Microsoft has suspended its carbon removal (CDR) buying programme, according to several sources, in a move that threatens to upend a nascent but fragile market heavily reliant on the tech giant’s demand.

Dirt rich - Ukrainian grain producer Kernel has entered the international audit phase of a Verra-certified soil carbon sequestration project covering 15,000 hectares in the Chernihiv region, with issuance of Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) credits contingent on successful verification expected within a year. The company is partnering with carbon project developer Sentinel Earth, is applying variable-rate fertiliser application, biological inputs, and cover crops across the pilot area, with project data feeding into programmes run by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and NASA Harvest. The company said scaling the project follows verification, positioning it as a potential supplier to corporate buyers seeking to offset emissions.

Next phase – Hempalta Corp. said on Friday that shareholders overwhelmingly approved a corporate rebrand and other measures at its annual meeting, including plans to rename the company and consolidate shares. The Calgary-based company said more than 99% of votes cast supported changing its name to Next Phase Ventures Ltd., alongside backing for board appointments, a stock option plan, and auditor approval. It added the timing and basis of any share consolidation will be determined later by the board, likely tied to a future transaction or financing, and subject to regulatory and market conditions. Hempalta is also continuing to seek subscriptions under its existing private placement and is evaluating a strategic shift towards consumer retail and e-commerce, while maintaining its hemp and carbon-focused business lines.

The Nigerian government has announced an intention to mobilise $1 billion from public and private sources, including carbon markets, to tackle deforestation and livelihood losses.

A major supplier in the global tech supply chain has tapped into nature-based carbon, starting with a mangrove restoration project in Vietnam.

A Malaysian oil and gas company has joined a carbon offsetting programme run by Shell to balance emissions linked to its fuel operations, it said this week.

MMA MRV meeting - Brazil's environmental ministry (MMA) held the fourth meeting of its Technical Working Group on Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (GTT MRV) of the National Commission for REDD+ (CONAREDD+) recently. The group initiated  discussions on methodologies for certifying forest carbon credits under Brazil's future ETS (Portuguese: SBCE). Divided into subgroups, participants debated aspects such as the scope of methodologies, definition of forest, baselines, quantification of emissions, risks, and monitoring systems within the context of national REDD+ mechanisms and jurisdictional programmes.