Daily Digest for

Governor Gavin Newsom and Brazil’s Minister of the Environment Marina Silva signed an expanded Memorandum of Understanding during Climate Week to cooperate on carbon pricing, clean transportation, conservation (30% by 2030), air quality management, and clean technologies ahead of COP30. The MOU builds on a February 2025 MOU with 21 Brazilian state governors and leverages collaboration channels like the GCF Task Force and SMAC.

Brazil announced a US$1 billion pledge to the Tropical Forests Forever Fund (TFFF) on 23 September 2025 and invited partners to contribute so the fund can begin operations at COP30 in Belém in November 2025. The TFFF targets conservation across ~1.1 billion hectares in 73 developing countries, proposes payments up to US$4 per hectare, and projects initial investor inputs up to US$25 billion with potential to leverage US$100 billion of private capital.

Ambar and Carreras, with Repsol, Zoilo Ríos, and EVARM, have started a three-month trial to transport beer using renewable hydrogen, targeting a reduction of 30 tonnes of CO₂e. The project adapts a hybrid trailer (renewable diesel and/or hydrogen) and an EVARM-developed tractor unit derived from a Dakar Rally-winning alternative-energy model to enable long-distance operation.

MIT and the Idaho National Laboratory are collaborating to develop and deploy next-generation, chromium-coated accident-tolerant nuclear fuels now used at U.S. plants such as Byron Clean Energy Center. The partnership also focuses on SMRs, space reactor materials, instrumentation (via CRISP), and cost-risk analysis showing historical projects run ~2x over budget and ~1.5x schedule extensions.

The European Parliament’s Industry, Research and Energy committee adopted amendments to major EU funding programmes (STEP, Horizon Europe, EDF, DEP, CEF) to channel EU funding towards defence and security under the ReArm Europe Plan, including allowing up to 100% EU co-financing for certain SME/small mid-cap defence projects. The package broadens dual-use eligibility (military mobility corridors, fuel infrastructure), endorses DEP support for defence-related AI facilities, and seeks pathways to integrate Ukraine’s defence industry; the draft was adopted 63-5 and opens negotiations with the Council.

HKEX signed an MOU with Guangzhou Emissions Exchange (CEEX), Shenzhen Green Exchange (SGE) and Macao International Carbon Emission Exchange (MEX) to accelerate carbon markets and green finance across the Greater Bay Area. The four exchanges kicked off the partnership by jointly hosting a seminar at the China Carbon Market Conference in Shanghai focused on driving innovative carbon market development.

Deputy Minister of Finance Ashor Sarupen announced South Africa’s smart infrastructure financing measures at the FIDIC conference, including a Credit Guarantee Vehicle (CGV) targeting an initial USD 500 million to support Independent Transmission Projects. He cited the JET-IP 2023–2027 need of R1.5 trillion, EUR 1.1 billion in concessional finance secured, and OECD estimates of a USD 6.3 trillion global infrastructure gap and a USD 130–170 billion annual gap for Africa.