The change of government has proven to be supportive for the local ACCU market, with positive sentiment returning last week. In response to the election outcome, the ACCU spot price grew 18 per cent on the week, led by a strong uptick in traded volumes. As noted in our recent updates, human-induced regeneration (HIR) specific units continue to trade in volume, making up around half of all spot demand in May. While these units are now preferred over land-based avoidance projects, the weak premium indicates that HIR itself is not quite the ‘quality’ unit, with co-benefits largely not a factor in these purchases. Internationally, higher demand saw prices for voluntary offsets increase last week, led by premium project categories. Notably, demand for older, lower-end energy efficiency and renewable projects also increased over the week.
This report analyses current activity in the Australian and international voluntary carbon markets, including spot and forward price dynamics, offset issuance and voluntary cancellations. Analysis considers Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) and voluntary offsets across key international registries including Verra, Gold Standard, the American Carbon Registry, and the Climate Action Reserve.
