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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.