Carbon Pulse

Prices in the EU’s second emissions trading system could jump more than four-fold within the first four years of the market’s operation as an initial excess in allowance supply is rapidly replaced by a deficit as an early market-priming initiative gives way to strong demand, according to analysts.

Federal regulators are planning to roll out a number of offset protocols in the near future, though future Canadian carbon credit demand remains uncertain as several elections could threaten markets, a conference heard Tuesday.

Industrial emissions trading systems are here to stay in Canada regardless of the potential change in the political landscape provincially and on a federal level, panellists at a conference said Tuesday.

California's electricity sector recorded the lowest CO2 output since the state’s independent system operator began recordkeeping a decade ago, as renewables’ share made up more than half of the grid, data published Monday showed.

A Montreal-based fund that develops carbon offsets announced Tuesday a request for proposal (RFP) for its first project in Quebec at the Carbon Forward North America conference.

Canada’s C$15 billion ($10.9 bln) public investment vehicle will purchase up to 200,000 credits per annum over 15 years at an initial fixed price from an Alberta carbon capture and storage (CCS) project, but an expert criticised the bespoke nature of federal offtake agreements thus far as insufficient to meeting climate goals.

A US-based agricultural offset project developer announced Tuesday credit generation for large-scale sustainable rice cultivation, which it said was the first of its kind in the country.

Negotiations on setting a new global climate finance goal have been pushed out to later this year without a clear path for progress ahead, as national diplomats reached an impasse at the mid-year UN climate talks in Bonn on Tuesday.

Verra’s consolidated methodology for REDD+ could still see voluntary carbon project developers use inside knowledge to cherry pick forests that are unlikely to be chopped down, because they have been overlooked in the jurisdictional maps used to assess the risk of deforestation, warns a new academic paper.

Kenya, a regional frontrunner in the voluntary market (VCM), has announced plans to facilitate carbon project development on flower farms to mitigate emissions and increase foreign exchange earnings for the country, according to local media.

The increasing disclosure requirements placed on companies under the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) from next year will help to inform investment decision making and level the playing field in terms of what companies disclose, a sustainability executive said at a conference today.

European plastics producers are looking to the inclusion of waste incineration in the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) for further impetus to boost recycling and cut emissions - but incinerators worry they will bear the brunt of the new carbon costs. 

A firm providing insurance to buyers of voluntary carbon credits, offering payouts for non-delivery either in cash or in kind, has added over a dozen new project developers to its supplier pool.

Microsoft has continued to ramp up its voluntary removal purchases as part of its plan to become carbon negative by 2030, adding nearly 1 million nature-based units to its portfolio as part of a deal announced Tuesday.

The first company from an emerging economy, and only the second overall, has announced a Platinum Claim under the Voluntary Carbon Markets Integrity Initiative (VCMI), which certifies ‘high-integrity’ statements about corporate use of carbon credits to address residual emissions.

Carbon stored through biochar may remain in the soil or certain materials for decades, centuries, or even millennia, making it a valid option for the upcoming EU certification methodology if stricter rules apply, according to a study.

Halting overfishing can make a huge difference in tackling climate change, as the practice poses significant threats to the ocean's ability to store CO2 and preserve ecosystems, a study released on Tuesday has shown.

European carbon prices were little changed at midday on Tuesday, holding steady in the relatively narrow price channel they have occupied in recent days, as traders reported technical-driven trading focused on the approaching options expiry.

A major European industrial conglomerate says it has taken a major step towards net zero manufacturing at a factory in Bulgaria, largely driven by energy optimisation measures.

An insurance provider has launched a new product to safeguard the purchase of carbon credits in case they are cancelled or invalidated as a result of political risks such as regulatory changes or the impact of weather on carbon projects, it announced on Tuesday.