Sustainability and carbon market news

Geo Sky, a Georgian cargo airline founded in 2017, has retired carbon credits under CORSIA for the first time. The airline retired 4,500 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent (tCO₂e) in the week ended 20 September 2026, its first retirement under the scheme's...

Google has reaffirmed its 2030 net-zero target, while admitting in the same report that artificial intelligence (AI) is making the path to that target "more complex and challenging than ever". Aerial view of a Google data center powered by nearby...

The 2026 FIFA World Cup could generate over 9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e), according to a new report from the New Weather Institute. The projection would make the tournament the highest-emitting World Cup on record, roughly...

The voluntary carbon market opened 2026 with a clear signal: buyers are choosing quality over quantity. New data from carbon market analytics firm Sylvera shows that credit retirements fell 8% year on year in Q1 2026, reaching 51 million from 55.3...

The landscape of corporate responsibility has reached a decisive turning point. As of January 2026, the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has officially validated the environmental goals of 10,000 companies worldwide. This milestone marks a...

Australia has unveiled its updated environmental target under the Paris Agreement, committing to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 62%–70% from 2005 levels by 2035. The new pledge builds on its 43% reduction target for 2030 and highlights the role of...

China’s nationwide emissions trading system (ETS) is expected to undergo a dramatic expansion over the next five years, according to a new report by the World Economic Forum (WEF) and Bain & Company. The analysis suggests the market could grow to as...

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has sharply revised its forecast for airlines’ carbon credit requirements under the current phase of CORSIA, the aviation sector’s global decarbonisation scheme. According to the updated outlook,...

Verra, the world’s largest environmental standards body, has teamed up with S&P Global Commodity Insights to build a new generation carbon registry. The initiative is designed to strengthen transparency, scalability, and trust in carbon...

Washington State’s carbon offsets with direct environmental benefits to the state (DEBS) are forecasted to surpass $100 per tonne of CO₂ equivalent (tCO₂e) in the early 2030s under a base scenario, according to new analysis from cCarbon. The...

The European Union could substantially increase resources for environmental initiatives by reforming how it prices aviation under the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), according to new research commissioned by Carbon Market Watch and conducted...

South Africa has unveiled a revised draft of its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), introducing a new emissions target for the 2031–2035 period. This latest environmental commitment reflects a roughly 10% reduction compared to the 2026–2030...

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) is intensifying efforts to finalise the much-anticipated update to its Corporate Net-Zero Standard (CNZS 2.0)—a major framework overhaul expected to shape global environmental initiatives—scheduled for...

The UK is set to become the first country to formally integrate carbon removals into a regulated compliance market, marking a significant shift in environmental policy that could reshape the economics of the carbon market. By 2029, carbon removal...

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has issued a fresh set of guidelines to support companies revisiting their science-based emissions targets, a key requirement under the initiative’s Corporate Net-Zero Standard (CNZS). The move comes as...

Carbon credit retirements soared to a record-breaking 95 million in the first half of 2025, marking a pivotal moment in the voluntary carbon market’s evolution. The surge underscores growing demand for high-quality offsets and increasing alignment...

ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, has taken a major step towards its environmental goals by purchasing over 100,000 premium carbon credits through Rubicon Carbon, a California-based green tech platform. The agreement gives ByteDance the right...

In 2024, Saudi Aramco retired its highest number of carbon credits (mostly nature-based solutions-derived) to date, offsetting over 600,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO₂e) through a combination of crude oil cargo initiatives and broader...

Radisson Hotel Group has announced the debut of its first two Verified Net Zero hotels, setting a new benchmark for sustainable hospitality. Located in Manchester and Oslo, these properties have been verified by TÜV Rheinland to meet the Net Zero...

Microsoft has struck a major deal to secure 18 million carbon dioxide removal (CDR) credits, continuing its aggressive push to meet its 2030 carbon-negative target. The agreement, announced on 15 May, underscores Microsoft's leadership in the...

Airlines could face a carbon credit bill of up to 150 million tonnes during the first phase of the aviation sector’s emissions offsetting scheme, according to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The programme, known as CORSIA...

Lego is advancing its sustainability strategy with a $2.63 million investment in carbon removal, backing projects that actively remove CO2 from the atmosphere. This commitment reinforces the company’s long-term goal of reducing its environmental...

Microsoft has taken a bold step toward sustainability by restoring degraded lands across the Amazon and Atlantic Forests. This decision secures 3.5 million carbon credits over 25 years, aiming to counteract the surging emissions driven by the rapid...

Carbon Standards International (CSI), a Swiss-based registry, has introduced an updated version of its Global Biochar Carbon Sink (C-Sink) standard, version 3.1. This revision now includes the certification of carbon removal credits for biochar used...

CEEZER, a Berlin-based carbon credit platform, is making strides in enhancing transparency within the voluntary carbon market (VCM) by introducing a real-time monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) system. This development, created in...

A recent analysis has revealed that TikTok's annual carbon emissions are likely higher than Greece's total emissions. According to Greenly, a Paris-based carbon accounting consultancy, TikTok emitted approximately 7.6 million metric tonnes of carbon...

Carbon Direct’s 2024 State of the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM) report highlights an urgent need to expand carbon dioxide removal (CDR), especially in nature-based solutions, to achieve global environmental goals. While CDR technologies are gaining...