For the first time, sales of new electric vehicles in 2025 surpassed sales of petrol cars in Europe, highlighting a structural shift in the car market despite pushback from Germany, which recently voiced opposition against an EU proposal to electrify corporate fleets.

Providing a long-term, state-backed funding profile would help unlock carbon capture and storage (CCS) at scale in the UK, as would higher carbon prices, executives told a conference Tuesday.

New blood - Edwina Johnson, formerly of GTM. Investor, has joined CUR8 as as COO. Having worked for several venture capital firms in recent years, Johnson welcomed being back in early-stage building mode, she said on social media. Acario Innovation, the corporate venture arm of Tokyo Gas, the largest city gas provider in Japan and a diversified electric utility, announced this week a strategic investment into London-headquartered CUR8.

A direct air capture (DAC) project developer has secured an offtake agreement aimed at scaling carbon removals (CDR) in Kenya, the company announced this week.

Racing to remove - The Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team will imminently announce a new carbon removal deal for a total of more than 18,600 tonnes from seven projects, the Economist Sustainability Week heard in London on Tuesday. These projects include ones developed by biochar developer Carboneers and Brazil-based enhanced rock weathering (ERW) developer InPlanet, said Alice Ashpitel, the company's head of sustainability, on a panel about carbon credits. The purchase will contribute to the company's net zero for Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030 goal, and the projects were chosen to reflect geographic diversity and innovative technology - to reflect the team's need to travel internationally for races and investment in its own R&D, said Ashpitel. Framing carbon removal as aligned with the company's core values was key to getting approval by the CFO, she said.

European carbon prices posted strong gains on Tuesday as buyers entered the market after the daily auction, with utilities thought to be buying carbon to cover increasing coal-fired generation amid a near-doubling of the cost of natural gas.

Hydrogen Act, please - Germany's main trade association for energy and water industries (BDEW) is calling for a national 'Hydrogen Act' that provides a full legislative framework for all aspects of a hydrogen economy. It should combine regulations, incentives, and subsidies, and target a similar impact to the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) - currently under review - that enabled the roll-out of renewables, the group says. It adds that lessons should be learned from the EEG, especially with regard to the duration and amount of public funding. The BDEW argues that only with hydrogen will Germany succeed in decarbonising its energy-intensive industries and remain internationally competitive. "Hydrogen is the natural partner of renewables." Progress on hydrogen has stalled in many places. A Hydrogen Acceleration Act passed by the Bundestag last week was welcomed by the BDEW, although the group highlighted that it mainly benefited hydrogen production, less so other elements of the value chain. (BDEW press release and position paper)

European Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra has ruled out suspending the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) for fertilisers, saying the bloc will instead address potential price increases through a dedicated sectoral action plan.

Emission charges including CORSIA, the UN’s cap-and-trade market for international flights, has started to bite airlines after a major European airline group reported an almost 400% rise in costs year-on-year.

Experts charged with implementing the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism (PACM) have a tricky year ahead as they aim to fast-track implementation of the new Article 6 market, while ensuring standards are kept high, observers have said.

A de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz has sent Asian liquefied natural gas (LNG) benchmarks soaring, raising questions about whether a drawn out conflict could impact coal switching, carbon prices, and higher emissions across the region, analysts said Tuesday.

A swathe of NGOs and charities are urging the UK Prime Minister not to cut international climate finance (ICF) after plans were leaked that the government intends to slash aid to poor countries stricken by the climate crisis by more than a fifth.

Ferries account for 15 to over 100 times more air pollution than all cars in major European port cities such as Barcelona, Dublin, and Naples, according to a new study, which views the sector as ripe for electrification.

Campaigners have rejected industry claims opposing the inclusion of waste incineration in the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), arguing that increased recycling would reduce the burning of fossil-based plastics, and help cut emissions.

Fairness first - The UK's Environmental Audit Committee has called for clearer policy direction on net zero, which should improve affordability, health outcomes, and local environments to ensure public backing. On Tuesday, the cross-party Committee published its assessment of the Climate Change Committee’s (CCC’s) advice on building the Seventh Carbon Budget, covering 2038-42. Published last summer, the advice stated that the UK risks delivering less than two-thirds of the emissions reductions legally required by 2030, largely due to high electricity costs discouraging electrification. To increase fairness within the country's net zero goal, the Committee has urged the govt ro remove certain policy costs from electricity bills to redress the imbalance between power and gas prices, and also requested an assessment of groups most at risk of unfairly negative impacts of the energy transition. It also called for ministers to lay out how the budget will prevent offshoring of emissions and support domestic decarbonisation. The govt is required to finalise and set the Seventh Carbon Budget in law by end-June. (edie.net)

A global consultancy has launched to provide integrated advisory services remotely across carbon market policy, science, and communications, its founders announced on Wednesday.

A Swiss-based insurer aims to replace buffer pools with regulated in-kind and in-cash cover, but says the Verra pilot will test the mechanism's efficiency and long-term sustainability.