The non-profit in charge of Peru’s 25-year-old Cordillera Azul National Park (PNCAZ) turned to carbon finance over a decade ago to sustain its operations, creating a REDD+ mega-project – but following a turbulent few years beset with baseline challenges, methodology questions, and litigation surrounding free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) from Indigenous communities, it is mulling its next steps.

Server safeguards - New Jersey Governor Sherrill (D) announced a statewide plan Wednesday to regulate data centres, aiming to manage their impact on energy demand, resource use, and local communities while positioning the state for AI investment. The plan would require data centres to help bring new clean energy online and pay for related grid infrastructure, report energy and water use, meet statewide standards for community benefits agreements, and use local trades while paying prevailing wages. The administration said the measures build on broader efforts to lower energy costs, including executive orders to freeze rate hikes and expand power generation, approval of six large-scale solar and battery storage projects, a planned 3,000-MW community solar expansion, and legislation to accelerate battery storage deployment and end New Jersey’s 50-year moratorium on new nuclear energy.

California Carbon Allowance (CCA) futures remained elevated at four-month highs as state regulator ARB's Thursday hearing adjourned until the following day without a vote on proposed Cap-and-Invest Program updates.

Pondering power plant pollution - The US EPA will revisit a late Biden-era decision rejecting Texas’s plan for regulating power plant pollution, according to a Tuesday court filing. The agency asked the Fifth Circuit to keep litigation over the rule on hold for another 90 days while it reconsiders its disapproval of Texas’ revised state implementation plan for emissions during planned startup, shutdown, and maintenance activities at certain electric generating units. The EPA said it granted Texas’ petition for reconsideration on May 11 and plans to use notice-and-comment rulemaking to assess whether to repeal or amend the challenged action, while Texas and industry petitioners opposed the 90-day delay and said they would only accept a 30-day extension unless the EPA commits to finalising a new rule approving the state submission within one year.

Canada must tread lightly when updating its industrial carbon pricing act as Alberta’s new framework opens the programme to potential legal challenges, said experts.

Bolivia’s executive branch aims to present an overarching climate finance bill to the country’s national assembly by July – establishing the basis for both voluntary and compliance markets, among other instruments, a top official told Carbon Pulse at the Peru Carbon Forum this week.

A new guide released on Thursday by a New York-based advisory firm set out criteria for buyers sourcing agricultural residues for biomass-based carbon removals (CDR), citing the need for safeguards around soil health, livelihoods, and credit integrity.

A Canada-headquartered carbon project financier expects its Vietnam household devices programme to secure an governmental Article 6 Letter of Authorisation (LOA) before year-end, potentially positioning the initiative among the first projects approved under the Southeast Asian country’s new international carbon trading framework.

Over 25% of carbon credits retired so far this year in the voluntary market (VCM) have come from Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), where REDD+ units still dominate supply.

Carbon buyers should assess projects based on quality, local fit, and delivery timelines rather than defaulting to dominant registries, a senior representative at a Colombian nature-based project developer told Carbon Pulse.

The world is on course for record-breaking average temperatures in excess of the Paris Agreement's goals over the next five years, and 2027 could be the hottest, a UN agency has warned.

California regulator ARB asked a federal judge on Tuesday to toss a Trump administration-led lawsuit challenging the state’s vehicle emissions standards, arguing the contested rules no longer support the federal government’s claims of harm.

A clean cooking project developer operating in multiple Latin American countries has already obtained one Article 6 Letter of Authorisation (LoA) and is hoping to gain more, while keeping up with market trends toward high integrity, representatives told Carbon Pulse in Peru.

The rise in the number of cases brought by fossil fuel companies against governments, using Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS), is stalling the energy transition and causing governments to hold back on more effective climate policy, despite growing awareness of the topic, say experts.

Kick polluters out - People are rallying in a global 'kick polluters out' week of action across Africa, Europe, and Latin America, with nearly 70 actions in 20 countries to demand that TotalEnergies and other polluting companies cease operations and fix past damage. This coincides with TotalEnergies AGM on Friday, during which it's expected to highlight a big jump in profits on the the back of the Iran war. The French oil major reported $5.4 bln in profits over the first three months of 2026, a 29% increase compared to the same period in 2025. Advocacy events will highlight the impact of TotalEnergies' East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), Mozambique LNG Export Terminal, and more. (Oil Change International)

Worldwide investment in oil will decline for a third consecutive year in 2026, while the shift to renewables and nuclear could accelerate after the US-Israeli war against Iran triggered a focus on energy security, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said Thursday.

An emerging risk that many corporate net zero goals will not be met could push through greater pragmatism when outlining targets, as well as a more flexible approach across standard-setters, according to experts, even as the number of companies announcing science-aligned climate ambitions continues to grow.

A carbon removal (CDR) registry launched on Thursday a tool seeking to centralise audit scheduling and shorten the time to issuance.

A Toronto-headquartered carbon and precious metals royalty and streaming company has sharply narrowed its focus on voluntary offset markets after pulling back from a large-scale regenerative agriculture programme, while continuing efforts to monetise forestry credits and advance a planned merger.