Over 30 members of Indigenous communities from Biliqo Bulesa have filed a legal case against the Northern Kenya Grassland Carbon project, operated by Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT) in Kenya. This is the second lawsuit by Indigenous communities against NRT and the first directly challenging its carbon project, which has sold nearly 6.2 million carbon credits to companies including Netflix and Meta. The plaintiffs allege NRT converted their land into a conservancy and enrolled it in the carbon project without their free, prior, and informed consent, generating millions in revenue. They are seeking control over their lands, accountability from NRT, and transparency regarding the carbon credit proceeds. Verra, the carbon certifying company, has twice suspended and then reinstated the project, most recently in June 2026.
Direct air capture (DAC) company 1PointFive has sold over 15,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) credits through channel partners including CUR8, Supercritical, and Patch. These partnerships enable smaller and medium-sized organisations to access high-integrity carbon removal solutions. The channel partners streamline the purchasing process, making DAC credits available to a wider range of buyers. This approach helps connect large-scale CDR projects with diverse buyer needs, facilitating broader adoption of carbon removal. The sales include credits for large events and year-end portfolio additions.
Anew Climate has signed a ten-year agreement to be the exclusive commercialisation partner for EKEN's improved forest management (IFM) carbon credits from Sweden. The partnership aims to connect corporate buyers with these credits, which are generated under Verra's VM0045 methodology, one of the first IFM methodologies approved for the CCP label. EKEN anticipates issuing 30,000 to 65,000 IFM credits between 2027 and 2031, with the first issuances expected in Q4 2027.
Absolute Climate has released its first Environmental Attribute Certificate (EAC) methodology for natural gas power generation with carbon capture and storage (NGCCS). The methodology aims to provide a standardised framework for quantifying, issuing, and unbundling low-carbon power attributes, allowing project developers to monetise emission reductions separately. This initiative seeks to facilitate financing for CCS deployments by enabling corporate buyers to purchase verified decarbonisation claims. The 45-day public consultation period for the methodology is open until 13 November 2026.
Dutch carbon developer Green Earth reported its carbon credit sales pipeline exceeded $56 million by the end of September, with firm contracted future sales reaching $53 million. This represents an increase from $47 million at the end of June and a 23-fold rise from the end of 2025. A significant contributor is a $4.8 million deal for its Uganda project, covering deliveries from 2027 to 2031, with an option for additional volumes potentially increasing the total to $16.3 million. The growth reflects a trend of buyers securing future carbon credit supply through long-term offtake agreements.
The European Union's ESG Ratings Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2024/3005) will bring carbon credit ratings under formal EU oversight, supervised by the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), starting 2 July 2026. This framework mandates governance, independence, conflict-of-interest management, and transparent methodologies for rating providers. Providers must apply for authorisation by November 2026, with decisions expected in early 2027, and an ESMA public register will list authorised entities. The regulation formalises engagement rights for project developers and aims to differentiate high-quality credits through regulated ratings.
Brightly, a food waste and climate solutions company, has secured the first issuance of Verra carbon credits for a project that diverts edible food from waste streams. The project generated 721,649 Verified Carbon Units (VCUs) from 3.1 billion pounds of qualifying rescued food between March 2020 and December 2023. These credits were issued under Verra's VM0046 methodology, with SCS Global Services providing independent validation and verification, and BeZero Carbon assigning an 'A' ex-ante rating. Most net proceeds from credit sales will be returned to the 198 Feeding America partner food banks and 28 independent food rescue organisations across the U.S. that participated in the project. This initiative establishes a new funding stream for food rescue operations, supporting infrastructure and expansion.
Verra will expand its project review prioritisation pilot from 14 October 2026, allowing projects to pay for faster review of registration, verification, or combined registration and verification requests. Previously, the pilot was only open to projects submitting a second or subsequent verification approval request. Fees for prioritisation range from $15,000 to $30,000, depending on the request type and project standard, plus a deposit towards the anticipated issuance fee, capped at $50,000. Verra states that revenue from these fees will be reinvested to reduce processing times for all projects. The pilot will run until at least March 2027.
The European Commission, EFRAG, and the Nordic Carbon Removal Association (NCRA) are developing communication guidance to incentivise corporate purchases of high-quality permanent carbon removals. This initiative follows a working session at the Carbon Removal Policy Summit in Brussels, where over 200 participants discussed challenges faced by buyers. The proposed guidance aims to address corporate concerns regarding greenwashing accusations and legal exposure, which currently deter purchases. An NCRA outlook suggests 70% of buyers would increase spending on permanent carbon dioxide removal (CDR) if such guidance were available. This effort seeks to stimulate private sector demand, crucial for scaling the European CDR industry ahead of the Commission's planned 250 million tonne CDR purchases between 2031 and 2040.
Swiss climate technology firm Cotierra has raised $3 million in a funding round co-led by Carbon Removal Partners and PINC, bringing its total capital to $4.75 million. The investment will enable Cotierra to scale its decentralised biochar production from field deployments to commercial operations. The company's platform combines reactor hardware with digital software, allowing agricultural firms to produce biochar near biomass sources and track carbon removal. This expansion will extend Cotierra's reach beyond the coffee industry to other tropical agricultural commodities such as cocoa, cotton, and citrus.
Terrestrial Storage of Biomass (TSB), also known as wood vaulting or biomass burial, is gaining traction as a durable carbon dioxide removal (CDR) pathway. This method involves storing waste wood in purpose-built vaults to prevent decomposition and maintain its stored carbon. CDR.fyi's review indicates dedicated methodologies from registries and several suppliers issuing credits, with indicative pricing ranging from $100 to $350 per tonne of CO2. Projects prioritise waste wood that would otherwise decompose or be burned, such as urban waste wood or forest-thinning residue, to ensure a genuine climate solution. Key considerations for project quality include baseline assessment, biomass sorting (coarse woody biomass only), preservation of nutrient cycling, and site-specific engineering to ensure long-term carbon storage.
Verra has opened a public consultation on a new Module for Post-Combustion and Process CO2 Capture (M0479) under its VM0049 Carbon Capture and Storage methodology. The module aims to quantify CO2 capture from hard-to-abate industrial sectors such as cement, steel, and power generation. The consultation period runs from 29 September to 29 October 2026. This new module will facilitate emission reductions and carbon dioxide removals, building on VM0049's approval by the ICVCM as meeting Core Carbon Principles.
The International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) has welcomed Canada's announcement to develop a framework for participating in international carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. This initiative will facilitate the trading of Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs). IETA stated that the framework would allow Canada to meet climate goals cost-effectively, attract investment, and diversify trade. The organisation also highlighted Canada's potential as a global supplier of carbon dioxide removal and other high-integrity mitigation outcomes. IETA's 300+ members plan to support the government, provinces, territories, and Indigenous organisations in developing this framework.
Japan Airlines (JAL) has signed a purchase agreement with Climeworks Solutions for carbon dioxide removal (CDR) credits. The credits are designed to meet regulatory compliance standards under the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA). This agreement marks a shift towards using permanent carbon removals for compliance rather than solely for voluntary corporate initiatives. JAL's procurement strategy includes biochar, soil carbon sequestration, and direct air capture, setting a compliance benchmark for the aviation sector.
Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (ADM) has entered the voluntary carbon dioxide removal market, utilising over 800,000 tonnes of annual removal capacity from its Columbus, Nebraska bioethanol carbon capture and storage operations. ADM partnered with Tallgrass for carbon transport and sequestration into the Eastern Wyoming Sequestration Hub, with Puro.earth certifying the credits under its Geologically Stored Carbon methodology. Initial credit issuances are expected by year-end following third-party audits. This initiative establishes a 15-year crediting period, providing one of the largest single-facility engineered removal offerings to the VCM.
Verra's Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) methodology VM0049 for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), along with its accompanying modules, has received approval from the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) as meeting the Core Carbon Principles (CCPs). Published on 28 September 2026, this approval signals high integrity for credits generated under this methodology. VM0049 establishes criteria for quantifying greenhouse gas emission reductions and CO2 removals from projects that capture and permanently store CO2. The methodology is globally applicable and flexible, allowing project developers to combine different approaches for capturing, transporting, and storing carbon, including direct air capture (DAC), CO2 transport, CO2 storage, and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS). It also requires new renewable electricity sources for projects relying on them, rather than existing ones.
During Climate Week NYC, experts highlighted that US state-level initiatives are advancing policy and regulatory frameworks to scale the carbon dioxide removal (CDR) sector. States like California, Washington, and Massachusetts are establishing legal, financial, and market mechanisms to stimulate private capital and standardise project compliance. California has deployed dedicated funding through its Carbon Removal Innovation Support Programme, while Washington State has embedded engineered carbon management into its legal framework via the Climate Commitment Act. These subnational policy deployments provide early-stage CDR developers with predictable regulatory pathways and regional demand drivers, establishing replicable frameworks for commercial off-take contracts. This aims to bridge a projected annual supply gap of 1.2 billion tonnes by 2035 and 5.2 billion tonnes by 2050 relative to Paris-aligned targets.
Pyronexus has published an economic analysis evaluating the financial parameters for commercial biochar facility feasibility across the United States. The analysis indicates that project viability depends on an integrated value chain, not solely reactor capital expenditure, encompassing feedstock acquisition, plant scale, labour, energy recovery, product sales, carbon credit generation, and structured financing. It highlights the vulnerability of facilities relying on single revenue streams or underestimating non-equipment operational costs. To mitigate risks, Pyronexus recommends a multi-layered financial framework centered on diversified revenue streams, including biochar sales, heat/electricity recovery, waste disposal gate fees, and carbon credit sales. This framework aims to provide a bankable approach for developers, investors, and lenders by conducting sensitivity analyses on key parameters.
Relae (formerly Carbon Direct) and Microsoft released the sixth edition of their 'Criteria for High-Quality Carbon Dioxide Removal' during Climate Week NYC. This update introduces the TECOP framework, which formally assesses delivery risk across technical, economic, commercial, organisational, and political dimensions, alongside standard carbon removal quality evaluation. The new framework aims to address the significant gap between contracted and delivered volumes of durable carbon removal, which has grown to tens of millions of metric tonnes. It requires project developers to demonstrate robust supply chain governance and operational risk management, particularly for open-system pathways like biochar, to improve market confidence and project viability.
Pacific Biochar and Humboldt Sawmill Company have scaled their biochar carbon removal project in Scotia, California, integrating biochar production into existing sawmill and bioenergy operations. Operational since 2020, the project has issued over 6,900 credits and anticipates an annual output of approximately 10,000 credits over 30 years. The initiative will transition to a CCP-Approved methodology under Isometric standards in 2025, utilising a low-cost infrastructure retrofit and digital MRV for high carbon integrity. This approach transforms woody byproducts from FSC-certified forests into stable carbon sinks and agricultural soil amendments, with over 95% of sequestered carbon projected to remain stable beyond 200 years. The associated bioenergy facility also generates 156,000 MWh of renewable electricity annually.
CREW Carbon has signed an offtake agreement with Microsoft for 23,602 tonnes of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) credits. This deal, CREW's second largest to date and first with Microsoft, supports the company's method of integrating durable CDR into wastewater treatment infrastructure. With 97,788 tonnes sold, CREW is now the second largest supplier of Alkalinity Enhancement credits globally. Microsoft continues to lead the CDR.fyi Purchasers Leaderboard with over 37.14 million tonnes in purchases.
Swedish manufacturer Höganäs AB has agreed to purchase 70,000 tonnes of carbon removal credits from Öresundskraft AB, to be delivered over 10 years. The credits will originate from Öresundskraft's BECCS facility at Filbornaverket in Helsingborg, scheduled for completion in 2029. This facility is projected to capture 200,000 tonnes of CO2 annually, with 45% being biogenic. This agreement supports Höganäs's strategy to achieve net-zero emissions across its value chain by 2037.
The newly-formed Indigenous Land Alliance issued the Nairobi Declaration on 24 September 2026, following a meeting of 60 Indigenous people from 16 countries in Nairobi, Kenya. The Declaration explicitly opposes carbon trading, offsets, REDD+, biodiversity credits, and geoengineering, stating these commodify Indigenous relationships with land. It demands conservation organisations like WWF and Conservation International disclose all carbon and biodiversity deals on Indigenous territories. The Alliance asserts that conservation efforts have historically led to land grabs and rights abuses, often without Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC). They call for respect for Indigenous rights and self-determination over their ancestral lands.
Carbon Trade eXchange (CTX) launched Corporate One on 22 September, an invitation-only platform for large institutional participants in the voluntary carbon market. The service introduces a flat fee of US$0.10 per credit, per side, replacing percentage-based commissions, and eliminates account-opening charges for the first time in CTX's 18-year history. Designed for major project developers, corporate offtake brokers, and institutional trading desks, Corporate One targets high-quality carbon credits typically valued above US$10 per tonne. This pricing structure aims to reduce transaction costs and streamline large-scale trading, offering 24/7 electronic settlement and access to millions of credits from over 320 projects. The move is intended to enhance liquidity and market efficiency for high-volume transactions.
Sirona Technologies has paused its Project Moringa direct air capture (DAC) operations in the Middle East due to escalating regional conflict, shifting its focus to the Furu Project in Norway. Project Moringa, launched in late 2025 with a 300 tons per year capture capacity, aimed to validate Sirona's DAC technology. The company will now prioritise Project Furu, located in Norway's Energy Park next to the Northern Lights CO2 terminal, citing incentives from the European Commission's proposal to integrate carbon removals into the EU ETS. Sirona plans to leverage lessons learned from Project Moringa, which achieved a 35% reduction in energy consumption, for its Norwegian development.
The Paracel forestry and conservation project in Paraguay, backed by Trafigura, verified its first 190,000 tonnes of carbon removal credits. These credits are among the first globally to be verified under Verra’s updated VM0047 methodology for Afforestation, Reforestation, and Revegetation. The project has planted 87,000 hectares and is projected to generate over 23 million tonnes of carbon removals over its lifespan, allocating 40% of its area to biodiversity conservation. This milestone positions the project for emerging international compliance channels as Paraguay develops its Article 6 framework.
Malaysia held a Business Partnership for Market Implementation (B-PMI) workshop on 20 August 2026 in Kuala Lumpur, bringing together government and private sector representatives to discuss developing a carbon credit market. The event, organised by IETA, followed the April 2026 launch of Malaysia's National Carbon Market Policy, which provides a framework for a high-integrity domestic carbon market with international linkages. Keynote speaker YB Dato Sri Arthur Joseph Kurup, Minister for Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability, emphasised the role of carbon markets in accelerating energy efficiency and adopting low-carbon technologies. The workshop concluded that compliance requirements are emerging as the most reliable source of demand for carbon credits, presenting an opportunity for Malaysia to develop its own credit registration and issuance framework. Carbon markets are expected to contribute to Malaysia's NDC target and its ambition to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
Canada's federal government is developing a policy framework to enable Canadian companies to participate in international carbon markets by trading Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs) under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. This initiative aims to provide Canadian carbon removal developers and climate-focused companies with access to a broader pool of international buyers and capital. Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin stated that the framework could channel investment into Canadian emissions reduction and carbon removal projects, as well as nature-based solutions. The government intends for the system to comply with Article 6 requirements, including rules to prevent double counting of emissions reductions. This move seeks to leverage Canada's industrial capabilities and geological storage potential to establish a globally competitive carbon removal industry and export Canadian climate technology.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has expanded its Article 6 Letter of Authorisation for carbon asset manager Econetix by an additional 2 million tCO2e, bringing the total authorised volume to 2.75 million tonnes. This authorisation covers Econetix's Gold Standard clean energy programme (GS12469) with ALTECH Group, including solar lighting, home solar systems, and clean cookstove distribution. The agreement applies corresponding adjustments to credit vintages from 2023 through 2033, using the DRC’s National Registry. This expansion positions the programme to issue verified Gold Standard credits from October 2026, with Econetix's total CORSIA-eligible credits across three African nations now exceeding 14.5 million tCO2e.
Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (ADM) plans to enter the voluntary carbon dioxide removal market by certifying over 800,000 tonnes of annual carbon removal capacity through a partnership with Puro.earth. The initiative leverages carbon capture and geologic storage at ADM's Columbus, Nebraska corn processing complex. ADM will capture biogenic CO2 from industrial ethanol fermentation, transport it to the Eastern Wyoming Sequestration Hub, and subject operations to third-party auditing under Puro.earth’s Geologically Stored Carbon methodology. Certification and credit issuance are expected by year-end, initiating a 15-year crediting period for customers across various sectors.
Xpansiv, an infrastructure provider for environmental commodity markets, secured new capital from European growth investor Verdane to fund acquisitions and expand its product offerings and geographic reach. The investment will support Xpansiv's strategy to acquire complementary technologies, building on its previous purchases of APX, Evolution Markets, and Evident. Xpansiv operates registries, marketplaces, and data services for clean-power products, renewable energy certificates, and carbon credits. The company's registries currently cover over 320 gigawatts of renewable generation capacity across more than 60 countries.
FLS Group has launched Project Alfheim in eastern Paraguay, an industrial biochar production and carbon removal initiative. The project will convert regional waste biomass into biochar using pyrolysis, aiming for an annual production of 11,500 tonnes of certified biochar and 17,000 tonnes of verified carbon dioxide removal (CDR) credits. It integrates HaiQi Environmental Technologies and DecarboEngineering for technology, and Cula Technologies for digital MRV aligned with Puro.earth standards. This initiative seeks to provide durable carbon removal credits, generate renewable energy, and enhance agricultural soil, establishing a scalable model for industrial biochar in South America.
Carbonmark has integrated EcoRegistry-issued carbon credits, allowing users to transfer them onto the Base network for listing, sale, or retirement, and to return them to EcoRegistry. Transfers are initiated via EcoRegistry's Base Blockchain transfer tool, with returns limited to the original Carbonmark account and Base wallet address. Retirements on Carbonmark are recorded on-chain with a public certificate and mirrored 1:1 on EcoRegistry. Both organisations are aligning their data with the Carbon Data Open Protocol (CDOP) schema.
US bio-waste carbon removal provider Vaulted Deep secured a $35 million commercial debt facility from Mediobanca Group, arranged by CFP Energy. This financing, backed by long-term carbon removal purchase commitments from buyers including Google and Stripe, represents the largest publicly disclosed commercial debt deal for durable carbon removal in the US supported by multi-year offtake agreements. The capital will fund the nationwide expansion of Vaulted Deep's subsurface disposal wells, building on active sites in California and Kansas. This transaction establishes a model for scaling biomass carbon removal infrastructure by leveraging long-term buyer agreements to secure non-dilutive commercial debt from mainstream financial institutions.
The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) and the World Bank have published a report detailing how high-integrity principles should apply to digital Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (DMRV) in carbon markets. The report, developed by the Continuous Improvement Work Program (CIWP), provides 16 recommendations across six themes, including governance, cybersecurity, and transparency. These recommendations aim to guide carbon-crediting programmes and market actors in the responsible adoption of DMRV tools. The initiative seeks to ensure that technological advancements in MRV enhance accuracy and efficiency without compromising integrity or community rights.
Carbonfuture launched a CDR Portfolio Manager tool on 22 September 2026, developed with input from Microsoft, SIX, and The Economist Group. The tool helps carbon removal buyers manage deliveries, monitor supplier performance, track credit custody, and streamline reporting across their portfolios. It aims to provide a single source of truth from contracting through retirement, reducing manual processes and improving visibility into delivery and portfolio risk. The platform is currently in a live pilot phase with an initial cohort of CDR portfolio managers. Carbonfuture states the tool addresses the fragmented data and manual tracking prevalent in CDR portfolio management.
Carbon Gap has launched its Policy Levers Library, an online tool mapping 165 policy instruments designed to scale carbon removal in Europe. The library organises levers into six policy families and scores each against criteria such as cost, complexity, and timeline, as well as their impact on eight barriers to scaling carbon dioxide removal (CDR). It includes 478 case studies detailing how and where specific levers are applied across seven governance levels, from international bodies to city governments. This resource aims to provide policymakers and investors with a unified view of available tools to build a gigatonne-scale carbon removal industry.
Evertreen stated it has never sold a carbon credit against tree planting, clarifying that tree products carry a modelled lifetime CO₂ estimate without credit issuance or registry retirement. The company explained that 16,756 units funded for 'Trees in Indonesia' since 2020 were contributions to the Katingan Mentaya REDD+ project (VCS 1477), funding the retirement of verified carbon credits. Another 4,170 units were for mangrove planting in Sumatra, a product withdrawn due to a partner's inability to commit to annual volumes. Evertreen confirmed that funded trees remain monitored by local partners, with agreements for continued monitoring even after sales cease.
A white paper from Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy indicates that G20 countries, excluding the US, plus Singapore, are developing regulatory frameworks for carbon credits. The study notes a shift from voluntary standards towards government rules governing credit issuance, tracking, trading, and use. This move comes as activity in project-based carbon markets has weakened, with annual credit issuance falling from its peak. The report suggests that national registries are taking a larger role in market functions, signalling a more state-anchored era for carbon markets. This regulatory evolution could determine which credits are issued, traded, and used for climate claims.
Gold Standard is forming a working group to develop practical approaches for corporate Ongoing Emissions Responsibility (OER), following the Science Based Targets initiative's (SBTi) recognition of OER in its Corporate Net-Zero Standard 2.0. The group will examine how OER can be integrated into corporate transition plans and climate action portfolios, considering eligible activities and financial instruments. This initiative aims to establish consistent and credible application of OER, with guidance and solutions expected to be developed for use by companies in 2027. Gold Standard's prior research suggests that 'Advanced' contribution levels for OER could generate approximately $17 billion annually for climate action in the EU and US.