The European Commission wants to harness the bloc's nascent carbon removal certification scheme – an extension of the voluntary carbon market – to help EU member states achieve their climate targets at national level, officials have said.

Catalonia climate credits – The Spanish autonomous community of Catalonia has launched a temporary programme to advance the implementation of its Climate Credits System, a voluntary domestic scheme created in Dec. 2023 focused on nature-based solutions. The three-year programme will sit within the Directorate General for Climate Change and Environmental Quality and will recruit three technical specialists to develop methodologies, align the system with EU and national regulation, and integrate updated scientific knowledge, Europa Press reported. Funding will come from Catalonia’s Climate Fund, financed by revenues from regional environmental taxes, including levies on vehicle CO2 emissions and polluting installations.

Tweaking the system - Verra has opened a public consultation on a proposed revision to a CDM methodology for methane avoidance from manure and wastewater treatment systems. The consultation focuses on updating AMS-III.Y to improve its application under the Verified Carbon Standard, the US-based registry said. Key changes include allowing separated solids to be reused as animal bedding under specific safeguards, introducing guidance for projects using biofiltration systems such as vermicomposting, and requiring the use of the VT0008 Additionality Assessment Tool. The aim is to strengthen environmental integrity and project credibility, Verra said. Stakeholders are invited to provide feedback until Mar. 9.

Carbon credits incoming? - The state of Mendoza in Argentina has signed an energy agreement with the Federal Investment Council (CFI) and the municipality of Guaymallen that aims to advance the deployment of clean energy sources, among other goals. In a second phase, the agreement envisions the development of the Guaymallen Solar Park, for which the CFI will provide specific technical assistance related to the design of possible carbon credits, as well potential green financing strategies and the issuance of social and sustainable bonds, according to a press release.

A San Francisco-headquartered enhanced rock weathering (ERW) developer has acquired a neighbouring US firm, positioning itself as a consolidator of the carbon removal (CDR) pathway.

Biochar commissioning - Australian pyrolysis firm Rainbow Bee Eater (RBE) has begun hot commissioning activities at its Katunga Fresh site in Victoria, the company said on its website. The facility uses six ECHO2 Mark IV reactors to convert cereal straw into high-carbon biochar and syngas, with January marking the start of first production. The syngas will be used to heat Katunga Fresh’s 21-hectare glasshouses, while biochar and wood vinegar are intended for use on regional farms.

An EU expert group held extensive discussions Wednesday on an upcoming certification scheme for emissions reductions from livestock farming, without finding consensus on the scope of the methodology, or how to measure and track progress.

The UK has joined the Global Green Growth Institute’s (GGGI) Carbon Transaction Facility (CTF) in an effort to back international carbon trading under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and strengthen global cooperation on mitigation outcomes.

Carbon credits will continue to be perceived as exotic assets for banks and investors unless the market develops homogenising criteria, a financial analyst said on Thursday.

The US and Indian space agencies have begun releasing data from a “next-generation” Earth observation satellite launched last year, which scientists said will be a step-change in how the world tracks forests, biomass, and land-use change, with implications on measurement and verification for carbon markets.