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- Thu 23:44Cooperation over compliance - Canada’s environment minister Julie Dabrusin told MPs that Ottawa remains reluctant to impose the federal industrial carbon pricing backstop, even as provinces fall out of compliance with national standards. According to the National Observer, when pressed at a committee hearing on why the government has not acted against Saskatchewan, which stopped collecting its industrial carbon price more than eight months ago, Dabrusin said the federal system is ready to be applied but that the government’s priority is to reach agreements that allow provinces to run their own equivalent schemes. Her comments highlighted a broader federal strategy of preferring negotiated alignment over unilateral intervention, despite budget commitments to quickly enforce the backstop whenever a provincial system drops below the benchmark. The approach is already under strain following the new federal-Alberta agreement, which trades several environmental measures for Alberta’s pledge to strengthen its industrial carbon price. The deal also permits the use of federal carbon capture tax credits for enhanced oil recovery, contradicting earlier federal budget promises and intensifying scrutiny of Ottawa’s climate stance. Former environment minister Steven Guilbeault resigned over the agreement, warning that the trade-off was a mistake and questioning Alberta’s intent to negotiate in good faith after it approved changes that weaken its carbon market. Ottawa and Alberta must settle the design and timelines for a strengthened industrial price by Apr. 2026. Dabrusin and PM Mark Carney continue to emphasise industrial carbon pricing as the backbone of Canada’s emissions-reduction plan. Analysis by the Canadian Climate Institute shows it is the single largest driver of projected cuts by 2030. But concerns are mounting about the broader policy framework. Guilbeault has said Canada cannot meet its climate goals under the current path, and the Parliamentary Budget Officer previously assessed that the country is likely to miss its targets - even before Ottawa paused the electric-vehicle mandate and signed the Alberta agreement.
- Thu 23:20A proposal from Alberta’s finance minister, designed to shield companies from climate-related lawsuits, became law on Thursday.
- Thu 23:13California Carbon Allowance (CCA) prices inched up to surpass the $30 mark as traders agreed the market was in neutral gear awaiting further news on the DOJ investigation and California regulator ARB's Initial Statement of Reasons (ISOR) on the programme's extension.
- Thu 23:11Even as the global shift away from sustainability goals all but kills the possibility of reaching the 1.5C warming goal, some analysts said Thursday that warming scenarios above 2C – from 2.5C to 3.5C – is equally unlikely.
- Thu 23:02A new bipartisan bill introduced to Congress would look to strengthen the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) industry, filling gaps left by the Trump administration through tax credit cuts.
- Thu 23:00Industrial decarb - US-based industrial decarbonisation company Utility Global has announced a partnership with Kyocera International to scale manufacturing of its electrochemical cells. The scale-up would support commercial deployments of Utility's H2Gen systems. The H2Gen system produces hydrogen from water without electricity, while concentrating CO2 from industrial off-gases for carbon capture. Utility said the ramp-up would enable economic industrial decarbonisation of hard-to-abate industries such as steel, refining, petrochemicals, and chemicals.
- Thu 22:59Canadian oil-worker decline - Less than 1% of Canada’s workforce is employed by the fossil fuel industry, according to a report by the Vancouver-based Centre for Future Work. The report said there were 177,000 jobs in direct fossil fuel work in Canada in 2024, including oil and gas, coal, petroleum refining, pipelines, natural gas, and others. Fossil fuel employment declined by 38,000 jobs over the previous decade, mostly in upstream oil and gas – despite a 35% increase in Canadian oil production, and a 24% increase in natural gas production.
- Thu 22:49Biomass estimates produced from airborne LiDAR can shift by as much as 11% depending solely on the spatial resolution used, a new analysis has found, raising concerns for carbon offset developers and buyers that rely on high-resolution canopy-height products to quantify forest carbon gains.
- Thu 22:48Federal circuit judges ordered the US EPA to file a report on the agency’s progress toward enacting the 2026 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) programme by Dec. 15.
- Methane method - The EU is preparing a simplified approach for US LNG exporters to meet its methane emissions rules, after Washington objected that the requirements could restrict trade, Bloomberg reports. The EU methane regulation, designed to cut emissions embedded in fossil fuel use, obliges foreign LNG suppliers to comply over time or risk losing access to the bloc’s market. A European Commission proposal, to be discussed by EU energy ministers on Dec. 15, outlines a “simple and pragmatic” implementation to address US claims that compliance is unworkable because American gas is produced across many states with differing standards. The plan offers two compliance pathways: a certification system or a “trace-and-claim” approach. According to the Commission, both can be applied without significant cost, administrative burden, or supply risks, and would give long-term contractual certainty. The Commission has invited member state feedback and aims to clarify fines for non-compliance, a key concern for companies such as BP and ConocoPhillips that say the penalties hinder new LNG contracting. The US, the world’s largest LNG exporter, remains central to Europe’s gas supply as the bloc continues to replace Russian volumes. Methane, which has over 80 times the warming impact of CO2 in its first 20 years in the atmosphere, remained at high global emissions levels last year, the IEA has noted.
- Thu 22:41Scope 3 pushed back - Verra announced Thursday that its intends to launch Version 1.0 of phase 1 of its Scope 3 Standard (S3S) Program in Q1 2026, after previously saying it intended to so by the end of 2025. The delay is primarily due to the need to align with version 5.0 of the VCS Program, which is scheduled for release by the end of 2025, the standard said. Doing so is meant to ensure interoperability between the programmes and enable projects to issue units in the carbon credit or value chain abatement spaces, depending on market demand. Phase 1 will be open for use to all intervention proponents, enabling them to pipeline-list their Scope 3 interventions on the Verra registry using an initial set of methodologies adapted from the VCS Program for use with the S3S Program, including VM0042, VM0043, and VM0045. Following the publication of phase 1, Verra intends to finalise phase 2 of version 1.0, aiming now to of go live in Q3 2026. This phase will support validation, registration, and issuance of verified emission reductions - called Intervention Units (IUs) - to pilot projects and programme sponsors. For the first year after its launch, version 1.0 phase 2 will be restricted to S3S sponsors and the pilots that supported the adaptation of VCS methodologies and informed the development process. This phased rollout is meant to allow for robust testing of the initial version of the programme before it opens more widely. Finally, Verra said it is working concurrently working on version 2.0 of the S3S Program to develop a strategy for establishing a right-to-report (R2R) framework across a range of economic sectors and supply chains, including through alignment with other initiatives such as the SBTi. It will open a public consultation on draft programme documents for version 2.0 in an unspecified time in 2026. Verra noted in its original announcement of S3S that the timelines of the initiative remained subject to change.
- Thu 21:33Rule redefinition - The New Source Review Permitting Improvement Act (HR 161), introduced by Representative Morgan Griffith (R-VA) and advanced Wednesday by the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee, would narrow when industrial projects trigger Clean Air Act New Source Review by tightening the definitions of “modification” and “construction”. The bill bases applicability on whether a project would raise a facility’s maximum hourly emission rate above its highest level in the past decade and exempts efficiency, reliability, or safety upgrades unless they both increase that hourly rate and adversely affect health or the environment.
- Thu 21:20Monitoring public spending – Brazil’s federal government unveiled this week its first methodology and interactive dashboard to track public spending on climate action, biodiversity, and disaster risk management. Developed by the Planning Ministry with support from the Inter American Development Bank (IDB), the tool maps federal expenditures over 2010-23, revealing R$421 bln ($77.8 bln) for climate, R$250 bln for biodiversity, and R$111 bln for risk management. Officials said the system will improve transparency and guide more effective mitigation, adaptation, and fiscal planning.
- Thu 21:18Environmental encore - Young Montanans who won a landmark 2024 ruling recognising their constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment have asked the Montana Supreme Court to invalidate several new laws that they say defy that decision, E&E News reported. In a petition filed Wednesday, the youth – represented by legal advocacy organisation Our Children’s Trust – argue that measures enacted this spring by Governor Greg Gianforte (R) and the legislature undermine the earlier judgment and continue to restrict consideration of climate impacts in state energy decisions. The filing seeks original jurisdiction, which would allow the high court to take up the case directly.
- Thu 21:18No more fees, please - US House Republicans used a Natural Resources oversight hearing to argue that the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA) is being misused by environmental organisations to recover legal fees from the federal government, contending that the 1980 statute has evolved into a funding mechanism for litigation aimed at restricting land use, E&E News reported. GOP members signalled interest in limiting when attorneys’ fees can be awarded, while Democrats warned that curbing EAJA would weaken accountability measures in environmental law and create what one called a liability shield for polluters.
- 2026 priority - Brazil's Securities & Exchange Commission (CVM) as identified the country's national carbon market law as a priority topic for public consultation in 2026, according the agency's regulatory agenda published Wednesday. The CVM is drafting an action plan on how carbon credits under the national emissions trading system (Portuguese: SBCE) would function in financial markets, and has one representative on the SBCE's Technical Advisory Committee established earlier this week.
- Thu 20:55UN report gets Trumped - The Trump administration sided with Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Iran to block part of a UN report about the planet's dire state because it called for phasing out fossil fuels, according to The New York Times. The section summarised the Global Environment Outlook 7, a 1,200-page report that condenses scientific research reviewed by 300 experts into clear, actionable language for governments worldwide. The report was released Monday during the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi. The move marked the first time countries failed to issue a "summary for policymakers" since UNEP began publishing outlook reports in 1997, with US officials undermining the process by voicing opposition at the last minute despite not attending the October meeting in Nairobi.
- Thu 20:53US farms get charred - The US Biochar Initiative (USBI) kickstarted its Growing with Biochar programme with California sessions, beginning a nationwide training effort through 2026 to teach growers about sourcing and applying biochar in commercial systems, HortiDaily reported. While initial sessions focused on field agriculture, USBI sees growing opportunities for vertical farms and is seeking input from controlled-environment operators to develop targeted training modules, noting biochar's lightweight properties and nutrient efficiency benefits could reduce costs for indoor growers.
- Thu 19:50RGGI meeting materials - Market administrator RGGI Inc. posted on Thursday meeting materials for the Dec. 15 meeting of its Board of Directors. The agenda for the meeting includes: 2026 committee elections and proposed budget, a review of past meeting minutes, and milestone updates. Interested parties can register here.
- Thu 19:42
California cap-and-invest programme – California awarded $865 million in cap-and-invest programme revenues to fund affordable housing and green transportation projects, bringing the Strategic Growth Council's total climate investment to over $5 billion, Governor Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday. The funding includes $835.3 million for 21 affordable housing and transportation projects creating close to 2,400 rent-restricted homes plus zero-emission transit vehicles, bike lanes, and walkways equivalent to removing 209,400 gas-powered car trips annually.
- A Louisiana bio-methanol and carbon capture project has agreed to supply a tech sector buyer with 3.6 million tonnes of engineered carbon removals (CDR) over 12 years.
- A direct air capture (DAC) project developer has claimed that the technology could remove 5 billion tonnes of CO2 per year from the atmosphere by 2050, as per its conservative estimate.
- Thu 16:54The Brazilian Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPF) has filed a case seeking an urgent ruling from the Federal Court to reverse the approval for drilling in the Amazon, it announced on Wednesday.
- Thu 16:39The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) still plays second fiddle to more recognised standards for quality assurance, such as Gold Standard, Verra, Puro.Earth, Plan Vivo, and Rainbow, a survey has found.
- REDD gets ratings - Everland, a New York-based REDD marketing firm, has selected rating agency Sylvera to provide independent assessments for its $50 mln direct financing initiative, the Indigenous Amazon Outcome Bond, underwritten by BNP Paribas. Sylvera will provide continuous, independent assessments of project quality and risk throughout the life cycle of each financed project. The Indigenous Amazon Outcome Bond has secured $160 mln in Letters of Intent so far. Over 10 years, it is projected to generate $1 bln, with most revenue – including at least 70% for projects in Brazil – directed to indigenous and traditional communities while protecting 17 mln hectares of rainforest.
- A coalition of market participants has called on governments to overhaul their carbon regulations, with a lack of clarity across host country frameworks, and often a lack of capacity on the supply side, preventing the unlocking of $50 billion in finance by the end of the decade.
- UN experts this week pushed forward with their work on a new tool to assess reversal risk, to be used alongside a much-debated permanence framework for Article 6.4 carbon crediting.
- Thu 06:01A carbon removal (CDR) standard body has been given the green light by the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) for Core Carbon Principles (CCP) eligibility after upgrading its general rules, it announced Thursday.
- Thu 01:31
Moo-fuel goes nationwide - Anaerobic digesters converting livestock manure to biogas have expanded to 16 US states from three in 2019, driven by California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard programme that has issued credits valued at over $22.1 billion since 2013, according to Food & Water Watch analysis released Tuesday. Manure-based biogas accounts for 21% of all LCFS credits while supplying less than 1% of transportation energy, with biomethane generating credits valued at just over 2 mln metric tonnes. New research suggests the programme does not actually reduce global methane emissions, with advocacy groups arguing LCFS incentives reward factory farms for expanding herds to produce more manure for offset credits.
- Thu 00:58
World laps US on EVs - Electric vehicles captured 25% of global car sales in 2025 compared to just 10% in the US, according to Yale Climate Connections analysis. More than 50 mln EVs are now on roads worldwide and projected to quadruple by 2030, with China deploying 30 mln units and Europe another 10 mln. Chinese automakers accounted for 18% of European EV sales, 30% in Southeast Asia, and over 80% in Latin America, while high tariffs have blocked their US market entry. The transportation emissions gap could affect state-level carbon pricing programmes as road transport accounts for 12% of global and 22% of American climate pollution.
- Thu 00:51
States drive emissions down - More than 41% of Americans live in jurisdictions committed to 100% clean energy, according to the League of Conservation Voters' 2025 state climate report. US Climate Alliance states representing over half the country's population cut emissions 24% below 2005 levels while growing GDP by 34%, demonstrating decoupling of economic growth from emissions. Major 2025 policy wins include California reauthorizing its cap-and-invest programme, Washington defending its Climate Commitment Act cap-and-invest revenues, Connecticut enacting net-zero by 2050 legislation, Maine accelerating its 100% clean energy target to 2040, and Illinois passing the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act mandating 3 GW of battery storage by 2030.
- Thu 00:17New York agencies have released for public comments the state's regulations to implement RGGI programme updates announced this summer, saying they anticipate the adoption of a final regulation by next year.
- Thu 00:13California regulator ARB issued over 700,000 offsets over the last two weeks, half of which were tagged with direct environmental benefits (DEBs) to the state, according to data released Wednesday.
- Thu 00:01The cost of storing electricity with utility-scale batteries has fallen to $65/MWh in markets outside China and the US, making it possible to use solar power when needed, according to an analysis published Thursday.
