In this week’s ESG News Week In Review, climate ambition and regulatory recalibration moved in parallel as governments, markets, and investors adjusted to the next phase of the transition.
The EU set a binding 90% emissions-cut target for 2040 while easing parts of its sustainability and pollution reporting regime, and the ISSB softened financed-emissions requirements under IFRS S2, giving banks and asset managers reporting relief. China accelerated overseas clean tech expansion, and Uzbekistan launched its first utility-scale solar and battery project.
Carbon markets advanced on integrity and scale, with ICVCM approving Puro.earth as CCP-eligible, Verra issuing its first CCP-labelled forest credits, and major buyers backing ocean alkalinity, peatland restoration, and nature-based removals. Across energy and finance, large-scale clean power, hydrogen, fusion, and transition funds continued to gain momentum, while Abu Dhabi Finance Week reinforced the region’s growing role in global climate finance and regulation.
GOVERNMENT, POLICY & REGULATION
- EU Sets Binding 90 Percent Emissions Cut Target for 2040
- ISSB Eases Financed Emissions Rules Under IFRS S2, Giving Banks And Asset Managers Reporting Relief
- EU Considers to Relax Industrial Pollution and Waste Reporting Requirements
- Uzbekistan Launches First Utility Scale Solar And Battery Project
- China Drives $80 Billion in Overseas Clean Technology Expansion
CARBON
- ICVCM Approves Puro.earth as CCP Eligible Carbon Crediting Programme
- Google Purchases Carbon Removal From Ebb to Advance Ocean Alkalinity Pathways
- Microsoft Backs Pantheon to Expand Peatland Restoration, High Integrity Carbon Removal
- Verra Issues First CCP Labeled Forest Carbon Credits Under Updated IFM Methodology
- Iberdrola Launches First Carbon Removal Project in Australia
- Diginex to Acquire PlanA.earth and Expand Global AI Carbon Platform
CLIMATE & ENERGY TRANSITION
- Munich Re Sets 2030 Climate Targets Across Insurance and Investments
- EY Appoints Alexis Gazzo To Lead Global Climate And Sustainability Services
- Meta, NextEra Agree 2.5 GW Clean Energy Buildout To Power Expanding US Data Infrastructure
- S&P Global Outlines 2026 Clean Energy Pressures Driven by AI Growth, Geopolitical Shifts
- Helical Fusion Signs First Fusion Power PPA in Japan With Aoki Super
- Fortescue, China Baowu Launch Hydrogen Based Trial to Cut Steelmaking Emissions
- Altor Takes Majority Stake in Evac to Accelerate Global Cleantech Expansion
ABU DHABI FINANCE WEEK 2025 COVERAGE
- Abu Dhabi Sustainable Finance Forum Reinforces Abu Dhabi’s Role in Global Climate Finance
- J.P. Morgan Expands Treasury Services in ADGM
- ADGM Academy Launches Tech Center to Accelerate Research, Regulation and Workforce Readiness
- Global Regulators Meet in Abu Dhabi to Tackle Risks in Expanding Private Credit Market
- Abu Dhabi Finance Week Advances Global Asset Management Strategy
- FSRA Outlines 2025 Fund Sector Growth, Regulatory Enhancements at Abu Dhabi Finance Week
- Abu Dhabi Secure $1.9 Billion To Finish The Fight Against Polio
- Bill Gates to Attend ADFW for Major Global Polio Funding Pledges
- Abu Dhabi Finance Week 2025 Opens With AI, Energy and ‘Engineering the Capital Network’
- ADFW 2025 Announces Speakers and Agenda – Abu Dhabi Finance Week Update
- Abu Dhabi Expands Endowment Governance With New ADIB Partnership
SUSTAINABLE/CLIMATE FINANCE
- Bank of England Sets Tougher Climate Risk Rules for Banks and Insurers
- Fervo Secures $462 Million to Scale Geothermal and Deliver 24/7 Clean Power
- Eiffel Raises $1.4 Billion For New European Energy Transition Fund
- EU Allocates $5.6B to Accelerate Hydrogen, Heat Decarbonization and Net Zero Industrial Technology
- Osmosis Launches $80 Million Emerging Markets Transition Fund
- PCAF Expands Global GHG Accounting Standard for Finance and Insurance
- CVC, Low Carbon Secure $1.39 Billion to Accelerate European Clean Energy Expansion
- M&G Appoints Marian D’Auria as Chief Sustainability Officer
ESG INVESTING, FUNDS
- CalSTRS Appoints Nick Abel to Lead Sustainable Investment, Stewardship Strategies
- BlackRock’s Global Infrastructure Partners to Invest $335M in Grasim’s Green Arm
- Sen. Cruz Seeks to Block ESG, DEI Voting in $1 Trillion Federal Retirement Plan
- Lander Urges NYC Pension Funds to Drop BlackRock, Fidelity, and PanAgora Over Weak Climate Stewardship
- Austrian Firms Step Up Green And Digital Investment Amid Rising Economic Pressures
ENVIRONMENT, NATURE & BIODIVERSITY
- EU Considers to Relax Industrial Pollution and Waste Reporting Requirements
- Apple Reshapes Sustainability and Governance Leadership as Lisa Jackson Retires After 13 Years
- Qinghai Links Ecological Restoration With One of China’s Cleanest Power Grids
- Mars Commits $20 Million to Climate Smart Rice Farming Through 2030
- Siemens Reports Strong Progress Toward 2030 Sustainability Goals
ESG & SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING
- ISSB Eases Financed Emissions Rules Under IFRS S2, Giving Banks And Asset Managers Reporting Relief
- EU Advances Simplified Sustainability Reporting as EFRAG Submits Revised ESRS to Commission
- EU Watchdog Criticizes Commission for Fast Tracking Cuts to Sustainability Rules Without Transparency
- FCA Moves to Tighten Regulation of ESG Ratings in Bid to Strengthen Market Trust
TOOLS & SERVICES, TECHNOLOGY
- EFRAG Launches ESRS Knowledge Hub to Centralize Sustainability Reporting Standards
- Diginex to Acquire PlanA.earth and Expand Global AI Carbon Platform
- AURORA Puts Citizens at the Centre of Europe’s Energy Transition With New Carbon Tracking Tool
- ADGM Academy Launches Tech Center to Accelerate Research, Regulation and Workforce Readiness
- SBTi Issues Detailed Decarbonization Pathways for Global Chemicals Industry
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The post ESG News Week In Review: 1 December – 14 December appeared first on ESG News.
