An increase in high-quality and large-scale carbon dioxide removal (CDR) credit supply, growing buyer participation – even speculators – and the emergence of financial and technological infrastructure suggest the engineered removals market may be approaching a turning point, according to the president of a leading carbon removals standard.

Corporations can achieve immediate and long-term climate benefits by strategically pairing super pollutant abatement with carbon removal (CDR), according to a report by a carbon management platform.

Rock on – A new study published in the journal AGU Advances last week showed that injecting CO2 into underground rocks can trigger mineralisation that locks the GHG into solid minerals for potentially millions of years. Researchers found that mineral build-up in narrow channels sharply reduced the rock’s permeability, making it harder for fluids to flow through it. However, the rock’s overall porosity remained largely unchanged, and fluids continued moving through it at a lower rate. The findings suggest that even when mineralisation slows flow, rocks may still keep forming minerals and storing carbon underground.

CORSIA prices stabilised last week, but there was a general-sell off in much of the avoidance complex amid uncertainty about the impact of the war in the Middle East on the economy.

The engineered carbon removals (CDR) market saw a softening in investment and fewer forward purchase deals in February, with biochar projects again dominating new issuance and retirements, according to registry data and figures from two analytics firms.

Uzbekistan carbon market training – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with Uzbekistan’s economy ministry, hosted a technical training in Tashkent to support the country’s preparations for implementing Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement and the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM). The event brought together government agencies, state-owned enterprises, private sector actors, and international experts to discuss cooperative approaches and the use of ITMOs, including guidance on corresponding adjustments, national authorisation procedures, MRV systems, and project cycle management. Participants also assessed institutional readiness, identified priority sectors such as renewable energy, energy efficiency, and industry, and outlined initial steps to support Uzbekistan’s participation in international carbon markets.

Global installations of long-duration energy storage (LDES) exceeded 15 GWh in 2025, rising 49% from the previous year, though the declining investment and strong competition from lithium-ion batteries is creating growing challenges for the sector, according to analysis released Monday.

A reporting framework established under the Paris Agreement provides an opportunity to improve coordination between climate and biodiversity agendas, according to a new paper.

Singapore’s upcoming levy on airline tickets to fund sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) purchases is seen largely as a market-creation signal rather than a policy that can deliver major emissions cuts in the near term, with limited impact on airlines’ demand for CORSIA carbon credits, according to experts.

The adoption of a global carbon price for shipping is now in question, as some countries are proposing a new Net-Zero Framework (NZF) that would remove the financial levy and weaken incentives for clean fuels.

Japan has revised five methodologies under its domestic J-Credit carbon offset scheme, updating rules for agricultural methane reductions, biochar soil carbon, and energy-efficiency technologies.

Stay committed - Clean energy companies could gain fresh momentum despite the Iran war driving a surge in oil and gas prices, with investment bank Jefferies urging investors to stay committed to the sector, Bloomberg reported, citing a note to clients. Jefferies said the conflict is likely to reinforce government efforts to boost energy security and accelerate investment in renewables, maintaining its view that clean energy is entering its “glory days". Closure of the Strait of Hormuz has upended up to a fifth of global oil and gas supplies, threatening to raise emissions in the EU and Asia if the conflict is protracted.

Step up - Indonesia last week urged the international community to step up action in the forestry sector to halt and reverse global forest loss and land degradation by 2030, officials said following a meeting in Kenya, EcoBiz Asia reported. Indonesian officials said it had policies in place such as timber legality verification, social forestry, and land rehabilitation as examples of sustainable forest governance. Jakarta also emphasised the need for stronger international collaboration, including harmonised standards, capacity building, and technology transfer to support a low-carbon forestry economy. Deforestation tied to Indonesia’s industrial palm oil sector remained steady last year, even as new plantation expansion slowed.

The global steel industry is unlikely to align with net zero emissions pathways this decade, even under optimistic assumptions about technology deployment and electricity decarbonisation, a new analysis of plant-level data has found.

Scaling up CO2 removal technologies to meet global climate targets could create significant new pressures on mineral resources, ecosystems, and agricultural inputs, even as the methods help reduce atmospheric greenhouse gases, researchers have warned.

Handle with care - Bangladesh’s plan to develop a $1 bln carbon market has sparked debate among environmentalists and policy experts over governance, climate justice, and the effectiveness of carbon trading in delivering real emissions reductions. The proposal, referenced in the election manifesto of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), envisions building a carbon market capable of attracting international climate finance by selling verified carbon credits generated from emission reduction projects. According to government officials carbon trading could become a significant future revenue source, but environmentalists have cautioned that strong monitoring, verification systems, and safeguards for local communities will be essential to ensure transparency and credibility in the emerging market. (The Climate Watch)

Metro's CO2 bill - South Korea's Seoul Metro said Wednesday a 15% cut in GHG allowance allocations under the country's fourth emissions trading system plan period (2026-2030) could cost it an additional KRW 10 bln ($7.3 mln) per year, the Yonhap News Agency reported. The subway operator received a total allocation of under 2.7 MtCO2 for the five-year period, or an annual average of under 538,500 tCO2 - a shortfall of roughly 100,000 tCO2/year vs its 2025 emissions. Seoul Metro said the current system does not adequately reflect railways' role in reducing road transport emissions, noting rail accounts for 2.1% of South Korea's transport sector greenhouse gas emissions compared to 96.5% for roads. The company plans to propose system reforms to the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment alongside national railway operators.

A non-profit on Monday urged tech giant Nvidia to decarbonise its supply chain, amid concerns over rising electricity consumption and emissions in East Asia.