Transition trouble - A new analysis of 400 major financial institutions found that climate transition planning is becoming more common, but financing for low-carbon activities and fossil fuel phase-out commitments remain limited, with just over a third of institutions assessed having transition plans that address at least some financial activities. The World Benchmarking Alliance analysis found that only 26% of institutions provide clarity on the share of financed activity allocated to low-carbon solutions, unchanged from its 2025 assessment, while low-carbon activities accounted for an average 2.7% of total financed activity across the group. It also found that only two companies, ING and Zurcher Kantonalbank, had robust restrictions covering coal, oil, and gas, including commitments to phase out existing exposure and stop new financing flows, raising questions about the credibility of most transition plans without stronger fossil fuel exit policies.

A cohort of five nature-based project developers from around the world have completed a German-based offset platform’s fourth accelerator programme.

Prices for Phase 1 CORSIA-eligible carbon credits continued to fall last week as uncertainty around the international aviation offsetting scheme and persistently high jet fuel prices weighed on market sentiment, pushing thoughts of future compliance lower down carriers’ list of priorities.

Biodiversity credits are the ecosystem services market closest to becoming commercially viable as a funding source in their own right, but for now most nature value is still being priced indirectly, the head of a nature-based solutions financier has said.

The global sustainable debt market has surged in activity since 2020, with cumulative aligned issuance now having surpassed $7 trillion, according to the latest data from a non profit.

Brunei Darussalam is set to tap its vast forest resources for international carbon markets, media reported.

First try - Japanese developer Green Carbon has signed a MoU with GIZ, an international development agency backed by the German government, to examine the applicability of enhanced rock weathering in Thailand's rice cultivation sector. Their work will focus on soil improvement, crop yield, environmental impact, and MRV approaches. Green Carbon said the partnership at the moment does not commit to the creation of carbon credits or the commercialisation of projects.

Indonesia’s development of its forest carbon market is running into concerns over export levies, taxation, regulatory uncertainty, and technical bottlenecks, according to experts and stakeholders.

A Japanese carbon project developer has secured a partnership to expand its presence in Laos, where it will pursue the creation of credits under the bilateral Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) through afforestation activities.

A procurement and intelligence platform has launched a library of forward vintage curves for credits issued on the voluntary carbon market.

Australian oil and gas company Santos has remained optimistic about the financial viability of its Barossa gas project, supported by high LNG prices and lower-than-anticipated carbon costs.

Vietnam has finalised rules governing forest carbon credit trading, paving the way for the Southeast Asian country’s first issuances later this year.

A global exchange industry body has drafted principles for stock exchanges to label listed companies and IPO candidates with credible climate transition plans, it announced Tuesday.

Climate-related disclosures are maturing – including on GHG emissions reporting – but more work is needed on specific physical risk disclosures, data, and better links between risks and transition planning, said New Zealand’s Financial Markets Authority (FMA) on Tuesday, following its evaluation of the country’s second year of reporting.

Climate queries – New Zealand’s ombudsman has opened an inquiry into the prime minister’s office over its handling of an Official Information Act request into communications on the Smith vs Fonterra case, The Post reported on Tuesday. This follows the release of a briefing note not mentioned in an OIA response that the dairy giant confirmed it gave to one of Christopher Luxon’s staffers in 2024. The note proposed legislative changes that would nullify the long-running climate litigation – and which the government announced two weeks ago it would introduce. Having denied knowledge of the briefing’s existence, Luxon on Tuesday said the advisor who handled it left the role a while ago, the NZ Herald reported. Meanwhile, the country's bar association on Tuesday called on the government to reconsider the proposed amendments, according to RNZ.

New Zealand’s plans to build an LNG import terminal and its co-investment fund for new gas fields meet the definition of fossil fuel subsidies, leaving the country in breach of trade deals, said a report released a day after the government announced a loan scheme to help businesses switch away from gas.

A new academic study has proposed a machine learning recommendation framework designed to minimise carbon emissions from AI model development by predicting the environmental impact of training runs before they occur, with the researchers claiming the approach could cut emissions from model selection by more than 98%.

Switched on – New Zealand’s third grid-scale battery came online last week, owner and operator Contact Energy announced. Located in south Auckland, on land leased from NZ Steel, the Glenbrook Ohurua Battery 1 cost NZ$151 mln ($88.4 mln) and has a capacity of 100 MW. The gentailer is investing a further NZ$235 mln in a second battery at the site, with 200 MW of capacity expected to come online in early 2028. Contact Energy CEO Mike Fuge said that around 98% of the company’s generation is renewable. The power sector is covered by the NZ ETS, despite the country's grid being dominated by renewable energy – chiefly geothermal and hydro, although solar is quickly being accelerated.

Australia-based mining giant BHP has restated its climate ambitions and efforts to meet its goals, pushing back on media reports to the contrary.