A bill making its way through the Kentucky legislature would govern CO2 storage in the Bluegrass State.

The pace of issuance of Article 6-authorised credits under one of the major voluntary standards slowed in 2025, even as the number of project authorisations grew, according to a recent report. 

Financing for post-wildfire reforestation in the southwestern US is unlikely to deliver meaningful climate returns beyond high-elevation mesic areas, as low seedling survival and warming sharply constrain carbon storage, new research has found.

California emissions from diesel and gasoline consumption in 2025 continued their year-on-year (YoY) decline in November, state data showed.

Pipeline purgatory – New York state regulators on Friday urged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to dismiss a petition by Williams Companies to reissue a certificate for the 125-mile Constitution natural gas pipeline, Energy Wire reported. Williams cancelled the project in 2020 before reviving it last year. The state argued FERC should not reopen administrative review of the lapsed approval. Environmental groups said FERC lacks legal authority to reissue a vacated certificate. Williams contends no fresh application is needed, citing FERC's original 2014 approval for the pipeline that will connect Pennsylvania to New York and from there to New England.

Pumped up prices – California's goal to install six million heat pumps by 2030 faces a barrier the state's own climate strategy helped create: residential electricity prices that are nearly double the national average and rising faster than inflation, CalMatters reported. Researchers found that while households in the US South and Pacific Northwest would likely cut bills by switching from gas furnaces, many California homes – particularly larger properties in colder inland counties – would see costs rise, as electricity rates have grown at twice the pace of gas prices since 2001. The findings matter for California's broader decarbonisation push as buildings account for 13% of US GHG emissions, according to the US EPA.

Colombian registry – As of Aug. 2025, 324 emissions reduction activities had voluntarily registered in Colombia's national registry, RENARE, representing 1.1 bln tonnes of CO2e of reductions in the aggregated crediting periods, the coordinator of the instrument at the Directorate of Climate Change and Risk Management of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MADS), Jimena Gomez, said at a webinar last week. These activities apply to the voluntary carbon market or the carbon tax offset mechanism and span over 87 mln ha, which represents 76% of the continental country limits, the official said. Despite the RENARE platform still being under development, the website has gradually been reactivated and currently allows initiatives to register up to a feasibility phase, Gomez added.

Hot rock, cool data – Ormat Technologies last week signed a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with NV Energy to supply up to 150 MW of new geothermal capacity to support Google's data centre operations in Nevada, the company said. The projects are expected to come online between 2028 and 2030, subject to approval by the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada in the second half of 2026. The deal is structured as a multi-project portfolio under NV Energy's Clean Transition Tariff, with the contract term beginning when the first project reaches commercial operations and extending 15 years beyond the final project's start date.

A team of researchers has released what they describe as the first globally consistent daily fossil CO2 emissions dataset spanning more than five decades, a development that could materially improve the ability of analysts to disentangle short-term temperature effects from structural emissions trends.

Verra announced an issuance of carbon credits under its clean cookstoves methodology on Tuesday – the first of such credits to carry the Core Carbon Principles (CCP) label.

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) has lost much of its relevance for the power sector but remains critical for hard-to-abate industries such as lime and cement, which have few other options to decarbonise, according to the updated "CCS Ladder" published on Tuesday.

European carbon prices slumped on Tuesday but found support near a key level as the market continued to face macroeconomic uncertainty from new US tariffs as well as geopolitical concerns, while an emerging debate around the European Commission's response to widespread calls for a weakening of the EU ETS' ambition also added a note of caution to the atmosphere.

Carbon managers welcome - The new Carbon Management Society has launched a global membership platform, inviting individuals, academic institutions, government representatives, and organisations who are committed to credible, measurable, and economically sound carbon management solutions, it announced last week. The Australia-based non-profit, established in November, aims to become a platform for knowledge exchange, professional engagement, and policy dialogue, with a focus on implementation. The society will publish articles, reports, and op-eds, hold expert webinars, and foster collaboration across industry, finance, policy, and academia.

The first issuance of credits using Verra’s new high-quality label for the afforestation, reforestation, and revegetation (ARR) is expected this year, a webinar hosted by the carbon registry heard Tuesday.

Modelling alliance – US-based soil carbon project developer Grassroots Carbon has joined Colorado State University’s Ecosystem Modelling and Data Consortium (EMDC) as an industry member, it was announced this week. The EMDC brings together scientists, NGOs, and industry to develop data-driven approaches to land management and climate mitigation, and its addition of Grassroots Carbon incorporates project-level soil carbon data into the methodologies underpinning carbon markets and NbS, press materials said. In January, Grassroots Carbon announced it had reached 2 mln credits delivered via its regenerative ranching programme.

Sunlight rules – A coalition of environment-focused groups has launched a governance platform this week to establish oversight principles for solar geoengineering research, amid rising political scrutiny of such technologies, E&E News reports. The Solar Geoengineering Research Governance platform will develop tools to standardise project reviews, improve public disclosure, and strengthen accountability in the coming months. Organisers said the initiative is designed to demonstrate that good governance is achievable within the sector.

Time squeeze – The US federal government and US EPA, as plaintiffs, this week stated their opposition to Vermont’s proposed organisation of a Mar. 30, 2026 motions hearing, arguing it would prejudice force a split of oral argument time with plaintiffs in a separate case. In a filing to the US District Court for the District of Vermont, the federal plaintiffs said the structure would limit their ability to argue constitutional and statutory claims against Vermont’s Climate Superfund Act and urged the court to hear the cases separately to ensure equal time.

A European shipping company has signed a long-term offtake agreement with an e-methanol project developer, reacting to an EU regulation and its rising penalties for ships that continue to use carbon-intensive fuels.

The European Commission is likely to opt for lower emission benchmark values when deciding how many free allowances to allocate to industry under the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), giving companies more breathing space amid high energy and carbon costs, experts told Carbon Pulse.

Nuclear delay - EDF has further delayed the start-up of the UK's Hinkley Point C nuclear plant, with the first of the two reactors at the 3.2 GW project now set to start operating in 2030 due to delays in 'electromechanical work'. The delay results in a €1.8 bln charge and increases the final bill for the flagship project that has been hit by several delays and cost overruns. When the project was greenlit in 2016, it was due to come online in 2025. EDF has said the plant should now cost £35 bln in 2015 prices - or almost £49 bln at today’s prices - compared with a previous range of £31 bln-£34 bln. EDF will also build the UK's second new nuclear power plant, Sizewell C in Suffolk, and has said learnings at Hinkley Point C should help with its development. The company is under pressure to boost its reactor construction performance following severe delays and budget overruns at recent projects. (FT)

The UK may be following in the EU’s footsteps in imposing a border carbon fee on imports of heavy-emitting goods – but in practice, the British system is set to diverge significantly from the European model, raising concerns for industries as they navigate both markets. 

An Estonian carbon farming project developer and a German data firm have partnered to deliver monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) for soil carbon projects covering more than 300,000 hectares across six European countries, the companies said Tuesday.

Missed goals - Air France-KLM, hotelier Accor, and oil retailer Ampol are obliged to pay financial penalties to bondholders because they failed to meet emissions reduction goals embedded into their sustainability-linked bonds. They will consequently have to pay more to bondholders through a combination of higher coupons and redemption prices, because the interest on these bonds is tied to meeting pre-set ESG goals. A2A, Enel, and Legrand have also previously had to pay penalties in the sustainability-linked bond market. The market peaked in 2021 at issuance of over $100 bln, and since then sales have declined, reaching $33 bln in 2025, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. Air France-KLM blamed the missed goal on 'headwinds' such as supply chain constraints and greater flight times. Accor cited geographic hotel growth, and Ampol cited higher emissions due to operational events impacting production.

Japan is hoping to help decarbonise India’s micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in a bet that hard-to-abate sectors such as textiles, dairy, and steam-intensive manufacturing can deliver early emission cuts under the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM).

Clean shipping subsidies – The Dutch government has confirmed a new subsidy of €33.6 mln for clean shipping fuels, with interested parties invited to submit grant applications from May 19 to Nov. 3. The government will fund vessels running on hydrogen, methanol, ammonia, or bioethanol, or CO2 capture on LNG or methanol vessels. The money is the second tranche from €210 mln set aside under a national Maritime Master Plan, which aims to fund about 30 clean fuel demonstration vessels. The plan's ultimate goal is to reduce GHG emissions by 230 million tonnes by 2050. The first subsidy call awarded €85 mln to hydrogen, methanol and CO2 capture on LNG ships. A third and final call is planned for 2029. (second subsidy call)

Carbon footprint measurement and offsetting in several Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) countries this month passed from optional to strongly encouraged – or even mandatory – preparing for international compliance measures and boosting domestic carbon markets.

Eight carbon removal startups have been selected for an accelerator programme spanning Europe and India, following a competitive screening process involving 32 early-stage firms, the initiative’s backer said Tuesday.

Shifting gears - New car sales in Europe fell year-on-year in January for the first time since June, with petrol car registrations falling significantly whilst electrified alternatives bolstered their share. Sales in the EU, Britain, Switzerland, Norway, and Iceland fell 3.5% to 961,382 cars in Jan. 2026, according to European auto lobby ACEA. Petrol car registrations fell about 26% compared to the previous January, falling sharply in France, by 49%, and in Germany, by 30%. Overall, they went from accounting for almost a third of the market share in Europe to just over a fifth in the period. Conversely, battery-electric, plug-in hybrid and hybrid- electric cars were up about 14%, 32%, and 6%, and collectively accounted for 69% of new registrations, up from 59% in Jan. 2025. Shares of Chinese automaker BYD surged by 165%, whilst Tesla continued its downward trend with a 17% y-o-y decline. (Reuters)

A slower phaseout of free allocation, a softer emissions cap trajectory, and changes to the Market Stability Reserve (MSR) are the main levers available to lawmakers looking to reform the EU carbon market, an investment bank said in a briefing on Tuesday.

Rising carbon prices under the EU and UK emissions trading schemes (ETSs) could impose cumulative costs greater than a full year of operating earnings for some heavy industrial companies within a decade, according to new financial risk analysis.

The European Commission plans to add a new chapter on green claims to its forthcoming revision of the Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming (CRCF) regulation, effectively reviving parts of the stalled Green Claims Directive, an EU official told Carbon Pulse.

A European investment bank has advocated for companies to be allowed to use environmental attribute certificates (EACs) including carbon credits where direct mitigation is not yet feasible.

Carbon removals registry Isometric is extending the crediting periods for direct air capture (DAC) and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) projects to support suppliers in their project development.

A large CO2 direct air capture (DAC) developer has signed an initial agreement to deploy the technology in Saudi Arabia, following successful testing, it announced on Tuesday.

A Singapore-based non-profit has secured design certification and registration for a mangrove restoration project in Indonesia, marking the first blue carbon initiative approved under Gold Standard’s Methodology for Sustainable Management of Mangroves.

State support - German steelmaker Salzgitter will receive a further €322 mln in state funding to convert its production to more climate-friendly methods, notably for its blast furnaces to use hydrogen instead of coal. The govt will provide 70% of the financing and 30% will come from Salzgitter's home state of Lower Saxony, and it will add to the around €1 bln of support planned for the project under the EU’s Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) programme. European steelmaking is facing growing pressures from cheaper Chinese imports, high energy prices, and carbon pricing. Last year, Germany’s crude steel production fell to 34.1 mln tonnes, the lowest level since the financial crisis of 2009, when output stood at 32.7 mln tonnes. (Hydrogen Central)

Net zero in sight - Birmingham Airport in England has launched a plan to reach net zero operational emissions by 2033 while backing wider efforts on decarbonisation. The UK's seventh-largest airport, serving almost 14 mln passengers a year, reduced its Scope 1 and 2 emissions in 2024 and 2025 by 30% compared to 2019 and 2020. Efforts include 100% renewable electricity supply, more energy-efficient equipment, and electric vehicle use. The airport is now working with stakeholders to enable the usage of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and has signed an agreement with ZeroAvia on hydrogen refuelling infrastructure. (edie.net)

A London-headquartered tropical forest restoration company has signed a long-term offtake agreement to supply up to 1.8 million carbon removal credits to Microsoft over 15 years, in one of the largest carbon removal transactions from a single project in Africa to date, the company said Tuesday.

Funding call - The Milkywire Climate Transformation Fund has opened its 2026 call for proposals under its nature protection and restoration and decarbonisation pillars, the organisation said on Feb. 19. The fund is seeking projects that remove implementation barriers and support early-stage climate solutions. Selected projects will receive one-year grants, with potential renewal based on performance. Applications close on March 17, with final selections expected by June. The fund is prioritising deforestation prevention, ecosystem restoration across forests, peatlands, and mangroves, and the scaling of emissions reduction solutions. It is also inviting expressions of interest from developers of nature-based carbon credit projects to explore future collaboration.

SAF policy - Expanding SAF mandates to include CDR could support both emissions reductions and cost containment in the aviation sector, Noah Deich, former secretary of the Energy Advisory Board at the US Department of Energy, said in a blog post last week. Current SAF frameworks in jurisdictions such as the EU, Canada, and ICAO largely exclude carbon removal pathways, despite high costs across all SAF options and uncertainty over which technologies will scale. Allowing a limited share of mandates to include removals could diversify supply, support innovation, and improve political durability of SAF policies, while providing offtake opportunities for the CDR sector, Deich said.

Europe’s largest business lobby has urged EU lawmakers to rethink key parts of the bloc’s carbon market as policymakers prepare the next overhaul of the Emissions Trading System (ETS), warning that industry competitiveness is at risk without greater flexibility.

New partner - Japanese project developer Green Carbon has signed an MoU with Thailand's Naresuan University to pursue an emissions reduction project using alternate wetting and drying practices across rice paddies in Phitsanulok province. They aim to introduce precise measurement of GHG emissions, develop a data infrastructure aligned with international carbon credit standards, and establish research and demonstration models to support large-scale project implementation, Green Carbon said in a statement, without disclosing more project details.

The EU’s climate policy architecture is becoming increasingly fragmented as more instruments and targets are layered on top of the Emissions Trading System (ETS), creating multiple carbon prices, and overlapping obligations on regulated companies, researchers have warned.

A nature-based solutions project developer has appointed former South Pole CEO Daniel Klier to its top post, in a push to scale carbon credit generation and supply chain decarbonisation efforts, the company announced Tuesday.

Malaysia has already used up its fair share of the global carbon budget under most equity-based allocation methods, with any further CO2 emissions now exceeding its 1.5C compatible limit, according to a policy brief published Tuesday.

The committee steering Japan's J-Credit programme is planning to add a new methodology that can encourage businesses to switch from high global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants to natural alternatives.

Indonesia has launched a five-year plan to protect and restore its vast mangrove and seagrass ecosystems, as it seeks to unlock new streams of finance from blue carbon.

The Australian government continues to work to ensure it has the right settings to encourage investment in carbon capture and storage, a minister told a conference Tuesday.

Finance friends – The Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI) and Japan’s Kamakura Sustainability Institute have signed an MoU to collaborate on a framework to support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement, the international non-profit said in a press release on Tuesday. Specifically, the two organisations will focus on strengthening green and transition finance efforts in Asia-Pacific, including via capacity-building on transition finance planning for national, sub-national, and private sector actors in Japan, CBI said. Last week, the CBI published a report which found that Japan risks missing its net zero by 2050 target due to heavy coal use, and called for it to raise its carbon price.

Prices in the New Zealand ETS have jumped up 20% over the past 10 days amid a surge in trading activity amid volatile conditions as natural sellers eke out higher prices. 

Missed opportunity – South Australia risks squandering an opportunity to lead the world in green iron and steel by signing an agreement to procure vast amounts of gas from Santos for the Whyalla steelworks, the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) said. The agreement backs a shift from coal-fired blast furnaces to gas-based direct reduced iron (DRI), but it still entrenches fossil fuel use and sidelines green hydrogen, the think-tank added. IEEFA also warned that while gas-based DRI cuts emissions versus coal, it cannot produce “green” steel and may leave Australia lagging global peers that are moving to hydrogen-led production.

Farming tool – Australia's science agency, the CSIRO, has launched FarmPrint, a web-based tool that helps farmers calculate, benchmark, and track their GHG emissions and broader environmental footprint using farm operational data. It measures both on-farm emissions and supply-chain inputs such as fertilisers and fuel, enabling farmers to improve reporting, demonstrate sustainability performance, and identify ways to reduce emissions. Supported by the government's Clean Energy Finance Corporation, the tool is designed to help farmers meet growing market and finance pressures for transparent emissions data while supporting more sustainable farm management.

Australian oil and gas company Woodside Energy achieved its 2025 net emission reduction targets by surrendering some 1.28 million carbon credits, as gross emissions continued to rise, according to its annual results published Tuesday.