CWN now has its own YouTube channel. Subscribe for future Carbon Weekly News episodes and interviews: https://www.youtube.com/@CWNshow Episodes 1–5 remain here on Senken. Google has signed its biggest rice methane deal, around a million credits through 2030, with Mitti Labs. Rice produces more than 12% of global methane emissions and uses over 30% of irrigated water, and most of it is grown by about 150 million smallholder farmers on plots of around a hectare. Adrian Wons and Dan Harburg are joined by four guests this episode. Xavi Laguarta, Co-Founder of Mitti Labs, on how alternate wetting and drying cuts methane by more than half, why falling water tables are what actually convince farmers, and why satellite radar, not sensors, is the only way to measure rice methane at scale. Michael Bertelsen, Head of Carbon Markets at Agreena, on the company's 4.45 million tonne soil carbon deal in northern Kazakhstan: around 1.6 million hectares by 2028 under Verra's VM42, and what it takes to convince buyers that regenerative agriculture delivers. Antti Vihavainen (Co-Founder and Vice Chairman, Puro.earth) and Chris Neidl (Carbon Removal Lead, Climate High-Level Champions) on Think Negative and carbon removal at COP31: the first ITMO transaction for geologically stored carbon, why climate accounting was never built for removals, and why countries can use any credit when companies can't. Also on the desk: Sylvera gives Deep Sky One an AAA-A in its first pre-issuance DAC rating, and buyers have already committed 81% of this year's high-quality biochar supply. Carbon prices this week: Mangroves $31.07 (flat), ARR $22.27 (+4.85%), IFM $19.11 (+4.20%), REDD $8.54 (flat), CORC EUR150.40 (+8.71%), DAC $540, BECCS $180, ERW $210. ## Links - Agreena's record Kazakhstan soil carbon deal — https://carboncredits.com/agreena-record-soil-carbon-deal-kazakhstan/ - Google and Mitti Labs, 1M credits from rice methane — https://www.esgdive.com/news/google-deal-to-generate-1m-carbon-credits-from-cutting-methane-emissions/830305/ - Sylvera's first pre-issuance DAC rating, Deep Sky One — https://carbonherald.com/deep-sky-one-labeled-aaa-a-in-sylveras-first-ever-pre-issuance-dac-rating/ - Biochar supply committed early in 2026 — https://carbon-pulse.com/548363/ - Think Negative — https://think-negative.org ## Tags carbon markets, carbon removal, CDR, rice methane, alternate wetting and drying, Mitti Labs, Google, superpollutants, soil carbon, regenerative agriculture, Agreena, Kazakhstan, Verra VM42, Isometric, Gold Standard, Puro.earth, COP31, Think Negative, Climate High-Level Champions, Article 6, ITMO, direct air capture, Deep Sky, Sylvera, carbon ratings, biochar, Supercritical, voluntary carbon market, Senken, Mombak
