Carbon Market News

Taiwan’s Ministry of Environment announced it collected NT$4.97 billion in its first carbon fee cycle, exceeding the initial estimate of NT$4.5 billion. A total of 461 factories across 240 companies paid the fees, with the semiconductor industry contributing the largest share of NT$2.2 billion. The final amount was higher because several companies withdrew or were rejected from preferential rates. The revenue will go to a greenhouse gas management fund to support emissions-reduction projects and climate change research.
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#Taiwan #CarbonFee #SemiconductorIndustry #TSMC #EmissionsReduction #CarbonPricing

Southeast Asia’s energy transition is shifting from renewables build-out to grid upgrades, as power demand could rise over 60% by 2040. Rapid growth from AI, data centres and EVs is straining ageing systems. ASEAN is accelerating the ASEAN Power Grid, but progress is constrained by a US$100bn+ investment gap, regulatory barriers, and challenges integrating intermittent renewable energy.
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#ASEAN #EnergyTransition #PowerGrid #RenewableEnergy #Infrastructure #SoutheastAsia

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has initiated a process to repeal the climate disclosure rules adopted in 2024 under the Biden administration. The rules would have required public companies to disclose material climate risks, climate-related governance practices, and certain financial impacts from severe weather events. SEC leadership argues that disclosure requirements should focus on financial materiality and investor protection while reducing compliance burdens on companies. Although the federal rules may be withdrawn, many companies will continue to face climate reporting obligations under the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and California’s climate disclosure laws. As a result, multinational firms are expected to maintain investments in climate reporting systems despite potential changes at the federal level.
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#SEC #ClimateDisclosure #CSRD #CaliforniaClimateLaw #SustainabilityReporting #FinancialMateriality #InvestorProtection

Ethiopia’s new Forest Carbon Trading Amendment Directive No. 1141/2026 fundamentally reshapes forest carbon ownership by granting private and community forest owners full legal title to carbon credits generated on their land. The reform allows landowners to opt out of government-led jurisdictional programs and independently develop carbon projects for international markets. While increasing market autonomy, the directive also strengthens compliance requirements, including mandatory registration, benefit-sharing plans, MRV obligations, and public disclosure of project information. The amendment significantly limits the role of the Ethiopian Forestry Development agency to government-managed programs while promoting transparency and private sector participation. The reform is expected to improve access to climate finance and stimulate forest carbon project development across Ethiopia.
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#Ethiopia #EthiopianForestryDevelopment #ClimateFinance #Article6 #DoubleCounting #BenefitSharingPlan

Experts from National Taiwan University called for stronger coordination between Taiwan’s central and local governments as the country’s new carbon fee system begins implementation. Taiwan expects to collect about NT$4.5 billion in carbon fees from major emitters in the power, gas, and manufacturing sectors. Researchers urged the government to establish transparent carbon fee allocation mechanisms and strengthen local climate governance. They also called for improved data integration across ministries and state-owned enterprises to support local net-zero planning and public transparency. Speakers emphasized the importance of “net-zero cities” in achieving national climate goals, while suggesting carbon fee revenues be directed toward emissions reductions in sectors such as healthcare. Environmental groups also urged local governments to publish annual climate implementation “gap reports.”
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#Taiwan #CarbonFee #CarbonPricing