Carbon credit retirements reached 104M tCO2e in H1 2026. That’s up 4% year-over-year. It’s the strongest H1 on record. Hess Corporation drove part of the surge, retiring 12.5M Guyana JREDD credits in May.

CCP-approved credit issuances grew 64% year-over-year. Rejected credits fell 67% over the same period. The data points to a clear quality shift across the voluntary carbon market.

Repeat buyers now make up 50.6% of the CDR market, a new record. Non-Microsoft demand hit an all-time high of 2.1M tons in H1 2026. Biochar remains the only CDR method delivering across issuances, offtakes, and retirements.

PACM issued its first-ever credits, reaching 22 registered projects. CORSIA Phase 1 eligible supply sits at just 37.9M tons, far below the roughly 200M tons in projected demand. Airlines are holding back retirements ahead of the EU Commission’s review.

UK project retirements tripled since 2023, hitting 166.1k tons in H1 2026. Average UK credit prices reached $32/ton, the second-highest among top European and North American issuers. Nature-based removals, mostly peatland restoration, now make up over 95% of UK supply.