Thirty-six mitigation strategies across sectors including electricity, industry, transport, buildings, and land use could each deliver around 2 billion tonnes of CO2e of annual emissions reductions by 2050, according to research published Thursday.

Large amounts of ancient carbon released from thawing permafrost are accumulating in Arctic lakes rather than rapidly converting into greenhouse gases, although part of the carbon is still contributing to CO2 emissions, according to new research.

A senior European Commission official has said that the executive plans to revisit the debate on including indirect emissions for the metals sector in its Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) in 2027.

A senior European Commission official has said EU member states are not transparent about how they spend revenues from the Emissions Trading System (ETS) and that their reporting is often insufficient and sometimes misguided.

EU carbon prices ended the day slightly weaker on Thursday after clawing back an early decline of 1.6%, while energy markets resumed their climb after a midweek sell-off as the conflict in the Persian Gulf extended into its sixth day.

Global tech giants are joining forces to deploy $100 million to reducing super pollutants such as methane, black carbon, and refrigerant gasses.

A group of European energy ministers has urged the European Commission to maintain stability in the EU’s electricity market rules, warning that major changes could undermine investor confidence and raise costs for consumers, amid pressure to reform the Emissions Trading System (ETS) to bring down power prices.

Developers working on community-led forest carbon projects face challenges in accessing early-stage funding due to a declining availability of flexible grants and a lack of private finance pre-certification, a report has suggested.

CDR offtake - Sirona Technologies has signed a multi-year offtake agreement for carbon removal credits generated from its modular direct air capture (DAC) projects that are made in Belgium and deployed globally. The deal was facilitated by carbon marketplace Patch and details about the buyer (s) and volumes weren't specified in the press release. The agreement reflects the trend of buyers securing durable CDR now to guarantee access to high-quality supply later this decade, it said.

Without robust safeguards, transacting carbon credits internationally under Article 6 risks becoming a substitute for domestic climate action, and could worsen global inequalities, according to a new report from a non-profit.

African countries are strengthening governance frameworks for implementing their nationally determined contributions (NDCs), but weak measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) systems and limited access to climate finance continue to slow progress, a new study has found.

A France-based carbon standard has released new jurisdictional risk map for REDD projects in Brazil, it announced Thursday.

A coalition of civil society groups has put several of the world’s largest development banks on notice over their continued financing of fossil fuel projects, warning that the institutions and their government shareholders could be violating international law.

Members of the European Parliament cautioned against adding further flexibilities to the Commission's proposed Market Stability Reserve (MSR) amendment for the Emissions Trading System for heating and transport (ETS2), saying it could eliminate the price signal and weaken the climate policy.

European Union countries on Thursday gave final approval to a new 2040 climate target requiring the bloc to cut net greenhouse gas emissions by 90%, compared with 1990 levels.

Drilling consent - The UK's North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) has granted approval to drill a carbon storage appraisal well as part of the Endurance project off the coast of Teesside in northeast England, the organisation said in a release Thursday. It marks the next step in meeting the govt target to store 100 mln tonnes of CO2 per year, required to meet the country's net zero by 2050 goal. The NSTA is currently offering 14 locations in the UK’s second carbon storage licensing round, building on the 21 licences awarded in the first round in 2023. The Endurance project was awarded the first carbon storage permit in Dec. 2024.

Extension subsidies - The UK govt has confirmed its intention to allow existing nuclear power plants to be eligible for Contracts for Difference (CfD) support for lifetime-extension activities. This follows a consultation it held, to which it received 13 responses including from electricity generators, investors, and supply chain organisations. The feedback expressed broad support for the value-for-money, energy-security, and decarbonisation benefits of extending existing nuclear assets, alongside assurance requests that any CfD wouldn't affect funding for renewables. The govt will now lay regulations before Parliament to incorporate the consultation policy proposal into national legislation, subject to Parliamentary approval. Any award of a CfD for nuclear life extension will be subject to robust value-for-money and subsidy-control assessments.

ETS on the agenda - IEA head Fatih Birol and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are to meet on Friday in Brussels to discuss energy policy, including the design of the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), according to reporting by the Financial Times. The meeting will primarily focus on electricity market design and how it interacts with the EU’s carbon market. European Parliament EPP lawmaker Peter Liese has urged the European Commission to take a more moderate approach when updating EU ETS benchmarks, reiterating previous comments, warning that overly strict revisions could sharply reduce the level of free emissions allowances available to industry and push carbon prices higher. He stated that the Commission is preparing an ambitious benchmark revision expected in April that would significantly cut free allocations for heavy industrial sectors. Meanwhile, German fertiliser producer SKW Piesteritz said recent spikes in energy prices should serve as a wake-up call for policymakers and called for exemptions for ammonia production from the EU ETS, arguing that the sector is particularly vulnerable to rising energy and carbon costs.

The European Commission announced Thursday it has approved a €200 million Spanish state aid scheme to support investments adding manufacturing capacity across the electric vehicle (EV) value chain, in line with the objectives of the EU’s Clean Industrial Deal.

Dutch emissions factors - The Dutch Emissions Authority has published an annually updated list of energy carriers and standard CO2 emission factors dated Jan. 2026. The list covers everything from fossil fuels to biomass to waste. The calorific values (in megajoules/unit) and emissions factors (in kgCO2/gigajoule) for all fuels are listed for 2024, 2025, and 2026. In an explanatory note, the authority explains that the 2024 values will be used in 2026 for international GHG emissions reporting to the UN and EU. The 2025 values will be used for national reporting this year. And the 2026 values will be used next year for emissions reporting by companies taking part in the EU ETS that have communicated in their monitoring plans they intend to use the Dutch list. (Updated list)

Capture partners - Saipem and Capsol Technologies have entered into a non-exclusive cooperation agreement on carbon capture, focused on the joint development of projects in the hot potassium carbonate (HPC) segment. The partnership aims to combine Capsol’s CO2 capture technology with Saipem’s expertise in delivering complex energy projects, in order to provide large industrial emitters with an easily implementable solution. It also builds on the experience gained from the large-scale bioenergy carbon capture and storage (BECCS) plant project for Stockholm Exergi, currently under construction, for which Saipem is EPC contractor and which uses Capsol’s technology.

Milestone marked - Cement maker Lafarge France has signed a front end engineering design (FEED) contract with Air Liquide to install a CO2 capture installation at the Le Teil plant's cement kiln. Engineering teams will this year design and model the future facility, which is expected to enter service in 2029. Once operational, the system will capture 200,000 tonnes of CO2 annually, to be transported by rail to the Roches‑Roussillon platform in Isère, where it will be combined with renewable hydrogen and converted by Elyse Energy into 150,000 tonnes of low‑carbon e‑methanol annually - equivalent to about 20% of current French demand. (Carbon Capture Magazine)

Shipping executives reiterated calls for the adoption of a global climate framework at a conference in London, but said that decarbonisation is an underlying trend regardless.

What we wait - Ahead of the European Commission's new SMR nuclear strategy due on Mar. 10, Renew Europe has put forward an eight-point priority list of essential measures to take at European level to ensure that the region takes the lead in the race for the development of these small reactions through innovative designs. Among them are the need of a predictable, modern, and harmonised regulatory framework through an SMR Act, the development of an optional European SMR pre-licensing certification, an attractive financing environment that encourages innovation, investment, and industrial leadership as well as the crucial support of a European supply chain, technologies, and strategic autonomy. Renew, the centrist, liberal faction of the European Parliament, said is believes that with an ambitious strategy, SMRs can become a key pillar of Europe’s carbon-neutral energy system.

UK CBAM survey - The UK's HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is developing a new online service to support the launch of the UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and is asking affected businesses to take part in user research to help shape the service before it goes live. Research sessions will run Mar. 16-20, with further opportunities up to July, and will take place in person or via Teams, with participants asked to try early-stage designs of the service and provide their feedback. Those keen to take part should complete this form before midday UK time on Mar. 11. The UK's carbon border fee is set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2027, with fees collected by HMRC and dropped into the pot with wider tax revenue.

The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) on Thursday approved a French carbon standard as eligible under its Core Carbon Principles (CCPs), bringing the total number of programmes allowed to issue the high-integrity voluntary credits to nine.

A European development bank is aiming to channel a minimum of €150 billion in cumulative green finance over the next five years, it said on Wednesday.