New Zealand could become a key source of high integrity nature-based carbon credits in the voluntary market, a report published Friday argued, but noted coordinated work is needed to get it going from what is currently almost a standing start.

Energy market intelligence provider Energy Aspects has agreed to acquire Paris-based satellite data analytics firm Kayrros, in a move aimed at expanding the group’s geospatial monitoring capabilities and accelerating the deployment of earth observation data across energy and financial markets.

One of the biggest challenges facing India’s land-based projects is the difficulty of guaranteeing income for smallholder farmers given the volatility of carbon credit prices, a conference heard this week.

A group of experts has developed a nature-positive roadmap for the Australian agricultural sector, with biodiversity credits among the tools that could support this transition.

Energy demand growth, not climate policy, is now the main driver for global renewable energy deployment, according to an industry survey published Thursday.

Researchers in Japan have developed a modelling system designed to improve the monitoring of carbon uptake in tropical forests in Asia, with tests showing it can estimate daily carbon absorption with a margin of error of around 9.4%.

Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand are leading the development of low-carbon fuel (LCF) in the Asia Pacific, while feedstock bottlenecks and lack of national blending mandates have hindered progress in several countries within the region, according to a report released this week.

Lowering standards - The Australian government has lowered fuel standards over the next two months to allow an additional 100 mln litres of domestic supply per month into the country amid the escalating war in the Middle East, the ABC reported. Higher-sulphur fuel was previously restricted but will now be allowed into Australia to be blended into the country's supply. Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen emphasised fuel supplies are stable and secure, however the country has seen a rash of panic buying leading to fuel demand doubling in recent days, according to the broadcaster. Australia has around one month's worth of  of domestic fuel supply at hand, below the 90-day standard recommended by the IEA.

The war in the Middle East is likely to lower demand for credits under the international aviation sector’s CORSIA scheme in the short term, analysts told Carbon Pulse, with one estimating the past two weeks alone have seen around 3 million tonnes of fewer emissions due to lost jet fuel.

Australia invested just A$1.5 billion ($1 bln) in nature last financial year, however data gaps mean some funding from land managers and the private sector could be going unreported, according to a new spending tracker released by a conservation alliance Thursday.

Transitioning - Indonesian geothermal developer PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy (PGE) is working with climate advisory firm South Pole to transition its carbon project portfolio to the Paris Agreement’s Article 6.4 carbon market mechanism, EcoBiz Asia reported. The company is coordinating with Indonesia’s environment ministry and plans to submit host country approval to the UNFCCC in March. PGE and South Pole have also signed a cooperation statement to market carbon credits generated from geothermal plants including Ulubelu and Karaha. The firm’s portfolio, spanning several geothermal fields, has an estimated emissions reduction potential of about 1.5 MtCO2e annually. PGE aims to commercialise at least 110,000 carbon credits in 2026 as part of its strategy to tap both domestic and international markets.

Hydro swell – Emissions associated with New Zealand’s power generation in Q4 2025 fell to their lowest since records began in Mar. 1990, at 284,000 tCO2e, the government said on Thursday in the latest Energy Quarterly, as renewable output hit a record high of 96.4% over the period. This was boosted by an 8% YoY increase in hydropower output, the government said, while solar continued to shine, up 70% YoY thanks to utility-scale facilities coming online in 2025. The renewables’ surge led to a fall in gas output, which dipped to its lowest level since Q1 1980, at 219 GWh – down 52% YoY. The country’s ETS covers power sector emissions.

The High Court in Wellington will hear the first legal challenge to New Zealand’s climate plan next week, with one of the NGOs bringing the case saying it is a chance to “peel back the government’s rhetoric” on climate change.

Kiwi surge – Investment manager Foresight Group has acquired NZ Clean Energy, it announced on Thursday, and is aiming to invest more than A$500 mln ($357.4 mln) to develop the Kiwi renewable energy platform’s pipeline. Specifically, it will develop three late-stage solar and battery projects, with a combined capacity in excess of 300 MW. There is a broader pipeline of projects representing some 2 GW of additional solar and battery storage capacity, the company added. The acquisition marks Foresight’s first investment in New Zealand.

An Australian government agency has laid out 12 projects that need to be prioritised over the next decade if it is to be successful at achieving its net zero transition goals.

Hot Todd – The New Zealand government has selected Todd Energy as the preferred contractor to drill the country's first superhot geothermal well, it said on Wednesday, and will now enter contract negotiations with the local company. The so-called Deep Heat project has been allocated NZ$60 mln ($35.4 mln) from the government’s Regional Infrastructure Fund, as well as a NZ$10.7-mln research grant from the Endeavour Fund. Drilling at the site near Taupo is expected to start in mid-2027, the government said. Last July, the government said it wanted to double the country’s use of geothermal energy by 2040 as it seeks to bolster security of supply in the hydro-dominated power grid.