Carbon markets
Overview
Carbon markets are developing as a crucial economic lever in the challenge of reversing the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere, while CO2 remains a key factor in a range of industrial sectors.
National governments are embracing carbon markets, with a proliferation of carbon pricing policies worldwide. The private sector is channelling finance into projects that generate carbon emissions reductions and removals to mitigate their hard-to-abate emissions.
And the United Nations is making progress in building a global marketplace for carbon emissions reductions that will facilitate nations’ attempts to meet their obligations under the Paris Agreement.
Industrial sectors remain a key source of CO2 emissions and consumption, with innovation looking towards sustainable methods of production and utilisation.
Argus is setting the stage for an extended period of growth, evolution and interconnection of carbon market participants and initiatives.
Latest carbon markets news
Browse the latest market moving news on carbon markets.
Danish H2 sector criticises country's mandate draft
Danish H2 sector criticises country's mandate draft
London, 25 April (Argus) — Industry group Hydrogen Denmark and some of its member companies have criticised the country's draft to transpose EU hydrogen transport targets into Danish law, and have urged Copenhagen to adjust the rules before they are finalised in May. Companies with hydrogen projects, including Everfuel, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and European Energy, signed an open letter calling for changes, as did fuel producer Crossbridge Energy, which runs the 67,000 b/d Fredericia oil refinery and has an offtake deal for hydrogen from Everfuel. The group said Denmark's targets are unambitious and too low to spur significant demand and help the country realise its goal to export 'green' energy. The draft rules would effectively mean Danish fuel companies supply 1pc renewable hydrogen and derivatives to the transport sector by 2030, which was the minimum goal set by Brussels. The group urged Denmark to aim above the EU target, following member states like Finland that has set a 4pc target . The group also wants Denmark to phase in the quota with incremental increases each year until 2030 starting as early as 2026, to aid first-mover projects and generate experience that ensures Denmark can successfully meet the binding EU target that starts in 2030. The group also warned Denmark must not exclude use of subsidised hydrogen from counting towards transport targets. This would ruin the business case for many hydrogen production projects and could steer Danish producers towards exports and mean Denmark effectively subsidises neighbours like Germany to meet its own mandates, it said. The group's concerns stem from language around 'supported' projects in the draft text, which it understands to refer to state aid. If left unchanged, the rule would affect projects that Denmark has subsidised through its power-to-X tender and Danish projects that may hope to benefit from EU-level funds like the European Hydrogen Bank or the Innovation Fund. The industry group praised Copenhagen's plan to allow renewable hydrogen switching in refineries to count towards the targets. This mechanism, known as the refinery route in some European countries, has been called "elegant" by market participants because it should raise demand for hydrogen in the near term and is a logistically simpler way to cut CO2 than converting refuelling stations and vehicle fleets to use hydrogen. Denmark appears to have allowed the rule without limiting the value of credits, unlike the Netherlands where a 'multiplier' rankled industry participants . Allowing the refinery route will probably please Everfuel and Crossbridge Energy, as the latter had complained Denmark was not supporting its refinery 20MW fuel switching project unlike EU peers. Copenhagen had planned to set the draft mandates into law by 21 May — the deadline set under the EU's revised renewable energy directive (REDIII) — but it remains to be seen if it will press ahead with this timeline given industry has demanded changes. By Aidan Lea Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
NYC comptroller sets net zero investment standards
NYC comptroller sets net zero investment standards
Houston, 25 April (Argus) — New York City's top financial officer this week issued standards that will be used to evaluate investment plans for the city's retirement systems that aim to meet net zero goals. Comptroller Brad Lander adopted a "Net Zero Implementation Plan" in 2022 requiring public markets asset managers, who manage funds for New York City's retirement systems, to submit investment plans that work towards achieving net zero by 2040 to his office by 30 June. Earlier this month, his office announced that the city's pension systems lowered their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 37pc and achieved their interim climate goals one year early , with much of that decline driven by divestment of fossil fuel reserve owners. Under the standards released on 22 April, asset managers should take into account climate-related investment risks in their decision-making and work with portfolio companies to promote "real economy decarbonization." In addition, asset managers must require portfolio companies to report and set goals to reduce their scope 1 and 2 emissions — direct emissions from sources owned by the company and from electricity purchases, respectively — as well as scope 3 emissions, or indirect supply chain emissions. Investment plans must also include short-, medium-, and long-term goals to reach net zero and ensure that future capital expenditures and lobbying align with those goals. For plans that do not meet those standards, Lander will recommend to "put those managers' investment mandates out to bid , " or begin a lengthy procurement process to contract new asset managers to manage those funds. "Our new standards demand that the retirement systems' managers strengthen their Net Zero plans consistent with their fiduciary duty — or we will find new asset managers who will," Lander said. The New York City Comptroller oversees five public pension funds which together form the fourth largest public pension plan in the US, with about $285bn in assets that are managed by external investment managers contracted by the city. Lander said that threats from the federal government, including efforts to halt offshore wind , as well as President Donald Trump's executive order targeting state and local climate policy, would affect the city's ability to lower emissions and were a major reason for issuing the net zero standards. New York City's pension systems have goals of investing $1.8-19bn in "climate change solutions" by 2035. By Ida Balakrishna Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Brazilian wildfires burn 70pc less area in 1Q
Brazilian wildfires burn 70pc less area in 1Q
Sao Paulo, 23 April (Argus) — Wildfires in Brazil scorched an area almost equivalent to the size of Cyprus in January-March, but still 70pc less than in the same period in 2024 as the rainy season was above average in most of the north-central part of the country this year. The wildfires spread out over 912,900 hectares (ha) in the first three months of 2025, down from 2.1mn ha in the same period of 2024, according to environmental network MapBiomas' fire monitor researching program. The reduced burnt areas are related to the rainy season in most of the country, but still-high wildfire levels in the Cerrado biome showed that specific strategies are necessary for each biome to prevent further climate-related impacts, researchers said. The Cerrado lost 91,700ha to wildfires in the first quarter, up by 12pc from a year before and more than double from the average since 2019. Burnt areas in the Atlantic forest also increased 18,800ha in the period, up by 7pc from a year earlier. Wildfire-damaged areas in the southern Pampa biome, or low grasslands, grew by 1.4pc to 6,600ha. The Amazon biome lost over 774,000ha to wildfires in the first quarter of 2025, a 72pc drop from a year earlier, while it accounted for almost 52pc of burnt areas in March. The loss represented 84pc of the total burnt land in the period. Burnt areas in the central-western Pantanal biome, or tropical wetland, fell by 86pc in the first quarter to 10,900ha. The northeastern Caatinga biome, or seasonally dry tropical forest, lost around 10,000ha in burnt areas, down by 8pc from the same period in 2024. Reductions may not persist as a drought season will begin in May and is expected to be severe, according to Mapbiomas. Last year, an extended drought season prompted burnt areas to grow by 79pc from 2023. Northern Roraima state was the state to suffer the most from wildfires in the period, with 415,700ha lost to wildfires during its distinct drought season in the beginning of the year, while other states faced a rainy season. Northern Para and northeastern Maranhao followed, with 208,600ha and 123,800ha of burnt areas, respectively. Wildfires hit over 24,730ha of soybean fields in the period, a 29pc decrease from a year earlier, while burnt areas in sugarcane fields fell by 31pc to around 7,280ha. Wildfires hit 106,600ha of the country in March, a 86pc decrease from 674,900ha a year earlier. By João Curi Burnt areas in March ha 2025 2024 Amazon 55,172 732,929 Cerrado 37,937 20,995 Atlantic Forest 9,262 4,509 Caatinga 2,296 755 Pampa 1,514 127 Pantanal 562 21,799 Total 106,641 781,114 — Mapbiomas - Monitor do fogo Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
US generators weigh delaying coal plant retirements
US generators weigh delaying coal plant retirements
New York, 23 April (Argus) — US utilities are considering additional extensions to coal plant retirements in response to recent policy changes, even though the benefit for the coal industry may be short-lived. US utilities are still mostly reviewing US president Donald Trump's executive orders issued earlier this month plus other actions initiated by his administration. One of the more concrete recent actions were the two-year exemptions from complying with updated Mercury and Air Toxics Standards granted to dozens of power plants on 15 April. But even though utilities had applied for these exemptions, the majority of those that spoke to Argus indicated they are still evaluating their options. "Granting a two-year compliance extension at Labadie and Sioux will enable Ameren Missouri to further refine its compliance strategy and optimize planned monitoring mechanisms to ensure accuracy," said Ameren Missouri director of environmental services Craig Giesmann. "We are committed to selecting cost-effective solutions that minimize the impact on customer rates." Ameren's 1,099MW Sioux plant is scheduled to be closed by 2028 and the 2,389MW Labadie plant has no concrete retirement date. Tennessee Valley Authority said it is "carefully reviewing" the mercury and air toxics exemptions "for how it might apply and benefit our efforts to support load growth across our seven-state region." The federal utility was granted exemptions for all of its coal facilities, including units of the Cumberland and Kingston plants that had been scheduled to close by the 1 July 2027 compliance deadline for the new mercury and air toxics standards. NRG Energy and Xcel Energy also said they are still considering how to proceed. "It will take our regulatory and environmental teams some time to evaluate and access the new guidelines, so we do not have any update to share at this time," NRG said. The utility was granted exemptions for four coal plants with a combined 7,092MW of capacity. None of these units currently has concrete retirement dates scheduled. Companies need to take into account other factors before committing to extending a coal unit's life, including natural gas price expectations and whether government regulations will stay in place. In addition, the planning process for retiring and adding generating assets takes time. These factors also are being taken into account by utilities that do not have coal units on the list of mercury rule exemptions but could be affected by other efforts the Trump administration is making to try to preserve coal generation. "Whatever impacts may arise from policy changes this year will be assessed in a future [Integrated Resource Plan], with the best analysis of information available at that time," utility PacifiCorp said. The utility just filed its latest integrated resource plan with state regulators on 31 March and does not expect to file another one until early 2027. Another utility that did not have coal units on the list of mercury rule exemptions but would be affected by other regulatory actions said it is considering extending coal unit operations by a few years. A US coal producer reported receiving increased inquiries from utilities about the feasibility of continuing to get coal supply beyond power plant units' planned retirement dates. Both buyers and sellers that talked to Argus agree that contract flexibility is gaining importance. But "even if you roll back some regulations and push deadlines on various retirements and certain requirements out into the future, you still can not justify taking more coal unless it is going to be competitive" with natural gas, one market participant said. While profit margins for dispatching coal in US electric grids were above natural gas spark spreads for a number of days this past winter, that was an anomaly when compared with recent years. Coal may bridge generating gap But recent policy changes could help utilities use coal generation to bridge any gaps in generating capacity caused by delays in bringing other energy sources online. These include possible delays in adding solar generation following increased tariffs the Trump administration has imposed on imports from China as well as legislation moving through some state governing bodies aimed at inhibiting renewable projects. On 15 April, the Texas Senate passed a bill that would impose restrictions on solar and wind projects, including new permits, fees, regulatory requirements, and taxes. Separately, North Carolina legislators are reviewing a bill that proposes reducing solar tax breaks from 80pc to 40pc and limiting locations for utility-scale projects. Other states are moving forward with efforts to encourage less carbon-intensive generation. Colorado governor Jared Polis (D) on 31 March signed legislation classifying nuclear energy as a "clean" power source. Increased renewable energy generating capacity still is expected to be the "main contributor" to growth in US electricity generation, according to the US Energy Information Administration's (EIA) Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO). But EIA's latest outlook did not take into account the coal-related executive orders Trump signed on 8 April. "We are currently evaluating these developments, and they will be reflected in the May STEO," EIA chief economist Jonathan Church said. Most market participants do not expect substantial long-term changes to come from recent coal-supporting efforts because of various other factors including the fundamental economics of coal-fired power plants. By Elena Vasilyeva Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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