Planting profits – BCarbon, a US-based non-profit carbon credit registry, has issued more than 80,000 carbon removal credits from Texas-based Carbon Rho’s Red River pilot project, covering 2023-25 vintages, it was announced on LinkedIn last week. The afforestation project is designed to scale across the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. Spanning more than 15,000 acres (6,070 ha), the project aims to connect forested areas into conservation corridors along the Red River, with carbon credit revenues supporting conservation practices and other ecological benefits, backers said.

Burning wood for carbon capture projects is unlikely to deliver net carbon removals for up to 150 years, with emissions in one modelled scenario remaining more than double those of natural gas with CCS over that period, new research found.

A new carbon finance company launched on Monday said it secured over $50 million to expand a Kenya-based agroforestry carbon project, pitching early-stage funding as a way to unlock stalled projects and draw in institutional capital.

Spot credits for Phase 1 of CORSIA traded around $14 this week, while the ending of Indonesia's moratorium on selling voluntary carbon units internationally looks set to unleash a flood of fresh REDD issuances onto the market. 

Local communities and private forest owners in Tanzania will be allowed to participate in carbon markets under new government guidelines, a government official said in parliament last week, according to local media.

Community oversight - Recent changes to the Northern Kenya Rangelands carbon project's 2021 implementation agreement grant the 22 community conservancies involved greater control over managing the carbon credits generated from their land. The changes must be concluded by June 30 and will ensure all project activities and governance structures comply with the 2023 Climate Change Amendment Act and the 2024 Carbon Markets Regulations. The changes are expected to streamline activities at the world's largest soil carbon project, through better governance and community involvement. The revised agreement is being hailed as marking a shift towards greater community influence in carbon finance, but its impact will ultimately depend on how well the changes are implemented. (People Daily)

Cattle in Pakistan’s Punjab province could generate millions of dollars in climate finance by converting manure into biogas, fertiliser, and carbon credits, according to a government-backed feasibility study.

Three US-based corporations have committed to act on deforestation linked to their avocado supply chains following shareholder filings on the topic, a report has said.

Bamboo biochar – A community-led biochar initiative in the Indian state of Meghalaya, backed by carbon advisory firm Kompliance Kart, is converting bamboo waste into durable carbon removal, the company said in a LinkedIn post. The project works with the Meghalaya Basin Management Agency, a local farmer producer group, and research partners including ICAR Meghalaya and MEGNOLIA. Biochar will be applied to farmland to boost soil health and crop yields, while carbon credit revenues are expected to generate income for participating communities.

The market for nature-based carbon removals will withstand Microsoft’s possible pause in carbon removal (CDR) activity, with investor appetite and a broader base of corporate buyers looking to support the sector, according to an expert.

Malaysia’s Terengganu state has signed a memorandum of understanding with an oil and gas company to explore the development of nature-based carbon projects.

Applications open – Nature-based carbon standards programme Equitable Earth is seeking experts to join its Technical Advisory Board (TAB), with applications open until May 15 and successful candidates set to begin in July 2026. The Paris-based organisaiton will provide technical oversight and guidance to ensure methodologies and programme documents remain scientifically robust and aligned with market best practice, it said on its website. The new TAB members will be expected to review and provide expert input on methodologies and programme documents, participate in quarterly meetings, challenge and improve technical approaches, and sign off on standards before publication, while maintaining confidentiality and declaring conflicts of interest.

Italy could reach net zero by significantly scaling up carbon removal (CDR), with potential capacity seen as high as 91 million tonnes a year, but only if it acts swiftly, according to a new report.

Big numbers - Indonesia’s blue carbon potential can reach 10 mln tonnes of CO2 annually, national news agency Antara reported, citing the marine affairs minister. Mangroves covering roughly 998,000 ha could sequester about 6.3 Mt per year, while seagrass meadows spanning over 860,000 ha may absorb around 3.8 Mt annually, he said in a statement. The minister added that Jakarta is also formalising trading mechanisms, requiring marine spatial permits and registration in the national carbon registry to avoid double counting. The ministry’s blue carbon action plan released earlier this year, however, said it would target roughly 3.45 mln ha of mangroves and 660,000 ha of seagrass meadows.

Liquidity in Indonesia’s carbon exchange will be critical in diverting private sector finance into decarbonisation projects and help the Southeast Asian country meet its climate targets, the country’s financial regulator said in a new roadmap.

Take it slow - Malaysian state Sarawak's premier over the weekend cautioned against rushing cliamte legislation, urging safeguards for the state’s constitutional rights over carbon resources, Dayak Daily reported. He said Sarawak will continue to independently manage carbon trading, describing it as part of the state’s land heritage and sovereign rights, even as the state has moved to align its policies with the federal government. The premier further said the federal government had agreed to exclude neighbouring Sabah and Sarawak from central control over carbon trading.

The New Zealand carbon price reached a 5-month high on Friday due to lower-than-expected forestry issuance, while the market anticipates upcoming ETS advice from the Climate Change Commission (CCC).