Tapped – Australia's Woodside Energy has appointed Elizabeth Westcott as CEO and managing director, following a comprehensive selection process, the company announced. Westcott brings over 30 years of global energy industry experience, including senior roles at EnergyAustralia and ExxonMobil, and has led Woodside’s Australian operations since joining in 2023, the company told the ASX. Her remuneration package includes a fixed annual reward of A$2.3 mln ($1.6 mln) plus substantial short- and long-term incentives, according to the announcement. Westcott has served as Woodside's acting CEO since December following the departure of Meg O'Neill who moved to lead BP.

The race for nuclear fusion gathered pace this week with the UK and Japan both announcing their own plans to crack the technology commercially by the end of the next decade.

Down to business - The Carbon Business Council has launched the Direct Storage of Biomass (DSB) Coalition, a new industry working group aimed at advancing the understanding, credibility, and responsible deployment of direct biomass storage as a CDR pathway. The DSB involves the durable storage of organic materials such as waste wood, agricultural residues, biochar, and other biological matter, effectively locking away carbon that was previously absorbed by plants. These materials can be buried or stored underground in sealed environments, offering a method of long-term carbon removal that builds on existing forestry and agricultural systems. The coalition brings together a wide range of stakeholders, including project developers, technology providers, and policy experts, to collaborate on best practices and improve clarity around the pathway. Chaired by Keith Driver of Leading Carbon/Clear Sky Limited, the group includes companies such as Graphyte, Isometric, Puro.Earth, Vaulted Deep, and Living Carbon, among others. Its core aim is to support better-informed decision-making by carbon credit buyers, policymakers, and other market participants. Key priorities for the coalition include publishing a detailed issue brief on how the DSB works and its role in climate and land-use policy, as well as engaging with buyers and stakeholders on its scalability, durability, and potential co-benefits. The group also plans to explore frameworks for responsible biomass sourcing and long-term stewardship, particularly in relation to forestry, agriculture, and land management practices. Industry participants emphasise that DSB has the potential to scale relatively quickly because it leverages existing biomass supply chains. However, they also stress that scaling must be accompanied by robust standards, transparency, and collaboration across the sector. The coalition is intended to shift focus from individual projects to broader industry outcomes, addressing shared challenges such as monitoring, reporting, verification, and policy alignment.

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP), one of the world’s largest Coca-Cola bottlers operating across Europe and Asia Pacific, has reduced its absolute GHG emissions across Scope 1, 2, and 3 by 18.9% since 2019, it said in its annual report.

The High Integrity Forest Investment Initiative (HIFOR) has announced updates to both its methodology and its guide and standard, including changes to align with high-integrity principles for biodiversity credit markets.

Low-quality carbon credits have been given the green light for compliance in the first phase of the international aviation offsetting scheme CORSIA, warned a rating agency.

For the small - An Indian small-cap chemicals maker AVI Polymers said it has launched a subsidiary, AVI Waste Management, to develop AI-based carbon accounting and sustainability systems for small and medium-sized enterprises. The platform aims to offer tools such as carbon footprint estimation engines, emissions dashboards, automated environmental reporting, and carbon-reduction tracking. AVI said the subsidiary will focus on helping SMEs build emissions data records and prepare for participation in carbon credit and sustainability-finance ecosystems.

A Tokyo-headquartered climate tech company on Tuesday announced its acquisition of a carbon credit data platform to expand its consulting business, weeks ahead of the mandatory phase of Japan's national emissions trading scheme.

Two carbon market veterans are developing new market infrastructure to improve trading and help buyers source credits, aiming to provide comparable infrastructure to more mature financial markets.

Gas gone wild - Satellite data has shown that Turkmenistan was home to the majority of the world’s largest methane “mega-leaks” in 2025, according to research by the UCLA’s Stop Methane Project. The study, using data from Carbon Mapper satellites, identified 4,400 methane plumes emitting more than 100 kg per hour, with many of the worst leaks linked to oil and gas infrastructure in the Central Asian country. Each of the biggest plumes has a warming impact comparable to a coal-fired power station, according to the Guardian. Super-polluting leaks were also detected in the United States, Venezuela, and Iran, with the largest US plume recorded in Texas at about 5.5 tonnes of methane per hour.

A Mexico-based agtech company has raised $53 million to launch an initiative aimed at agricultural smallholders, it announced on Tuesday.

India’s northern state of Himachal Pradesh is seeking a developer to help generate and sell carbon credits from its electric bus fleet, as the Himalayan state steps up efforts to tap into carbon markets.

Pacific convention - Pacific leaders and partners met in Brisbane for a regional dialogue to better understand how climate change is increasingly driving security risks across the Pacific, affecting social, economic, environmental, and governance systems, according to a Pacific Island Forum announcement. The meeting brought together governments, regional organisations, and experts to strengthen coordination, share knowledge, and identify practical responses and partnerships to address climate-related security challenges. Outcomes from the dialogue will help shape regional priorities and inform a broader Pacific peace and security action plan aligned with existing frameworks like the Boe Declaration and the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific.

Data centre warning – A cable for a planned new data centre near Invercargill, New Zealand could potentially disturb marine wildlife and conflict with Maori values, RNZ reported Environment Southland independent commissioner Hugh Leersnyder having said in a report. The new centre – which was granted resource consent last week – is set to become New Zealand’s second-largest power consumer, with a capacity of 280 MW, and will serve AI technology. Electricity generation is covered under the NZ ETS, although the country’s grid is dominated by renewables.

Solar hedge - Pakistan’s rapid expansion of rooftop solar over the past few years has cut fossil fuel use and emissions while shielding the country from energy shocks linked to tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, according to analysis from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. The surge in distributed solar has displaced LNG and diesel use, helping Pakistan avoid more than $12 bln in oil and gas imports between 2021 and Feb. 2026, with a further $6.3 bln in savings possible this year if prices stay high. Rooftop installations across homes, farms, and factories have reduced demand for imported fuel. Pakistan’s fossil fuel imports fell about 40% between 2022-24 as cheap solar panels, largely from China, drove one of the world’s fastest consumer-led solar expansions.

Japan's Mitsubishi Electric and the Institute of Science Tokyo have developed what they claimed to be the world's first hybrid blockchain technology to ensure the reliability of environmental value trading.

Superannuation funds have a growing opportunity to incorporate corporate climate transition plans into their decision-making processes, with some now asking portfolio companies for more detailed information and non-climate risks such as nature, a think tank said on Tuesday.

NH3 deal – India’s largest conglomerate, Reliance Industries, has signed a binding 15-year agreement worth more than $3 bln to supply green ammonia to South Korea’s Samsung C&T, part of the Samsung Group. Deliveries are expected to begin in the second half of FY2029, Reuters reported, citing a company filing. The deal is among the largest long-term green ammonia offtake agreements globally and supports Reliance’s push into renewable energy and hydrogen.

New partner - Japan's Hitachi Systems has teamed up with a forestry cooperative in Hiroshima prefecture to pursue the creation and sale of carbon credits from forestry projects. The company will analyse CO₂ absorption using aerial laser survey data and other methods, targeting forests managed by the Sera County Forestry Cooperative. Hitachi did not elaborate on the potential target area of the collaboration, but said it aims to utilise its network of around 300 locations nationwide to expand this initiative.

A method that credits Australian Indigenous landholders for maintaining intact ecosystems would need to carefully balance demonstrating avoided degradation risks without opening the door to gaming, an expert told Carbon Pulse.

Motoring for security – Replacing 1 million petrol cars with electric vehicles in Australia could cut fuel imports by over 1 billion litres a year, improving energy security by shifting reliance from imported oil to domestically produced electricity, The Guardian reported. Experts said EV adoption would also reduce exposure to global oil price shocks – highlighted by the current war in Iran pushing petrol prices higher – while helping to lower emissions and strengthen national resilience. However, EV uptake remains low (about 2% of vehicles), and analysts warned that stronger policy support and incentives are needed to accelerate adoption and realise these economic and environmental benefits.