Heavy state support made solar cell and module production the most subsidised major industrial sector between 2005 and 2024, coinciding with China’s rise to dominance across the solar value chain, according to a new policy brief.

Quality is becoming an increasingly significant factor in voluntary carbon market (VCM) pricing, with higher-integrity credits commanding a widening premium, but the market remains weighed down by large volumes of low-integrity “junk” credits, the authors of a new market assessment said.

The fall in issuance of credits in the voluntary carbon market (VCM) in 2025 was due to a downturn in new supply of renewable energy credits, analysts said on Wednesday.

Approximately a third of private nature funds said they regard carbon and biodiversity credits as meaningful sources of revenue, a report has said.

A carbon credit marketing platform is linking up with a business solutions marketplace that will offer carbon credits that directly support sectoral and supply-chain decarbonization.

A Qatar-headquartered carbon standard on Wednesday announced it has partnered with an intergovernmental group to support the development of nature-based carbon markets across Asia.

SAF raise - Aether Fuels has raised $15 mln to accelerate progress on its commercial-scale sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) plant in Singapore, it announced Wednesday in a press release. Project Beacon is expected to produce up to 2,000 tonnes of SAF by 2028, with an expected 70% reduction in lifecycle GHGs versus standard jet fuel. The fuel will be eligible to offset obligations under aviation offset scheme CORSIA. The latest funding brings Aether Fuels' total funding to $60 mln raised since 2022 from investors including AP Ventures, Chevron Technology Ventures, Eni Next, and Aster Ventures.

Around 15% of companies are pulling ahead on environmental leadership - unlocking over $200 billion in financial opportunities, according to analysis from an environmental disclosure platform.

Weaker targets under India’s new compliance carbon market have reduced emissions reduction potential by about 2.8 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent by 2027, according to analysts.

South Korea's latest monthly CO2 permit auction again went oversubscribed with an increase in the clearing price, but analysts remained cautious about the whole-year price outlook as the allowance oversupply lingers.

Coming this year - Malaysian state of Sarawak will this year introduce a carbon levy on oil, gas, and energy facilities, with proceeds to be channelled into a Climate Change Fund to support forest conservation and grid modernisation, Bernama reported, citing Premier Abang Johari's speech in state capital Kuching. Sarawak also plans to align the levy with a future Malaysian national carbon pricing framework. Last year, the state passed a law to regulate carbon-related activities, including the recognition, registration, and ownership of carbon rights and carbon credits.

Rising global temperatures helped rank 2025 as the third-warmest year ever measured, coming in marginally cooler than record-holders 2024 and 2023, as scientists warned an acceleration in global warming is beating earlier expectations.

China's top market regulator has released a batch of national standards for the development of the country's carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) sector.

On-site work - The Korea Forest Service (KFS) has opened a local office in northern Laos to oversee a REDD+ project between South Korea and Laos, Korea Herald reported. The two countries have signed an MoU to expand their effort into the project, which covers about 1.5 mln hectares of forest in Phongsaly province. The opening of the new office will allow forestry experts from both countries to conduct on-site assessments. KFS also plans to develop a detailed implementation strategy to enhance forest carbon stocks.

A distant goal - South Korea's carbon permit price needs to double from the current level for the country's ETS to function properly, the leader of government-affiliated Korea Environment Corporation (K-eco) said Wednesday. It needs to be at least KRW 20,000-30,000 ($13-20), said K-eco Chairman Lim Sang-jun, who cited the price levels in the EU (KRW 120,000) and the US (KRW 40,000-50,000). The Korean government months ago released a five-year emissions allowance allocation plan that will determine the sentiment in the national carbon market towards 2030, which is expected to help boost prices in the coming years.

The government of New Delhi has approved a Carbon Credit Monetisation Framework that will allow the national capital to generate revenue by converting greenhouse gas emission reductions from its climate and pollution-control initiatives into tradable carbon credits, officials announced this week.

Preperations underway - Thailand’s upstream oil and gas firm PTT Exploration and Production Plc is preparing to build the country’s first carbon capture and storage facility at its Arthit gas field in the Gulf of Thailand, Bangkok Post reported. The project will be able to capture and store up to 1 MtCO2e a year, with operations expected to begin by 2028. PTTEP plans to invest about $320 mln over five years, with captured emissions stored in underground reservoirs 1,000-2,000 metres below the surface.

Hot ground - UAE state-owned renewables firm Masdar is looking to expand its investments in Indonesia’s geothermal sector, citing the country’s large resource base and improving regulations, state news agency Antara reported. Masdar entered Indonesia’s geothermal market in 2023 by investing in Pertamina Geothermal Energy which generates about 4.8 TWh of electricity annually, avoiding nearly 3.9 MtCO2e, according to Masdar. Indonesia is the world’s second-largest geothermal producer, behind the US, and has total potential of around 23.7 GW, data from the energy ministry showed. Installed capacity stands at roughly 2.7 GW, which it plans to double by 2034.

The planet's sensitivity to greenhouse gas emissions is likely higher than anticipated, posing greater climate risks to economies worldwide, according to a new report.