Global climate litigation grew and diversified in 2025, marking a turning point especially at the international court level, according to a year-end review by a New York-based legal center.

The federal 45V tax credit designed to spur clean hydrogen production can now be claimed by four additional production technologies after the US DOE’s latest revision to its life-cycle analysis modelling tool.

Clean reset - Canadian hemp and carbon credit firm Hempalta announced a series of corporate updates as it continues its transition toward a nature-based carbon platform. The company closed the first C$100,000 tranche of a non-brokered private placement priced at 2 Canadian cents per unit, with each unit comprising one share and a half warrant exercisable at 5 cents for 24 months, subject to an acceleration clause. Proceeds will support working capital, carbon initiatives, and balance sheet strengthening. Hempalta also settled C$340,697 in debt through share issuances, changed auditors, appointed two new directors, issued 1 mln advisory warrants, and granted 6 mln stock options to directors and officers.

Emissions in HD - Researchers published Vulcan version 4.0, a dataset mapping annual US CO2 from fossil fuel combustion and cement production at 1 km resolution for 2010-2022, according to a paper published in Scientific Data. The update covers emissions across electricity production, industrial, commercial, residential, transportation, and cement sectors using federal, state, and local data sources. National total emissions show close correspondence with EPA inventory data with sector-specific R-squared values exceeding 0.97.

Newark no more - The Newark City Council in New Jersey voted last week to propose an ordinance that would halt fossil fuel expansion within city limits, reported Patch. Newark is an economic hub with major port and industrial activity, but proponents of the proposal argue this comes at the price of public health. The proposal will undergo more discussion and a second vote before potentially becoming law. The effort is also intended to contribute to advocates' attempt to prevent the construction of a new power plant in the city, which recently received permission from regulators at the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to start construction.

Rock solid - Energy infrastructure supplier Vallourec and underground storage specialist Geostock have signed a MoU to strengthen cooperation on large-scale underground energy storage for the energy transition, with a focus on hydrogen and carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS). The partnership aims to combine Vallourec’s tubular technologies and its Delphy turnkey hydrogen storage system, capable of storing up to 100 tonnes, with Geostock’s expertise in underground storage. Together, the companies are looking to support the full hydrogen value chain, share R&D and technical expertise, and develop well architecture and infrastructure suited to hydrogen storage and CO2 injection under demanding subsurface conditions.

Negotiating with the president - Democratic governors of four US Northeastern states – Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island – are strategising to save five offshore wind farms that were forced to halt construction earlier this week by the Trump administration. In a Tuesday morning conference call, the governors discussed a two-pronged plan, according to the New York Times – suing the Trump administration over the pause, and negotiating with the White House over a deal that would allow gas pipelines in exchange for allowing the wind projects to move forward. A similar deal was struck between the White House and New York in April when the administration ordered construction to stop on the Empire Wind project off the coast of Long Island. Weeks later, the project was allowed to proceed with the White House suggesting that the decision was reversed after New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s (D) approval of a gas pipeline. However, the Empire Wind lease was halted again under this latest action.

SAF supply agreement - Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) producer Neste has signed an agreement with airliners Cathay to supply the latter's operations with SAF in Europe, the US, and Asia-Pacific. Neste has been delivering blended SAF for use on Cathay Pacific flights from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and Los Angeles International Airport, as well as to Singapore Changi Airport for flights operated by Air Hong Kong, which is owned by Cathay.

Biofuel buddies - Freight company DHL Global Forwarding and shipping company CMA CGM have agreed to jointly use nearly 9,000 tonnes of UCOME second-generation biofuel, they announced this week. The companies estimated this would enable 25,000 tonnes of CO2e well-to-wake emissions reductions for ocean freight transported under DHL's GoGreen Plus service.

Ammonia allies - Proton Ventures has joined Barents Blue as a partner in the the Barents Clean Ammonia project in northern Norway, it was announced last week. A new project development company, Barents Clean Ammonia AS, has been established, with Barents Blue holding three-quarters and Proton Ventures holding the remaining 25% of the shares. The partners aim to advance the project towards a final investment decision in 2027, hoping to enable production to commence in 2031.

A federal judge has declined to halt Hawaii’s new levy on cruise ship visits ahead of its Jan. 1, 2026 effective date, dismissing several claims on standing and jurisdictional grounds while leaving some issues for further litigation.

Continued coal - The US DOE has ordered two Indiana coal plants to postpone retirement and continue operating, E&E reported. The orders for R.M. Schahfer and F.B. Culley bring up to four the total number of times the DOE has used its emergency power this year to prevent coal plants from closing. Chris Wright, DOE secretary, said the move was necessary to ensure power reliability in the Midwest as electricity consumption rises due to data centre construction. Earlier this month, the DOE also issued an emergency order extending the operation of TransAlta's Centralia coal plant in Washington state to Mar. 2026, a move condemned by state officials.

Clean energy doubts - New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy's (D) push to codify into law his goal to establish a 100% clean energy standard by 2035 looks likely to be doomed, Senate Environment & Energy Chair Bob Smith has said, E&E reported. Murphy will leave office next month following an election in November, where Democrat Mikie Sherrill - a supporter of regional power sector cap-and-trade system RGGI - emerged victorious.

Ponying up for ports - The New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA) announced last week a $300 mln competitive solicitation to support maritime port improvements intended to support manufacturing, staging, and logistics capabilities for the offshore wind industry. The solicitation allows for multiple rounds, and final proposals for the first round are due to NYSERDA by 1500 Eastern (1900 GMT) on March 26, 2026.

Land cover mapping, a cornerstone of climate science and environmental monitoring, could itself become a major source of carbon emissions by mid-century unless mapping practices change, according to new research.

Offshore opposition backlash - Democrats in the US Senate are threatening that President Donald Trump's (R) halting of five offshore wind projects on the East Coast needs to be reversed if talks on energy permitting reform are to advance, E&E reported. The administration's decision has also angered some moderate Republicans, according to the outlet.

Cap-and-invest cash - Washington's Department of Ecology (ECY) released recently a report covering spending stemming from revenues from the state's Climate Commitment Act (CCA), which established its cap-and-invest system. Washington's carbon market has raised $4.3 bln since 2023, $2.8 bln of which have been allocated across a variety of climate programmes. Overall, 27% of the overall revenues are expected to reduce emissions by nearly 9 MtCO2 at an average cost of $40/t, according to the ECY.

Mining for minerals needed to support the global clean energy transition is driving substantial deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions that are largely absent from current carbon accounting, according to new analysis.

Widespread formation of so-called “ghost forests” along the US Atlantic coast could undermine coastal carbon sinks and complicate the role of wetlands and forests in climate mitigation strategies, according to a new study.

Financial incentives for clean energy followed by carbon pricing can cut emissions 80% from 2015 levels by mid-century in the US, according to research examining how policy sequencing and consistency affect decarbonisation outcomes.

The Maryland Freedom Caucus recently released its 2026 policy platform, which called for repealing the state’s participation in regional power sector cap-and-trade system RGGI.

Morocco’s main financial hub is backing carbon market initiatives, accounting for global decarbonisation trends instead of prioritising short-term bankability, a director and one of its members told Carbon Pulse.

An Iowa district court has paused a legal challenge to a major CO2 pipeline permit and sent the case back to regulators to consider the impact of new state legislation adopted after the permit was approved.

European carbon allowances were very lightly traded in a narrow range in a shortened trading session on Wednesday as remaining participants began to clear their desks for the holiday break, with EU and UK prices edging lower after data showed an increase in speculative holdings last week.

Dreaming of a green Christmas – The UK could be heading for the 'greenest’ Christmas on record after adding an extra 2 GW of wind and 3 GW of solar power into the grid this year, said the National Energy System Operator. Christmases are now cleaner and kinder to the planet than ever before, with over 40% of electricity generation in the UK on Christmas Day last year (2024) coming from renewables. That’s significantly more than just 1.7% in 2009. The UK has now a historic high of 53 GW of renewable capacity, and also 8.9 GW of battery storage, which would be able to cook nearly 100,000 Christmas puddings, the operator said. The year 2023 currently holds the title of the greenest Christmas Day ever recorded in the UK, with a carbon intensity of 30 mln grams of CO2 – five times less emissions than the same day in 2018. Christmas Day has the lowest energy consumption of any day during winter, at approximately 600 GWh – about 20% lower than the average winter day. That’s because most businesses are closed, the operator continued. Moreover, energy consumption this Christmas will be 10% lower than a decade ago, thanks to more energy efficient appliances.

A tussle over land rights for a proposed REDD carbon project in Brazil has mushroomed into a wider protest against the activity involving more than a dozen civil society groups across Latin America.

South Korea’s net greenhouse gas emissions cuts outperformed the government’s annual reduction target by 4%, driven largely by the expansion of renewable energy and energy efficiency in the manufacturing sector.

UK refiners have called on the government to reallocate unused free allowances from recently closed facilities and confirm the inclusion of refined fuels in the country’s upcoming Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).

Pairing direct air carbon capture and storage (DACCS) with amine-based post-combustion carbon capture could reduce deployment costs and enable additional CO2 removals, researchers said in a working paper released last week.

An Australian carbon project developer on Wednesday said it has sold most of the carbon credits from its inaugural South African soil carbon issuance at an auction, with prices clearing above the floor with demand coming from both voluntary and compliance buyers.

The state government of Western Australia will invest A$6.58 million ($4.4 mln) in a new round of grants to support emerging technologies aimed at reducing industrial emissions.

Carbon credit sales from a controversial Pennsylvania-based improved forest management (IFM) project were quietly halted following a reassessment of its baseline assumptions, project backers have confirmed to Carbon Pulse.