A Nordic climate funding initiative in Africa has signed an agreement to support a clean cooking developer scale its bioethanol solution, it announced this week.

Toll-free trucks – The European Commission is proposing to exempt zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles from road tolls and user charges until 2031, according to a statement published on Friday. This would extend the current exemption period from Dec. 31, 2025 to June 30, 2031 – a move the Commission said aims at providing incentives for companies to invest in zero-emission trucks. The proposed exemption period will be synchronised with the EU’s CO2 emission performance standards for new heavy-duty vehicles, which target a 43% reduction in emissions by 2030.

Nuclear talks - Centrica is in advanced talks to purchase 15% of the UK's Sizewell C nuclear power project, with a decision expected in coming weeks, say people familiar. Earlier this year the UK announced it would invest £14.2 bln to help build the Suffolk-based plant after years of delays, and further backing would support the government in its quest for low-carbon, baseload power supply. Others reportedly considering bidding for minority stakes include Brookfield Asset Management and pension manager Caisse de Dépôt et Placement du Québec. (Bloomberg)

The United Kingdom is committed to include permanent, high-quality carbon removals (CDR) into its Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), a senior official confirmed, saying the government will initially follow a strict ‘one-in, one-out’ approach where each tonne of CO2 removed from the atmosphere is matched by a corresponding allowance withdrawn from the market.

Emissions drive - The members of Pledge to Net Zero - the environmental sector's climate partnership - have cut almost 1 mln tonnes of corporate emissions since joining forces in 2019. This year, 125 organisations of all sizes reported their performance, up from 110 in 2024 and 89 in 2023, stated the press release. Members include Port of London Authority, AECOM, and consultancy RSK. There was significant investment from members in electric vehicles and renewable energy, alongside supply chain decarbonisation. Scope 3 emissions continue to pose a challenge for many companies.

AI partners - AI company Univers is partnering with Microsoft on accelerating the sustainable energy transition through AI technology. The memorandum of understanding signed during London Climate Action Week will see the two explore enhancement of energy efficiency in data centers through the use of Microsoft AI Cloud capabilities, to strengthen Univers’ sustainability offerings. The partnership strives to improve cooling efficiency, renewables integration, and intelligent operations within data centres worldwide, stated the press release.

Money in trees - A UK government scheme, England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO), that helps landowners plant trees in England has revealed a case study where a 100-hectares of woodland will receive maintenance payments of £400 per hectare for 15 years after planting, totalling £614,800, on top of reaping benefits from selling credits certified by the UK Woodland Carbon Code. These maintenance payments help with the cost of tree replacement, weeding around the trees, and the management of open space within the woodland. For a project of this scale, up to 165,000 replacement trees might be needed in the first few years, EWCO said. The project has already received a payment of £426,800 for capital items needed to make the woodland happen. This covered the cost of buying trees and tree tubes, fencing, gates, and other essentials, which offsets most of the establishment costs for this woodland. The highest expenses were deer fencing, purchasing and planting a total of 550,000 trees. Overall, the more than 100 hectare woodland project will receive £1,206,300 (£11,800 per hectare) in EWCO grant payments over 15 years following initial capital work. In addition, over the first 35 years, the new woodland is likely to deliver over 30,000 carbon credits, or WCU.

A partnership of Japanese companies has begun demonstration testing for a new technology that produces electricity, hydrogen, and CO2 simultaneously via firing of biomass and have been selected for a grant programme from research and development agency the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation (NEDO).

Nordic countries should consider establishing a regional biodiversity offsetting market to complement the EU's nature credit scheme being developed by the European Commission, a climate non-profit said in a position paper this week.

A UN Environment Programme (UNEP) working group this week released a report seeking to address a gap in guidance on nature-related assessments for insurance underwriting portfolios.

EU carbon allowance prices rebounded modestly on Friday morning after falling to their lowest in nearly four weeks, finding support from bullish-positioned traders even as energy markets continued to retreat amid easing supply constraints.

A new modelling interface to gauge the impact of climate policy scenarios, such as carbon pricing, has been launched by the UNFCCC and the Katowice Committee of Experts (KCI), which aims to bring socioeconomic considerations to the fore when developing climate policy.

Analysts at a bank have raised their expectations for 2026 European carbon allowance prices by 5%, driven by tightening supply, but cautioned that there is still significant uncertainty around free allocation policy and ongoing trade conflicts.

A Brazil-led innovative financing model, designed to fight tropical deforestation, is said to be within reach following talks between government officials and philanthropies in London.

Climactic raise - A Berlin-based tech company has raised €10 mln in a Series A funding round to enhance its AI-driven automation of emissions calculations, including Scope 3. Climatiq said that it will also invest in expanding its scientific database of emissions conversion factors across jurisdictions and economic sectors, as well as in growing its partner ecosystem. The company has integrated its technology with more than 200 business operation platforms, and delivered over 1 bln carbon calculations via its APIs in the last 12 months to global businesses, it claimed. Climatiq’s carbon calculation engine uses a dataset of over 200,000 emission conversion factors. The funding round was led by independent early-stage venture capital fund Alstin Capital, with participation from existing investors Singular and Cherry Ventures. (ESG Today)

For whom the exemption tolls - The EU Commission has proposed to extend the exemption period for zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles from road tolls and user charges until June 30, 2031. The executive said it recognised the upfront cost of these vehicles is currently higher than their conventional counterparts, making them less attractive to buyers. The proposed exemption period will be synchronised with the EU’s CO2 emission performance standards for new heavy-duty vehicles which target a 43% reduction in emissions by 2030.

Environmental markets should prioritise maintaining and restoring ecological connectivity, as countries worldwide are facing massive infrastructure buildout with great impacts on biodiversity, an expert told Carbon Pulse.

Biochar asphalt - Novocarbo and Hansa Asphalt have launched a pilot in northern Germany for a biochar-infused asphalt mix that stores carbon while enhancing road performance. Early findings show increased material efficiency, potential substitution of raw materials like fillers or bitumen, and durable carbon storage. About 75 kg of CO₂ equivalent is stored per tonne of asphalt, totaling 17.5 tonnes at the test site. The removals are certified by Novocarbo and verified independently, generating credits, with a commercial rollout planned for this autumn. (Biochar Today)

The seasonal migration of zooplankton such as krill plays a key role in storing CO2 in the Southern Ocean, though these dynamics are at risk of being disturbed by climate change, a new study has found.

Australia on Friday began a public consultation process for sea dumping carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), releasing draft guidance documents for domestic projects.

A Dutch project developer has sold voluntary credits at an average of €22.28 ($26), higher than originally estimated, it revealed Friday.

Prices in China's national carbon market continued their recovery for the third consecutive week, with trading volumes almost doubling from the previous week. 

The EU needs time for a genuine democratic debate on the bloc’s next climate target for 2040, according to French President Emmanuel Macron, who has pleaded for decoupling the negotiations from the EU’s 2035 contribution to the UN due in September.

Getting to grips with Article 6 - The Climate Action Center of Excellence (CACE) and Emsurge are making the A6 Country Readiness Tracker free to access for carbon buyers, airlines, developers, Emstream clients, banks, government stakeholders, and climate investors. The decision, announced during London Climate Action Week, is intended to provide governments and investors with the information needed to make responsible decisions about the Article 6 market for international carbon trading. It will be free for eligible participants, but will carry a $5,000/year per location license for OECD-based firms not actively engaged in trading or implementation, said the press release.

Australia’s next Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) will likely create the need for faster Safeguard Mechanism baseline decline rates, potentially leading to vastly higher Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) prices, according to analysis shared exclusively with Carbon Pulse.

Reducing data centre emissions - Singapore-based AI and IoT tech company Univers has partnered with Microsoft to accelerate energy transition using advanced AI and cloud technologies, the company said in statement. Announced at the London Climate Action Week, the partnership will integrate Univers’ EnOS Ark platform with Microsoft’s AI and data capabilities to help organisations track, manage, and reduce their energy consumption and carbon emissions - starting with energy-efficient data centres. As well, the initiative will aim to improve cooling efficiency, renewable energy integration, and intelligent operations within data centres worldwide.

Betting on batteries - Australia passed law Friday to ensure lower prices for home batteries, the Clean Energy Regulator announced. The Renewable Energy (Electricity) Amendment (Cheaper Home Batteries Program) Regulations 2025 expands existing regulations from 2001 and confirms solar batteries are eligible under the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme from Jul.1. Canberra’s A$2.3 bln ($1.5 bln) Cheaper Home Batteries Program aims to reduce the upfront costs by around 30%.

Net zero by 2060, first! - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto claimed this week his nation will be one of the first to hit net zero, despite an official target of 2060 or 10 years after most nations. According to the President’s website, he made the promise via a videolink message to the inauguration of a renewable energy development as well as an oil block expansion boosting production by 30,000 barrels per day. He said the country was in a strong position to become "one of the first countries to achieve net zero emissions on time". Separately, an Indonesian energy think tank on Friday proposed five measures the government could take if it is serious about using the renewable energy potential of Central Java to generate hundreds of gigawatts of power. The Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) suggested Jakarta develop a green investment roadmap from now to 2035, establish a green investment unit as a ‘one-stop’ for investors, launch a Green Industrial Parks initiative in strategic areas, partner with financial institutions to explore green financing, and invest in green skills training. A separate report of this week found that Indonesia’s vast upstream coal sector is so profitable miners have little incentive to change or meet the eventual energy transition.

Renewable recharge - One of Australia’s large conglomerates that owns hardware and office supply stores and a large chemical arm will fast track decarbonisation via a A$100 mln ($66 mln) funding commitment from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), it announced. The funding will be used to install distributed energy resources (DER) across operations including rooftop solar, battery storage, energy efficiency initiatives, and an electric vehicle smart charging infrastructure pilot. Wesfarmers will also conduct a study to decarbonise its chemical arm. Wesfarmers said it expects to have installed or upgraded onsite renewables at its retail outlets by the end of the year. Visitors to hardware outlet Bunnings will also be able to use onsite EV chargers.

Disappointing - Australia’s Clean Energy Council (CEC) has expressed dismay at Queensland’s parliament passing renewable energy planning reforms without amendment, it said this week. The Social Impact and Community Benefit bill will add complexity and delay approvals for new grid-scale projects, according to the NGO. It will also put investment in the Sunshine State at risk, it said, even as it welcomed the plan to better consult with communities. The CEC said renewable investors are already hesitant to continue projects, which may ultimately delay the exit of coal. Earlier this year the state paused the approvals process for several large gigawatt-scale windfarms for several months over claims they failed to properly consult with local communities.

Getting recognised - Australian analysis firm RepuTex has had its Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) price benchmark recognised as the "Default Prescribed Unit Price" (DPUP) by the Australian government, it announced Friday. The recognition sets the standard price for prescribed carbon units under the Safeguard Mechanism. The DPUP is an average of prescribed carbon unit trades for a financial year, including ACCUs and Safeguard Mechanism Credits, and provides the market with a standard benchmark for calculating the cost of managing excess emissions - linked to an audited reference price, the firm said. RepuTex said interim estimates of the DPUP will be published by the government on a quarterly basis.

Benchmark California Carbon Allowance (CCA) prices rose above $28 amid fading fears of federal risks and bullish signals, while Washington Carbon Allowance (WCA) values recorded multi-year highs on constrained permit supply.

A majority in the Dutch Parliament has voted in favour of scrapping a national CO2 levy on industry that sits on top of the EU ETS – after the government only recently proposed to maintain it.

The Q1 2025 results for carbon offsetting under Colombia’s national CO2 tax have this week been published, showing higher retirements that build upon recent rebounds in local demand after post-2022 lows.