Alpine uptake – A new study published in the Journal of Environmental Management found that afforestation on subalpine pastures in the Austrian Alps created local carbon sinks, storing more carbon per hectare versus adjacent pastures. Researchers said most of the sequestration came from tree biomass rather than soil carbon gains, equivalent to around 441 tCO2/ha over 42-65 years after planting. However, the study also found mixed biodiversity impacts.

$1 bln investment - US-based investment firm SG2 has closed a $1 billion growth-stage investment fund. The fund, which drew international institutional investors across pension plans to family offices, would look to advance commercial solutions that deliver greater efficiency, resilience, and long-term value. It backs companies primarily in North America and Europe that can improve efficiency across the core systems that power the world’s economy, from energy infrastructure and maritime transport to agricultural inputs and industrial electrification.

Verra has launched a new label for forest carbon credits generated by projects located on lands with a forest management certification.

Wildfire watch - London-based carbon insurance and climate risk modelling firm Artio projected more than 130 square km of wildfire exposure across Yosemite, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and the Great Smoky Mountains through the end of August 2026, with Sequoia facing the highest proportional risk among the parks assessed. The analysis, based on MODIS satellite fire data, climate variables, and a cellular automata fire-spread model across multiple Shared Socioeconomic Pathway scenarios, found projected exposure above five-year historical averages at Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and the Great Smoky Mountains, while Yosemite was forecast below its recent baseline. Kings Canyon’s projected exposure rises from 0.34% historically to 1.04%, the Great Smoky Mountains from 0.04% to 0.46%, and Sequoia from 1.43% to 1.74%, according to the modelling, which cited low Sierra Nevada snowpack, early snowmelt, and potential El Nino conditions as factors that could increase fire risk.

A wastewater treatment technology company has raised $25 million to expand deployments of a process that it says can lower utility costs while delivering verified carbon removal (CDR), it announced Thursday.

Verra now has three new vetted third-party data providers to supply benchmark data for projects using its afforestation, reforestation, and revegetation (ARR) methodology, it announced Thursday.

World oil demand is falling sharply due to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which is depleting global stocks at a record pace, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said Thursday.

A carbon removal registry published a protocol for hydrofluorocarbons and ozone-depleting substances on Thursday, following comments from a company official that companies might stack superpollutant credits with longer-term removals.

Fertiliser reform - The UK government is considering introducing new regulation to tackle fertiliser pollution, which would ease market adoption of innovative products less detrimental to the environment. The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has extended the deadline to respond to a consultation on fertiliser regulation reforms, from May 13 to June 10. The reforms are intended to give farmers access to a wider range of fertilisers, including recycled nutrient products and alternative technologies to support more sustainable farming. It's also hoped that a more flexible support could curb reliance on the volatile global fertiliser market. The proposals come at a time of surging agricultural input inflation, which has surged to 8.4%. (FarmingUK)

The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is about to transfer 847,818 hectares of rainforest to Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs).

The European Commission is preparing emergency support for farmers and possible relief for fertiliser producers under the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), as a renewed surge in fertiliser prices linked to conflict in the Middle East raises fears over food production.

Oman has launched a new regulatory framework for carbon markets, through which it plans to convert its emissions reduction targets into verified and tradeable carbon credits, according to media reports.

CBAM exemption for Ukraine - Members of the European Parliament's environment committee have called on the European Commission to reconsider Ukraine's request for special treatment under CBAM, according to Steel Orbis. The CBAM's current provisions for force majeure are insufficient to reflect the realities of Ukraine's war with Russia, given that Ukraine cannot put in place decarbonisation measures in line with the border carbon price, said S&D MEP Mohammed Chahim, lead for the CBAM file.

UK cleans up its capacity market - The UK government will move ahead with proposed changes to bring a wider, cleaner mix of electricity technologies into its capacity market system, based on responses to recent public consultations, it said on Thursday. The changes will include allowing electricity generators that receive contract for difference subsidies to also prequalify for the capacity market, which supports back-up power capacity, as long as the benefits don't overlap.

European carbon traders kept up their arm wrestle around the €75 mark, with the price moving up by a single cent amid extremely low liquidity, while the UK government was rocked by a key minister resigning, in what many consider to be the start of a push to oust sitting Prime Minister Keir Starmer, which could add risk to talks around linking the UK and EU carbon markets.

Clients of a large US bank are keen but struggling to enter the carbon market because they find it too "mystifying" and in need of standardisation through blockchain-based banking, a finance expert said at a conference, adding that this would finally attract the necessary large-scale capital. 

UN climate chief Simon Stiell on Thursday lauded China as a global climate leader and called on Beijing to help its region in phasing out coal amid mounting energy security challenges.

Preparing for the worst - The EU faces no immediate threat to jet fuel supplies, but the possibility of longer-term shortage can't be ruled out, according to the EU's energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen. Any shortage will depend on how the Middle East conflict play out, as well as how airlines react, he said. Germany's Lufthansa recently cancelled a large number of flights, for example. Jorgensen said the bloc's executive arm will start talks with member states about how best to address any potential jet fuel shortage, adding that the crisis underlines the need to transition away from fossil fuels. Over the long term, the EU is speaking with Gulf nations about how to restore the flow of energy from the region after a negotiated peace deal is in place, said Jorgensen. (the Independent)

A Spanish lender has launched a carbon credit trading platform aimed at helping corporate clients and small businesses offset their CO2 emissions, expanding the bank’s push into sustainable finance and voluntary carbon markets.

Speed is of the essence - Deutsche Bank has attributed its decision to postpone by two years, to end-2027, its measures to encourage customers to move away from coal due to in part to the slow pace of the energy transition. Its recent announcement that it would delay the measures also cited the "increasing complexity" of regulations as playing a part. In 2023, the bank required its clients to submit "credible transition plans" by the end of 2025 in order to access financing, but the deadline has now been pushed back by two years, at which point its clients will also have to ensure that less than half of their revenue comes from coal. New entrants however must already meet these requirements to obtain financing, and DB also maintains that it will continue to prohibit financing for new or expanded coal-fired power plants, as well as mining projects. Its credit commitments to coal mining remained stable at €1.2 bln at end-2025. The European coal phaseout target remains set for 2050. (BFM Business)

Isometric on Wednesday released its Spring 2026 update addressing 17 carbon crediting protocols and 10 accounting modules, including changes to align protocols with existing buffer pool rules and broaden the application of its GHG Accounting Module.

Gold Standard has partnered with a digital infrastructure provider to upgrade one of its registries, in a move aimed at improving links with national registries, marketplaces, and exchanges, it announced Thursday.