility, policy gaps, and potential carbon credit volumes under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. Proposal submissions close on Dec. 9, with the final report due by Mar. 2026.
- New blood - At its AGM in Paris last week, IETA elected three new Council members — Charles Hernick (Amazon), Cedric de Meeus (Holcim), and Frederick Teo (GenZero). They will succeed Daniele Agostini (Enel), Jonathan Grant (Rio Tinto), and Liv Rathe (Norsk Hydro), who completed their terms. IETA also appointed two new fellows to honor their exceptional contributions to carbon markets and international climate cooperation, the emissions trading lobby said.
- Mon 05:43New deal on the cards - Bangladesh and Japan are preparing to sign a Memorandum of Cooperation under which Japan will support Bangladesh’s environmental initiatives. At a Dhaka workshop on the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) and Article 6 implementation, the officials welcomed the revised JCM rules aligned with the Paris Agreement and noted Bangladesh’s pre-launch of its national carbon market framework at COP30. The officials urged the Department of Environment under the environment ministry to develop an implementation roadmap to meet updated NDC targets. As well, they called for a strong private sector participation and stakeholder consultations to ensure vulnerable communities are included in policy and project decisions. Carbon Pulse had previously reported that a Japanese delegation will visit the South Asian country this week. The delegation includes senior representatives from companies like Mitsui, Mitsubishi, Sumitomo, and Tokyo Gas.
- Mon 05:15India-Russia partnership - India and Russia have agreed to deepen cooperation on carbon markets and low-carbon development under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, according to the joint statement issued after the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit on Friday. The two sides committed to intensify bilateral dialogue on implementing Article 6 mechanisms, developing low-carbon technologies, and deploying sustainable finance instruments. Both countries also pledged to continue coordinating within platforms such as the G20, BRICS, and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to advance climate change mitigation and support the use of cooperative market approaches under the Paris framework.
- Mon 04:34Palm oil credits - The Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) in Malaysia has proposed forming a national taskforce to develop a transparent, internationally recognised framework for palm oil-based carbon credits, led by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability. Chairman Ahmad Shabery Cheek said Felda’s nationwide footprint and smallholder network makes it well-suited to serve as a national pilot for validating the framework. He recommended that the taskforce include Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Corporation or Bursa Malaysia as operator of the national carbon registry, the Malaysian Palm Oil Board as technical authority, and SIRIM as the certification and verification body. He added that recognising and registering Malaysia’s own oil-palm carbon credits under a national registry would allow the sector to trade credits.
