Captured data – A new carbon capture and low-carbon infrastructure intelligence platform has launched, offering real-time global tracking of projects across carbon capture and storage (CCS), direct air capture (DAC), hydrogen, e-fuels, and CO2 transport networks, it was announced on Monday. CarbonStorage.io said the service aggregates project-level data, geospatial mapping, regulatory milestones, and infrastructure metadata into a continuously updated database. The company said the platform is designed for developers, investors, researchers, and energy companies seeking consolidated visibility on carbon management and related infrastructure projects worldwide. Core project maps and summary information are available at no cost, while professional users can access paid datasets and analytics tools for deeper project and regulatory analysis.

Requiring a set of core climate metrics, third-party assurance, and improved disclosure infrastructure would help authorities track financial institutions’ progress toward net zero emission targets, the OECD said in a new policy paper.

CORSIA carbon futures tumbled again last week, detaching themselves from spot prices for the aviation offsetting scheme, amid an eye-opening week for the Paris Agreement market after a major energy and cookstove provider company went bust because Kenya would not agree to authorise international credit trade.

European carbon prices staged a robust recovery on Monday after falling to a 12-week low at the start of trading, rallying in the face of a wider sell-off across metals and energy as traders responded to intensifying diplomatic efforts to avoid conflict between the US and Iran, as well as double-digit drops in gold and silver, and producing a technical signal at the close that may presage a bullish reversal.

The Belgian authority responsible for implementing the EU’s carbon border adjustment fee said it has yet to hear from around half of the importers that are expected to be subject to the scheme, even a month after its full startup.

Falling fundamentals - European oil majors are gearing up to rein in billions of dollars of shareholder payouts in the coming weeks as they prepare for lower oil prices and strive to protect their balance sheets. Analysts expect Shell, BP, TotalEnergies, Eni, and Equinor to collectively reduce their shareholder payouts by 10-25% when they report full-year results this month, all through reductions in stock buybacks. In recent years these companies have spend over half their cash flow on buying back shares but the strategy is now facing strain with falling oil prices, leading them to likely cut their repurchases rather than fund them via debt. However, their US rivals are doing much better - on Friday, ExxonMobil and Chevron reported their lowest annual profits in four years, despite record oil and gas production, but neither signalled a pullback from their shareholder payouts and both have stressed the strength of their balance sheet. (FT)

ETS feedback - The European Commission held a workshop on Jan. 29 with more than 50 representatives from stationary installations subject to the EU ETS, from sectors including chemicals, cement, and pulp and paper. The workshop was intended as a forum for stakeholder to share feedback on practical implementation of the scheme to ensure its continued effectiveness. They shared experiences on areas such as compliance processes and free allocation application, with the findings set to inform evaluation of the EU ETS and the upcoming revision of the ETS Directive.

The European Union risks missing its decarbonisation goals because its strategy to secure critical raw materials for clean technologies rests on incomplete data, weak targets and slow delivery, the bloc’s auditors have warned in a new report.

Kenya's decision to reject clean cooking developer Koko Networks' request to sell carbon credits was met with widespread concern and criticism on Monday, including from the country's own special climate envoy, highlighting the strong political risks weighing down on the nascent international market.

A biomass carbon removal (CDR) developer has last week signed a long-term offtake agreement with an investor for future credits from a project that stores timber waste in disused coal mines in the country of Georgia.

The European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is facing growing criticism from climate and security experts, who have warned that exemptions for military-related imports could undermine efforts to reduce emissions in the defence sector.

Landfill to the brim - The UK has published new research that assesses methods for measuring methane emissions from landfills and considers how those measurements could be used in regulation. The project tested methods to measure methane emissions from landfill sites and explored how such measurements could support regulation and improve gas management. It used the so-called Tracer Dispersion Method and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle mass balance surveys at several English landfills. Both techniques can quantify emissions, though each has limitations under certain conditions. The government's study also evaluated different performance metrics and identified methane collection efficiency (MCE) - the proportion of methane captured versus total produced - as the most useful indicator. MCE values varied widely across sites, reflecting differences in gas system performance. Overall, the research found that measurement of emissions could have a potential role in improving the rate of landfill gas capture and reducing methane emissions from landfills.

EU’s Russian gas exit law published – A regulation mandating a full phase out from Russian gas imports by the end of 2027 was published in the EU’s Official Journal on Monday. EU member states gave their final blessing to the proposal last week, after striking a political agreement on the legislation with the European Parliament in December. The law introduces a phased approach to the EU’s import ban, starting with short term contracts from April and June this year, and long-term contracts in 2027 – both for LNG and pipeline gas. The ban was decided despite opposition from Slovakia and Hungary who said it will increase price volatility.

German DAC collab – German Direct air capture startup Ucaneo has signed a technology partnership agreement with Siemens AG Digital Industries to help industrialise and automate its DAC systems, it announced last week on social media. The collaboration will apply Siemens' automation and digitalisation expertise to standardise and optimise Ucaneo’s plant design, with the goal of scaling up faster and more reliably. The two firms said the partnership aims to accelerate carbon removal deployment and set new benchmarks for industrial decarbonisation. Ucaneo also plans to open its first-of-a-kind technical demonstration plant later this year.

North Sea CO2 shipping deal – Associated British Ports, LBC Tank Terminals, North Sea Port and the Port of Esbjerg have signed memoranda of understanding to explore cross-border CO2 shipping routes in the North Sea. The deals aim to scale carbon capture and storage and create a new market for carbon transport. Announced ahead of the international North Sea Summit in Hamburg, the agreements focus on designing port infrastructure, building transport value chains, and linking emitters to UK geological storage via facilities like ABP’s Immingham terminal, part of the Viking CCS cluster. Such EU-UK cooperation could cut CO2 transport and storage costs by around 20%, according to recent estimates from the Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA).

Guinea has outlined a wide-ranging list of priority sectors for climate investment under the Paris Agreement’s Article 6.4 carbon market mechanism, with a strong focus on energy, transport, agriculture, and forest protection.

The European pulp and paper industry is urging a targeted reopening of the EU ETS Directive before 2030 to protect the sector’s global competitiveness amid persistently high carbon and energy costs.

Despite tight gas storage levels, speculators offloaded European carbon en masse last week, pushing the benchmark down towards €80/tonne, but the market may now look to take greater cues from fundamentals amid a spell of incoming cold weather, analysts have said.

An environmental standard body is set to update its carbon removal methodology with the aim of restricting crediting to areas exposed to high deforestation risks.

Counter-productive - The French Senate has voted to revive oil and gas extraction overseas in a move that threatens the credibility of France's climate leadership. The bill's adoption directly opposes the 2017 Hulot Law, which prohibits the granting of new licenses for the exploration of oil and gas and mandates a complete end to all oil and gas extraction on French soil, including overseas territories, by 2040. The decision "is an insult to frontline communities who bear the brunt of climate impact" and "severely undermines the credibility of France’s climate leadership", wrote think tank 350.org.

A UK-based climate consultancy has appointed a new chief growth officer (CGO) focused on supporting clients access carbon markets.

Greening up - Benefit, a fintech and electronic financial services provider in Bahrain, has partnered with carbon offsetting platform Safa to advance sustainability and climate action across the firm’s operations and strategic agenda, it announced. Under the collaboration, the two organisations will explore ways to embed responsible environmental practices, reduce Benefit’s environmental footprint and strengthen its ESG initiatives, while supporting national goal of carbon neutrality by 2060.

Carbon cash - Nigeria could earn up to $5 bln a year from carbon credit sales from its ‘80 Million Clean Cookstoves Project’, according to Babatunde Aina, chief financial officer of Greenplinth Africa Limited, the implementer of the project. The estimate was shared at a climate and sustainability forum, where experts highlighted Nigeria’s vast potential carbon credit generation. But while the potential is significant, unlocking it will require clear regulations, strong institutions, and credible MRV systems to attract international buyers and investment into Nigeria’s carbon credit projects, Aina said.