Conversations on risk could be an ideal vehicle for bringing nature and biodiversity into the corporate consciousness, a panel heard during the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos on Tuesday.

The Science Based Targets initiative's (SBTi) updated Corporate Net-Zero Standard is set to recognise companies using carbon credits to compensate for their ongoing emissions as they transition towards net zero.

Gold Standard has risked creating “serious operational bottlenecks” that could undermine investor confidence after it said fresh vintage credits must be Paris-aligned, warns a lobby group for project developers.

Solar build - Indonesian renewable energy company PT Kencana Energi Lestari has secured a $25 mln contract from state utility PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (Persero) to build and operate a solar-plus-storage project, IDN Financials reported. The deal covers a 10-MW solar plant with 8.4 MWh of battery storage, with electricity sold to PLN under a 20-year power purchase agreement. Kencana expects to earn $13.8 mln from construction and about $1.6 mln annually from power generation, with construction starting in 2026 and commercial operations targeted for the first quarter of 2027.

The total number of companies that have climate targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) rose to nearly 10,000 corporates in 2025, up 40% year-on-year, data published by the organisation and tracked by Carbon Pulse indicates.

Vietnam has issued a decree laying out the legal and operational framework for a domestic carbon trading exchange, nearly 10 months after an initial draft was released, clarifying governance roles while leaving key aspects of trading mechanics to future regulations.

Indian companies are increasing climate-related disclosures, but most still lack credible transition plans aligned with global best practices, according to an assessment of corporate climate reporting released Tuesday.

Resubmission - Japan’s Inpex said it will resubmit an environmental plan for its proposed 8 Mtpa Bonaparte CCS project off the north coast of Australia after withdrawing the original submission from the public comment portal while awaiting details of updated Australian environmental laws. The company said it remains fully committed to progressing the offshore CCS development and will consult with Australia’s environment department before re-filing, although it has not set a timeline for resubmission. Inpex has already lodged a separate referral with the Northern Territory government for the project’s onshore components, and the Bonaparte project began preliminary engineering in April and was granted major project status in July 2025. (Reuters)

WWF Singapore has launched a blue carbon initiative with support from the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) to advance the development of nature-based solutions (NbS) projects in Asia.

There are at least two viable ways to couple sovereign debt relief with carbon markets, rewarding measurable mitigation outcomes, according to the lead author of a discussion paper published Tuesday by an environmental non-profit and a think tank.

Steaks, burgers, and other meat should be taxed more in the EU to help change people’s diets and cut related greenhouse gas emissions around the world, according to a new study.

Entitlement supply is a significant factor contributing to carbon price volatility in New Zealand's emissions market, while demand-side factors exert only limited and short-lived effects on carbon price fluctuations, a new study has found.

More of the blue - Fiji has launched a 10-year national Blue Economy Framework (2025-35) setting out policy direction for sustainable ocean-based development while protecting marine ecosystems. The framework aligns with Fiji’s National Development Plan, National Ocean Policy, and the Paris Agreement commitments, and aims to sustainably manage 100% of the country’s oceans while fully protecting at least 30% by 2030. It prioritises sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, climate-resilient marine tourism, renewable ocean energy, low-emission maritime transport, and conservation-led enterprise, and positions communities, women, youth, and small enterprises as central to implementation.

Oversight - Indonesia plans to rehabilitate around 12 mln ha of degraded forests by 2034, Ministry of Forestry said on Tuesday. Deputy Minister Rohmat Marzuki told a parliamentary hearing that forest cover spans about 119.7 mln ha, or 62.5% of Southeast Asia’s largest economy's land area. Deforestation, meanwhile, fell to 166,450 ha by the third quarter of 2025 from 175,437 ha in 2024, driven by stronger monitoring and law enforcement, the ministry said. The government is also promoting social forestry, targeting 1.1 mln ha across more than 3,000 villages to support food, energy, and water security. Authorities meanwhile have revoked 40 underperforming forest-use permits covering 1.5 mln ha and reclaimed areas affected by illegal palm oil planting and mining. The ministry also plans to establish 35 regional forestry coordination centres to improve oversight.

Indonesia needs a better assessment framework for seagrass carbon emission factors (EFs), considering noticeable regional differences across the country, according to a study.

Science Based Targets initiative’s (SBTi) proposal to use only removals, and not high-integrity reductions, for corporate climate action is “misaligned with the Paris Agreement” and risks slowing decarbonisation efforts, according to a note from an investment platform.

The Clean Energy Regulator finished the year issuing a lower volume of Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs), according to its latest update, but has brought total 2025 issuance well within its forecast range.

Green light - The Western Australian government's EPA has recommended approval for Black Mountain Energy's controversial plan to frack up to 20 gas wells in the Kimberly Region of the state, Boiling Cold reports. Federal scientific advisers and the environment department have criticised the company’s environmental risk assessment as inadequate and raised concerns about potential impacts on water resources and threatened species. The final decision now rests with the state environment minister, and if the exploratory project proves successful, it could lead to many more wells and major infrastructure, such as a long pipeline to export facilities like Woodside Energy's North West Shelf LNG facility.

New method - Researchers from Australia's Monash University have developed a method they claim can recover high-purity nickel, cobalt, manganese, and lithium from spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) using a mild, sustainable solvent. Globally, around 500,000 tonnes of spent LIBs have already accumulated, and only about 10% of spent batteries are fully recycled in Australia, the university said in a release. The Monash team said its new approach achieves more than 95% recovery of nickel, cobalt, manganese, and lithium, and offers a safer and more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional methods.

Asia’s first - Grow Indigo’s soil carbon project has become the first in Asia to receive issuance under Verra’s VM0042 soil carbon methodology, the company announced, describing it as a major milestone for high-integrity agricultural carbon markets. The Aadi project, covering about 30,000 acres across India’s Punjab and Haryana, has generated more than 50,000 carbon credits tied to regenerative farming practices and will see 75% of proceeds flow directly to smallholder farmers, boosting income while improving soil health and resilience, the company said.

Partnership - South Korea and Sweden this week signed a MoU to strengthen their collaboration on energy transition, the Korean climate ministry announced. The partnership aims to expand the supply of renewable energy, improve the stability of the power grid, and cooperate in nuclear solutions like small modular reactors (SMRs). The two countries plan to combine Korea's industrial and infrastructure development capabilities with Sweden's policy and institutional experience.

Let us know - The Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) Secretariat between Thailand and Japan are seeking feedback on draft documents for a proposed project, which aims to introduce a 2.6MW rooftop solar power system to a semiconductor factory owned by Sony Device Technology, according to a recent notice. Those intending to submit their comments on the draft project design document(PDD) and sustainable development and safeguards assessment report (SDSAR) are required to do so by Feb. 18.