Colombia-based carbon standard Cercarbono announced on Wednesday the final update of its methodology for afforestation, reforestation, and revegetation (ARR) projects, following a public consultation launched in July last year.

US airlines were responsible for over 55 Mt of emissions in 2024 that are subject to CORSIA offsetting requirements, data recently published by UN agency ICAO shows, even as analysts highlight ongoing uncertainty around their participation in the scheme.

Fossil fuel demand is on track to peak around 2035, but the surge in global living standards will boost oil demand by another 3 to 5 million barrels per day (bpd) in the early 2030s, according to Shell.

Carbon removal (CDR) experienced bumper growth in 2025 with a burst of new contracts, although Microsoft continues to dominate the market, according to a report released by a portfolio manager this week.

Japan and Azerbaijan are close to finalising a carbon trading deal under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement, with credits set to come from a project to decarbonise the Caspian country's largest oil and gas terminal, an executive told Carbon Forward Middle East on Thursday. 

AI train - Mining giant Rio Tinto on Thursday said it will supply Amazon Web Service’s US data centres with low-carbon copper produced using its Nuton bioleaching technology. The process, which cuts emissions and water use, produces 99.99% pure copper at site, avoids smelting and refining, and shortens the supply chain, Rio Tinto said. Under the two-year deal, AWS will provide cloud analytics to Rio Tinto to optimise production at the Johnson Camp copper mine in Arizona. Emissions from data centres are set to rise significantly over the coming years. Rio Tinto is also in talks with rival Glencore to form the world's biggest miner.

Malaysia’s palm oil industry could generate significant volumes of carbon credits, but structural challenges in the country’s carbon market such as low liquidity, high costs, and regulatory uncertainty continue to constrain progress, according to experts.

Public actors need to strategically tackle the widening gap in insurance against climate-related natural disasters through four actions that embed nature throughout, WWF said on Thursday.

An Indonesian lender has teamed up with a carbon project developer to roll out what the Jakarta-based partners said is the country’s first dedicated financing facility for forestry-based carbon credits, on Thursday.

Bids requested - UNDP last week launched a tender seeking a consulting firm to conduct a mapping and baseline study on Vietnam’s blue carbon potential, according to procurement documents. The assignment, running from Jan. to Mar. 2026, will assess mangroves, seagrass, and tidal marshes, alongside policy frameworks, financing flows, and investment gaps. Findings will inform Vietnam’s National Blue Carbon Action Partnership and a forthcoming national roadmap, the documents said. UNDP said women-owned firms are encouraged to bid, with preference given where technical scores are equal.

US-based tech giant Microsoft has signed a carbon removal (CDR) offtake agreement with an Indian project developer, marking its first durable CDR purchase in Asia, according to an announcement Thursday.

Sold out - Tokyo-based Green Carbon has sold out around 65,000 domestically issued J-Credits from rice projects, amid rising domestic demand. Inquiries from corporate clients have been on the rise, driven by the policy progress about Japan's mandatory carbon market, the developer said. Green Carbon said it had begun accepting reservations for J-Credits scheduled for approval from June 2026 onwards.    

New hubs - The South Australian government will provide a A$12 mln ($8 mln) loan to back a new project poised to turn Port Augusta into a national hub for the green cement industry. The loan will support Hallett Group Pty Ltd's A$200 mln green cement transformation project with the establishment of two infrastructure hubs, where waste by-products be re-purposed into green cement.

Japan's emerging hydrogen sector has seen a pivotal shift from small-scale domestic projects to engaging in large-scale international supply chains, a report published Thursday has found.

Show me the money - Pacific island nation of Samoa said it will seek to use Article 6 carbon credits under the Paris Agreement to help finance delivery of its latest climate pledge, and is interested in selling carbon credits to more developed countries that may be interested. In its third NDC, Samoa set an economy-wide target to cut GHG emissions by about 104 MtCO2e by 2035, relative to 2020 levels, while stressing that much of the ambition is conditional on external support. The government said it is targeting 75% renewable electricity by 2035, increased use of electric and hybrid vehicles, and large-scale reforestation to cut emissions from land use.

India could bring its electricity sector into the country’s new compliance carbon market with far less friction than expected, as existing regulations already provide a legal pathway to pass down carbon costs, according to a report released this week.

Seeded - Indian climate technology startup RenewCred has raised INR 42.5 mln ($0.51 mln) in a seed funding round to build what it said in a press release is the country’s first technology-native carbon credit standard and registry for the voluntary carbon market. The round was led by Campus Angels Network, with participation from Kairos Early Opportunity Fund and several angel and institutional investors, the company said. RenewCred is developing a fully digital platform offering continuous monitoring, reporting and verification, aiming to cut verification timelines by 75% and transaction costs by more than half. The company plans to focus on non-nature-based credits, including biochar, electric vehicle fleets, renewable energy, and industrial decarbonisation, and expects to issue its first credits this quarter.

New service - Japanese project developer Green Carbon has launched a new set of consulting services to help clients formulate their carbon strategy, particularly for emissions permits, it said Thursday. The services include simulation of multiple scenarios for estimated emissions, allowance and carbon credit price range forecast, design of medium- to long-term allowance trading strategies, as well as plans for credit creation and procurement. The launch comes as Japan's GX-ETS is set to enter its mandatory phase from April onwards, requiring companies with annual emissions of 100,000 tonnes or more to fulfil obligations.

First blue carbon credits - An Awaji Island-based blue carbon project has received certification for the fixation of 12.4 tCO2 under Japan's J-Blue Credit programme, the first of its kind for the island. The initiative was implemented by Inabata Fine Tech, Bluable, and a local fisheries cooperative. It aims to visualise CO2 fixation through seaweed farming as carbon credits, thereby improving the profitability of the local fishing industry and building a sustainable fishing model.  

The rapid expansion of the forward offtake market in the voluntary carbon market may be here to stay, and could determine credit pricing dynamics in the years ahead, according to analysis from a carbon data firm and rating agency.