Carbon Pulse

A major announcement from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) that now opens the door for offset use as part of validated corporate net zero targets has made waves in the voluntary carbon sector, with proponents of the decision lauding its demand implications for the market, and critics arguing that the move undermines the organisation's role in the broader fight against climate change.

The Italian government’s close relationship with partly state-owned fossil fuel producer Eni complicates Italy’s plan to become carbon neutral by 2050 and threatens its reputation as a credible climate leader.

A total of more than $74 billion was raised from 36 carbon emissions trading systems last year, up from $63 bln the year before, with strong momentum building for new mechanisms in emerging economies, according to research published Wednesday.

Two-thirds of the carbon credits generated by restoration projects and issued to date are associated with biodiversity-positive methodologies, though carbon standards following the UN Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) have failed to advance their nature requirements, a study has shown.

The most commonly used tools to measure corporate impacts on biodiversity require urgent updates as they do not align well with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), according to a study released this week.

The Malaysian federal government has agreed to integrate the state of Sarawak’s carbon trading bill as part of the federal law which will be presented before Parliament for approval, according to local media reports.

Carbon markets could support carbon capture and storage (CCS) work but hurdles remain, such as return on investment, buyer appetite, and incentivising the entire chain including transport, according to a report released this week.

Brussels has given Berlin the green light to provide €2.2 billion of support for decarbonising industrial production processes, saying it fits under the EU's framework for allowing state aid in times of temporary crisis and transition, the European Commission announced on Wednesday.

European carbon prices fell back after a strong opening as traders absorbed data showing that speculative investors had continued building bearish bets last week, shrugging off the biggest premium in a daily auction for two weeks, while energy markets snapped a four-day winning streak.

The inclusion of shipping in the EU ETS is likely to impose €1 billion in costs for the Asian shipping industry, with Singapore bound to take on around a third of that, according to research published Wednesday.

Taiwan's biggest emitters are moving far too slowly on reducing their carbon emissions and shifting to renewable energy, risking imposing environmental costs to the tune of $20 billion on the economy while driving up electricity prices, according to a report released Wednesday.

The European Commission is planning to launch a public consultation on the EU’s 2040 climate target “in early 2025” with a view to putting a formal legislative proposal on the table the following year, a senior official has said.

A carbon accounting platform has unveiled a solution aimed at helping corporates in the metals and energy sectors disclose supply chain emissions for both compliance and voluntary purposes, including for the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).

A carbon credit standards body has issued the first batch of credits for a nature-based solutions (NbS) project based in Utah in the US, it announced on Tuesday.

Soil carbon industry practitioners and soil carbon scientists need to be more open to learn from each other in order to build knowledge and consensus in the sector, an expert who has worked in both camps told a webinar Wednesday.

California Carbon Allowance (CCA) values in the secondary market got a boost Tuesday from the highly anticipated release of an economic impact analysis of a proposed cap-and-trade rulemaking that programme regulator ARB submitted to a state agency.

A consortium of offset developers is hitting back at a recent analysis alleging pervasive over-crediting by cookstove projects within the voluntary carbon market (VCM), pointing to what it calls doubts about the study's reliability, in an open letter seen exclusively by Carbon Pulse.

California regulator ARB is staying on course with the 2030 carbon intensity (CI) benchmark proposed in draft amendments last year, but is mulling adjustments to the one-time CI step-down for 2025 among other considerations based on stakeholder feedback.

A Washington DC federal court ruled Tuesday in favour of defendants of a Clean Air Act (CAA) waiver to California, reinforcing the state's longstanding authority to set its own standards that are stricter than those at the federal level.

A Colorado-based energy firm and a Nebraska environmental group announced a “landmark” community benefits agreement on Tuesday that ensures a proposed CO2 pipeline can proceed unopposed, setting a precedent for similar projects dealing with local opposition.