China has further tightened its stronghold on the global clean industry, accounting for nearly half of all low-carbon industrial projects that have already secured financing, while India is emerging as one of the fastest-growing challengers among renewables-rich economies, according to a new report.

A Japanese corporate giant is seeking more partners to pioneer direct ocean capture (DOC), after announcing it was developing a pilot plant following two years of research by an institute in Finland.

Negotiators at the SB64 climate summit in Bonn are transitioning the Kyoto-era Adaptation Fund (AF) to Paris, with UN carbon markets historically contributing large sums to the fund – but financing from the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism (PACM) is still on standby.

Forestry-based carbon projects that are government-led and factored into national accounting systems can achieve landscape-scale change, with credit prices trading at a premium, say experts.

A European aviation alliance has warned the European Commission against expanding the EU ETS beyond flights within the European Economic Area (EEA), arguing that such a move could hurt European carriers and airports without delivering clear climate gains.

A UK-headquartered carbon and energy trading outfit has opened a new office in Amsterdam, as it looks to expand its presence across France, the Benelux region, and continental Europe.

The UN’s Technical Expert Reviews (TERs) of Article 6.2 initial reports are fully within bounds, and are not erroneously applying Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism (PACM) norms, a senior member of the UNFCCC has said.

Global data shows early signs that ecosystem restoration rates could exceed those of deforestation, according to the founding chair of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, who is optimistic this milestone could be reached within 30 years.

Zambia has signed a new agreement to advance jurisdictional climate action, formally integrating a major forest carbon project into its provincial framework.

Forest potential - Tokyo-based Archeda, which develops MRV solutions for nature-based carbon projects, has signed an MoU with Aboitiz Group's corporate foundation to promote high-quality forest-derived carbon credit projects in the Philippines, they announced Tuesday. Archeda will support the foundation’s forestry initiatives by leveraging satellite data and AI. Their initial focus will be to explore a forest carbon project in the Southeast Asian country, prioritising the Japan-led Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) as the crediting framework.

What buyers want - Industry preferences drive Japan's blue carbon market, with manufacturers focusing on local projects and service firms prioritising innovation, according to a paper published this month. The research analysed 61 blue carbon projects and 471 certified transactions under the J-Blue Credit scheme, with nearly 40% of these trades happening locally within the same municipality. The paper, written by researchers from the Japan Blue Economy Association (JBE), also found that blue carbon trading in Japan is characterised by low-volume, high-value transactions, averaging 2.3 ± 4.2 tCO₂ per trade at roughly $400/tCO₂.

A United Nations technical review has identified significant weaknesses in Malawi’s reporting and governance arrangements for participation in international carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, raising concerns about transparency, accounting practices, and environmental integrity.

Three climate groups have proposed a financial mechanism to support industrial emissions cuts under Australia’s Safeguard Mechanism, citing it could provide the price certainty needed to unlock capital for large‑scale abatement projects.

Carbon credit issuances and retirements bounced up in May year-on-year across the voluntary carbon market while benchmark CORSIA prices fell 22% to end the month around $10/tonne, their lowest level since June 2024.

Sri Lanka climate drive - Sri Lanka has set a new 13% industrial emissions reduction goal, doubling its previous commitment as part of its long-term climate strategy, local media reported. Officials said the move underpins plans to reach 70% renewable energy by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050. The announcement came at the Sri Lanka Climate Summit 2026 in Colombo.

A US climate platform is seeking more than 100,000 carbon removals (CDR) and super pollutant mitigation credits, with a particular focus on projects in Southeast Asia, Latin America, and island nations, it announced.

Green cement - French low-carbon cement producer Hoffmann Green Cement said it has launched a new technology that enables clay to be processed at ambient temperatures for use in its zero-clinker cement products, avoiding energy-intensive calcination process traditionally used in cement production. The company said the technology allows a wider range of clay feedstocks to be incorporated into low-carbon cement formulations, reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions while expanding access to raw materials.

The Brazilian COP30 presidency’s deforestation roadmap, presented in an early form on Monday, has been well received by a coalition of the willing, while the endeavour to draft a fossil fuel transition plan has sparked some backlash, Carbon Pulse heard in Bonn.

Trading activity on Indonesia’s carbon exchange continued to weaken in May, with volumes and transaction values falling to a 10-month low as deals stayed confined to smaller spot transactions, exchange data showed.

Funding received - Malaysia Forest Fund (MFF), energy and infrastructure firm Yinson Holdings, and the Pahang State Forestry Department have launched a forest restoration project at the Chini Lake Biosphere Reserve in central Malaysia. Yinson said it will contribute RM 193,515 ($45,000) to support the first phase of a forest planting programme covering 10 ha. The initiative forms part of a wider 20-ha restoration effort. The project is being implemented under Malaysia's Forest Conservation Certificate (FCC) framework, which seeks to channel private-sector funding into forest protection and restoration.

Missing middle - Australia has seen just 5.6 GW of rooftop solar in the commercial and industrial sector, compared to 22 GW on households, according to a briefing by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), describing it as an untapped clean energy resource. The think tank estimates the sector has the technical potential to host some 40 GW, and more than 80 GW when agricultural sites are included. The report said uptake is being held back by investment barriers, complex network tariffs, slow grid connections processes, and regulatory disadvantages.

A Seoul-listed investment holding company has partnered with a developer to drive down emissions from Vietnam's agriculture sector, eyeing the creation of carbon credits under the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM).

Kenya has set a 10-million credit budget capping the volume of Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs) that can leave the country under Article 6 through to 2030, a senior official told a carbon markets side event at the SB64 UN climate talks.

Concerns raised - Papua New Guinea's Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA) clarified it had conducted consultations with stakeholders over several years before introducing the country's Green Fee, responding to concerns raised by the tourism sector. The authority said discussions with the PNG Tourism Promotion Authority began in 2020. CCDA also disclosed that around K2.7 mln ($700,000) collected through the levy remains unspent while details for a dedicated trust fund are finalised. The Green Fee is intended to finance biodiversity conservation, environmental protection, climate resilience, and sustainable tourism initiatives.

Grid without borders- Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masato Kanda said that countries in Asia and the Pacific must work together to build a cleaner, more secure power system that can move electricity across borders. It is working to address this challenge through the Pan- Asia Power Grid Initiative (PAGI), which aims to expand cross-border electricity trade and accelerate renewable energy integration across Asia and the Pacific. ADB is preparing a $10-mln technical assistance grant to jump-start the initiative.

Jakarta blue economy- The Government of Norway officially launched the Norway–ASEAN Collaboration on Development of Blue Economy in ASEAN in Jakarta on Monday, local media reported. The project, to be implemented over two years, from 2025 to 2027, kicked off with commencement activities to strengthen regional capacity, enhance collaboration, and support the development of sustainable policies and practices in ASEAN's blue economy sector.

Drilling deep - The New Zealand government has completed detailed design work for its GeoShot NZ supercritical geothermal project, it announced. The project aims to access superhot geothermal fluids 4–5 km below the surface—roughly twice the depth of conventional geothermal wells—which could yield around three times more energy than existing geothermal resources if the technology proves viable. Resources minister Shane Jones said Cabinet has approved the release of the remaining NZ$55 mln ($32 mln) from the NZ$60 mln initially ring-fenced for the project under the Regional Infrastructure Fund. The cash will go to pre-drilling activity and the drilling of a deep exploratory well, including securing long-lead equipment, contractors, and other work needed to safely drill and test the well.

California oil - The Trump administration is in active talks to create a petroleum reserve in California, Politico reported Friday. That’s according to a document authored by lawyers of Sable Offshore, a company that owns oil platforms off the state’s coast, which was sent to the US DOE. The company has proposed a West Coast Strategic Petroleum Reserve to bolster supplies, though it is expected to draw opposition from California lawmakers.

Academic economics researchers published a working paper illustrating the impacts of carbon tariffs and domestic taxes, creating a model that disproves the trade-off between global emissions reductions and US GDP.

New Zealand's second government-held auction for the year failed to clear on Tuesday, in line with market expectations.