A large North American offset provider continued to grow its carbon credit trade revenue in late 2025, as its net losses narrowed from the previous quarter but remained higher year-on-year (YoY), it said Wednesday.

Chile has moved to update the targets of its national green hydrogen strategy, a sector prioritised under the country’s Article 6 framework, as it seeks to scale up production and unlock new sources of climate finance to support the industry’s next phase of development.

Some 3 million carbon credits have been issued to a northern Mexico grassland restoration project after achieving verification under Verra’s Improved Land Management (VM0042) methodology, according to an announcement Wednesday.

States planning to rely extensively on future carbon removal (CDR) to meet their climate targets risk falling short of international legal obligations under the Paris Agreement and customary international law, according to a peer-reviewed legal analysis published on Tuesday.

Brazil climate plan - Fifty days after being approved, the Brazilian Climate Plan has still not been published in the Official Gazette. The documents that will guide the national climate policy still have pending issues, Folha de S. Paulo reported. Although sectoral chapters were approved, the transversal strategies were open to public consultation by Dec. 25 and have not been validated until now. The Ministry of Environment and Climate (MMA) said that the validation is projected for the first quarter of 2026.

The head of one of Canada’s leading carbon removal (CDR) non-profits said the country's CDR sector will likely see a turbulent few years as its market matures, making government support critical to continuing momentum and success.

Roads have been linked to forest degradation or loss across an area roughly twice the size of Mexico, equivalent to around 11% of global forest cover, with impacts concentrated in the Global South, according to a new preprint study.

A clean energy project developer has accused oil and gas major ExxonMobil of using its control over the only operating CO2 pipeline on the US Gulf Coast to cut off a rival blue ammonia project and benefit Exxon’s own competing ammonia plans, according to a lawsuit filed on Monday.

Carbon pricing could provide a major source of funding for social protection in developing countries, a new report has found.

Restructuring - Biomass power producer Drax may cut more than 350 roles across the company as it adapts its organisational structure, according to a press release. The company is evolving its strategy to ensure future resilience, and is focused on driving growth in flexible generation as well as advancing future uses of sustainable biomass, the statement read. Drax Group's organisational structure shall be adapted as part of this work, with a UK consultation to be launched and employees to be briefed in North America. The changes will be implemented alongside trade unions and employee representatives, it said.

Countries in the global 'sunbelt' can access zero-carbon power more cheaply than in northern Europe, provided costs of capital are reasonable, and are developing a growing number of clean industrial projects, said an energy transitions expert.

Public subsidies aimed at cutting carbon emissions could achieve the same climate impact at significantly lower cost if allocated more efficiently, according to a new study.

January retirements across the voluntary carbon market (VCM) fell by nine million year-on-year, while issuances also slipped to levels last seen five years ago - with one registry failing to record any new supply for the past three months.

The UN body helping to shape the Paris Agreement’s Article 6.4 carbon market has released a draft methodological tool aimed at standardising how emission reductions from biomass-related climate projects are calculated, key for crediting cookstoves projects.

Suriname expects to carry out its first trades of Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs) in the first quarter of this year, with the initial transaction structured as a pilot involving credits generated in 2021, government officials said on Monday.

Hoosiers take on CO2 - The Indiana General Assembly advanced two bills on carbon management with bicameral support on Monday. House Bill 1368 (HB 1368) would prompt the state’s Department of Natural Resources to pursue primacy rights over Class VI underground injection well permitting from the US EPA, as well as providing a mechanism and regulatory scheme for underground CO2 storage in Indiana. Referred to the state Senate at the end of January, HB 1368 was referred to the Senate Committee on Utilities. Senate Bill 7 (SB 7), which creates requirements for approval on transporting and storing CO2 outside of the county where it is generated and captured, was referred to the House Utilities, Energy, and Telecommunications Committee on Monday.

Double or nothing - California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) proposed a $200 million electric vehicle rebate programme requiring automakers to match state funds dollar-for-dollar, offering point-of-sale discounts rather than reimbursements, CalMatters reported. California regulator ARB would administer the programme with price caps at $55,000 for passenger cars, $80,000 for vans and trucks, and $25,000 for used vehicles, with no income restrictions. The proposal exempts the programme from standard rulemaking requirements for faster deployment following the Trump administration's elimination of federal EV tax credits. Critics argued the first-come first-served structure lacks equity provisions, while the $200 mln baseline would cover only 20% of last year's EV sales before manufacturer match funds.

Border carbon works - California's cap-and-invest programme increased renewable electricity capacity by 148.9 MW per county on average between 2012-19, representing a 6.71 percentage point rise in the state's renewable share, according to research published in Energy Economics. Using county-level data and difference-in-differences analysis, researchers found the carbon border adjustment mechanism triggered renewable expansion in Arizona and Nevada at 69.9 MW and 110.0 MW per county respectively as exporters sought to avoid border charges, but showed no effect in Oregon where hydroelectric capacity already exceeded 50%. Results remained robust when controlling for Renewable Portfolio Standards, suggesting cap-and-trade effects were additional to existing clean energy mandates.

Equity-focused cap - Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality announced it will hold a Equity Advisors Committee meeting on Feb. 17 for its Climate Protection Program (CPP). The meeting will held between 14oo-1600 Pacific (2200-000 GMT) and will be open to the public. The committee will play an important role in determining what types of GHG emissions reductions projects will be supported by community climate investments and where those projects will be located, DEQ said.

Neck breaking RGGI speed - Virginia's House of Delegates approved HB 397 on Tuesday, mandating the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to establish a RGGI-consistent market-based carbon trading regulation within 90 days of the bill's effective date. The bill passed 17 days after Governor Abigail Spanberger's (D) inauguration and four days after receiving its fiscal impact statement. The Senate companion bill (SB 802) received its fiscal impact statement Tuesday. The legislation requires the DEQ to complete regulatory action without further State Air Pollution Control Board (APCB) involvement, reinstating the CO2 cap-and-trade programme for electricity generating units that former Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) withdrew the state from in 2023. The final version includes an amendment defining "life-of-the-unit contractual arrangement" to encompass energy conversion or tolling agreements with 20-plus-year terms where purchasers deliver fuel and receive all nameplate capacity and generating capacity from the regulated unit, making such purchasers responsible for acquiring CO2 allowances.

Carbon tax increase - Colombia has increased its national carbon tax as of Feb. 1, in line with the annual inflation adjustment set out in existing regulation, the tax authority DIAN said in a resolution. The updated rate stands at COP 29,070.49 ($7.30) per tonne of CO2 equivalent, reflecting a 5.1% adjustment based on 2025 inflation. The new price remains below the statutory threshold of 3 UVT, under which the levy continues to apply at a fixed rate.

CITSS quarterly tally - California and Quebec entities transferred over 118.2 million allowances and offsets through the Compliance Instrument Tracking System Service (CITSS) during the 4Q of 2025, according to a recent report from California regulator ARB. Current vintage allowances (2013-2025) accounted for 78.4 million at a weighted average price of $31.04, while future vintage allowances (2026-2028) totaled an inch under 19.9 mln at $31.22. The linked cap-and-invest programmes saw over 19.8 mln offset credits change hands at a weighted average of $18.06, representing nearly a 42% discount to allowances. Forestry projects dominated offset credit transfers with 12 mln offsets, of which 70% were credits with direct benefits to California. Mine methane capture project credits were second in terms of offset transfers with over 6.7 mln credits split all from out of state projects. Quebec ozone depleting substances projects contributed 2,363 unpriced offset transfers. The transfers exclude allowance distributions, auction purchases, or jurisdictional authority transactions.

Battery backup plan - Ford and Tesla are repurposing electric vehicle battery production lines to manufacture grid-scale batteries for utilities and data centres after the Trump administration eliminated the $7,500 EV tax credit last year, shrinking the domestic car battery market, the New York Times reported. Ford announced plans in December to convert existing EV battery plants to build shipping-container-sized batteries for utility use. Tesla's energy and solar storage business has become its most profitable and fastest-growing segment, with large-scale battery production beginning at a Houston factory later this year. The pivot capitalises on tax incentives for grid-scale batteries that survived last summer's Republican rollback of Biden-era renewable energy credits while EV incentives were eliminated. Demand for grid-scale batteries is projected to exceed six times 2025 domestic production levels by 2030, the outlet reported.

Storage starts - Ontario began accepting applications on Monday for commercial-scale geologic carbon storage projects under its newly implemented regulatory framework, marking the first opening of the province to such developments. The government said the projects could help energy-intensive industries cut GHG emissions by 5-7 Mt a year, create more than 4,000 jobs, and reduce industry costs by nearly $1 bln. The move follows the passage of the Geologic Carbon Storage Act, 2025 after several years of research, public consultations, and stakeholder engagement, and establishes rules governing the injection and permanent underground storage of captured CO2, with most potential sites expected in Southwestern Ontario near major emitters.

A 20-year itch - New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D) may propose changing how the state counts methane emissions despite dropping the plan from her January budget proposal, state officials said Wednesday at a legislative hearing, per New York Focus reporting. The state currently uses a 20-year global warming potential metric making methane 80 times worse than CO2, while most jurisdictions use a 100-year metric at 30 times. Switching would show New York cut emissions 24% since 1990 rather than 15%, putting the state's 40% reduction target by 2030 within reach and potentially lowering future carbon pricing under any cap-and-invest programme. Hochul attempted the change in 2023 but dropped it after environmental group backlash.

EU-LATAM corridor - The port authorities of Valencia and Santos have signed an MoU to develop a green maritime corridor aimed at decarbonising shipping between Europe and South America, the ports announced last week. The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the Global Gateway Green Shipping Corridors and Hubs regional workshop for Latin America and the Caribbean. Under the MoU, the ports will coordinate actions to promote the use of low- and zero-emission fuels, shore-side electricity, terminal electrification, and digital solutions to improve logistics efficiency.

US carbon management legislation update - Illinois Senate Bill 2842 (SB 2842), which amends existing law so that CO2 pipeline project proponents cannot exercise eminent domain, on Tuesday was assigned to the Energy and Public Utilities Committee. Elsewhere, a hearing was held last week on Nebraska Legislature Bill 916 (LB 916) in the state's unicameral legislature's Natural Resources Committee. The bill similarly seeks to provide protections to landowners against the use of eminent domain for CO2 pipeline projects. Finally, New Hampshire House Bill 1205 (HB 1205) has seen floor date set for Thursday while it is due out of the Municipal and County Government Committee on Mar. 5. It would prohibit state- and county- owned lands from participating in carbon sequestration projects.

The 197th hour - FirstLight expanded its municipal utility power purchase agreement with Energy New England through 2040, supplying 197 gigawatt hour annually from Massachusetts hydroelectric facilities to 21 New England public power entities, Renewable Energy Magazine reported.

Ground truthing – A new study published in Scientific Reports found that incorporating spatial coordinates and open-source map information can significantly enhance property-level forest carbon stock estimates, supporting the implementation of REDD+ projects in the carbon credit market. The researchers said that large-scale maps improve estimates when calibrated using geolocated field plots, including where plot data are limited. The paper added that carbon stock estimates produced using this approach can approach the accuracy of those based on high-quality local remote sensing such as UAV-LiDAR, and that spatial coordinates serve as useful covariates for predictions within the same areas where field plots are located.

Subsurface H2 brewing - Vema Hydrogen announced it completed what it called the world's first pilot wells for Engineered Mineral Hydrogen technology in Quebec, producing hydrogen directly from subsurface rock formations without fracking. The California-based company drilled two wells to obtain core samples and begin subsurface analysis evaluating fluid movement and hydrogen production during testing, transitioning years of laboratory research into field deployment. The pilot aims to validate commercial-scale production for e-fuel and clean mobility industries serving shipping and air transport markets. CEO Pierre Levin said rock core samples matched expectations and show promise for hydrogen yields, marking progress toward gigawatt-scale baseload hydrogen supply supporting regional decarbonisation goals.