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.

In defence of the EU CBAM - Finnish stainless-steel producer Outokumpu has said it supports the European Union’s new carbon border tax, the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), arguing it can protect Europe’s steel industry while encouraging global decarbonisation. Outokumpu’s sustainability chief, Heidi Peltonen, told the WSJ in an interview that carbon pricing helps “level the playing field” between European producers and foreign competitors that use more carbon-intensive production methods. Peltonen argued the policy should be strengthened by calculating emissions where steel is produced and extending the mechanism to downstream products to prevent loopholes. Although demand for green steel remains limited, she believes stable climate policies and incentives will drive investment, innovation, and long-term competitiveness in Europe’s steel sector.

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.

EU ETS shipping routes – Container shipping alliances have redesigned Asia-Europe routes in 2026 in ways that reduce the sailing distance subject to the EU ETS by about 11% compared with 2025 networks, according to analysis by Danish maritime research firm Sea-Intelligence. The EU ETS requires shipping lines to surrender allowances for 100% of emissions between EU ports and 50% of emissions between EU and non-EU ports. The study found carriers increasingly use non-EU ports close to the bloc to reset ETS distance calculations and reduce reportable emissions exposure. Most of the reductions are driven by the Gemini Cooperation and Ocean Alliance, whose redesigned networks cut reportable sailing distances by nearly 20% compared with 2025, while MSC and the Premier Alliance made little change to their ETS-exposed sailing distances, Sea-Intelligence said.

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.

France has called for its overseas territories to be exempted from the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) fees on certain products, arguing that the measure would otherwise disproportionately impact their economies.

A carbon crediting registry has released updated Article 6.2 procedures for projects seeking eligibility for international transfers of mitigation outcomes (ITMOs), including potential use under CORSIA, alongside an updated list of approved methodologies.

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 Central African Republic aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 17% by 2035 compared to business as usual, contingent on international finance and technological support, according to its third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) submitted to the UN.

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.

Qatar-based Global Carbon Council (GCC) has launched a public consultation on a new validation and verification framework designed to support carbon credit generation from energy access projects, including clean cooking and distributed renewable energy systems.

Cooling the carbon market - A methodology to generate carbon credits from the recovery and destruction of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerant gases in developing nations has entered its public commentary phase after five review rounds under Open Carbon Protocol. The methodology, developed by staff at the Carbon Containment Lab and submitted in Aug. 2025, expands on existing carbon market mechanisms for ozone-depleting substances (ODS) - which have prevented more than 30 MtCO2e emissions to date - to cover HFCs for the first time. HFCs replaced ozone-depleting refrigerants but carry global warming potential thousands of times that of CO2. The methodology targets Article 5 countries under the Montreal Protocol, which typically lack refrigerant reclamation infrastructure and legal end markets for recovered gases.