The first auction of the year for units in New Zealand’s ETS garnered no bids, in line with expectations.

California's electricity sector emissions fell for a fifth straight January as natural gas lost ground in the power mix to imports and hydro, according to the state's grid operator.

An Australian company developing zero-emissions chemicals for use in hard-to-abate sectors has raised A$30 million ($21.3 mln) in a Series A financing round, led by the Gates Foundation.

California air regulator ARB staff is urging companies to comply with the first regulatory deadline for the state's corporate emissions reporting programme, even as industry seeks delays. 

A refrigerants producer has asked the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) to review a ruling that upheld the US EPA’s authority to allocate hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) allowances under a 2020 climate law, arguing that Congress unconstitutionally handed the agency “unbounded discretion” over a multibillion-dollar market.

Alberta has published a notice to emissions offset stakeholders proposing to withdraw its anaerobic landfill bioreactor quantification protocol, while building on its existing vent gas reduction protocol. 

Climate clash - US Congressional Democrats are pressing the Federal Judicial Center to reinstate a climate science chapter removed from its Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence, arguing the decision reflects political interference. In a letter led by Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), lawmakers told Judge Robin Rosenberg, the centre’s director, that deleting the material amounted to an unconscionable response to right-wing pressure and argued it sends a message that the federal judiciary is susceptible to partisan political pressure. The centre pulled the chapter two weeks earlier after a coalition of Republican attorneys general said it was biased against the fossil fuel industry. (E&E News)

Reporting reprieve - The US EPA on Friday delayed its annual GHG reporting deadline for major emitters until Oct. 30, extending the Mar. 31 cut-off for roughly 8,200 facilities as the Trump administration moves to scrap most of the programme, E&E News reported. The agency said the postponement would allow time to finalise a proposal issued in Sep. 2025 to eliminate reporting requirements for 46 of 47 source categories under the long-running GHG reporting rule. The petroleum sector would remain subject to reporting because Congress mandated it in the Inflation Reduction Act, although that obligation was paused until 2034 under legislation enacted last year. The EPA stated the extension was intended to allow time for the EPA to issue a final rule prior to the reporting year 2025 reporting deadline and to allow regulated entities to adjust compliance efforts accordingly as it works to conclude its rulemaking on the future of the reporting programme.

Nova Scotia geoscience - Nova Scotia’s Subsurface Energy R&D Investment Program (SERDIP) is offering financial incentives to operators to explore the province’s petroleum potential as a part of a controlled research initiative, according to a call for participation posted to government tender boards. The posting said the provincial initiative is designed to explore onshore hydrocarbon resources while ensuring environmental stewardship and transparency. It aims to enhance geological knowledge and assess resource viability and extraction, as well as to advance scientific understanding of subsurface geology, new energy potential in geothermal or carbon capture utilisation and storage, and modern drilling and stimulation technologies to help shape future energy policy and economic development.

Artificial intelligence could help Southeast Asian power grids save up to $67 billion and avoid nearly 400 million tonnes of CO2e by 2035, according to a report launched Tuesday that added on to the list of tall-order expectations from the new technology.

California regulators last week ordered load-serving entities to procure 6,000 MW of new clean capacity between 2030 and 2032, citing rising demand forecasts and a rapid phase-out of federal tax credits.

Brazil J-REDD+ implementation – The state of Para is continuing its free, prior, and informed consultation (FPIC) process on its jurisdictional REDD+ (J-REDD+) programme in the Brazilian Amazon. This week, the state government resumed consultations in the municipality of Cachoeira do Arari with Quilombola leaders, representative associations, local communities, and public authorities, it said in a press release. Last year, the State Secretariat for the Environment, Climate and Sustainability (Semas) concluded consultations with representatives from the extractive sector.

COP30 pledge formalised – Brazilian development bank BNDES and sustainable land management company Tree Agroflorestal (Tree+) signed on Monday a R$151.8 mln ($29.3 mln) financing agreement to support restoration of the Atlantic Forest. The deal had previously been announced during COP30 in Belem last November, with the expectation that the project will generate carbon credits. The resources will come from the National Climate Fund and are earmarked for the ecological restoration of 15,000 ha, mainly in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

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.

An Article 6 frontrunner country will imminently pass further regulations boosting participation in the UN market, while smaller-scale players plan regional coordination to leverage it.

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.

Five improved forest management (IFM) projects in China show no statistically significant evidence of additional carbon sequestration, while projected removals exceeded empirical estimates by an average factor of 3.7, a new study said.

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.

Opening up - The Carbon to Sea Initiative has launched the Interactive MRV Database to document how MRV is currently being conducted across five of the world’s earliest ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) field projects. OAE is an open-system CDR approach, meaning carbon uptake occurs gradually across space and time. Carbon to Sea said that while this makes it potentially scalable, it also creates challenges around measurement, attribution, and standardisation. Monitoring approaches vary depending on the OAE method used, the objectives of the research, and whether the project is led by academic researchers or private companies, it added. "In the absence of a shared regulatory standard, there remains ambiguity around what monitoring for OAE entails, how much progress has been made, and how closely perceptions align with actual field practice." In 2025, Carbon to Sea carried out a structured MRV landscape analysis, combining a review of public documentation with 37 expert interviews spanning academia, private developers, MRV providers, buyers, and funders. The resulting database aims to establish a baseline against which improvements in MRV quality, confidence, and eventually cost can be tracked. Developed with input from the five featured projects, the database indexes more than 250 individual measurements. It records parameters measured, locations, sampling methods or sensors used, and the stated purpose of each measurement. The information is consolidated into a unified structure and accompanied by a meta-analysis highlighting patterns and areas of alignment across projects. Carbon to Sea said the database is not intended to compare projects directly, assess the adequacy of individual MRV systems, validate CDR claims, or evaluate baseline monitoring. Instead, it focuses specifically on OAE-related measurements and seeks to identify emerging themes and opportunities for improvement, acting as a practical tool without having to compile information from multiple sources. Carbon to Sea plans to update it annually as additional projects come online and monitoring practices evolve, and is inviting further submissions to expand its coverage. An open fellowship position will support the next phase of database development.

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)

A large Chinese electric vehicle producer has reported a significant fall in sales year-on-year in February as strong export growth was more than offset by a cooling domestic market in China.

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.

Papua New Guinea has formally operationalised its Carbon Permit Application (CPA) process, replacing the previous Project Concept Note system with a structured statutory framework designed to tighten environmental integrity, formalise landowner consent, and provide clearer timelines for project approval.

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)

Renewable energy capacity in Australia’s development pipeline is more than triple what is forecast to be needed to reach net zero emissions, but is being bogged down in approval processes, according to an analysis.

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.

Fine-tuning - A working group under Mongolia's parliament is in talks with the environment ministry for the draft revision to the country's forest law. Government officials recently exchanged views on the implementation of the law and related research, according to a release by the parliament. The working group aims to improve the protection of the interests of citizens and businesses living in forest areas, as well as to develop more detailed regulations within the national afforestation programme. Mongolia has launched a national campaign to plant a billion trees by 2030.  

Navigating complexities - Taiwan's environment ministry will set up a platform to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) adapt to the EU CBAM, Taipei Times reported. Taiwanese CBAM goods imported by the EU totalled 3.74 mln tonnes during the transitional period, most of which were steel products such as screws and fasteners. According to the ministry, about 2,600 Taiwanese SMEs produce such goods.

A UK carbon project developer and a Singapore-based merchant bank have signed two memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with the government of the Kyrgyz Republic to support the development of country’s carbon market under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.

Recent controversies linked to forest carbon projects have reignited debate over one of Brazil’s most complex governance challenges: land tenure regularisation.

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.

Energy pact - India and Canada signed a strategic partnership on Monday covering LNG, LPG, uranium, solar, and hydrogen. Saskatoon-based Cameco said it will supply nearly 22 mln pounds of uranium to India between 2027-35 for nuclear power generation, at a deal worth $1.9 bln. The two sides also signed agreements on critical minerals and broader energy supply chains including solar, wind, biofuels, and hydropower.

China's Guangdong province has decided to cut the free allocation of CO2 permits to strengthen its regional ETS, while regulators in Shanghai recently introduced a trust mechanism to create a carbon allowance reserve.

The total number of hectares in New Zealand’s ETS went backwards in February as hardly any new applications were submitted, according to government data published Monday.

The Australian Coalition opposition party say they will reintroduce powers to allow the federal agriculture minister to veto large proposed carbon credit projects and do away with reforms to the Safeguard Mechanism, according to local media.

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.

Battery bonanza - More than 250,000 households, small businesses, and community organisations have installed subsidised batteries under the Australian government's Cheaper Home Batteries programme, it announced. The programme has delivered about 6.3 GWh of storage and often paired with new or upgraded solar systems, the government said. Energy minister Chris Bowen said the milestone shows strong uptake of practical clean-energy technology that cuts bills while improving reliability and supporting the shift to renewables.

Investment -  Japanese utility J-Power has invested in a carbon exchange operator JGX for an undisclosed amount, according to a company statement. JGX provides consulting services about carbon credit creation and emissions management, while operating a J-Credit trading platform. J-Power said it will support JGX's business and technology development, as well as use the latter's marketplace to sell credits generated from its power projects.

First overseas project - Tokyo-based Linkhola has launched a carbon credit project that aims to cut emissions in Thailand based on the solar power purchase agreement (PPA) model, the first overseas project under its crediting programme Earthstory. Credits from the project, developed based on a J-Credit methodology, will be issued in May, Linkhola said, without disclosing more project details. The company also said it aims to expand its presence in the ASEAN region.

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.

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are being systematically shut out of global climate finance despite facing some of the most acute climate impacts, according to a report released Monday that said funders view these nations as too small, fragmented, and risky to support.