Ammonia afloat – Floating production firm BW Offshore has unveiled a blue ammonia floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) concept with McDermott International to convert offshore natural gas into lower-carbon fuel. The unit is designed to process up to 3 mln cubic metres of gas per day and produce more than 1 mln tonnes of ammonia annually. Carbon capture would abate up to 99% of process CO2, targeting a carbon intensity of around 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of ammonia. Ammonia would be liquefied and offloaded directly to carriers, avoiding onshore infrastructure and enabling export to international markets.

Mineral matters – Electrified capture of CO2 from air using a reversible manganese-based mineralisation process can cut energy use to 4.1 GJ per tonne, researchers have reported. The study, published in Nature Energy, described a system that reduces manganese oxide to form a reactive Mn(III) species that binds CO2 as a solid carbonate, reversing under oxidative potential to release a pure CO2 stream. Tests at 0.04% CO2 achieved an 80% single-pass capture rate, operated for over 1,000 hours with more than 90% capacity retention, and scaled to 20 cm2 without performance loss.

Vanuatu vs. United States – The Trump administration is urging other countries to press Vanuatu to withdraw a draft UN General Assembly resolution calling for stronger global climate action, including potential reparations for nations harmed by climate change, AP reports. In a cable sent to US embassies, the State Department said it “strongly objects” to the proposal, warning its adoption could threaten US industry and describing it as an example of UN overreach. The resolution stems from a July advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice, which said countries could violate international law if they fail to protect the planet from climate change and that affected nations could be entitled to reparations. While neither the opinion nor General Assembly resolutions are legally binding, the draft urges compliance with international climate obligations, including limiting warming to 1.5C, phasing out fossil fuel subsidies, and creating an international register of climate damage claims. Vanuatu has pushed for a vote by the end of March, while US officials say several major economies have expressed concerns about aspects of the text. (AP)

Zambia Article 6 applications open – Zambia has opened applications for a National Carbon Markets (Article 6) Capacity Building Programme, aimed at strengthening local expertise in carbon finance and project development. The programme is being launched by CarbonSphere Climate Advisory, in partnership with BCM Advisory Consult, and will focus on carbon market development, project preparation and verification under Zambia’s Green Economy and Climate Change Act, 2024. Open to youth, professionals, government officials, community leaders, and private sector participants, the initiative will offer training in Lusaka in April and will cover Article 6 mechanisms, ITMOs, MRV systems and international standards.

Over 2.1 million Core Carbon Principles (CCP)-labelled credits were issued last week – bringing overall tagged issuance close to 90 mln – but CORSIA credits came under pressure, fuelling concern in the airline industry expressing that operators may have to declare a force majeure if available credits under the UN's aviation offsetting scheme don't increase soon.

Carbon credits remain the best mechanism to finance and deliver clean-cooking appliances to households across Sub-Saharan Africa, argues Peter Scott, CEO and Founder of cookstove developer Burn.

Kenya is set to launch its national carbon registry this week, providing a digital platform designed to centralise tracking, verification, and management of carbon credits and emissions mitigation outcomes.

UK CBAM rates - The UK plans to announce the pilot rates for its Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) in 4Q 2026, several months earlier than the originally scheduled effective date of Jan. 1, 2027. These pilot rates will allow importers of aluminium, cement, fertilisers, hydrogen, and steel to gain early insight into the fees they will face under the carbon border fee, which aims to prevent emissions-intensive imports from undercutting manufacturers subject to the UK ETS. These fees will depend on the amount of carbon emissions generated during the goods production, and the difference between any carbon price in the originating country and that faced by UK producers. Importers can either use the actual emissions data of goods to calculate the fees, or use govt-set default emissions values.

Taking flight - The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) will require airlines and booking platforms to display carbon emissions data for flights departing from or arriving at UK airports by Apr. 2027, it said in a document published this month. The framework mandates that environmental information be accessible, transparent, and calculated using internationally recognised methodologies including Google's Travel Impact Model, the IATA Recommended Practice, or the EASA Flight Emissions Label. Airlines must show CO2 or CO2e per passenger journey and update data at least annually, with the CAA planning to monitor compliance through website reviews during 2027 and publish initial findings later that year. The decision follows a 2024 consultation that received 53 responses, with stakeholders supporting the principles but calling for greater clarity on implementation and expressing divided views on mandatory versus voluntary adoption.

The planned introduction of a carbon border adjustment for certain commodities could affect Australia’s carbon market and Safeguard Mechanism in several ways but would be broadly positive if well designed, experts said.

Choose your champion - The Australian government is accepting expressions of interest (EOI) for Australian citizens to be considered for the Presidency Youth Climate Champion (PYCC) role in its capacity as COP31 President of Negotiations, it announced. The PYCC is a high-profile facilitative leadership role designed to strengthen meaningful, inclusive, and effective participation of young people in climate action and climate decision-making, the government said. Applicants should bring credibility, cultural capability, policy fluency, and trust-based leadership, to the role, with particular attention to First Nations and Pacific youth representatives, according to the application factsheet. EOI applications are due by Mar. 1.