Corporates should be allowed to use Environmental Attribute Certificates (EACs) to count directly towards targets set by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), a non-profit has urged, while another flagged concerns with the voluntary tiered approach and a lack of guidance for near-term carbon removals. 

EU member states have approved the long-awaited rules governing how the bloc’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) will operate from 2026, adopting a more stringent framework than those in draft texts leaked last month and raising the cost exposure for importers across steel, aluminium, cement, fertilisers, and hydrogen.

A Netherlands-headquartered nature-based solutions (NbS) developer signed a binding sales agreement with a large international buyer for the future delivery of up to 100,000 carbon credits from an energy-efficient cookstoves project in Kenya, according to a company announcement.

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has invested in a Qatar-based commercial bank's inaugural climate transition bond to channel capital into low-carbon and resilience projects, with a significant share earmarked for hard-to-abate sectors in Turkiye, it said this week.

Business travel - Etihad Airways has added a carbon offset redemption option to its Etihad for Business platform, allowing corporate clients to use earned EYB credits to purchase offsets directly through the portal as the carrier expands its suite of digital travel management tools. The enhancement builds on Etihad’s existing collaboration with offsetting provider CarbonClick and is framed as a way to help companies meet voluntary climate-related objectives linked to business travel emissions.

The UK’s upcoming carbon border fee will be downrated based on the quantity of free allowances domestic industries receive each quarter, provisions within the government’s finance bill reveal.

If there’s one overarching takeaway from Brazil’s COP30 climate summit, it’s that it was a particularly strange and messy one, reflecting the challenges of negotiating real, immediate efforts to fulfil the Paris Agreement – and the pressing need to change how the annual talks are run. 

EU carbon prices declined steadily ahead of the expiry of December options early on Wednesday afternoon before rallying to the close of business as longer-term bullishness resumed its position as the market's main driver, while Commitment of Traders data showed speculative traders set a new record last week for gross and long positions in EUAs.

The EU is falling short of 21 out of the 28 targets it has set to curb climate change, adapt its economy, and restore nature, according to a report published Wednesday by the European Environment Agency (EEA).

EU green bond magic – The EU has become one of the world’s largest green bond issuers, the European Commission said on Wednesday. With €78.5 billion in NextGenerationEU (NGEU) green bonds sold to date, the EU has avoided an estimated 14 million tons of CO2 emissions each year, according to the Commission’s 2025 NGEU Green Bonds Report. The report found that full implementation of climate-related projects under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, worth €262.8 billion as of Aug. 1, 2025, could cut EU greenhouse gas emissions by 53.4 million tonnes annually, equivalent to 1.5% of 2022 emissions. The bonds finance clean energy, transport and biodiversity projects across the bloc.

European biogas stats – The European Biogas Association has released its 2025 Statistical Report, highlighting slow but steady growth in Europe’s biogas and biomethane output. The report shows EU biogas and biomethane production reached about 22 bcm in 2024 (compared to 21.7 bcm in 2023), covering roughly 6% of EU gas demand. Europe closed 2024 with 1,620 biomethane-producing facilities, 111 more than in 2023. At least 86% of the plants are grid-connected. Production trends also show a continued shift towards sustainable feedstocks offering the highest greenhouse-gas savings, including agricultural residues, organic municipal solid waste, sewage sludge, and industrial by-products, the association said.

Cost-effective climate mitigation would reduce fossil fuel consumption in the EU by around 90% by 2050 compared to 2020, leaving the remainder to be offset through carbon capture and storage (CCS), according to scientists at a European research institute.

The European Commission on Wednesday proposed a sweeping overhaul of energy grid planning that would shift key decisions to the EU level – a move officials say will avoid wasting growing volumes of renewable electricity and accelerate decarbonisation across the bloc, though it risks upsetting some national governments.

A US-based marine carbon removal (mCDR) company signed a prepurchase agreement with a tech giant, the project developer announced Wednesday.

Bulgarian legislation remains insufficient to support the Eastern Lights project – an initiative aiming to develop a large-scale carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) cluster in Eastern Europe, according to experts.

Safe as houses -The UK's net-zero carbon buildings standard has concluded its pilot phase and is set to publish the first version of the standard in early 2026. Some 205 projects took part in the pilot phase between April and August and tested how usable and clear the draft standard was in practice.

India and Sweden have agreed to deepen cooperation on industrial decarbonisation aiming to accelerate the deployment of clean technologies, energy efficiency measures, and low-carbon solutions across key sectors.

The UK government is proposing to extend the commissioning deadline for subsidised green gas projects by two years, in an effort to help maximise the deployment of biomethane and the resulting carbon reductions, it announced on Wednesday.

Serbia is emerging as the frontrunner on emissions trading on the EU’s eastern flank, with a fully fledged monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) system in place, while Ukraine, North Macedonia, Kosovo, and Moldova remain stuck at earlier legislative or design stages, according to a new report.

EU rules aimed at cutting methane emissions from imported oil and gas will help the bloc accelerate its shift away from Russian supplies and bolster its energy security in line with emission reduction goals, according to a report published on Wednesday.

A new analysis has found that legally-binding climate commitments have led to a “substantial increase” in the share of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) holdings in mutual funds – the first study to provide empirical evidence of climate finance being mobilised by climate laws.

Qatar NAP – Qatar has launched its National Adaptation Plan (NAP), with support from the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), the Seoul-based intergovernmental organisation said on Monday. The NAP identified the sectors most vulnerable to climate change – including biodiversity, energy, agriculture, coastal zones, and infrastructure – and translated these into 27 adaptation measures, 126 targeted actions, and close to 280 projects, GGGI said. These priorities span both the medium-term (2030) and the longer-term (2050).

EU member states and the European Parliament struck a deal late on Tuesday to introduce a binding 2040 goal of 90% net emissions reductions compared to 1990 levels.

The voluntary carbon market (VCM) operates more like a differentiated, over-the-counter (OTC) marketplace for "emotionally-appealing marketing claims" than a unified commodity market, according to a new study that draws on data from one of the largest offset dealers globally.

Ten of the world’s largest oil and gas companies would generate substantially greater shareholder value by stopping exploration and sharply curtailing new upstream development, according to an analysis released Wednesday.