In this week’s ESG News Week In Review, climate ambition and capital alignment took center stage ahead of COP30.

EU climate ministers approved a 2040 target to cut emissions by 90% and launched a $108B plan to scale clean aviation fuels. Brazil announced Amazon deforestation had fallen to an 11-year low, while global industry leaders called on the GHG Protocol to recognize renewable gas certificates. In finance, ACWA Power signed $10B in global clean energy deals, Apollo Funds invested $6.5B in Ørsted’s Hornsea 3 project, and the GAIA Climate Fund closed $600M to boost adaptation in emerging markets.

Corporate momentum stayed strong — IKEA committed $108M to Brazilian forest restoration, Google deepened its Amazon reforestation partnership, and ADNOC, Masdar, and Microsoft launched an alliance to apply AI across energy systems. As the EU sharpened its climate goals, investors and multinationals signaled that the transition is now driven as much by technology and data as by policy.

GOVERNMENT, POLICY & REGULATION

• EU Climate Ministers Approve 2040 Target of 90% Emissions Cut
• EU Launches $108B Investment Plan to Accelerate Clean Fuels for Aviation
• EU Invests $3B to Accelerate Net-Zero Technologies Across 18 Countries
• Global Industry Leaders Urge GHG Protocol to Recognize Renewable Gas Certificates Ahead of COP30
• EU Pushes for Stronger Global Climate Action at COP30 in Brazil
• Executive Committee of the Principles, Backed by ICMA, Issues Climate Transition Bond Guidelines
• Brazil Cuts Amazon Deforestation to 11-Year Low Ahead of COP30

CARBON

• Inter IKEA Group Invests $108M in Brazilian Forest Restoration to Accelerate Carbon Removal
• Google Expands Amazon Reforestation Partnership with Mombak to Deepen Carbon Removal Portfolio
• Neustark Partners with Puro.earth to Verify Concrete-Based Carbon Removals
• TD Bank Secures Multi-Year Forest Carbon Deal with Chestnut Carbon
• Carbon Direct, Varme Energy Partner on Canada’s First Waste-to-Energy with Carbon Capture Project
• Global Companies Show Rising Confidence in Carbon Credits but Call for Policy Clarity, Schneider Electric Reports

CLIMATE & ENERGY TRANSITION

• Maersk, Unilever Deploy Saudi Arabia’s First Electric Van to Cut Logistics Emissions
• France Accelerates Net-Zero Freight with World’s First Wireless Charging Highway
• Apple Expands Renewable Energy and Forest Restoration Projects Across Australia, New Zealand
• ADNOC, Masdar and Microsoft form Alliance to Scale AI in Energy
• TotalEnergies Outlines Three Pathways to a Lower-Carbon Future in Its 2025 Energy Outlook
• OPES Launches Vehicle Solar Panel Factory in Germany
• HEINEKEN, EDP, and Rondo Energy Launch One of Europe’s Largest Industrial Heat Battery Systems

SUSTAINABLE/ CLIMATE FINANCE

• ACWA Power Signs $10B Global Clean-Energy and Infrastructure Package
• Apollo Funds Invest $6.5B in Ørsted’s Hornsea 3 Offshore Wind Project
• GAIA Climate Fund Raises $600M to Boost Adaptation Finance in Emerging Markets
• Perigon Acquires Climate-Investing Specialist Gitterman, Expands AUM Beyond $10bn
• Executive Committee of the Principles, Backed by ICMA, Issues Climate Transition Bond Guidelines
• OPEC Fund, ACWA Power Sign $450M Agreement to Accelerate Clean Energy and Water Transition
• Molins Extends $324 Million Sustainability-Linked Loan to 2030
• Forbion Closes $215M BioEconomy Fund to Advance Sustainable Biotech Innovation

And More…

ESG INVESTING & FUNDS

• Perigon Acquires Climate-Investing Specialist Gitterman, Expands AUM Beyond $10bn
• EU Launches $108B Investment Plan to Accelerate Clean Fuels for Aviation

ENVIRONMENT, NATURE & BIODIVERSITY

• Inter IKEA Group Invests $108M in Brazilian Forest Restoration to Accelerate Carbon Removal
• $18 Trillion Investor Coalition Launches 10-year Plan to Make Mining more Responsible
• Google Expands Amazon Reforestation Partnership with Mombak to Deepen Carbon Removal Portfolio
• Apple Expands Renewable Energy and Forest Restoration Projects Across Australia, New Zealand
• Nestlé, PepsiCo, Unilever Support Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s 2030 Plastics Agenda
• AWS Expands Recycled Water Use to Over 120 Data Centers Across the U.S.
• USGBC Opens LEED v5 Certification, Setting New Global Standard for Green Building

ESG & SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING

• How Companies Are Achieving Audit-Ready Sustainability Reporting Through Smarter Data Management
• Tata Motors, TCS Launch AI-Driven Sustainability Platform to Advance Net-Zero and ESG Reporting

TOOLS & SERVICES, TECHNOLOGY

• IBM’s $45M Impact Accelerator Expands AI Solutions for Global Supply Chain Resilience
• Honeywell Launches Biomass Conversion Technology to Produce Renewable Marine and Aviation Fuels

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