London’s Calling and the Carbon Markets are Answering

London Climate Action Week 2025 didn’t just grow, it galvanized. With over 700 events and more than 45,000 attendees, the city reaffirmed its leadership in global climate action. Encouragingly, carbon markets were not just part of the conversation, they were central to it.

Our team was out across the city, engaging in high-impact meetings and events, including sponsoring The Economist Impact CSO Leaders Club, where sustainability leaders tackled the big questions on climate strategy. We also joined standout sessions like:

• City of London’s Net Zero Delivery Summit
• Scaling CDR Summit
• Verra x BCG: Bold Ideas to Scale the Carbon Market
• UNEP REDD+ Dialogue
• Sylvera & Isometric’s “Removals After Hours”
• Investing in Nature for the Future
• Climate Innovation Forum 2025

Across panels, roundtables, and receptions, it was evident that the carbon market is maturing and fast.

Governments globally support carbon markets

For too long, carbon markets have been fragmented, which has held back business engagement. But that’s changing.

We’re now seeing greater standardization across the market from ratings agencies and insurers to integrity initiatives like ICVCM and VCMI. This growing clarity is encouraging governments to step in, recognizing carbon markets as a vital mechanism to help close the $1.5 trillion annual funding gap to reach net zero.

This momentum was evident in a major coalition announcement during the week when the UK, Kenya, and Singapore committed to raising demand for high-integrity carbon credits, with France, Panama, Indonesia, and Peru quickly joining.

Their shared goal is to develop common carbon market principles that give businesses the confidence to invest. This alignment and simplification are exactly what’s needed to move beyond the fractured past and unlock the full potential of carbon finance.

By COP30 this November in Brazil, the coalition aims to agree on these principles, marking a critical step toward in channelling billions in climate finance to the countries most impacted by, yet least responsible for, the climate crisis.

The UK’s leadership at home

While international collaboration gains pace, the UK is also taking decisive steps domestically. Its consultation on the Voluntary Carbon and Nature Markets (VCNM), closing on 10 July, is a prime example of the leadership needed to scale climate solutions. It offers guardrails, not roadblocks and should feed into the international principles being developed by the coalition.

The UK Government’s approach has been refreshingly consultative, engaging with industry and corporates to understand the barriers to action and how policy can help overcome them. Since first announcing its intentions at COP29 in November 2024, this progress is encouraging.

At Climate Impact Partners, we’ve been actively engaging with the consultation will be feeding into the consultation. The UK government is supporting markets and the impact they can deliver. 

As a part of London Climate Action Week, we highlighted the impact of carbon projects in driving both climate and community impact through our exhibition In Focus: Capturing Real Climate Impact. Featuring our CEO Sheri Hickok, this short teaser offers a first look at how high-integrity carbon projects are delivering real impact for people and the planet.

A shared vision for the future of the carbon markets

Beyond the headline announcements, London Climate Action Week was a hub for deep, strategic conversations about the future of the carbon markets. Across panels, roundtables, exhibitions, and workshops, a clear theme emerged on the need to move from complexity to clarity, and from fragmentation to collaboration.

Stakeholders from across the global ecosystem including project developers, buyers, standards, policy makers, came together to shape a shared vision for a market that is simpler, more transparent, and more trusted.

The focus was not just on fixing the past, but on building a future where carbon markets are a seamless part of corporate climate strategies and a powerful engine for global climate finance.

As the final banners come down and the dialogue continues, carbon markets are no longer a side conversation they are a central climate tool. With government leadership, business engagement, and international alignment, we are entering a new era of climate action and we will continue to push for this.