Global Climate News

The Nature Returns programme, led by Natural England in partnership with the Environment Agency, Forestry Commission and Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, has published results demonstrating nature-based solutions' carbon and flood benefits. - **Programme achievements and interventions:** Over four years the six Local Partnership Projects across England delivered **800 hectares of habitat created**, **95,000 trees and shrubs planted**, **16 km of hedgerow restored**, **2.5 km of watercourses improved**, and engaged **over 7,000 people** with **400 volunteer days**. Projects trialled **3D laser scanning** to measure hedgerow carbon (finding hedgerows can rival woodlands) and identified **soil fungi** as an indicator for soil carbon; practical interventions included **leaky dams** that reduced peak flows by **12%** in Plymouth’s Seaton Valley. - **Funding, partnerships and monitoring:** The programme was funded by **HM Treasury’s Shared Outcomes Fund** and **Defra’s Net Zero R&D budget**, and worked with partners to develop **blended public-private finance models**. Sites will be monitored for **10 years** to track long-term carbon storage and biodiversity, with lessons feeding into England’s forthcoming **Land Use Framework**.

The Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture jointly signed an MOU with National Pingtung University of Science and Technology to establish a campus-based demonstration center for sustainable energy and climate change. - **Main announcement/action:** On 114-09-26 (Minguo calendar), the **Ministry of Environment**, **Ministry of Agriculture**, and **National Pingtung University of Science and Technology** signed an **MOU** (witnessed by Legislators 鍾佳濱 and 蘇清泉 and the **Pingtung County Government**) to build the "Sustainable Energy and Climate Change Demonstration Center" on **about 300 hectares** of campus land; agreed activities include **waste collection**, **energy conversion (biomass-to-energy)**, and **resource reuse** to create a circular economy pilot on-site. - **Background and implementation details:** The project will leverage Pingtung’s agricultural scale to pilot a **Taiwan biomass energy model**, develop **natural carbon sink and carbon capture technologies**, and offer professional training courses to cultivate **green-collar talent**; the MOU sets collaboration scope (research, demonstration, replication) but **no specific multi-year implementation timeline** is specified in the announcement.

Svebio held Fuel Market Day 2025 in Stockholm and online on September 25, 2025. - **Event details and main action:** Svebio hosted **Fuel Market Day 2025** (25 September 2025) under the theme **“Navigating a changing world – Bioenergy as Europe’s growth and innovation engine”**; the session **“Between Policy and Practice: Navigating EU rules shaping bioenergy markets”** featured Jérémie Geelen (Market Intelligence Director, Bioenergy Europe) who addressed **implementation of REDIII**, the **Ecodesign Directive**, **LULUCF**, and **EUDR**, with practical focus on **traceability**, **timing**, and **compliance risks**. - **Background and topics covered:** The conference highlighted that **bioenergy supplies 54% of renewable energy** in the EU and **avoids 300 million tonnes of CO₂ annually**; discussions covered **market outlooks**, **sourcing trends**, **technology innovations**, and **resilience of Europe’s biomass supply**. - Date: **25 September 2025** - Location: **Stockholm** and **online** - Agenda / subject: Bioenergy market outlook, EU policy implementation (REDIII, Ecodesign, LULUCF, EUDR), traceability and compliance

Revyve has announced a Series B financing round of nearly €24 million to accelerate commercial rollout and scale production of functional yeast proteins that replace eggs and additives. - **Main announcement:** Revyve raised **nearly €24 million** in a Series B co-led by **ABN AMRO Sustainable Impact Fund** and **Invest-NL**, with support from **Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij (BOM)**, **Danstar Ferment (Lallemand Bio-Ingredients)**, **Grey Silo Ventures**, and follow-on participation from **Oost NL** and **Royal Cosun**; the funding will be used to **modularly scale production** and expand commercial rollout to additional food categories and larger global customers, increasing output to **over 1,600 tons per year** at its Dinteloord facility. - **Background & details:** Revyve commissioned a FOAK production site in **Dinteloord, Netherlands** in 2024 (currently running at capacity for several customers); the company serves customers across **Europe, UK, USA, Canada, Mexico and Australia**; planned industry appearances this autumn include: - Anuga — **4-8 October**, Cologne, **Hall 01.2 | Stand D028g-E029g** (showcase latest applications) - Food ingredients Europe — **2-4 December**, Paris, **Stand #73J23** (showcase latest applications and partnerships)

National Taiwan University Department of Agricultural Chemistry invites applications for one faculty position in "Soil Science and Soil Carbon Sink" starting 1 August 2026. - **Main announcement/action:** The Department is recruiting **one** faculty member (rank: Assistant/Associate/Professor) in **Soil Science and Soil Carbon Sink**, **start date 2026-08-01**, requiring teaching of undergraduate courses **"Soil Science"** and **"Soil Science Lab"** and graduate electives related to **soil science and net zero**; candidates must hold a **Ph.D.** in a related field and research experience in **climate change and carbon credit** is preferred. Application materials (items 1–8) must be combined into a **single PDF** and submitted by **2025-12-12** via **htchen@ntu.edu.tw**, with two recommendation letters sent directly by referees to the same email. - **Background and application details:** Required materials include a cover letter (indicating desired rank), CV with photo, Ph.D. diploma copy and transcripts (or institution/advisor statement if no coursework), publication list, one representative SCI(S) research paper published after **2021-08-01** (first or corresponding author) or Ph.D. thesis for recent graduates, reprints/acceptances since **2019-08-01**, research/teaching plan, and other supporting documents; inquiries may be directed to **Prof. Chwan-Yang Hong** (Tel: **+886-2-33663839**, Fax: **(02)23633123**, E-mail: **cyhong@ntu.edu.tw**).

National Chiayi University (College of Agriculture, Department of Wood Materials and Design) is recruiting three full-time faculty members at assistant professor level or above. Applications are accepted until the postmark deadline and selected hires will begin on the announced start date. - **Main announcement:** The Department of Wood Materials and Design at **National Chiayi University** is hiring **3 full-time faculty** (assistant professor or above); **start date:** 115年2月1日 (per announcement) ; **application deadline:** 114年10月31日 (postmark). Applicants must hold a **PhD in wood materials, forestry, forest products, design, or related fields**, and submit required documents including CV, degree certificates, publications, recommendation letters, transcripts, and proof of EMI capability. - **Background & requirements:** Priority specializations include **circular forestry economy, natural carbon sinks, wood structural materials/engineering, digital wood processing, and forestry education**; candidates must demonstrate at least one of: (1) an SCIE/SSCI publication in relevant fields, (2) ≥2 years full-time post-PhD teaching or postdoc or industry experience, or (3) outstanding professional achievements. **EMI (full English-medium instruction) capability** is required; holders of foreign PhD from listed institutions may be exempt from English test proofs. Application materials must be notarized/verified as specified and mailed to the Department (address provided).

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) forecasts U.S. total distillate inventories to end 2025 and 2026 at multiyear lows. - **Forecast drivers and headline figures:** The EIA cites a sharp **1H25 inventory drawdown of 17% (~22 million barrels)**, **strong export demand**, and **domestic production declines from refinery closures** as primary causes of the low end‑of‑year inventories; inventories have increased in the weeks after the forecast but **remain relatively low**. The EIA notes the **LyondellBasell Houston refinery shut in early 2025** and that **two California refineries (combined 284,000 b/d capacity)** plan to close over the next two years. - **Background data and short‑term outlook:** The EIA reports **renewable diesel and biodiesel consumption fell by 124,000 b/d (35%) in 1H25 vs 1H24**, while **petroleum distillate consumption rose by ~170,000 b/d (5%)**; **distillate exports averaged 1.2 million b/d in 1H25 (7% above the five‑year average)**. The agency expects **partial biofuels recovery in H2 2025 under the Renewable Fuel Standard** and forecasts **essentially flat distillate fuel oil inventories between December 2025 and December 2026**.

McKinsey has published an analysis highlighting the role and potential of ocean carbon dioxide removal (ocean CDR) and calls for urgent, coordinated R&D, regulatory, philanthropic, and industry action to build a foundational ocean CDR ecosystem over the next decade. - **Main announcement and findings:** The report outlines **five major ocean CDR approaches** (coastal ecosystem restoration; direct ocean capture (DOC); ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE); algae cultivation and harvesting; open-ocean microalgae fertilization), estimates the ocean could support **more than ten gigatons** of annual CO2 removals, and notes **pilot DOC costs of $900 to $3,000 per ton**. It highlights **high efficiency** and **high scaling potential** but warns of scientific uncertainty and ecological risks that require R&D and robust methodologies. - **Background, evidence, and specific details:** Authors include **Emma Parry, Mark Patel, Gualtiero Jaeger, Jonathan Scott, and Shruti Badri** (McKinsey offices: London, Bay Area, Nairobi). The report cites bodies such as the **IPCC**, **London Convention and London Protocol** (which flagged possible "deleterious effects that are widespread, long-lasting, or severe" for some approaches), and research collaborators including **CarbonPlan** and **[C]Worthy**. It calls for **shared research results, regulatory frameworks, Indigenous and community engagement, and stakeholder funding** to derisk and scale ocean CDR within the next decade.