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TOP STORY
BRIEFING: New UN 1.5C initiative raises old fault lines over finance vs emission cuts
Countries are widely divided around traditional fault lines in talks on what a new UN initiative to strengthen climate efforts should look like, with developing countries prioritising finance, wealthier nations encouraging greater policy action, and business groups advocating wider deployment of climate technologies.
INTERNATIONAL
Open ocean dominates world’s blue carbon removal value, new valuation shows
A new valuation framework has found the open ocean drives more than 90% of the $2.3 trillion a year the world’s marine and coastal ecosystems generate in carbon removal value, dwarfing the contribution of mangroves, seagrasses and salt marshes.
WWF urges stronger role for ecological connectivity, OECMs in global conservation framework
WWF has urged governments to incorporate ecological connectivity into a global framework for protected and conserved areas, while strengthening recognition of Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) to meet biodiversity goals.
Standardised nature investment key to resilient infrastructure amid mounting water risks -report
Converting avoided environmental losses into investable revenue streams for nature is critical for moving from niche transactions into standard investment practice in water infrastructure resilient to climate impacts, according to a new report.
Major companies increasingly investing in biodiversity protection for strategic objectives -report
Multi-national food and agriculture companies are increasingly investing in protecting biodiversity as a business enhancement strategy rather than for regulatory or philanthropic reasons, according to a new report.
ASIA PACIFIC
Southeast Asia could earn $12.6 bln from agriculture-related voluntary carbon projects -report
Voluntary carbon markets could deliver up to $12.6 billion a year to support agrifood decarbonisation in Southeast Asia, yet researchers caution that the region’s funding shortfall remains severe.
Asian fund raises $48 mln to scale climate‑smart land‑use lending for Indonesian SMEs
An Asian investment management firm has raised $48 million in blended finance to fund climate-smart land-use practices in Indonesia.
EMEA
Investor group recommends new UK prime minister integrates nature market policies
The new UK prime minister, Andy Burnham, should take steps to enable nature markets through policy integration as one of five priority areas for translating climate ambition into investable opportunities at scale, an investor group has said.
Vet tech company to channel UK subscriptions revenue to rewilding
A veterinary technology company will direct a percentage of its UK subscriptions revenue to a rewilding non-profit with the aim of supporting large-scale restoration.
AMERICAS
Human-caused climate change is bleaching coral, not El Nino -paper
Climate change caused by humans, rather than the natural ocean warming phenomenon El Nino, is the primary driver of reef bleaching, a paper said on Thursday.
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BITE-SIZED UPDATES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
AMERICAS
Logging plan blocked – A federal judge has halted a major logging project in the state of Oregon, ruling the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) violated several major environmental laws in approving the plan. The logging proposal would have logged close to 1,000 ha of forest without properly identifying and protecting old-growth forests, and the impact the project would have on threatened wildlife in the area. The lawsuit was brought by a coalition of conservation groups that argued such ecosystems are critical for wildlife habitat, carbon storage, and climate resilience.
Mexican mining ban – Mexico’s environment ministry (SEMARNAT) has announced that it will no longer approve new mining projects within federally protected natural areas, tightening environmental safeguards for the country’s national parks and biodiversity hotspots. The policy will prohibit SEMARNAT from approving environmental impact assessments for new mining activities in protected areas and will require current mining concession holders to obtain environmental authorisation before undertaking exploration or extraction. The measure will also ban the disposal of mining waste in protected areas, wetlands, and federal waterways, while also requiring environmental restoration plans for mining operations.
Digital twins for ecosystems – Zander Evans, executive director for US non-profit Forest Stewards Guild, said in an essay that advanced geospatial and AI technology can be paired with collaborative local stewardship efforts to accelerate and scale up conservation and restoration solutions. Published by US conservation think tank Ground Shift, Evans suggested building a nation-wide stewardship decision support system with high-resolution geospatial data and AI-powered modelling as a “digital twin of real-world ecosystems”.
Conservation funding – The National University of the Littoral in Argentina, together with the Habitat and Development Foundation, Sancor Insurance, and the Santa Fe Provincial Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, has awarded funding to four conservation projects through the seventh Santa Fe Natural Heritage Conservation Fund. The initiatives will support wetland restoration, research on the impact of invasive wild pigs, monitoring of birds in the endangered Dry Chaco forest, and insect conservation in the Espinal ecoregion.
Citi’s carbon credit haul – US-based multinational investment bank Citigroup bought almost 50,800 carbon credits in 2025, a slight decrease from the previous year, it revealed in its annual sustainability report published this week. 2025 purchases were more concentrated in forestry credits, which accounted for four of the six Citi-supported projects during the year, while energy demand projects represented half of supported projects in the 2024 report, and forestry only one-fourth.
EMEA
State aid – The European Commission has approved a €715 mln Dutch state aid scheme to reduce ammonia emissions by supporting the voluntary closure of livestock farms. The five-year programme targets farms near protected Natura 2000 sites to help restore ecosystems affected by nitrogen pollution. Livestock farmers can receive direct grants covering 100-110% of eligible closure costs, with priority given to properties closest to protected areas. The scheme builds on earlier Dutch farm closure programmes approved by the Commission in 2023 and 2024.
Lucky 22 – The Global Biodiversity Information Facility has announced 22 projects across Africa that will receive support through the EU-funded Biodiversity Information for Development programme. Nearly $1 mln was allocated to this funding round, with each project receiving up to $60,000. The selected initiatives are led by institutions in 16 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa and aim to strengthen biodiversity data capacity.
Joining forces – The Foundation for the Conservation of Biodiversity (BIOFUND) and the Mozambique LNG project, operated by TotalEnergies, have partnered to advance biodiversity conservation efforts across the country. Under the initiative, the organisations will support the implementation of nature-based solutions and the promotion of sustainable development, according to a statement.
Timber – A homegrown, sustainable timber industry can help make the UK more resilient and competitive, said Richard Kelly, co-lead of natural capital at Foresight Group, in a letter to the new prime minister, Andy Burnham. Kelly urged building more public homes with UK timber to reduce import dependency, create better living environments, and accelerate building time. Furthermore, timber-framed homes are carbon reservoirs that can reduce the country’s emissions footprint, he said.
Controlled burns – The Greater Cape Town Water Fund is delivering on its mission to help restore the region’s watersheds, reducing water scarcity, reported US-based non-profit The Nature Conservancy (TNC). Since it was established eight years ago, the South African strategy has removed 41,000 ha of invasive pine and eucalyptus trees, restoring over 37 bln litres of water annually into streams. Controlled burns helped conservationists to clear large areas, while boosting native biodiversity, said TNC.
ASIA PACIFIC
Bangladeshi biodiversity – Bangladesh is strengthening efforts to implement its updated National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), while addressing challenges including financing gaps, institutional coordination, and ecosystem degradation, reported The Climate Watch. The country’s environmental department organised a cross-government seminar last week to discuss strategies to meet global conservation commitments. Participants said financial limitations were one of the biggest barriers to achieving biodiversity targets.
Deep-sea data – The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute of India, ICAR-CMFRI, has launched a mobile application that combines scientific records with citizen observations to strengthen mapping of the country’s deep-sea biodiversity, Deccan Chronicle reported. The DeepDATA platform allows users to access information on deep-sea fish species and upload field observations, which are validated by experts before being added to a national database supporting biodiversity monitoring, conservation planning, and marine research.
Ghost forests – A new study in Biogeosciences has found that dead trees standing in reservoirs, referred to as ghost forests, are an overlooked source of methane emissions in GHG accounting. The findings indicated that current reservoirs emissions estimates may undercount methane because measurement often focuses on emissions from the water surface, ignoring standing dead trees which can have significant emissions depending on water depth and tree characteristics. The Australian research team suggested incorporating ghost forests into reservoir carbon accounting could improve the accuracy of freshwater methane emissions estimates, better informing reservoir management and climate mitigation strategies.
In limbo – The first ballot to register exotic forestry on marginal land in the NZ ETS has now closed, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) said on Thursday. Successful applicants will be notified once the ballot has been drawn, it added. The move to a ballot follows legislative changes to restrict the amount of farm-to-forest conversions for the carbon market, with two such lotteries taking place to allocate permits to 15,000 ha of LUC 6 land each year. MPI said it would announce the date for this year’s second draw once it has been confirmed.
INTERNATIONAL
Three continents for one project – Karbon-X, a Canada-based climate solutions company, has been hired by a subsidiary of Dutch oil company Oilinvest to provide technical advisory services for the early development of a proposed nature-based carbon project in Libya’s Tripoli Wildlife Park. The Canadian company will help design the project’s carbon accounting framework, develop project documentation, assess methodologies, and establish MRV systems needed for international carbon standards certification. The proposed project aims to restore degraded landscapes through afforestation and ecosystem restoration, enhancing biodiversity and improving ecosystem resilience, all while hopefully generating future tradable carbon offset credits.
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