While Mexico and Colombia finalise key components of their emissions trading systems (ETS) ahead of publishing implementing decrees this year, Chile advances on operational rules for Article 6 and its integration with other environmental market mechanisms, officials from the three countries said during a panel on Wednesday.

Current satellite-based forest monitoring pipelines often function as de facto “black boxes” – complex, region-specific, and difficult to replicate, a webinar heard this week.

Several of Chile's ministries and the state-owned BancoEstado have created a public-private initiative with Chilean industries to facilitate the participation of small and medium-sized forest landowners in carbon markets.

The Symbiosis Coalition has updated its quality criteria, expanding its remit to include mangrove restoration projects in addition to those focused on terrestrial reforestation and agroforestry.

The Norwegian parliament voted Thursday to scrap its 2030 climate neutrality target after lawmakers and climate NGOs raised concerns about its cost and impact, with experts estimating this may weaken short-term demand for Article 6 linked carbon credits.

Carbon removal (CDR) policies could misjudge climate benefits by assessing activities at the facility level while overlooking emissions from the wider systems they depend on, a new report has found.

A carbon procurement and intelligence platform has partnered with a provider of geospatial mapping and carbon stock data to support companies and investors report on their Scope 3 impact and mitigate those emissions with environmental certificates.

CDR play - The Lego Group has expanded its durable carbon removal (CDR) portfolio with ClimeFi across the three pathways of biomass geological storage, mineralisation, and marine carbon removal. They form part of the toymaker’s DKK 18 mln (€2.4 mln) pledge to four CDR projects - three durable CDR projects through ClimeFi, and one nature-based reforestation project in Mexico through Climate Impact Partners. This brings Lego's total commitment in CDR to DKK 54 mln, the release stated.

Form a line - Two procedural instruments have been published under the Paris Agreement Article 6.4 mechanism to guide how stakeholders interact with approved methodologies. The first is the Methodology/Tool Revision Request Form, used when proposing modifications to an existing approved methodology. It requires the methodology reference and version, a revised document highlighting changes, a clear justification, and authorised signatory contact details. The official template must be used without alteration. The second is the Methodology/Tool Clarification Request Form, used when stakeholders need interpretation or guidance on applying a methodology. It requires a description of the issue, methodology reference, submitter affiliation (e.g., project participant, national authority, auditor), and authorised contact information, also using the fixed template.

A new playbook sets out key actions to scale up the number of Africa-based validation and verification bodies (VVBs) in the voluntary carbon market – to reduce project delays and cost overruns, and deliver greater socio-economic benefit for the continent.

The widely cited $100 per tonne figure for the levelised cost of captured CO2 in direct air capture (DAC) masks wide variation in individual project costs and depends heavily on assumptions around energy, location, and financing, according to a Dutch DAC technology provider.

Collateral damage  - Hardwood trees harbouring heart rot disease emit far more methane than their healthy counterparts, according to new research from the University of Notre Dame Environmental Research Center (UNDERC). The study has implications for the general assumption that upland forests are robust consumers of methane. Heart rot disease is a pervasive fungal infection compromising the structural integrity of hardwood trees. The decay weakens trees from within, leading to fractures in the bark that release methane and as the disease gets worse, the fractures become more numerous, leading to methane produced inside the tree to be vented to the atmosphere. The finding challenges earlier assumptions about the primary origin of methane uptake and emission in upland forests. (Bioengineer.org)      

Vietnam has issued a circular clarifying long-awaited rules that will govern its national carbon registry, as the Southeast Asian country moves closer to launching emissions trading later this year.

Delivery partner - Removals marketplace Supercritical has transacted the largest volume of delivered Puro.earth carbon removal credits for the second year in a run, it announced Thursday. Last year saw 63, 296 Puro.earth-issued credits transacted on the platform, including credits where Supercritical acted as counterparty. Supercritical's role as Puro.earth's leading marketplace partner for two consecutive years "reinforces its role as a trusted procurement partner for buyers who prioritise verified delivery alongside long-term market development", the statement read.

The voluntary carbon market (VCM) is drawing new institutional fixed-income investors, buyers, and funds – but several forms of risk and taxes are spooking others, a webinar heard.

Precision subsoil biochar application significantly increased soil organic carbon stocks in a three-year German field trial, while regenerative agriculture practices without biochar produced no statistically significant gain, according to research released Thursday.

Monitoring - Paris-based CarbonFarm has teamed up with Asvata, backed by Indian conglomerate RPG Enterprises, to provide satellite-based digital monitoring for a rice methane reduction programme in the state of West Bengal, the firms announced on LinkedIn Thursday. The AWD program covers more than 30,000 smallholder farms. CarbonFarm will also supply field-level satellite observation and track water usage.

Strategic advice - Carbon data provider Sylvera has launched a new policy advisory board, to help ensure its platform continues to support the next generation of high-integrity climate investment, it said in a release Thursday. The new board consists of Molly Peters-Stanley, senior fellow at Sylvera with experience in CORSIA and Article 6, David Carlin, who founded and led the UNEP FI programmes on climate risk, William Otieno, regional lead for east and southern Africa at UNFCCC, Lisa DeMarco, senior partner and CEO at law firm Resilient, and Kazuhisa Koakutsu, director of the Article 6 Implementation Partnership (A6IP). The board will provide strategic guidance on anticipating policy developments in carbon markets; providing thought leadership on how policy, integrity, and data intersect; and providing outreach and engagement with governments, regulators, and standard setters.

An Indian carmaker has secured registration for the world’s first modal shift transportation project to generate carbon credits, with its Gujarat in-plant railway siding approved under Verra’s Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) programme, the company announced.