Carbon Pulse

A panel of judges from a US federal court denied a petition on Monday from a network of green groups against the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) decision to grant an exemption to review California Diablo Canyon’s federal license renewal.

The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) has found the Clean Energy Regulator’s (CER) supervision of the country’s carbon market to be “largely effective”, but noted opportunities to address weaknesses in its information systems used to administer the scheme.

Over two dozen local Mexican communities involved in the forestry voluntary carbon market (VCM) sent a letter Wednesday decrying a government proposal that would regulate VCM activities in the latest episode of a regulatory saga begun early this year.

California Low Carbon Fuel Standard's (LCFS) cumulative surplus bank once again soared to new heights as net credits for the last quarter of 2023 rose to record levels, according to state data published Tuesday.

A major carbon dioxide removals (CDR) buyer has outlined how private sector CDR claims can coexist with national emissions accounting, as the firm continues its efforts to scale the nascent market.

The US Department of Commerce released Tuesday a handbook intended to guide emerging economies in developing and implementing frameworks to catalyse investment into carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) projects worldwide.

Ineffective management and incomplete data collection in Canada’s Net Zero Accelerator Initiative cost taxpayers upwards of C$523 ($380) per tonne of emissions reductions, while only two of the country's large emitters have committed to the programme, according to the Office of the Auditor General.

A British Columbia-based carbon consultancy nearly quadrupled its net loss in fiscal year 2023 due to increased expenses related to expanding its offset portfolio.

The Voluntary Carbon Market Integrity Initiative (VCMI), in collaboration with the Yucatan government and global advisory firm Climate Focus, has announced a new partnership to establish best practice guidelines for voluntary carbon market (VCM) projects in the Mexican state.

The African Union Development Agency is looking for a consultancy service to develop an optimum standard for voluntary carbon offsets in Africa, to be labelled the ‘African Gold Standard’. 

Durable carbon removals (CDR) saw their sales fall for the fourth consecutive quarter in Q1, according to a report.

Regional airports in the UK are taking steps to develop the infrastructure behind hydrogen-powered flight, as they seek to support the decarbonisation pathway best suited to their short-haul customer base, participants heard on a webinar on Tuesday.

The EU ETS-funded European Hydrogen bank has awarded nearly €720 million to seven renewable hydrogen projects, following its first competitive bidding process, the European Commission announced on Tuesday.

The European Commission, together with its 27 member states' consumer authorities, has initiated action against 20 airlines to look at potential greenwashing practices, including the use of voluntary carbon credits, the executive announced on Tuesday.

G7 ministers confirmed their commitment to phase out unabated coal power generation by 2035, in a joint statement on Tuesday setting out how they intend to support and lead the global agreement to transition away from fossil fuels and sale up clean energy. 

The latest round of negotiations on the UN plastic treaty wrapped up on Monday with shy steps forward on the draft text, due to be finalised by the end of the year, though observers levelled criticism over the lack of progress on production cuts and funding mechanisms.

A total of 10 carbon offsetting projects have now cleared the preliminary assessment of a Bangkok-based voluntary carbon registry, and are poised to collectively generate more than 4 million carbon credits annually.

The UK’s second-largest operator of waste-to-energy facilities is eying opportunities as a removals provider as it looks to roll out carbon capture across its portfolio and it receives an increasing proportion of biogenic waste.

An investigation into Australia’s federal environmental offset scheme has found a ‘set and forget’ regulatory approach has led to areas earmarked for conservation being impacted or developed without consequence.

UK aviation has a number of potential routes for decarbonising — from jet fuels to operational changes — but stronger policy is needed to incentivise and accelerate the shift in an industry where growing demand will otherwise push emissions upwards, industry experts said during a webinar on Tuesday.