Spanish Amazon entry - Spanish business group Grupo Alvariño has entered the voluntary carbon market through an agreement with Peruvian firm Amazon Carbon to commercialise credits from Amazon rainforest conservation projects, Expansion reported. Dosfer, Grupo Alvariño's energy consulting subsidiary, will market credits from Amazon Carbon's projects across thousands of hectares in Peru's Loreto, Ucayali, and San Martin departments. The projects are certified by AENOR under the BioCarbon Standard, with Spanish banking group BBVA having already purchased credits. Dosfer founding partner Sergio Fernandez said the credits meet the highest global standards and emphasised Amazon Carbon's social development component for local communities.

Paraguay's carbon credit projects could generate annual revenues exceeding $100 million as it advances its domestic carbon market framework, according to media.

AI use in carbon markets - Artificial intelligence could support carbon project audits, but liability for audit decisions must remain with validation and verification bodies (VVBs), participants said at a recent roundtable hosted by New York-based Genvision and the International Association of Validation and Verification Bodies. AI could help with basic checks such as reviewing whether documentation is complete, but AI systems that cannot clearly explain how conclusions are reached are unsuitable for compliance audits, which require transparent links between rules and evidence, the speakers said.

Global carbon markets contracted in 2025, with their total value falling to €791 billion, the lowest since 2021, analysts' calculations have found, with 2026 now seen as a pivotal year for setting the long-term direction of the sector.

Several Latin American governments are aiming to bring new CORSIA supply online via jurisdictional carbon programmes, while Kenya’s decision to deny cookstoves developer Koko Networks a Letter of Authorisation (LoA) continues to shock the market.

A France-based carbon standard has released a new jurisdictional risk map for REDD+ projects in Colombia, it announced Monday.

Spot prices for Phase 1 CORSIA carbon credits tumbled last week amid a lacklustre voluntary market, where the recent collapse of the Koko Networks cookstove and clean fuel provider continues to stir debate.

A climate research group is seeking hosts for one or two pilot enhanced rock weathering (ERW) field trials launching in 2026, supported by five years of philanthropic funding, it announced last week.

Carbon removal registry Isometric has released a new crediting method, setting out standards for measuring and certifying carbon removal through agroforestry systems.

ESG disclosure - Swiss pharmaceutical corporation Novartis has for the first time published figures on its use of carbon removal credits to address residual emissions, according to its latest sustainability reporting. The company said it covered 124,300 tonnes of CO2e with carbon credits in 2025, alongside volumes linked to biomethane and sustainable aviation fuel certificates. It reported Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions from energy of 200,000 tCO2e, down from 233,300 tCO2e a year earlier.

Pyrolysis licence - Canada-based cleantech firm Char Technologies has licensed its high-temperature pyrolysis technology to France-based energy developer GazoTech SAS to support the rollout of biochar and syngas projects in France and selected European markets, the company said last week. Under the agreement, GazoTech will apply the technology on a project-by-project basis, with CHAR receiving an upfront licence fee linked to equipment delivery and ongoing royalties tied to biocarbon output, allowing it to generate revenue without deploying project-level capital.

CDR pre-purchase - US-based carbon removal developer Parallel Carbon has signed a pre-purchase agreement to supply 1,200 carbon credits to Zurich Insurance Group, the companies said last week. The credits will be issued under the Puro Standard and generated using an integrated direct air capture with geological storage and hydrogen production process, with the hydrogen output expected to be sold into low-carbon industrial markets.

Biochar deal - Direct air capture developer Climeworks has agreed to purchase 90,000 tonnes of CDR credits from Ghana-based biochar firm Truecoco through 2032. The biochar is converted from agricultural biomass residues - specifically coconut husk waste - using pyrolysis, and the credits are certified by Puro.earth. Truecoco sources coconut husk waste from more than 180 smallholders and 12 coconut cooperatives, with the biochar returned to local farmers as a soil amendment, improving fertility and sequestering carbon. The deal follows an initial phase where Truecoco delivered over 3,000 tonnes of CDR to Climeworks. By 2030, Truecoco aims to remove more than 250,000 tonnes of CO2. (Biochar Today)

Clear skies - The UK’s Met Office has signed a £20,000 contract to purchase UK nature-based carbon removals to offset excess air travel during the 2025-26 financial year, according to a government procurement notice published at the end of January. The contract was awarded without competition to UK-based supplier Beyond Zero and was signed on Jan. 27, with delivery running from Feb. 23 to Mar. 31. The procurement falls below the relevant threshold and covers removals linked to air travel emissions from Apr. 2025, the notice said.

The Philippines has decided to implement a five-year strategy to ensure a robust and credible voluntary forest carbon market, local media reported.

Please comment - India’s carbon market regulator Bureau of Energy Efficiency has invited comments on a draft proposal for a carbon project that intends to install about 1,000 small digesters in rural homes. The project, developed by Kosher Climate India, is a household biogas programme in Karnataka aimed at cutting methane emissions from manure management. It estimates annual emissions reductions of roughly 5,000 tonnes of CO2e over a 10-year crediting period.