A Hague court ruled on Wednesday that the Netherlands violated the human rights of residents of the Caribbean island of Bonaire by failing to take sufficient measures to protect them from the effects of climate change.

While institutional asset owners in the UK have maintained a selective approach to carbon and biodiversity credits, natural capital is gaining traction as a real asset class with commitments to higher allocations in the next few years, a new survey shows.

Granting fertilisers an exemption from the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) could have dangerous consequences, lawmakers across different parties warned on Wednesday.

Allowing nature-based removals in the EU ETS may cause the price of allowances to drop by as much as 10%, an analyst said on Wednesday.

Liberia is set to impose a carbon price on shipping and aviation operators in the country with a new non-market compliance mechanism inspired by the EU ETS, it announced this week. 

EU carbon prices gave up all their gains from Tuesday and more, plunging to a one-week low amid sustained selling pressure across macro assets due to growing concerns over renewed conflict in the Middle East, while natural gas clawed back much of a 5% intraday decline following colder forecasts and a growing risk premium for energy.

EU funding for grids and H2 infrastructure – The European Commission on Wednesday announced nearly €650 million in EU grants for 14 cross-border energy infrastructure projects aimed at reinforcing security of supply and integrating more renewables into the bloc’s grids. Six electricity and smart grid schemes will receive about €470 million, including €180 million for Spain’s AGUAYO II pumped-storage hydro plant and €104 million for a Bulgaria-Romania smart grid upgrade. Over €176 million will support hydrogen infrastructure, led by a €120 million works grant for large-scale underground storage at Gronau-Epe in Germany.

Prinos CCS project gets EU green light – The European Commission on Wednesday issued a broadly favourable opinion on Greece’s draft permit for the Prinos offshore CO2 storage project, but attached strict conditions to manage key risks. Brussels praised the high-quality technical work, detailed site characterisation and overall alignment with the EU’s CCS Directive. However, it highlighted concerns over legacy wells and stressed the need for robust monitoring, corrective measures and inspections to guarantee permanent containment. The Commission also pressed Athens to update environmental risk assessments, integrate Prinos into maritime spatial planning and complete solid financial security arrangements to ensure legal certainty for the operator and future users.

Chemical crash - Investment in Europe's chemical industry declined more than 80% last year and plant closures doubled, with risk the continent could become dependent on China for the raw materials needed in its automotive, healthcare, and defence industries, executives warned. Confirmed investments fell from 1.9 mln tonnes (Mt) of capacity in 2024 to 0.3 Mt last year on the back of high power prices, bureaucracy, and rising Chinese imports, with detrimental impacts on jobs and production capacity, of which 17.2 Mt was lost in 2025. Over the last four years, about 9% of Europe's chemical production capacity has disappeared, according to the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic). (FT)

As carbon removal (CDR) companies approach the end of their financial runways, investors expect a challenging year ahead for the industry, though some see strategies that could carry the sector through.

Members of the European Parliament expressed doubts about carbon capture and storage (CCS) during a public hearing on Wednesday, raising questions about the merits of the technology in tackling climate change cost-effectively.

A Germany-based climate tech startup has raised €6.5 million to support its CO2 mineralisation process for cement production.

Progress on corporate net zero promises is increasingly fragile, as more companies realise that emission reductions across their supply chains will be influenced by global politics and societal change beyond their control, an executive at a climate finance platform said in a blog post.

Charging hold-up - The UK must double the number of EV charging points installed each year to reach the bare minimum expected as required by 2030. The govt estimates 250,000 to 550,000 will be needed by decade-end to support the electric transition - a big jump on current levels of 88,000. Reaching the lower end of the range would require more than 32,000 charge points installed each year, while the higher end would call for 92,000 a year. In comparison, 15,000 were installed last year, down from 20,000 the year before. Industry executives point to the govt's watering down of EV sales targets last year creating uncertainty in demand and policy, leading some charge point operators to withhold investment. The govt aims for 80% of new car sales to be electric by 2030, and sufficient public charging will be needed to support this. (FT)

The continent of Africa has made steady gains in expanding access to electricity – yet progress remains uneven and is increasingly threatened by persistent gaps in clean cooking, according to a continent-wide assessment released this week.

The European Commission approved a €3.1 billion Spanish scheme to support the production of electricity from new or redeveloped efficient combined heat and power plants on Wednesday.

A blockchain-based carbon removal and reduction registry has received conditional endorsement for its standard from the accreditation programme ICROA, making the registry's carbon credits fully fungible for buyers, the two organisations announced on Wednesday.

The planned oil development in Uganda is losing economic traction and may expose the country to heightened fiscal and climate transition risks as global energy markets move away from fossil fuels, an analysis published Wednesday has found.

The voluntary carbon market (VCM) has become relatively stable after recent volatility, with steady buyer interest and pricing - but market growth still faces deadlock, a recent survey found.

A company that permanently stores CO2 in concrete has secured €3.7 million in its latest funding round, it announced on Wednesday.

Climate justice - A Dutch court will decide Wednesday if the Netherlands must do more to protect the Caribbean island of Bonaire from the impacts of climate change. This follows a case brought by residents of the Dutch territory in partnership with Greenpeace. It marks the first major test case of a state's mitigation and adaptation response following a ruling by the International Court of Justice, which found that states violating their climate obligations were committing an "unlawful" act. The Netherlands is well known for taking protective measures against rising waters, mainly using barriers and dykes. Campaigners argue it doesn't do the same for its overseas territories and are calling for a plan to be in place for Bonaire by Apr. 2027. (France 24)

Evidence first - The EU has endorsed the landmark Declaration on Information Integrity on Climate Change, following approval by the Council on Jan. 20. Launched at COP30 by the Global Initiative for Information Integrity on Climate Change, established by UNESCO, the govt of Brazil, and the UN, the declaration establishes global commitments to address information integrity on climate change and promote accurate sharing of related issues. The bloc's endorsement coincides with a time when environmental information can be hard to navigate. Some 84% of Europeans agree that climate change is caused by human activity yet 52% say traditional media fail to provide clear information on the topic. By backing the declaration, the EU therefore shows its firm commitment to evidence-based policy on climate. Prior to its endorsement, 15 member states had already individually backed in including France, Germany, and Poland.

Norway has signed a deal to buy carbon credits from Zambia under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, with emission reductions coming from increased renewable electricity delivered into the African country's grid to make up for waning hydro supplies.

Drax has launched a new digital tool to help users trace the origin and emissions profile of woody biomass used in its power generation and third-party sales, it announced Monday.

Green electricity user group – A group of major energy users and grid technology firms on Tuesday launched the Green Industrial Grids Association (GIGA) to push for power network upgrades seen as critical to Europe’s industrial decarbonisation drive. Members including Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Meta, Siemens Energy and Hitachi Energy aim to speed up deployment and digitalisation of electricity grids so they can accommodate rapidly rising demand from electrifying industry and clean technologies. GIGA will advocate grid-enhancing technologies, anticipatory investment and faster connections to enable a “clean, competitive and decarbonised economy”, the group said. Other members of GIGA include Electra, Fastned, Linde, Metlen, and Milence.

The UK's National Wealth Fund intends to mobilise over £100 billion of investment towards clean energy and carbon capture over the next five years, helping to cut emissions while supporting jobs and growth, it announced on Wednesday.