Verra revision - Verra published on Tuesday a revised version (v1.1) of its VMD0054 (Estimating Leakage from the Displacement of Agricultural Activities) module under its VCS programme. The revision - incorporating feedback received in 2024 - introduces an accounting framework that takes into account the production of new commodities introduced to the project area when calculating the net emissions from land use changes, and includes revised ecosystem conversion assumptions so that projects in areas with very little forest cover can use the most common native ecosystem as the reference for quantifying carbon stock change due to displaced production, Verra said. The previous version of VMD0054 (v1.0) will be inactivated on Feb. 1, 2027. Projects that meet the Jan. 31, 2027 submission deadlines may continue to apply the previous version of VMD0054 for the remainder of their project crediting period or baseline reassessment period, whichever is shorter. Verra will hold a webinar to provide an overview of VMD0054 v1.1 on Feb. 10, 2026 at 1100 Eastern (1600 GMT).

A sustainable investment firm is investing $10 million into a US company that produces organic coconut sugar products in Indonesia.

Taiwan has set out rules allowing its emissions-intensive industries to apply for relief under the island’s carbon fee, as the government seeks to prevent factories moving overseas and preserve competitiveness.

Guinness Global Investors has launched a fund focused on food, water, climate, waste, and land that is looking to rapidly build on its seed capital.

A Hong Kong-based company has issued what it said were the world’s first “carbon coins”, tokenised from 500,000 carbon credits from Verra's Verified Carbon Standard.

Changing bulbs - Japan’s Tokyo Century has agreed with household goods maker Iris Ohyama to launch a programme-type J-Credit project that generates carbon credits from LED lighting upgrades, the companies said on Tuesday. The scheme replaces fluorescent lighting with LEDs at customer facilities, allowing credits to be created and sold. A portion of the credit sales revenue will be donated by IrisOhyama to non-profit organisations chosen by customers, the companies added. Tokyo Century said it aims to register the project in 2026 and expand the model to other energy-saving and renewable energy initiatives.

Going electric - Tokyo-based MOL PLUS, the venture capital arm of Japanese shipping major Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, has invested in Singapore maritime start-up Pyxis Maritime to help speed up the rollout of electric vessels and charging infrastructure, it announced. The move comes as Singapore pushes towards net zero by 2050 and prepares to mandate cleaner harbour vessels from 2030, requiring new vessels to be electric or compatible with net zero fuels. MOL PLUS said it would support Pyxis not just with capital, but by opening access to shipping, port, and fleet-management expertise across the wider MOL Group. Founded in 2022, Pyxis designs and builds electric harbour and passenger vessels and operates charging stations, positioning itself at the forefront of maritime electrification in Southeast Asia.

Papua New Guinea has introduced legal protections for project developers under newly gazetted carbon market regulations, including formal recognition of “secondary ownership” rights, a move aimed at reducing project risk in the forest-rich country.

Australia should improve its flagship voluntary carbon reduction scheme rather than scrap it, emissions trading lobby group IETA said in a public letter to the government this week, warning that a repeal would undermine corporate climate action.

Overachiever - Indonesia’s renewable energy share in the electricity sector rose to 16.3% in 2025, exceeding the 15.9% target set under the National Electricity General Plan, according EcoBiz Asia, citing the energy ministry. The increase was driven by the largest renewable capacity addition in five years, totalling 15.6 GW, led by hydropower, bioenergy, and geothermal projects. Though the overall national renewable mix reached 15.7%, gains were partly offset by new gas- and coal-fired power plants.

Delivered - Australia’s AgriProve has delivered 30,145 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) to the Peart family for their Jones and Blewett soil carbon projects in Queensland, marking what the developer claimed to be one of the largest single-farm soil carbon issuances achieved by a single farming operation under the ACCU scheme. The credits were issued after independent verification of increases in soil organic carbon across the family’s 4,800 ha grazing operation, achieved through long-term rotational grazing and pasture improvement. Project developer Corporate Carbon, together with its soil carbon spin-off Agriprove Solutions, have to deliver some 36.9 mln ACCUs, according to Clean Energy Regulator data.