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TOP STORY
EU, member states off track for most 2030 global biodiversity targets, report says
Efforts across the European Union to implement the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) are generally not enough to meet most of its 2030 targets, according to a report published on Tuesday.
INTERNATIONAL
Carbon market association IETA calls for EU ETS overhaul centred on removals, global offsets, UK linkage
IETA has urged the European Commission to pursue a broad overhaul of the EU Emissions Trading System after 2030, arguing the bloc should integrate carbon removals, prepare to use international credits from 2031, reform the Market Stability Reserve (MSR), and prioritise linking the scheme with the UK carbon market.
Verra looks to compliance carbon markets after 2025 issuance slowdown
Verra has high hopes for growth via regulated carbon markets after issuances under its flagship carbon standard fell by around 30% year-on-year in 2025, according to its annual report.
Major AI governance frameworks ignore risks to nature
Two influential blueprints for governing Artificial Intelligence cover national security, job security, and human freedom, but fail to address AI’s vast potential to accelerate resource extraction and the destruction of nature, a campaign group said during the UN’s inaugural dialogue on AI governance in Geneva this week.
EMEA
EU has plenty of room for offshore wind, fishing, meeting 30×30 conservation target -report
The European Union would only need to use 0.19% of its waters to meet its 2030 offshore wind target, leaving ample space for commercial fishing and marine conservation, according to a report published on Tuesday.
Scottish councils use about 20% of nature funds for routine spending, investigation says
Councils in Scotland have collectively used about £4 million of governmental nature restoration funding on office costs and routine spending, according to a media investigation published this week.
NGO coalition urges DRC to halt plans to lift logging moratorium, warns of climate and governance risks
A coalition of more than 70 environmental, Indigenous rights, and human rights organisations has urged the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to abandon plans to lift its 23-year-old moratorium on allocating new industrial logging concessions, warning that the move would jeopardise climate commitments, undermine recent forest governance reforms, and expose vast areas of the Congo Basin to unsustainable exploitation.
UK water investment programme could anchor billions in nature finance, policy brief says
England’s water industry investment programme could become one of the country’s largest long-term sources of nature finance if regulators and utilities expand the role of catchment-scale and nature-based solutions, according to a policy brief published on Tuesday.
Global consultancy, Swiss developer partner to unlock funding for global water credit market
A global innovation consultancy specialising in the water sector and a Swiss-based water credit system developer have partnered to attract investment to the nascent water credits market.
Bottom trawling threatens seabirds, cetaceans in UK MPAs -NGO
A new report said that some three quarters of site assessments for UK marine protected areas (MPAs) designated to safeguard whales, dolphins, porpoises, and seabirds identify bottom trawling as a threat requiring management.
AMERICAS
Carbon finance is becoming a major revenue source for US biochar producers, survey data shows
Carbon finance is playing an increasing role in the US biochar market, according to a survey-based report published Tuesday that found national production estimates rose 32% per year between 2023 and 2025 and estimated industry value nearly tripled.
ASIA PACIFIC
Biodiversity finance narratives shape market-oriented conservation approaches -study
The dominant narratives surrounding biodiversity finance increasingly frame conservation through innovation and market-based approaches therefore shaping how biodiversity protection is governed and understood, according to a recent study published in Environmental Sociology.
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BITE-SIZED UPDATES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
AMERICAS
Public guidelines – Peru’s environment ministry has unveiled a draft sectoral guidance document designed to help public agencies identify and assess projects with the strongest potential to participate in carbon markets. The proposal applies a common set of eight prioritisation criteria, including emissions reduction potential, alignment with national climate targets, sustainable development benefits, and cost-effectiveness, aimed at standardising project evaluation across government entities. The final document will be made publicly available later this month.
World Cup offsets – Brazil’s men’s national football team is set to offset its residual World Cup emissions with carbon credits supplied by state-owned bank Caixa under a partnership between the Brazilian Football Confederation and the von Bohlen Halbach Climate Institute, Brazilian news outlet Terra reported. The credits are linked to emissions reductions from the Rio Waste Treatment Plant in Seropedica, Rio de Janeiro – a project managed by Regenera Rio under Caixa’s UN-registered activities programme for solid waste and carbon capture.
Tribal forest RFP – The Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians (CTCLUSI) has opened a request for proposals for the second phase of an improved forest management carbon credit project on Tribal forestlands in Oregon, with responses due July 22. The selected contractor will assess feasibility, design the project and inventory, estimate carbon stocks and credit yields, and begin initial project development to prepare for potential carbon market transactions under Washington’s Cap-and-Invest Program. The work will cover seven parcels totalling nearly 6,000 ha across Lincoln, Lane, Douglas, Coos, and Curry counties, while incorporating Tribal management priorities and protections for sovereignty and cultural resources.
Reducing flares – Ecuador has decommissioned 180 gas flares across its Amazon oilfields since 2022, avoiding an estimated 710,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions as part of a court-ordered programme to eliminate routine gas flaring, Ecoticias reported. State-owned Petroecuador aims to remove more than 400 flares by 2030, capturing associated gas for power generation, refining, and industrial use instead of burning it while reducing reliance on imported fuels. The initiative was launched following a 2021 ruling by the Provincial Court of Sucumbios.
Eleven years later – Brazilian mining company Samarco has concluded a bird conservation and reintroduction programme in the Rio Doce Basin, according to an article published by mining industry non-profit IBRAM. The project is part of Samarco’s reparation work following a serious 2015 mining dam collapse which killed 15 people and polluted hundreds of kilometres of the Doce River with iron ore tailings. The English High Court ruled in 2025 that BHP group – which owns half of Samarco – was liable for the environmental and humanitarian destruction. Samarco has worked with a society focused on wildlife reproduction to establish 170 aviaries and introduce 25 breeding pairs of both southeastern curassow and jacutinga into the ecosystem.
Tighter canal – The Panama Canal Authority will further reduce the maximum draft for Neopanamax vessels to 48.5 feet by mid-August as it manages water resources ahead of a possible El Nino, Trans.info reported. While transit capacity remains unchanged, the restrictions could require heavily loaded ships to reduce cargo or adjust voyage plans, renewing concerns over global trade flows after the severe drought-related disruptions that affected international shipping through the waterway in 2023-24 and the current conflict in the Middle East.
EMEA
ARR issuance – Verra has issued 25,408 verified carbon units (VCUs) from Estonian-based forestry carbon developer Ecobase’s European afforestation, reforestation, and revegetation (ARR) project, according to a press release shared on Tuesday. It marks the second verification and credit issuance for the project, and covers two vintages, with 12,140 VCUs issued for 2023 and 13,268 for 2024. The credits form part of Ecobase’s wider 5,853-ha ARR project. But while the full project spans 10 countries, these specific credits were generated from eligible project areas across Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden.
New strategy – Cambodia has launched a five-year environmental diplomacy strategy aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions and attracting green investment and climate finance, the government said. The 2026-30 framework prioritises forest protection, clean energy, and climate-smart agriculture, alongside efforts to mobilise private investment and strengthen public-private partnerships. It also calls for forest restoration, biodiversity protection, and sustainable community livelihoods, as well as stronger pollution controls and waste management, The Star reported.
Green shoots – Green Earth Group has published its Q2 2026 trading update, reporting progress in its shift from project development to commercial delivery. During the first half of 2026, the company increased its sales order book to €41.5 mln, including €4.1 mln in prepaid contracted sales, which it said reflects growing commercial traction as it scales project execution.
Expanding certification – Forest certification body Preferred by Nature has expanded its PEFC Forest Management certification services to Lithuania and Ukraine, issuing its first certificates in both countries, it announced on Tuesday. The certifications cover nearly 106,000 ha of forest, including Lithuania’s second and largest PEFC-certified private forest area and the first PEFC-certified forest in Ukraine. The move responds to growing demand for PEFC-certified timber and enables the organisation to offer both PEFC and FSC certification services in the region, the organisation said.
ASIA PACIFIC
Indonesia carbon boom – Indonesia’s carbon trading economic value could reach around IDR 5 trillion ($277.7 mln), according to Antara News. Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni noted that the figure depends on transparent, accountable governance and prioritising public interest. The ministry has approved four initial projects, three under Forest Utilisation Business Permits and one social forestry scheme, with potential to avoid 30 MtCO2e. Antoni added that three projects covering 225,000 ha could generate IDR 500 bln in non‑tax state revenue.
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