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TOP STORY
BRIEFING: SIDS seek to turn marine protected areas from pure conservation zones to investable assets
Small island developing states (SIDS) are calling for marine protected areas (MPAs) to be recognised as investable assets rather than purely conservation zones, arguing that private finance will only flow when nature is recognised as infrastructure that delivers economic, social, and climate resilience benefits.
EMEA
INTERVIEW: European fund eyes extra carbon cash from Congo timber, agri projects
A European impact fund is positioning itself to be a first big developer of forestry and carbon projects in one of Africa’s lesser known host countries, the Republic of Congo – and is helping the government build its market infrastructure along the way.
Malawi looks to biodiversity credits to help finance national nature plan
Malawi intends to use biodiversity credits to help draw in private finance for conservation and restoration as part of its latest national nature plan, which also floated the idea of mandatory biodiversity offsetting for the mining sector.
Commission adopts first EU carbon farming certification rules
The European Commission on Thursday adopted its first certification methodologies for carbon farming under the EU’s Carbon Removal and Carbon Farming (CRCF) Regulation, updating draft rules that were released for public consultation in January.
Kenya plans East African carbon exchange by 2027
Kenya is working to launch a carbon credit exchange serving the domestic and wider East African market within the next 12 months, media reported Friday.
INTERNATIONAL
Around 130 nations appoint Article 6 authorities, as June flurry pushes CDM transition projects with govt approval beyond 400
According to an update from the UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre, a total 65%, or 129 of 198 countries, have now taken steps towards Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism (PACM) participation by appointing their Designated National Authorities (DNAs).
Microsoft emissions jump 25% as AI buildout accelerates, but tech giant reiterates carbon removals commitment
Microsoft’s greenhouse gas output rose 25% in fiscal year 2025 as the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure drove higher emissions across its value chain, but the technology giant reiterated its commitment to become carbon negative by 2030 through a combination of operational decarbonisation and one of the world’s largest CO2 removal (CDR) procurement programmes.
Carbon removal buyers beyond Microsoft accelerate activity in Q2 -report
Carbon removal (CDR) buyers apart from Microsoft committed to a record-high volume of quarterly purchases, according to analysis published by a CDR portfolio manager on Thursday.
Gold Standard publishes Paris-aligned light and safe water carbon methodologies
Voluntary carbon certification body Gold Standard has published two new methodologies on Thursday as it continues to align its crediting programme with the principles of the Paris Agreement.
AMERICAS
INTERVIEW: American carbon scientist launches customisable carbon credit ratings agency
An American forest carbon scientist has founded a new credit ratings agency committed to transparency and re-building market trust through enhanced and customisable scoring metrics.
Cercarbono inches second listing under plastics crediting programme with Bolivian project
Cercarbono has opened a public consultation for a plastic recycling project in Bolivia, marking another step towards issuing its first plastic credits under its circular economy programme.
ASIA PACIFIC
Malaysia expects to meet over 80% of its biodiversity targets by 2030
Megadiverse Malaysia said it is on track to meet 14 of its 17 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework-aligned national biodiversity targets, but has found progress lacking on finance, capacity building, and protected area goals.
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BITE-SIZED UPDATES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
INTERNATIONAL
Available library – The Finance for Biodiversity Foundation has made its Investor Nature Engagement Brief series publicly available, providing sector-specific guidance to help investors engage companies on nature-related risks and opportunities, it announced on Thursday. Developed with foundation members, the briefs cover biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, chemicals, food and agriculture, forestry, paper and packaging, and metals and mining, offering engagement questions aligned with Nature Action 100 investor expectations.
New member – Trinidad and Tobago has become the 125th member of the Global Biodiversity Alliance (GBA) at a CARICOM Heads of Government meeting in Saint Lucia this week, News Room reported. The GBA is an international initiative launched by Guyana in July 2025 aimed at strengthening global cooperation on biodiversity conservation and restoration.
ASIA PACIFIC
More action needed – The environment minister of the Solomon Islands has called for stronger national policy frameworks to unlock blue carbon finance, highlighting legal certainty, scientific capacity, innovative financing, and community participation as key priorities while speaking at a United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific event in Bangkok this week. The minister also welcomed the launch of a regional blue carbon learning platform to boost cooperation and investment across the Asia-Pacific region.
Launched – Indonesia has officially launched its new Carbon Unit Registry System (SRUK). The environment ministry said 49 mitigation projects spanning the energy, waste, forestry, and agriculture sectors are in the pipeline under Indonesia’s domestic SPEI certification scheme, with estimated emissions reduction potential of 5.85 MtCO2e annually. The registry was built using Climate Data Steering Committee data-model standards and is designed to connect with IDXCarbon and international registry systems.
EMEA
Second win – Yale University has declared Estonia the world’s most environmentally friendly country for the second time, its climate ministry announced this week. The university reached this conclusion by assessing countries’ greenhouse gas emissions, climate targets, ecosystem conditions, and environmental protections. The index also considers progress towards the targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the Paris Agreement, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The Balkan nation received the same accolade in 2024.
Call for funding – The UK’s Darwin Initiative is accepting applications for its latest Main funding round, offering grants from £200,000 to £1 mln for projects delivering biodiversity conservation and poverty reduction. The application deadline for the first stage is July 20, with successful applicants invited to submit full proposals by Nov. 30. Around 20 projects are expected to receive funding starting in Apr. 2027, it said.
Church-led conservation? – A campaign group has pushed back at England’s Church Commissioners’ decision not support the global target to protect 30% of the earth’s land and sea by 2030, Church Times reported on Friday. The body, which is responsible for the Church of England’s assets, has claimed its fiduciary duties prevent it from contributing to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework’s 30×30 goal. Wild Card, the campaign group, has however questioned this position, raising a challenge to the legal assembly of the Church of England which is set to be heard next week. The Church Commissioners manage about 41,000 ha of land of which just 1,400 ha is currently designated for nature according to Wild Card.
Water storage – The Austrian government will kick off a research project looking into the ability of forests to store water, it announced this week. The Ministry for Agriculture and Forestry, Climate and Environmental Protection, Regions and Water Management (BMLUK) launched the AquaSilva project with the aim of assessing how the country’s forests retain water to make landscapes more resilient to periods of drought and heavy rain. Research will be piloted in Austria’s Wienerwald outside of Vienna.
AMERICAS
Chile landscape restoration – The Biobio Region of Chile has launched the development of Local Socio-Ecological Landscape Restoration Plans for the municipalities of Florida, Contulmo, and Canete, covering the Cayumanque and Lanalhue-Nahuelbuta landscapes as part of the GEF Landscape Restoration Project. Developed through a participatory process involving public institutions, local communities, and productive sectors, the plans will guide restoration priorities and actions over the next decade. The initiative supports Chile’s National Landscape Restoration Plan 2021-30, focusing on restoring degraded ecosystems, conserving biodiversity, strengthening ecosystem services, and promoting sustainable land management.
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