Carbon Pulse

Washington Carbon Allowances (WCAs) took a nosedive Wednesday after the state government said it will sell millions of forthcoming reserve allowances solely at the scheme’s lower tier price, with a state senator also unveiling draft legislation in the wake of the record high Q3 auction results publication to provide cost relief by raising the programme’s near-term allowance budgets.

California Carbon Allowances (CCA) remained fairly resilient to Washington Carbon Allowance (WCA) market mayhem and through a week of subdued equity market sentiment, while traders also pointed to a forthcoming rulemaking and options activity in explaining the recent price increases.

The central Brazilian state of Goias on Wednesday announced it will soon unveil a plan to zero out its GHG emissions by mid-century, in part through a jurisdictional REDD+ crediting system.

The Panama environment ministry on Wednesday released a statement noting that private reforestation projects are eligible to sell offsets into the voluntary carbon market (VCM), so long as they meet requirements under the country’s climate policies.

A new direct air capture (DAC) advancement which negates the needs for energy intensive fans is being touted by a climate tech firm that claims to have significantly reduced the cost of operation.

Tech giant Microsoft on Thursday announced one of the largest-ever carbon removal deals, as a corporate buyers’ organisation also revealed it has spent several million more in purchases from a group of 12 startups in the sector.

The Colombian environment ministry on Wednesday announced a fund to help reduce deforestation and put the country on track to reach its climate targets.

Alberta may need to strengthen its large emitter system to avoid running afoul of the Canadian CO2 pricing benchmark, as the impact of federal climate policies and carbon capture projects on the province may eliminate significant demand drive down credit prices, experts and market participants told Carbon Pulse.

EU nations should make progress "as soon as possible" on the European Commission's proposal to tackle high energy prices and energy supply issues, the executive's energy chief Kadri Simson reminded participants of a high-level forum in Brussels on Thursday.

Around 80% of the 1,100 members of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) forum said they would adopt its recommendations by 2026, the co-chair of the taskforce has said.

Analysts at a voluntary carbon market data firm have estimated that the price-per-tonne of direct air capture units will fall below $450 by the end of the decade, based on forecasts from around 100 stakeholders in engineered removals, they wrote in a post published Thursday.

A carbon analytics firm has announced a new indexing system that ranks countries based on their regulatory and investment attractiveness for voluntary carbon market (VCM) projects, following on from another marketplace announcing a similar service earlier this week, as they both aim to clear up the information landscape amid the rapidly changing sector.

EU industries’ trade deficit is widening and risks deteriorating further if concrete, targeted solutions are not implemented, representatives from 25 EU industries have warned in a letter sent to  European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen, Commissioners, and the EU parliament on Thursday.

­­­­US government support to advance direct air capture (DAC) through the Department of Energy’s $3.5 billion to be invested in four regional DAC hubs over the next five years, and its identification of specific hubs to receive that investment, is a “huge proof point” for the sector and technology, a leading DAC developer told a conference on Thursday.

Carbon project developer South Pole announced Thursday that work has started on a biomass carbon capture and storage plant in Switzerland, with plans for the facility to remove over 4,000 tonnes per year when it becomes operational in 2025, and the first batch of units to be bought by a Swiss business foundation.

Two South Korean companies on Thursday signed a joint development agreement to build a portfolio of landfill gas projects abroad starting with Southeast Asia, targeting the generation of 10 million carbon credits by 2030.

European carbon prices advanced steadily in very light Thursday morning trading, snapping a five-day losing streak as the market absorbed a second day without auction supply while natural gas prices rebounded as efforts to resolve a labour dispute at Australian LNG plants appear to have failed, setting the scene for strikes to start on Friday.

An organisation representing eight central banks has issued guidance on how financial institutions can approach nature-related risk.

A major fintech company in India has partnered with an Australian cleantech startup to promote carbon neutrality in the sector.

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