The first quarter of 2026 brought significant price movements, regulatory shifts, and evolving market sentiments across global environmental markets.
ClearBlue Markets actively tracks these developments to help organizations manage carbon value and minimize compliance costs.
Our latest State of Global Carbon Markets Quarterly Report offers a concise, yet comprehensive analysis of Q1 2026 to help you position your carbon strategy locally and around the world.
North American Cap-and-Trade Divergence: Understand why California Carbon Allowance (CCA) prices declined by 10% amid Program Review anxieties, while RGGI Allowances posted a 10% gain driven by high power demand from AI, data centers, and winter weather.
The VCM Quality Shift: Track the 22.44% year-over-year decrease in voluntary carbon market issuances and explore why the premium for Tier 1 high-integrity credits over Tier 3 widened to 48%.
EU Market Volatility: Review the data behind the ~25% decrease in EUA Front-Dec prices, driven by investment funds consolidating net long positions and market reactions to the newly adopted net 90% emissions reduction target for 2040.
Dynamic Clean Fuel Markets: Access the fundamentals explaining why Canada CFR credits broke above the fund price on tightening balances, and how California LCFS prices reacted to record bank draws.
Asia & Oceania Policy Moves: Learn how China’s national carbon market stabilized around CNY 80 ahead of a transition to absolute emission caps, and why South Korean KAU prices saw a robust rally.
Market Correlations: View the latest data on how compliance carbon markets correlate with broader energy and equity markets, including natural gas, crude oil, and the S&P 500.
Equip your team with the intelligence required to optimize your carbon strategy.
Please contact us if you have any questions about this update or if you would like to discuss ClearBlue's Market Intelligence and Position Optimization services via Vantage, our carbon intelligence platform.