Tasty marks – Global Cookstoves, a joint venture operated by cookstove developer Burn and financier Key Carbon, has received an AA rating from Calyx Global for its Kenyan clean cooking project, Burn said in a press release Monday. The analysis confirmed a low risk of non-additionality, with carbon revenues necessary to subsidise improved stove adoption in rural areas where traditional three-stone fires and inefficient stoves were common. Overall, Calyx estimated that any potential overestimation of climate impact is below 10%. This rating came just weeks after another project by Global Cookstoves in Somalia gained a BBB rating from BeZero. Both projects use sing Gold Standard’s TPDDTEC methodology, which has been approved by the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market for its Core Carbon Principle programme.

The significant increase in electricity demand from data centres is facilitating investments in long duration energy storage, according to an investor in early-stage technology.

Voluntary carbon credit retirements surged last week to more than 14 million credits across the four main standard bodies, boosted by strong activity from an oil major.

European carbon shook off an initial €2 plunge to end the day higher, amid a steep and widespread jump in energy prices after the weekend’s attacks on Iran, as EUAs appeared to absorb the narrowing fuel-switch differential that moved in favour of coal and downplayed the macroeconomic risk-off mood.

Stronger together - The EU and Switzerland have signed an electricity agreement intended to eventually integrate the land-locked nation into the bloc's internal market. Signed against a backdrop of growing geopolitical upheaval, the bilateral deal has nearly almost 20 years to negotiate but should enable more efficient electricity trading and better grid stability and supply security for both parties. The package must now be ratified by the European Parliament and the EU Council, whilst in Switzerland it will first go to the parliament and then probably to a public vote. The Commission wants ratification complete by end-2028. (Montel News)

Solar subsidy cuts – Germany will end subsidies for rooftop solar PV, confirmed a leaked draft circulating in Germany last week of an amendment to the country's Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG), reported Tagesspiegel Background Energie & Klima. The over 400-page document, dated Jan. 22,  said that new, private solar PV systems smaller than 25 kW would no longer receive feed-in tariffs and, where possible, should not feed any electricity into the grid. The move is not unexpected; Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Katherina Reiche said in Sep. 2025 that reduced costs made rooftop solar PV viable without subsidies. Her comments came on the back of a national energy transition "monitoring" report. In follow-up reporting on Monday, Tagesspiegel Background wrote that the minister wants to focus on larger, more economical ground-mounted solar. (Tagesspiegel Background Energie & Klima first and follow-up articles)

COP30 roadmaps – The UNFCCC has opened a public call for comments on the two roadmaps announced by the COP30 Presidency last year: one on transitioning away from fossil fuels and another on halting and reversing deforestation. Parties, observers, and stakeholders may submit contributions until March 31.

The EU’s Emissions Trading System (ETS) must be adjusted so Europe’s industry can thrive in an era of big power politics while “staying the course” on climate action, according to the head of the bloc's electricity industry association.

The UK's North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) has published maps showing areas of the North Sea considered of interest for future CO2 storage assessment.

Even if countries stick to their net zero pledges, global temperature rise could reach 2.48C by 2300, with potential for climate-related damages to hit $65 trillion by 2200 unless stronger action is taken, an academic study found.

Big numbers - A NewClimate Institute policy brief has warned that EU and German plans to use international carbon credits for 2040 climate targets could weaken climate action. Allowing up to 5% of the EU's new 90% emission reductions goal effectively lowers domestic cuts, enabling higher emissions in 2040 and creating a steep reduction gap afterward, the think tank said. Germany could emit 63 MtCO2e more and spend up to €37.6 bln on credits. The report argued that past offset schemes have often lacked real emission reductions and may delay innovation and investment.

Smelter sale - Aluminium Bahrain will buy Aluminium Dunkerque - Europe's biggest smelter in northern France - from America Industrial Partners, the FT reported. It has pledged to protect jobs at the site and suggested it may allow the French govt to take a stake. The deal terms are undisclosed, not yet finalised, and may involve state-owned investment bank Bpifrance taking a stake. The site employs 750 people and produces 300,000 tonnes of aluminium annually, and has potential to help fill more European aluminium needs locally. Aluminium Bahrain is majority owned by the Gulf island nation’s sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat, and already owns the world’s biggest smelter outside China.

Cap on combustion - Germany’s Federal Court of Justice (BGH) is set to rule whether carmakers BMW and Mercedes can continue selling combustion engine cars beyond 2030, following a lawsuit by Environmental Action Germany (DUH). The non-profit argues that companies violate the country's Climate Action Law by placing additional fossil fuel-powered vehicles on the market, which eat into Germany's 'remaining carbon budget'. However, the German govt has consistently argued against the use of such budgets. DUH also argues that the 2021 ruling by Germany’s Constitutional Court - that insufficient climate action today could impede on the fundamental rights of future generations - can also be applied to corporations. The lawsuit had already been rejected by two lower courts, leading DUH to seek a revision by the BGH. It is not clear when the court will announce a decision. (Clean Energy Wire)

New powers - England's largest land manager, Forestry England, will now be able to host renewable electricity projects under new statutory powers that came into effect on Feb. 27. The organisation will work with Great British Energy to deliver renewable energy projects such as rooftop solar, with the income streams to support Forestry England's goals for tree planting, woodland management, and wildlife support. There will no net loss of woodland area as a result, with new trees planted to compensate for any removed as a result of renewable projects. The generated energy will be sold to the national grid, supporting the UK's clean power by 2030 goal. Forestry England manages the nation’s 1,500 woods and forests covering over 250,000 hectares.

Coming up, on ETS2 – the European Commission has announced the upcoming launch of two implementing acts on the EU’s Emissions Trading Scheme for road transport and heating fuels (ETS2). The first, due to be adopted in Q2 this year, will set detailed rules for providing financial compensation to final consumers of fuels which face ETS2 carbon costs in cases where double counting or unintended coverage could not be avoided. The second, planned for adoption in Q4, will set rules for the reporting by regulated entities of the share of ETS2 costs related to the surrender of allowances which have been passed on to final consumers of fuels for the preceding year.

Rosebank opposition – More than 60 parliamentarians have said they are against the UK government opening a new oil field in Scotland, including 16 MPs from the country’s ruling Labour party. Former leadership candidate Clive Lewis was among the signatories of the anti-oil field pledge put forward by Uplift, a campaigning organisation. Lewis said that approving the Rosebank oil field would run counter to long term interests and show a caving to an anti-climate and anti-renewable agenda, the Standard reported. Norwegian energy company Equinor was given permission in 2023 to develop the Rosebank site, considered the UK’s largest untapped oil and gas field. A court ruled in 2025 that this decision was unlawful as it failed to account for the additional emissions released into the atmosphere through burning Rosebank’s reserves.

Carbon removal should be treated as “time-bound storage leases” backed by specialist delivery companies, according to a recently published academic paper that argued current markets have failed to deliver liquidity, price discovery, or scale.

Chocolate for good - Confectionary company Mars has launched an impact fund committing $85 mln between 2025 and 2027 to programmes across community resilience, scientific support, and companion animal health. Initial funding includes a $3 mln, three-year programme with Save the Children to expand village savings and loan associations in cocoa-growing regions of Indonesia. A further $726,000 will go to Humane World for Animals to improve access to veterinary services and professional training in India and Mexico. The fund will also act as Mars' primary mechanism for disaster response affecting employees, communities, and supply chains. From 2028, Mars plans to increase the fund’s scale with a minimum annual commitment of $50 mln. (Food & Drink International)

Greener operations - Lithuanian cement producer AB Akmenės cementas plans to invest more than €700 mln on transforming its business, mostly for sustainability purposes, according to a press release. The total includes up to €600 mln for carbon capture and storage (CCS), in a bid to be carbon neutral from 2035 onwards, and to ensure continued competitivity under the EU ETS. The company is launching the CCS Baltic consortium alongside KN Energies, Schwenk Latvija, Larvik Shipping, and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines. This aims to develop a full CCS value chain in the region, from capture at cement plant to transport, liquefaction, handling at the Klaipėda CO2 transshipment terminal, and permanent storage beneath the North Sea. About 75% of the cement produced at Akmenės Cement, the only cement factory in Lithuania, is sold in Lithuania itself.

Natural gas prices are set for extreme volatility as the conflict in the Middle East escalates, but the EU carbon market was relatively stable on Monday as analysts pointed to competing impacts for the bloc's Emissions Trading System (ETS) of war in the region.

The European Commission will launch its first call to approve certification bodies under the EU’s Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming (CRCF) regulation in April, an official has indicated.

Carbon capture may only be viable for specific processes in Europe's chemical sector and is likely to remain a niche transition tool, according to a new analysis by climate think tank Sandbag.

Advancing clean cooking - Sustainable Energy for All, in collaboration with the Rwandan government, has released the National Integrated Clean Cooking Planning (NICCP) framework to accelerate the country’s transition to clean cooking. The initiative will use interactive, data-driven tools to provide a roadmap for policy design, investment opportunities, and sustainable service delivery. The NICCP assesses two planning scenarios against a baseline: the Aligned Plan, which aims to meet Rwanda’s existing national clean cooking ambitions, and the CleanStep Plan, which targets higher clean cooking penetration by 2029 followed by economic recovery and stable social costs through 2034. The framework accounts for regional differences, mapping technology adoption based on LPG and electricity infrastructure, consumer demographics, and land-use patterns, and is designed as an adaptable tool to support progress towards universal access, the government said.

The investment arm of a Tokyo gas provider has invested in a UK-based carbon removal (CDR) intelligence and due diligence platform.

Investors with over $1.2 trillion in assets under management have urged the Greenhouse Gas Protocol to ensure that it proceeds with proposed changes to its Scope 2 emissions guidance, to ensure that companies provide more detail on their renewable energy use including on hourly matching.