Pipeline power play - The Trump administration has invoked emergency powers to help restart an offshore oil pipeline in California that has been offline since 2015, with Energy Secretary Chris Wright citing risks to US energy security linked to supply disruptions from the war in Iran and reliance on imported crude moving through the Strait of Hormuz, E&E News reported. The US DOE said more than 60% of the oil refined in California now comes from overseas and argued that restoring the pipeline would support domestic supply and ensure reliable energy for West Coast military installations. Wright’s order follows a Friday executive order from President Donald Trump delegating Defense Production Act authority to the energy secretary, giving him the power to direct domestic industry in the interest of national defence.

Saskatchewan fertiliser - Saskatchewan-based fertiliser company Upcycle Minerals has announced the completion of an exploratory drill programme on its Whiteshore Lake Alkali property in the province. The 50-hole programme was designed to assess sodium sulfate mineralisation and provide the basis for a compliant mineral resource estimate. Upcycle plans to use sodium sulfate from its property as a key input to its proprietary Brine to Potassium Sulfate (SOP) with carbon capture fertiliser production process.

Brazil climate strategy – Brazil officially launched its National Plan for Climate Change, the main instrument outlining how the country will tackle climate change until 2035 and achieve its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement. The document, released on Monday, was developed over three years with the involvement of 25 ministries. The update builds on the first, and so far only, version released in 2008. Additionally, Brazil published in the Official Gazette of the Union on Monday a resolution establishing a technical group within the Interministerial Committee on Climate Change (CIM) that will seek to consolidate a proposal for updating the National Policy on Climate Change (PNMC). The working group will be established for 180 days and be comprised of representatives from the ministries and advisory chambers that make up the CIM. It will also meet monthly, or on an extraordinary basis as called for by coordinators, including the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MMA).

RNG uncertainty – French tech developer Waga Energy said its technology could help unlock renewable natural gas (RNG) production at smaller US landfills, even as the sector faces policy and market uncertainty. The company told Waste360 that its modular WAGABOX units combine membrane filtration and cryogenic distillation to upgrade low-quality landfill gas into pipeline-grade RNG with methane content above 98%. While the approach could make projects viable at smaller sites with limited gas flows, the outlook for landfill-derived RNG remains uncertain amid expiring federal incentives and unresolved eligibility under California’s SB 1440 utility procurement programme.

Connecticut catalyst – Rep. John B. Larson (D) of Connecticut announced $350,000 in new federal funding on Friday to support Connecticut’s hydrogen and fuel cell manufacturing sector through an investment in industry support organisation CONNSTEP. The funds, secured in a bipartisan spending package passed earlier this year, will support the Connecticut Hydrogen Fuel Cell Consortium and local manufacturers, including Infinity Fuel Cell and Hydrogen, Inc. Officials said the investment aims to strengthen small and medium-sized manufacturers and expand the state’s role in hydrogen and fuel cell supply chains.

A new carbon removal (CDR) coalition securing major banks and the Canadian federal government as members shows the tide is turning for climate investment after much uncertainty, said the sector veteran heading up the group.

Place your bets - Online prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket are expanding rapidly, enabling users to bet on a wide range of future events, including climate-related outcomes, geopolitical developments, and extreme weather risks. Climate-linked trading remains a relatively small but fast-growing segment, with hundreds of millions of dollars already wagered and volumes expected to increase significantly. The broader industry now handles around $10 bln in monthly bets and is attracting substantial investment, with leading platforms valued in the tens of billions of dollars. Supporters argue that these markets provide a useful mechanism for aggregating information, as participants are financially incentivised to assess evidence and price probabilities accurately. In this view, prediction markets can help cut through political bias and offer a real-time signal of expectations on complex issues such as climate policy, temperature trends, or regulatory change. They can also serve practical functions, such as allowing businesses to hedge risks linked to policy shifts like carbon pricing. Critics, however, contend that the platforms risk trivialising serious global challenges by turning them into speculative betting opportunities. Ethical concerns have emerged around markets that involve sensitive or harmful scenarios, including natural disasters, arrests, or ongoing conflicts. There are also worries about insider trading and manipulation, particularly where individuals could profit from non-public information or even influence outcomes. Regulatory scrutiny is intensifying, especially in the United States, where federal authorities claim jurisdiction while several states argue the platforms resemble unregulated gambling. The sector’s political connections have further raised questions about oversight. Despite these concerns, the industry is projected to grow substantially over the coming years, with new entrants entering the market and revenues potentially reaching $10 bln annually by 2030, even as debate continues over its societal value and risks. (E&E News)

The global impact investment arm of a major philanthropic network has invested in an agriculture-focused venture capital fund, it announced.

Farmers round – In Brazil, the state of Para has concluded another step in its ongoing free, prior, and informed consultations (FPICs) for its jurisdictional REDD+ (J-REDD+) programme. Last Wednesday, the state government held the first consultation with family farmers, bringing together producers from more than 35 municipalities around the capital, Belem. Six additional meetings are scheduled to take place.

A proxy battle and parallel legal disputes between project developer Zefiro Methane Corp. and its founder Talal Debs have intensified in recent months, with both sides issuing competing claims ahead of a shareholder vote expected later this month.

The administration of US President Donald Trump (R) said on Friday that the EPA’s recent rescission of its 2009 endangerment finding does not affect its challenge to a state climate superfund law, arguing the rule change is “irrelevant” to the case.

CORSIA carbon futures continued to slump as the supply of credits crept higher and the conflict in Iran pushed up jet fuel prices, leading to expectations of a possible downturn in demand from the aviation sector.

A US materials developer has signed a supply agreement to secure engineered biochar for use in carbon-sequestering asphalt products, in a move designed to enable carbon removal (CDR) credit generation.

The record release of emergency oil supplies from International Energy Agency (IEA) countries is helping to quell supply shortages, especially in parts of South Asia – although the crisis will persist until the Middle East war subsides, the IEA's chief said on Monday. 

After a difficult three years for nature-based voluntary carbon projects, Latin American standards, developers, governments, and multilateral partners are pouring support into forest carbon.

Researchers from ETH Zurich have suggested that strategically located reforestation efforts would achieve the same planetary cooling effect as more randomly situated projects, even if fewer trees were planted.

Colombia’s Emissions Trading System (Spanish: PNCTE) is one of the oldest planned cap-and-trade initiatives in Latin America – but it should serve as a warning rather than a model for others, due to weak policy foundations, scarce data, and poor stakeholder coordination, experts told Carbon Pulse.

I’ll be there for you - The Global Carbon Council has launched a proprietary carbon market infrastructure designed to help countries implement Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement, enabling them to participate more effectively in international carbon trading. The platform provides an integrated system that includes modules for project registration, national carbon registries and transaction tracking, allowing governments to authorise and transfer Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes while ensuring transparency and compliance with global reporting requirements. The infrastructure will give countries, particularly in the Global South, an interoperable and ready-to-deploy solution for operationalising carbon markets and mobilising climate finance through high-integrity emissions-reduction projects, the GCC said.