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- Wed 23:44US Democratic lawmakers reintroduced a bill Wednesday that would levy a carbon tariff on certain carbon-intensive imports, a measure that is designed to be a first step towards a US carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM).
- Wed 23:30Most OECD pension fund assets are now covered by some form of climate target, but the ambition and design of those commitments remain insufficient to drive real-economy decarbonisation, according to a new report.
- Wed 23:26Costa Rican authority – Costa Rica’s Legislative Assembly advanced a draft climate resilience law last week that would grant legal status to the National Directorate of Climate Change, formalising an entity that has operated by decree since 2010, local outlet Delfino reported. The bill, approved by the Environment Committee, would designate the directorate as the technical authority responsible for coordinating and implementing climate policy across all public and private sectors, while updating key definitions and principles to align with international climate frameworks.
- Wed 23:06The US DOE issued an emergency order to keep Washington state's Centralia coal plant operating through Mar. 2026, delaying its shutdown before a natural gas conversion that could generate more than 1 million tonnes of CO2 annually under the state's cap-and-invest programme by 2028.
- Wed 23:04See you in court – California led 16 states in a lawsuit filed against the US Department of Transportation on Tuesday for its suspension of billions in grant programmes for EV charging infrastructure. California Attorney General Rob Bonta co-led the lawsuit with the attorneys general of Washington and Colorado, and was joined in the filing by the attorneys general of Arizona, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin, and the State of Pennsylvania.
- Wed 23:02The Western Climate Initiative (WCI) Board of Directors agreed Wednesday on its roster of officers to serve on its board and standing committees for 2025-26, alongside an amended payment schedule associated with New York’s upcoming cap-and-invest programme (NYCI).
- Wed 22:53Marex credits platform - Global financial services firm Marex launched an online marketplace to connect clients that are transacting clean energy tax credits. The company said clean energy development will play a key role in sustaining the US’s growing demand for electricity. It said the launch gives buyers exposure to high-quality credits and supports them in seamlessly acquiring tax credits from trusted clean energy developers.
- Airbus Quebec decarbonisation collab - Siemens Canada is partnering with Airbus to decarbonise its A220 assembly plant in Mirabel, Quebec. The project at the 1.5-mln sq ft facility would cut emissions by 50% and decrease associated energy costs by 25%. Airbus is targeting to reduce its overall Scope 1 & 2 GHG emissions by 85%, and decrease energy consumption by 20% by 2030.
- Wed 22:15Coal train derailed – California cap-and-invest compliance party Glendale Water & Power has eliminated coal from its power portfolio after transitioning its Intermountain Power Project, which is currently operating on natural gas while preparing for hydrogen blending, Fuel Cell Works reported. The hydrogen-ready plant, operated under Los Angeles Department of Water & Power supervision, will gradually increase clean hydrogen blend as technology becomes viable, lowering portfolio emissions and long-term carbon compliance costs. The transition supports Glendale's City Council goal of reaching 100% clean energy by 2035 and aligns with California's SB100 decarbonisation requirements.
- Wed 22:09Bleach makes H20 – K2 Pure Solutions has broken ground on California's first commercial low-carbon hydrogen facility in Pittsburg, capturing hydrogen byproduct from its existing chlor-alkali bleach manufacturing plant to make a certified low-carbon fuel for California's transportation, industrial, and power markets. The facility, scheduled for summer 2026 commissioning, will produce high-pressure gaseous hydrogen with approximately 95% lower carbon intensity than conventional gasoline. PACC Services will serve as exclusive marketing and distribution partner.
- Wed 21:57New York has approved a state energy plan that envisions falling short of legislatively mandated emissions targets by nearly a decade.
- Wed 21:08Laser leaves – Maine researchers have launched a joint effort to sharpen local forest monitoring by using LiDAR data to generate more detailed assessments of forest health and structure as drought and climate stresses increase. The University of Maine and Colby College are pairing aerial laser scans collected from UMaine’s research aircraft with terrestrial measurements taken by Colby teams to build high-resolution, three-dimensional forest models. The data is intended to support forest managers and industry stakeholders by improving estimates of timber supply, carbon storage, and forest health and composition, while reducing reliance on secondary datasets.
- Wed 21:06Veto override – Maryland lawmakers voted Tuesday to reapprove climate and energy bills after they were vetoed by Gov. Wes Moore (D), who has drawn criticism recently for his leadership on climate issues, according to the Baltimore Banner. Lawmakers overrode Moore’s veto on three measures during a special session: one aimed at establishing an energy planning office, one analysing the risks of data centres, and another assessing the state’s total cost of climate change. Sen. Katie Fry Hester (D), who sponsored two of the bills, said that the override was aimed at protecting electricity ratepayers against rising energy costs.
- Wed 20:14A Brazilian state has approved new legislation aimed at enabling participation in voluntary carbon markets and the establishment of a jurisdictional programme.
- Wed 20:06
Morocco project financing – Morocco’s Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development on Tuesday signed the Climate II financing agreement with German development bank KfW, involving €100 mln in financing. The deal aims to support and strengthen Moroccan energy, water and public finance reforms while enhancing the country’s capacity to adapt to growing climate and economic challenges. The programme also seeks to improve the competitiveness of the national economy by establishing a more attractive framework for private investment and strengthening market competition, as per the ministry’s press release. The Moroccan government has at the same time been a regional leader in energy transition regulation and carbon project development. Last month, it authorised a solar rooftop mitigation activity under its bilateral Article 6 agreement with Switzerland. Just prior, in October, the North African country adopted a decree to regulate decentralised electricity generation – which may be brought to bear upon a Global Green Growth Institute-led project for decentralised production of renewable energy, itself under consideration within a preliminary Moroccan-Norwegian Article 6 MoU.
Panama carbon market – Panama’s Ministry of Environment and the World Bank on Tuesday held a business forum on opportunities arising from developing the domestic carbon market (MiAMBIENTE). Latin American, European, and North American countries showcased their experiences and progress with voluntary or compliance models. Vice Minister of Environment Oscar Vallarino stated at the meeting that Panama’s strategic logistical position, relatively clean energy mix, high forest cover, and other ecosystems place the country in a “privileged position” to participate in carbon markets – provided that it is able to produce a credible carbon markets framework. Tuesday’s forum sought to contribute to this national plan. Panama in July published a national roadmap to guide its incoming national carbon market (MNCP), betting heavily on voluntary corporate offsetting to drive demand.
- Wed 20:03Canada DAC – Deep Sky, a Montreal-based DAC project developer, and the W8banaki Nation, which represents the Abenaki First Nations of Odanak and Wolinak, have signed a framework agreement setting out consultation, impact assessment, and collaboration processes for any future projects on the Nation’s ancestral territory, Ndakina, including potential sites in Thetford Mines and Becancour, Quebec. The agreement allows the Nation to participate in environmental reviews, conduct its own rights-impact analyses, and negotiate accommodation, compensation, and economic participation.
- Wed 20:01
Peru carbon registry – Peru’s environment ministry (MINAM) on Wednesday published Supreme Decree No. 023-2025-MINAM in the national gazette, amending procedures associated with its RENAMI national carbon registry. The decree approved the Single Text of Administrative Procedures (TUPA), which provides the standardised forms required to initiate projects that will be registered on RENAMI. It also lists processing fees. There are separate forms for Article 6 cooperative approaches versus the voluntary market (VCM). RENAMI was officially created in Nov. 2024, and VCM projects are not required to register.
- Wed 18:50Wyoming regulators have granted an industrial siting permit for a helium production and carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) project planned in Sublette County, according to a public notice.
- Wed 18:38The US House passed a bill Tuesday that would grant the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) authority to require power plants, including coal plants, to remain open past their retirement date if closure threatens grid reliability.
- Wed 18:32Ireland’s rising €71 per tonne CO2 tax also reduces harmful air pollutants as a health and environmental co-benefit, as does a rising EU ETS price, according to researchers at an Irish institute.
- Wed 17:58Cutting the UK aviation sector’s trajectory to net zero could cost up to hundreds of pounds per tonne of CO2, depending on which carbon removal technologies are used, according to a new report.
- Wed 17:54Spin the... - Pinwheel has announced a partnership with Agreena to expand access to nature-based carbon removal through regenerative agriculture. In its first phase, Pinwheel retired 18,000 tCO2e of Agreena’s verified soil carbon credits for a major global client, reflecting growing demand for high-integrity removal with ecological and community benefits, it said Wednesday. Agreena’s programme removes carbon while improving soil health, water retention, biodiversity, and farm resilience. The partners assessed how the solution fits within a diversified carbon portfolio and permanently retired the credits to avoid double counting, they stated. The collaboration illustrates how corporate demand can help scale innovative carbon-removal approaches, delivering climate impact, transparency, and long-term sustainability outcomes, according to the release.
- Wed 17:48The European Commission has approved two state aid schemes in the billions of euros to support clean tech manufacturing capacity in Hungary, and electric charging stations for trucks in Germany.
- Wed 17:41The EU and UK aim to conclude negotiations on linking their emission trading schemes (ETSs) in time for their next summit, expected mid-2026, they announced on Wednesday.
- Wed 17:11EU carbon prices extended their two-year highs on Wednesday morning as the bullish sentiment following the expiry of the Dec-25 futures and options contracts continued, before steadily increasing selling interest unwound all the gains and forced EUAs into a modest daily loss, while weekly positions data from the market's two main exchanges showed speculative traders further building their bullish bets.
- Wed 16:33Dutch nuclear? – The European Commission has approved a €172 million Dutch state aid package to support preparatory work for potential new nuclear power plants, the EU executive announced on Wednesday. The funding will go to new state-owned entity Nucleaire Energie Organisatie Nederland B.V. (NEO NL) for activities such as vendor selection, site and technology assessments, and licensing, but excludes construction and operation costs. The support, structured as a €127 million convertible loan and €45 million equity injection, was found compatible with EU state aid rules. The aim, according to the Commission, is to decarbonise the country’s electricity mix while limiting market distortions.
- Wed 16:21Feedback on forests – Standard body Social Carbon is seeking feedback for its methodology for assessing and managing emissions leakage in forest conservation and avoided-deforestation projects, which is called Module for Leakage Management in Conservation Projects (SCD0005). It addresses both activity-shifting and market-effects leakage, ensuring that climate benefits are measured with transparency, integrity, and science, the standard body said. Stakeholders across the climate, forestry, and carbon finance sector are invited to provide feedback by Jan. 31, 2026.
- Wed 16:20A US-based tech giant has reached an agreement with a German-Brazilian enhanced rock weathering (ERW) startup for 28,500 credits from the South American country.
- Wed 16:17The European Commission on Wednesday proposed a temporary fund to support international exports of EU producers of goods covered by its Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), saying the scheme will be financed with 25% of revenues until a permanent solution is found.
- Wed 16:14Eight projects previously registered under the UN Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) have been approved by host countries to transition the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism (PACM) under Article 6.4, according to the December update from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Copenhagen Climate Centre.
- Wed 15:27The European Parliament rubber-stamped a political agreement on Wednesday, reached earlier this month, to postpone and simplify the implementation of the EU's regulation on deforestation-free products.
- Wed 15:12The European Parliament on Wednesday approved a new law to phase out imports of Russian gas, backing a gradual ban on both pipeline and liquefied natural gas (LNG) by end 2027 as part of efforts to shield the bloc from Moscow’s “weaponisation” of energy supplies.
- Wed 14:51A nature-based carbon developer is aiming to achieve permanent large-scale restoration focused on projects with biodiversity outcomes.
- Wed 14:35The European Commission has proposed extending its Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to 180 downstream goods from 2028, increasing the amount of covered EU imports by €55 billion and confirming details from a previously leaked draft.
- Wed 14:19Unclear government policy signals are creating ambiguity over how voluntary carbon credits should align with national climate strategies, particularly as countries roll out economy-wide decarbonisation measures and carbon pricing, a report released this week said.
- Direct air capture (DAC) scores among the highest-integrity project types across the carbon removal (CDR) sector but remains hindered by delivery risks tied to cost and complexity, according to a market intelligence provider.
- A Kenyan carbon removals start-up is targeting removals costs of $100 per tonne by 2030, around five times cheaper than current average costs.
- Wed 13:39REDD hot cash - Brazil has received results-based payments for around 80 Mt of reported REDD+ avoided deforestation, UN data showed. Multiple entities, including several European governments, have now paid for the mitigation, according to documents published on the UNFCCC's REDD+ Information Hub on Wednesday. The results came from protection of the Amazon rainforest across 2017-19. Payment totals were not provided.
- Wed 13:30The European Commission and the European Investment Bank (EIB) on Wednesday announced a fresh €1.8 billion disbursement from the EU’s Modernisation Fund to support 45 clean energy investments across 12 member states, including a first allocation to Portugal.
- Wed 13:14A UK standard has announced plans to issue a clarification to its crediting framework in January, alongside a series of initiatives aimed at improving monitoring, market transparency and project uptake across the land carbon sector, it said Wednesday.
- Wed 12:53Oil and gas companies in the UK, Canada, and Australia are failing to give investors full information about their obligations to decommission fossil fuel related infrastructure, and timelines for doing so, according to new analysis.
- Wed 12:45A successful policy trial that enabled a Russian island achieve carbon neutrality ahead of schedule will be emulated by other regions in the country, a senior government official has said.
- Wed 12:12Carbon crediting standard Verra will pilot new durability mechanisms to manage the risk of carbon credit reversals in land-use and geological storage projects, it said Monday.
- Wed 12:11Nixed in '26? - President Trump spent 2025 rapidly dismantling the EPA’s climate regulatory framework, moving to eliminate the legal foundations that allow the agency to curb GHG emissions. The centrepiece of this effort is the planned repeal of the 2009 endangerment finding, the scientific determination that underpins EPA authority to regulate climate pollution. Trump declined to touch it in his first term, but ordered its rollback within hours of taking office in 2025. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin produced a memo in February arguing the finding was no longer valid in light of recent Supreme Court decisions that restrict agency discretion. EPA then set about proposing repeals of major Biden-era rules for vehicles, power plants, methane, and emissions reporting, while also suspending compliance with existing methane limits. These actions were issued at high speed despite staffing shortages and a lengthy government shutdown. The administration, however, is running behind its own timetable, E&E News reports. It has yet to submit final versions of its repeals for interagency review, blaming the delays on the shutdown. The agency now expects to finalise the endangerment finding repeal, and the associated rollback of vehicle standards, early in 2026, with power plant rules following soon after. Once finalised, the regulatory fight will move to the courts. Numerous legal challenges are expected, beginning in the DC Circuit and potentially ending at the Supreme Court. A ruling that upholds EPA’s new position could effectively remove the Clean Air Act as a tool for regulating GHGs unless Congress intervenes. Analysts note that the administration could seek to accelerate review to ensure decisions are issued before the end of Trump’s second term. If the major climate rules are repealed, EPA may next target lower-profile measures, including the finding that aircraft emissions endanger public health, or policies that can be reframed as climate-related, potentially to expand the role of fossil fuels.
- Wed 12:09CfD improvements - The UK's DESNZ has opened a public consultation on proposed changes to its contracts for difference (CfD) support scheme for clean energy, which it plans to incorporate into the eighth allocation round. The reforms are aimed at maintaining investor confidence, supporting the timely delivery of renewables projects, and keeping the CfD scheme fit for purpose as projects become bigger and more complex, it said. The changes include adding a new technology category for other deepwater offshore wind projects, in an effort to encourage innovation. The consultation closes on Jan. 30.
- Wed 12:07Sweden has issued a new call for companies to apply for a carbon capture and storage (CCS) scheme that has more than $1 billion in funding available.
- Wed 12:02Pakistan is looking to carbon credits under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement as a potential way to improve the commercial viability of clean transport and energy projects, particularly where financing gaps remain, the country’s minister for climate change said Wednesday.
- Wed 12:00Earth's melting refrigerator - The Arctic has just seen its warmest and wettest year on record, with climate change affecting the northernmost part of the planet by more than double the global rate since annual tracking began 20 years ago. Surface air temperature in the region from Oct. 2024 to Sep. 2025 was the warmest since measurements began in 1900, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), whilst rapid permafrost melt has led rivers to turn orange from leached metals. There is also risk of an influx of water from lower latitudes reaching the central Arctic Ocean, leading to rapid sea ice erosion and threatening ocean circulation patterns that have a long-term influence on the weather. Meanwhile, several Arctic monitoring programmes have been cut or face cuts, which could jeopardise future monitoring. (FT)
- Wed 11:50The ocean may have absorbed up to 15% more CO2 than previously thought thanks to the effect of air bubbles under waves that enable better gas absorption by seawater, a new scientific study has found.
- Wed 11:46A new academic study has highlighted how carbon pricing mechanisms, particularly cap-and-trade systems, can materially alter how industrial manufacturers plan their inventory orders, suggesting that emissions costs could increasingly influence basic operational decisions.
- Wed 11:07A chemicals plant in Scotland has received a lifeline protecting its long-term future by way of a private investment and government-backed financing.
- Wed 10:32Over 80% of deforestation in Brazilian Amazon, Cerrado over past 15 years ‘not authorised’ -analysisUnauthorised deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon and Cerrado accounted for 86% of the total between 2009-24, a new analysis has found.
- Wed 10:24Show of hands for CCUS capacity - The UK's DESNZ is looking to gauge interest in carbon capture capacity in Humber, northeast England, with a survey released on Tuesday and open until Feb. 13. The survey seeks views from CCUS project developers in and around the Humber region that may want to connect to the East Coast Cluster of storage sites, by pipeline or non-pipeline transport. DESNZ is asking interested developers to provide up-to-date information on their expected scale, CO2 volumes, and delivery timelines, and to indicate their interest in accessing the cluster's transport and storage networks. The information will help DESNZ decide how to enable users that don't require business model support.
- Wed 09:51Japan's Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) has picked a carbon removals registry to issue credits in line with the shipping company's goal for net zero emissions by 2050, it announced on Wednesday.
- Wed 09:00A voluntary carbon standard has issued its first methane reduction credits from rice cultivation practices, a sector embroiled in an over-issuance scandal over the past few years.
- Wed 08:56China should consider leveraging existing natural gas supply chains to develop a transnational carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) cluster, given its domestic storage constraints, a new study has argued.
- Wed 08:23The European Commission on Tuesday put forward a new regulation that sets out, for the first time, a harmonised EU framework for calculating the whole life-cycle global warming potential (GWP) of new buildings, a move aimed at steering construction investment toward low‑carbon materials and accelerating the sector’s decarbonisation.
- Wed 08:00Global coal demand edged up to a record 8.845 billion tonnes this year, but the market has plateaued and should tick lower by 2030, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
- Wed 06:55The New Zealand government on Wednesday released a document outlining how it plans to regulate businesses conducting carbon capture and storage (CCS) in natural geological formations, and how they could be rewarded through the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), with the aim of introducing legislation in the new year.
- Wed 06:21Approved - Rio Tinto has received approval from the Gladstone regional council to build its 1.1 GW Upper Calliope solar project, developed by European Energy, that will go towards powering its smelting and refinery operations and closing its Gladstone coal-fired power station by 2029, Renew Economy reported. The 8,000 ha solar development now has both development and federal environmental approvals, and will likely be Australia's largest solar project for some time. The project is one of the several that will power Rio Tinto's Boyne smelter, and the Yarwun and Queensland alumina refineries, all facilities covered under the Safeguard Mechanism.
- Wed 05:47Recycled credits - RecyGlo and Wongpanit have partnered with ERTH Ventures to develop Thailand’s first integrated measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) system that links waste-collection data directly to digital carbon credit issuance at a national scale. Under the agreement, RecyGlo’s digital recycling data and Wongpanit’s waste-management operations will be combined with ERTH Ventures’ AI-based MRV and blockchain-based verification technology to create a transparent and end-to-end system for tracking emissions reductions from recycling. The initiative is designed to support credible carbon credit generation while strengthening Thailand’s circular economy and climate infrastructure.
- Wed 05:32Food waste credits - Indonesia is exploring ways to monetise food waste from its Free Nutritious Meal programme as carbon credits, with the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) seeking to integrate reductions in methane emissions from food waste into voluntary carbon trading markets, Antara News reported. Officials said the aim is to structure measurement, reporting, and verification so that greenhouse gas cuts achieved through managed food waste processing could generate tradable carbon credits and create economic value for communities involved in waste handling and related activities such as feeding maggots and composting.
- Wed 04:32A set of Cabinet papers released on Wednesday provide more details to proposed oversight changes for the New Zealand ETS, including the introduction of new penalties.
- Wed 02:57The New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is broken at present and is in need of a significant review to ensure it cuts down gross emissions, Labour's climate spokesperson told Carbon Pulse Wednesday.
- Wed 01:59Officials from Singapore, Switzerland, and Brazil signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) last week to accelerate climate action using the Article 6 of the Paris Agreement framework.
- Wed 00:56Coastal cash splash – The Asian Development Bank has approved a grant of $16.7 mln for initiatives in Fiji to protect coastal communities, it said in a Wednesday press release. The Enhancing Climate Resilience of Coastal Communities Sector Project will benefit around 15 communities, the bank said, through the provision of nature-based coastal protection measures. It will also support revegetation and mangrove plantings to restore around 3,000 m of coastline and riverbanks, as well as strengthen institutional capacity to design, implement, and manage coastal protection measures.
- Wed 00:35Waste not, want not – Amazon, a global e-commerce and cloud computing company, and Mill Industries, a US-based food waste prevention technology company, have partnered to deploy an on-site food waste processing system at Whole Foods Market stores, supported by an investment from Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund. Starting in 2027, Whole Foods will use Mill Commercial technology to grind and dehydrate fruit and vegetable scraps into a shelf-stable feed ingredient intended for its private-label egg suppliers. The companies said the system can cut food waste volumes by up to 80%, reduce hauling costs, and provide data to improve inventory management, supporting Whole Foods Market’s goal of halving food waste by 2030.
- Wed 00:21Watch this space – The Pacific Islands Forum secretariat is working with members to finalise the details for the pre-COP31 leaders’ summit to be held in the region, Secretary General Baron Divavesi Waqa told journalists on Wednesday. More information and the finer details will be announced early in 2026, he added. Waqa noted that the region sees the COP31 arrangements as a chance to elevate its priorities, including the climate-ocean nexus, the just transition, and access to climate finance. A COP veteran told Carbon Pulse last month that Fiji has the space and facilities to host a pre-COP; the island nation is one of the front-runner’s for the summit, alongside Palau, which will host the 2026 PIF Leaders’ Meeting.
- Wed 00:14Canada’s revised oil and gas methane target for 2030 will allow for significantly higher emissions of the potent greenhouse gas, with the country’s environment minister warning that the new goal will not be met by regulation alone.
