A European development bank has agreed to loan a Turkish utility $200 million for the construction of a landmark wind power project, it announced on Monday.

Voluntary carbon standard operator Verra has announced a new module under its carbon capture and storage (CCS) methodology, it announced on Monday.

New Mexico has published a climate action plan proposing 45 policy measures to cut emissions 82% by 2050, including a clean transportation fuel standard and zero-emission vehicle mandates, while separately analysing a cap-and-invest programme as a market-based alternative to proposed policies.

Two European development banks have partnered on an €87 million financing package for a large-scale solar power development in the Balkans, they announced on Monday.

Sweet deal – CDR platform CnerG has teamed up with Bangkok-based developer Happy Ground and the Kaset Thai International Sugar Corporation on a biochar project, it announced on LinkedIn. The project entails the use of sugarcane byproducts to produce biochar which is then used on farmland to enhance soil sequestration. Following its start earlier this year, the next phase of the project will see the partners progress through soil analysis, application cycles, additional research, and data collection to demonstrate CO2 capture and generate CDR credits, CnerG said in a press release.

Capped energy bills – New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed the NY HEAT Act, repealing subsidies for gas infrastructure, according to a report by E&E News. The outlet wrote that the signing represented a minor win for environmental advocates after the Hochul administration approved a new gas pipeline and delayed the implementation of the building electrification law by one year. The bill caps energy bills at 6% of household income for low-income households and terminates the 100-foot rule, which required utilities to build gas pipelines to any building or home within 100 feet of existing gas mains at no cost to the customer. The 100-foot rule was criticised as a subsidy, paid for by ratepayers.

Linking linkage - Washington carbon market regulator Department of Ecology (ECY) published its quarterly linkage update on Monday. ECY plans to propose the draft rule facilitating linkage with the California-Quebec carbon market in spring 2026 and expects to adopt rule changes in summer 2026.

Power pivot – Two on-site solar projects at California Resources Corporation’s Mt. Poso and Kern Front oil and gas fields announced on Friday they will deliver a combined 30 MW of renewable power, aiming to cut energy costs and reduce carbon emissions from operations. Developed by San Diego-based renewable energy developer Luminia, the projects include a 12 MW system at Mt. Poso and an 18 MW system at Kern Front and have cleared all pre-construction and permitting milestones. Dispatch Energy has acquired the projects and will act as long-term owner, builder, and operator. The installations are designed to offset up to 30 MW of daytime grid demand and align with CRC’s stated efforts to lower the carbon intensity of its operations.

Brazilian prosecutors have called for the suspension of an improved forest management (IFM) project in the state of Amazonas, alleging it overlaps with traditional territories but failed to follow proper free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) standards.

Sewer success – A wastewater heat recovery project in Denver could help cities cut their emissions and energy costs if scaled globally, Interesting Engineering reported. Engineers used two sewer pipes that couldn’t be buried by incorporating them into the redevelopment of a massive event and education hub. They now heat and cool major parts of the facility.

CO2 injection – Carbon removal firm 44.01 has begun CO2 injection at its upgraded mineralisation site in Fujairah, UAE, expanding the capacity of its Project Hajar in partnership with the Fujairah Natural Resources Corporation and the Fujairah Environmental Authority. The new system allows for up to 20 tonnes of CO2 per day to be stored via in-situ mineralisation, a tenfold increase over its original injection system, and is powered entirely by renewable energy. The site will store carbon from hard-to-abate sectors, DAC, and biogenic sources, with the project forming part of 44.01’s global scale-up roadmap.

Rural Colorado could host new firm, dispatchable clean power projects following coal plant retirements, according to a state-commissioned study, though high costs, transmission constraints, and federal tax credit timelines limit near-term options.

Earnings dip – UK-based carbon project developer CO2Balance’s accumulated profit fell by £1.34 mln in 2024, with its profit and loss account dropping to £2.54 mln from £3.88 mln the previous year, according to recent Companies House filings. Shareholders’ funds and total net assets declined in parallel, from £3.88 mln to £2.54 mln. Tangible fixed assets fell by over £1.17 mln to £7.26 mln, while average employee numbers increased from 26 to 32.

2025 came to a close with a series of political and policy decisions across Latin America that are likely to shape the trajectory of the region’s carbon markets well into the coming year.

Tinder - Nearly three-quarters of the western US is overdue for wildfires, according to research led by the New York-based Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, presented at the annual conference of scientific association AGU. Compared to the historical patterns of annual burn area, 74% of the western US is currently in a fire deficit. To make up that debt, 3.8 mln ha of forest would need to burn each year over a decade. That yearly burn area is three times the amount of forested area that burned in 2020, the current record year for wildfire burn area in the US.

Unsung minority - A select group of “climate contrarians” have been invited to write the next US National Climate Assessment, E&E News reported. The decision is expected to provoke a response from the hundreds of “mainstream” climate scientist who have worked on the report for years, the news outlet said.

The Trump administration has paused five wind projects being built on the eastern coast of the US, grinding to a halt projects meant to bolster RGGI-state grids.

EU carbon allowance prices rose for a second day in light trading on Monday as the holiday season began in earnest, while UK carbon permits rose to yet another 28-month high as the spread between the British and European markets narrowed to its thinnest in three months.

Ban on new peat extraction - The Parliament of Norway has passed a ban on extracting peat from new bog areas from Jan. 1, 2026 in a bid to prevent GHG emissions and to protect habitat for biodiversity. The ban forbids the opening of new peat extraction sites but existing peat extraction will still be allowed to continue. There will also be an exception for extracting smaller amounts of peat for building restoration. The Norwegian Environment Agency has been tasked with setting up a working group to facilitate the transition to peat-free products.

Donate to forests - The Coalition for Rainforest Nations (CfRN) has launched its Rainforest Accelerator Challenge, aiming to raise $1.5 mln by Dec. 31 to go towards supporting ten forest countries next year unlock the finance they need to protect their rainforests and meet their NDCs. CfRN experts have worked closely with countries like Suriname and Honduras in recent years to strengthen conservation data, but needs continued private finance to reverse deforestation by 2030, the organisation stated on LinkedIn. Donations can be made here.    

EU start up in solar - Italian energy group Eni and solar manufacturer FuturaSun have launched SunXT, a new startup focused on developing and producing perovskite-silicon tandem solar modules, building on FuturaSun’s research expertise, reports PV magazine. FuturaSun will hold a 56.1% stake in the SunXT venture, while Eni’s unit Eniverse will own 43.9%.

Voluntary carbon credit retirements picked up las week, but December still looks set to record a low monthly figure compared to previous years.

A portfolio manager’s latest procurement round delivered more than $18 million in durable carbon removal (CDR) contracts across eight technology pathways, it announced Monday.

Rock solid - ENEOS Xplora, Sumitomo Corporation, and UK-based startup 44.01 have signed an MoU to collaborate on the social implementation of CO2 mineralisation, a technology that permanently stores CO2 by converting it into rock. Under the agreement, the partners will advance joint studies, demonstration projects, and the eventual commercialisation of technology in Japan and abroad, with plans to conduct demonstration tests in the Middle East by 2030. The parties will also leverage 44.01’s expertise in mineralising CO2 using peridotite, alongside ENEOS’ ongoing research and collaborations, to accelerate the deployment of technology as part of broader efforts to achieve carbon neutrality.

Australia on Monday released consultation documents for its long-awaited integrated farm land management (IFLM) carbon credit method in a proposal that would allow farmers to combine multiple activities under a single project.

Singapore has released a “pre-approved” list of carbon crediting methodologies that will be eligible under its bilateral Article 6 implementation agreement with Vietnam.

Article 6 progress - The technical elements of Burundi's regulatory framework for carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement were validated over the weekend in the capital of Bujumbura. This occurred during the validation workshop held by the Ministry of the Environment, Agriculture and Livestock and IGEBU, with joint support from the Climate Action Center of Excellence (CACE) and Weza Power. The discussions confirmed strong ownership by the African country and a shared commitment to a technically robust framework aligned with its NDC and development priorities, wrote Alexandra Soezer, director of CACE on LinkedIn.

Expert EU meetings - The European Commission will host the next Carbon Removal Expert Group meeting from Feb. 5 - Feb. 6, 2026 to discuss the draft Delegated Act establishing certification methodologies for carbon farming and the methodology for carbon storage in buildings. Further details on the agenda available here. Whilst on Feb. 4, DG CLIMA will host a half-day workshop to present the ongoing work to develop a pilot EU certification methodology for livestock emission reductions. This will be presented in the context of whether to include GHG emission reductions from livestock activities in the scope of the Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming (CRCF) Regulation. Further details on that here.

Gold Standard has opened public consultations on updates to several of its methodologies that credit clean cooking activities as it pushes its framework to align with the Paris Agreement, while also publishing new eligibility and certification requirements for agricultural projects.

Niger has formally outlined how it intends to participate in the new international carbon market established under Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement, positioning UN carbon crediting as a key tool to finance its sustainable development.

A court in Switzerland has agreed to hear a climate lawsuit brought by four residents of a low-lying Indonesian island against a large European cement company.

A Paris-based digital monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) provider has teamed up with a local rice exporter to develop Cambodia’s first rice methane reduction project, the two announced last week.

 The UK car industry is on course to hit the Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV) Mandate’s 28% target for 2025, analysis from a think tank says. 

Germany’s research ministry has committed €1.4 million over three years to a project examining the long-term carbon removal potential of enhanced rock weathering (ERW), the Potsdam-based geoscience institute behind the initiative announced last week.

Uganda's first large-scale industrial biochar carbon removal project is on the horizon, according to its developers who have agreed to partner on the $12 million project to remove about 1 mln tonnes of CO2e.

Island ITMOs - Japan and the Maldives have completed the transaction of first Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs) under the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM), they announced. The transfer relates to the ‘Introduction of Smart Mini Grid System at Addu City’ project, under which 433 tonnes of CO2e were authorised as ITMOs for the vintage period from Jan. 1, 2021 to Dec. 31, 2022. The JCM credits were acquired by Japan’s Ministry of the Environment, with authorisation granted by the Maldivian government.

A greener internet - Cloudfare has compensated for 31,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions through investing in verified carbon credit projects, the cloud services provider said in its fifth annual Impact Report. The San Francisco-based firm claimed to have successfully completed its commitment to offset or remove all emissions associated with powering its network from its launch up until its first renewable energy purchase in 2018.

Local credits – Japan’s ByWill has facilitated the creation and use of forest-based J-Credits in Gifu prefecture, with Material Tokai and Maruei agreeing to purchase these credits. Under the agreement, ByWill will provide end-to-end support from credit creation to sales, and circulation, enabling locally generated environmental assets to be converted into economic value within the region. Separately, Tamura city in Fukushima prefecture, Toho Bank, and ByWill have signed an agreement to jointly create and distribute J-Credits as part of efforts to advance decarbonisation and revitalise the local economy. Under the deal, the parties will collaborate on providing technical know-how and services related to environmental value, developing new business models that utilise J-Credits and other initiatives aligned with regional carbon-neutral goals.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has announced a $100 million loan to a major financial institution in Vietnam to support sustainable agriculture in the country, as part of a wider $250 mln finance package involving other partners.

European gas pipeline companies are reporting less than 1% of their climate impact on average, exploiting a loophole in global greenhouse gas accounting rules that allows them to obscure the emissions associated with the gas they transport, according to new research.

Ready, set, go! - A green ammonia plant has begun operations in Denmark, with annual capacity to produce 5,000 tonnes a year and reduce CO2 emissions by 9,600 tonnes. The plant is owned by Skovgaard Energy and developed through a partnership between Danish companies Skovgaard Energy, Topsoe, and Vestas, which received about €11 mln in funding from the Danish Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Program (EUDP). In a press release Monday, the partners described the project as first of a kind, and touted its ability to adapt to intermittent renewable power output without having hydrogen storage.

Denmark will allocate DKK 4 billion (€537 mln) annually from 2034 to help meet its 82% emissions reduction target for 2035.

MRV platform - Indonesia-based environmental services firm Dassa last week launched Sakala, an integrated MRV platform, according to a post on the company’s Linkedin. The platform aims to streamline field data collection, analysis, and reporting into a single workflow. At the launch event in Jakarta, President Sylviana Andhella, who is also the director at Rimba Raya, said the platform is a culmination of decades of field experience of the company’s employees.

CCS bond - Japan’s Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company said it has invested about JPY 4.7 bln ($30 mln) in a carbon capture and storage bond issued by the Port of Rotterdam Authority, it said in a press release Monday. The proceeds will fund the Porthos project, which will capture and store up to 2.5 MtCO2e a year in a depleted North Sea gas field for at least 15 years. Dai-ichi Life said it is the bond’s largest investor and expects stable returns.

A carbon capture and storage (CCS) pilot project in Georgia has achieved promising mineralisation rates, its developers claim, who now plan to evaluate its potential for scaling up to around 150 million tonnes of CO2 in the medium term.

Funding shortfalls are limiting the scale and financial viability of nature-based projects in China, with many initiatives struggling to attract private capital despite strong policy support and growing demand for ecosystem services, according to a report published this week.

Australia has announced a gas reservation scheme mandating exporters to reserve between 15-25% of production for the domestic market as the government looks to ease costs for households and manufacturers.

Tokens - Singapore-based EDENA Capital Partners last week secured up to $100 mln from GEM Token Fund to help roll out government-approved security token exchanges in Indonesia and Egypt, with carbon credits among the assets to be tokenised. The company plans to use part of the funding to acquire and warehouse Indonesian carbon credits, it said in a press release.

Pedal and earn – India’s Sundays on Cycle initiative is now linking fitness with climate action through carbon credit incentives, following the launch of the Fit India Mobile App in Puducherry. Under the programme, citizens can earn carbon credits by cycling, which can be redeemed later, with monthly tracking of cyclists across all states and union territories through the app. During the Puducherry event, top three cyclists were felicitated for earning the highest carbon credits.