France is pushing to extend the EU ETS to 2050, according to government sources cited by French media.

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)

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.

The European Union’s newly approved 2040 climate target represents an important step toward long-term decarbonisation, but experts at a climate NGO have warned that loopholes in the framework could weaken the bloc’s climate ambition.

Ghana has updated its default value for a crucial metric in determining credit generation from clean cooking projects and other biomass-based mitigation activities, the country’s Carbon Market Office (CMO) has announced.

Ghana has authorised a sustainable cooling initiative designed to accelerate the deployment of climate-friendly air conditioning systems, marking the latest mitigation activity approved under the country’s Article 6.2 agreement with Switzerland.

Oil release - Oil from the IEA emergency reserves is set to soon start flowing to global markets, according to an agency statement. This follows last week's announcement that IEA member countries will make 400 mln barrels of oil available to the market in response to disruptions caused by the Middle East conflict. Member countries in Asia Oceania will make stocks available immediately, while stocks from member countries in the Americas and Europe will be made available starting from the end of March. Details about the volumes that member countries shall make available are stated here. "The war in the Middle East is creating the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market," wrote the IEA. This emergency collective action will be a "welcome buffer" but the most important factor to ensuring a return to stable flows is the resumption of regular shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

Nepal has launched a national carbon registry as it steps up efforts to participate in international carbon markets under the Paris Agreement.

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.