Environmental Finance is conducting its annual survey of the voluntary carbon markets, polling its readers on the leading project developers, traders, brokers, advisors, verifiers and other service providers active in these markets.

Agribusiness group Bunge is to buy environmental asset manager Climate Change Capital (CCC), the companies announced today, in a move that will see CCC’s backers take a hit on their investment.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) may have approved a $1.4 billion partial loan guarantee for a rooftop solar project last year to help prop up now bankrupt solar panel manufacturer Solyndra, according to Republicans.

EU economic and finance ministers have reiterated their call for the global aviation and maritime transportation sectors to pay for their carbon emissions to raise climate finance.

Ninety-two banks and investors have put their names to a call to 415 companies to manage and reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

The UK’s Environment Bank has teamed up with Mission Markets to set up a trading platform for biodiversity credits – and says that the first trade could be weeks away.

Drax, the UK’s largest coal-fired power generator, has cancelled plans for a dedicated biomass power station because of uncertainty in proposed subsidies and its inland location.

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is lending $100 million to Brazilian bank Itaú BBA to help finance “environmentally friendly” projects in Latin America.

A clean-technology venture capital fund backed by the UK government has committed almost half its reserves to six funds, and is in negotiations for a seventh fund investment and a direct investment in a UK company.

Sonoma County has defied federal regulators and continues to operate its municipal bond programme to pay for residential renewable energy and efficiency projects.

Investors and other stakeholders should urgently lobby US federal regulators to allow municipal bond programmes for residential renewable energy and efficiency retrofits to move ahead.

The company set up to facilitate a major UK energy efficiency programme has drawn up plans for a multi-billion pound green bond programme.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) lent €18 billion ($24 billion) for “climate action” in 2011 – down from €20.5 billion in 2010, but up as a percentage of the bank’s total lending.

Insurers are expecting business from renewable energy projects to grow, notably in protecting them against a lack of natural resources, according to brokerage firm Marsh.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) hopes to secure final board approval this week on a $1.5 billion fund to boost clean energy investments in the region, an official said.

Asset management firm New Forests has closed a fund that will supply forest carbon offsets into California’s emerging carbon market.

Responsible investors have not made the business case for sustainability, according to Generation Investment Management, the investment firm chaired by Al Gore, as it attempts to reignite the debate around sustainable capitalism.

Continued disagreement among EU nations over the draft energy efficiency directive (EED) could lead to weaker targets and drain investor confidence in energy efficiency, business groups and NGOs have warned.

Connie Hedegaard, the European Commission’s climate chief, expressed confidence that a noteworthy agreement would emerge from the Rio+20 conference.

The head of environmental finance at Citi is canvassing support for a “Global OPIC” to help raise large volumes of debt for renewable energy projects.