Carbon Pulse

A venture using synthesized whale poo to stimulate phytoplankton growth in the ocean leading to increased carbon sequestration, says that the process has gigatonne-scale potential for carbon removal and could generate ‘deep blue carbon removal’ credits in future.

A twice-weekly summary of our biodiversity news plus bite-sized updates from around the world. All articles in this edition are free to read (no subscription required).

Four organisations in Norway have teamed up to form Norwegian Marine Restoration (NoMaRe), a collaborative platform seeking to restore the more than 5,000 square kilometres of kelp forests that have been lost along the coast over the past decades.

A Norwegian-Indian company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a state government forest department in India to develop a 100,000-hectare environmental conservation project, aiming to contribute to the voluntary carbon market.

Russia’s nascent voluntary carbon market has claimed another milestone after a copper producer announced it would retire carbon credits to offset its emissions.

EU carbon prices moved in a relatively narrow range for much of the morning, trading higher despite briefly plunging to another 17-month low amid a short burst of aggressive selling, as traders eyed a rally in natural gas prices after three days of declines.

The European Union needs to remove barriers to investments in clean technologies to ensure that the Green Deal paves the way to new, sustainable economic growth, speakers said in Davos on Thursday.

The UN has called on countries to swiftly ratify the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdictions (BBNJ) agreement, with 59 more to go after Chile this week became the first country to do so.

China on Thursday published its National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) under the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), confirming its 30% nature protection target while eyeing far-reaching regulatory reforms and a broad range of funding options for ecosystem conservation and restoration.

Civil society and environmental groups have released a joint statement expressing concern at an unexpected meeting called by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government to discuss forest plans, including carbon crediting from natural resources.

Singapore-based Climate Impact X (CIX) had to let staff go last year but in a statement to Carbon Pulse Thursday said it had to “adjust [its] internal structure to ensure the team is aligned with the roles and skills necessary to support our business priorities.”

One of the largest commercial banks in South Korea has agreed to participate in a REDD+ forest protection project, the first domestic lender to do so.

The Clean Energy Regulator has handed out just over 1 million Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) in its first issuance for 2024, as the government announced A$70 mln ($45.8 mln) in federal funding to develop the Bell Bay hydrogen hub in Northern Tasmania.

Regional collaboration on carbon capture and storage (CCS) got another boost this week as the Asia Natural Gas and Energy Association (ANGEA) and the Global CCS Institute signed an agreement focused on policy development and advocacy for CCS.

Dragging heavy fishing nets across the ocean floor was newly discovered to be a significant source of CO2 pollution in the atmosphere, to the extent that it could more than double the annual CO2 emissions of the entire global fishing fleet, according to a study published Thursday.

A daily summary of our news plus bite-sized updates from around the world.

In two US Supreme Court cases whose outcomes could impact the enforcement of environmental law, justices are questioning the balance of power between the judiciary and executive branches in implementation of federal legislation.

Voluntary carbon market certifier BioCarbon Registry (BCR) has written a cease-and-desist letter to the Sri Lankan Climate Fund (SLCF) after learning that the government-backed programme was using its REDD+ methodology without permission to credit projects.

The peatlands finance industry should mature between 2030 and 2050, including investments in biodiversity credits bundled with water-related payments, a report has said.

A California-headquartered startup announced Wednesday a partnership with a Brazilian civil society organisation to bring carbon credits directly from Brazilian smallholder farmers to market.