5th Week CCM 2026. Offtakes gain market share, REDD+ and nature finance advance in several countries, climatologist awarded, Verra achieves financial stability, new principles of climate governance
- Art Dam
- 1 hour ago
- 6 min read
Monday, 02 February 2026.
5th week Carbon Credit Markets 2026. Corporate demand for carbon credits is shifting toward long‑term offtakes, which continue to grow even as the spot market weakens and volumes decline. Within the UNFCCC, the global landscape shows steady progress in REDD+submissions, with countries such as Brazil, Indonesia and Peru presenting robust FRELs – Forest Reference Emission Levels, technical assessments and validated results. Nature finance is expanding, with institutions seeking to reduce the US$ 700 billion gap, align with the Global Biodiversity Framework, and scale instruments such as blue bonds, TNFD, and forest funds. Meanwhile, the award to Veerabhadran Ramanathan highlights the impact of CFCs as super‑pollutants and his decisive contribution to the Montreal Protocol, cementing his influence in modern climatology. Verra shows a strong financial turnaround, cutting losses and increasing revenue, while the Chapter Zero Alliance launches new global principles for climate and nature governance, strengthening resilience, transparency and long‑term value in corporate strategy. Events include the pre‑COP31 Climate Weeks in Korea and Azerbaijan. More details below.
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Carbon Credits
Corporate Demand for Carbon Credits Shifts to Long-Term Deals
According to Fastmarkets, research from the Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investing shows that corporate demand for carbon credits is shifting to long-term offtake agreements, while the spot market remains weak, with trading volumes falling from over US$2 billion in 2021 to just over US$500 million in 2024; offtakes, on the other hand, exceeded US$7 billion in 2025, reflecting a greater search for delivery security, although credits continue to play a limited role in net-zero strategies — which depend mainly on internal reductions — and are highly sensitive to price, regulation and reputation, especially among future buyers, indicating a still uneven recovery of voluntary markets.
A complete global overview of REDD+ submissions to the UNFCCC
A recent note on the REDD+ Web Platform highlights that the UNFCCC has made available an Excel file — updated until January 9, 2026 — that reflects the global progress in the implementation of the REDD+ mechanism under the Climate Convention. The document brings together, in one place, a consolidated view of:
* the forest reference emission levels (FREL) submitted by countries,
* the status of technical assessments,
* the REDD+ results already reported, and
* the progress of the corresponding technical analyses.
A FREL – Forest Reference Emission Level – is, in simple terms, the official baseline that a country submits to the UNFCCC to demonstrate how much it emitted from deforestation before implementing REDD+ actions. From this historical reference, the UN calculates emission reductions and validates REDD+ results.
Here is a summary of some of the countries that appear most prominently in the archive:
• Brazil. The most frequently appearing country in the archive, with FRELs for the Amazon and Cerrado biomes, in addition to national submissions. The FRELs cover long historical periods, focusing on reducing emissions from deforestation and including pools such as above-ground and below-ground biomass. The reported results are significant and always at a subnational level.
• Colombia. Appears with subnational and national submissions, mainly covering the Colombian Amazon. The FRELs include deforestation reduction activities, with above- and below-ground biomass pools and, in more recent versions, soil carbon. Validated results appear frequently.
• Peru. Has one of the longest series of updates. The FRELs are mostly subnational, including pools such as above/below-ground biomass and, in some cycles, dead wood. It maintains strong methodological consistency over time.
• Indonesia. One of the countries with the highest recurrence and largest absolute values. The FRELs are national, with increasing series and inclusion of multiple REDD+ activities — deforestation, degradation, and stock increases. It considers pools such as biomass, soil carbon, and gases such as CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O.
• Suriname. Presents continuously updated national FRELs, focusing on deforestation reduction and including pools such as above/below ground biomass and dead wood. It maintains one of the longest and most consistent time series.
• Papua New Guinea. Presents national FRELs accompanied by multiple years of validated results. Submissions include deforestation reduction, degradation, and stock increases, with pools of biomass and gases such as CO₂.
• Malaysia. Appears in different cycles, with negative FRELs, indicating net removals. FRELs cover permanent forests, with sustainable management activities and pools of biomass and soil carbon.
• Chile. Emerged with subnational and later national submissions. Includes activities to reduce deforestation, degradation, conservation, and increase stocks, with varied pools such as biomass, dead wood, and leaf litter.
• Mexico. It presents national FRELs that cover multiple REDD+ activities and pools such as biomass, dead wood, litter, and soil carbon. It is one of the countries with the greatest methodological diversity.
The REDD+ Web Platform is the official UNFCCC portal that brings together news, submissions, technical assessments, results, and press releases on REDD+. It is also where the Excel file with all the information mentioned above is available.
Other Highlights
Will financial institutions really prioritize nature in 2026?
The UNEP FI article, published on January 28, 2024, highlights that 2026 will be a decisive year for nature finance, with financial institutions pressured to close the annual gap of US$700 billion, align with the Global Biodiversity Framework, expand investments in forests, oceans, socio-environmental technologies, and integrate people into decision-making. The text also points to the expansion of instruments such as blue bonds, initiatives like the Tropical Forests Forever Facility, and the growing adoption of TNFD, which consolidate nature as a central axis of global financial strategy. UNEP FI is a global partnership between UN Environment and the financial sector that mobilizes banks, insurers, and investors to integrate sustainability, climate, and nature into their economic decisions.
Scientist who exposed the hidden power of CFCs in the 1970s to be awarded in 2026
A single molecule of CFC can have the same warming effect as up to 10,000 molecules of carbon dioxide. Veerabhadran Ramanathan, a pioneer in climate science, transformed the global understanding of warming by discovering in the 1970s that CFCs — then used in air conditioners, refrigerators, and sprays — had a greenhouse effect thousands of times more potent than CO₂, paving the way for the Montreal Protocol, which prevented up to 1°C of extra warming. The Crafoord Prize press release highlights that Ramanathan also demonstrated how aerosols, soot, and other climate pollutants alter the Earth's energy balance, broadening the scientific view of the multiple factors that shape the climate. His career combined groundbreaking atmospheric measurements, studies of clouds, water vapor, and pollution, as well as strong ethical and political activism, culminating in recognition with the Crafoord Prize. His work, "Greenhouse Effect Due to Chlorofluorocarbons: Climatic Implications" was published in the journal Science on October 3, 1975. The author, born in 1944 in Chennai, India, is Professor Emeritus of Atmospheric and Climatic Sciences at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (UC San Diego) and holds a doctorate from the State University of New York since 1974—one of the most influential figures in modern climatology.
Shorts & Opportunities
Verra's Financial Turnaround
A press release dated January 28, 2026, indicates that losses fell from US$19 million in 2024 to approximately US$1 million in 2025, accompanied by revenue exceeding US$30 million and a one-third reduction in expenses, reinforcing the organization's stability and operational focus. "Verra is now on a sustainable financial footing, with strong cash reserves, thanks to discipline and teamwork across the organization," commented Mandy Rambharos, CEO of Verra since August 2024.
Chapter Zero Alliance Launches New Global Principles for Climate and Nature Governance
Chapter Zero Alliance — the new identity of the former Climate Governance Initiative, according to an article by IBGC Brazilian Institute of Corporate Governance— presented its Guiding Principles for Climate and Nature Governance at the World Economic Forum in Davos. These principles were developed to support board members in integrating climate and nature into corporate strategy. The principles highlight resilience, competitive advantage, risk management, transparency, and long-term value, aligning governance with global expectations and international sustainability standards.
Events
🇧🇴 March 5, Bolivia Carbon Forum, Santa Cruz, Bolivia
🇵🇾 March 25 & 26, Paraguay Carbon Forum, Asunción, Paraguay
🇨🇴🇳🇱April 28 - 29, First International Conference on Phasing Out Fossil Fuels, by the Governments of Colombia and the Netherlands. In the city of Santa Marta, Colombia.
🇵🇪 May 27 & 28, Peru Carbon Forum 2026, 3ra edición, ESAN, Lima, Peru
Between COP30 and COP31, when governments, financial leaders and implementers stop negotiating text and start building the concrete mechanisms that actually deliver results.
🇰🇷🇺🇳April 21 - 25, Climate Week 1, Yeosu, Republic of Korea.
🇦🇿🇺🇳 October 5 - 9, Climate Week 2, Baku, Azerbaijan
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