Members of California's Independent Emissions Market Advisory Committee (IEMAC) criticised the state's cap-and-invest programme rulemaking on Wednesday for lacking analytical justification on allowance budgets and projecting revenues far below legislative expectations.

Utility u-turn - The US's largest public utility has signalled it wants to keep two coal-fired power plants operational beyond their planned closure dates, reversing course on its 2035 emissions reduction timeline, the AP reported. The Tennessee Valley Authority filed plans to scrap closure dates for the 2.5 GW Kingston Fossil Plant and 2.5 GW Cumberland Fossil Plant in Tennessee, citing regulatory changes and surging electricity demand driven by data centres. TVA had aimed for an 80% carbon emissions reduction by 2035 over 2005 levels and net zero by 2050. The decision came ahead of a board meeting with a Trump-appointed majority. Clean energy groups criticised the move.

Liability limitation - A Iowa House of Representatives committee voted on Tuesday to advance House Study Bill 693 (HSB 693), which would limit the potential to sue farmers for an “alleged actual or potential effect” on the climate due to GHG emissions, reported the Iowa Capital Dispatch. The bill has received support from agricultural industry groups, and it was amended in committee to also include enhanced protection for agricultural retailers.

Continuing coal - US President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order directing the Department of War – formerly the Department of Defense – to prioritise long-term power purchase agreements with coal-fired power plants to supply electricity to military installations and other critical defence facilities. The order calls for coordination with the US DOE and prioritises projects that bolster grid reliability, fuel security, and mission assurance. The administration said the move supports baseload power and national security, and cited earlier actions to boost coal production, including regulatory relief and reinstating the National Coal Council.

Decarbonisation study delay - Massachusetts' climate chief Melissa Hoffer is over a year late on an aim to produce an economic analysis of the state's goal to reach net zero by 2050, reported Commonwealth Beacon. The study is meant to identify the costs involved, and potential financing and investment options, for the state in its pursuit of net zero. Hoffer originally targetted completing the study by the end of 2024, but declined to provide additional details on the status of the analysis, while also sharing two related reports, according to the local outlet. She has also said publicly the report remains a priority, and mentioned carbon credits generated from CO2 sequestration in state forests as a potential revenue avenue for supporting state decarbonisation efforts.

Canada’s federal government announced on Tuesday C$97.3 million ($71.8 mln) for clean transportation projects across the country, less than a week after launching its transportation strategy.

A Canadian direct air capture (DAC) developer is pivoting from carbon removal (CDR) and storage to supply, seeking a stake in the merchant CO2 market as Western investors cool on CDR.

Quebec plans to publish draft amendments to its cap-and-trade regulation by the end of this winter ahead of a 45-day public consultation in spring, with the changes expected to take effect this summer to maintain alignment with California's linked market.

Gaining momentum - US-based nuclear fusion energy startup Inertia Enterprises said it had raised $450 mln in a Series A round led by Bessemer Venture Partners, as it seeks to commercialise laser-based fusion technology proven at the National Ignition Facility. Founded in 2024, the company plans to build a pilot plant centred on a high-power laser system dubbed “Thunderwall” and to mass manufacture fusion fuel targets, with the aim of delivering grid-scale power within a decade.

New York’s Senate approved legislation on Tuesday requiring large companies doing business in the state to disclose GHG emissions across their operations and value chains, advancing a measure aimed at expanding corporate climate transparency.

CORSIA carbon supply is readying for takeoff, with a selection of newly-approved eligible credits now on the market, but airlines may claim force majeure if not enough units are available by 2028, and there is still a sharp gap between supply and expected demand, experts said on Wednesday.

Structural failings, lack of transparency, and weakening price signals have left the voluntary carbon market (VCM) a “dead body”, according to a new academic analysis that used the 2023 REDD+ integrity scandal to examine buyer behaviour and market dynamics.

Investment in renewable energy globally fell by nearly 10% in 2025 ($72 billion) due in large part to changes to power market rules in China, analysts said on Tuesday.

The impending overshoot of the Paris Agreement's 1.5C target will raise the temperature and political pressure at COP talks in the future, and shift the debate from hot air to action, according to Bill Hare, founder and chief executive of Climate Analytics.

Global plans to decarbonise the steel sector are losing steam, with new projects slowing sharply last year, as 2026 shapes up to be a make-or-break year for getting first commercial plants off the ground, according to new analysis published on Wednesday.

The Vanuatu government has introduced the zero - or rough - draft of a UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution to endorse the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ’s) landmark opinion on climate change, it announced.

Fishing for emissions - Canadian hydrogen developer Stormfisher Hydrogen has partnered with Amsterdam’s CarbonLeap to support Scope 3 emission reductions in transatlantic maritime logistics. The collaboration links StormFisher's Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin (RFNBO)-certified e-methanol with CarbonLeap's efforts to scale freight decarbonisation for European customers and transatlantic trade routes.