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Peatlands and mangroves key to reducing carbon emissions in Southeast Asia, finds international study

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SINGAPORE, Feb. 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Conserving and restoring Southeast Asia’s carbon-rich peatlands and mangroves could mitigate more than 50 per cent of the region’s land-use carbon emissions, according to a new international study published in Nature Communications.

Despite occupying just 5 per cent of the region’s terrestrial land, these ecosystems play an outsized role in emission reduction efforts, making them crucial for meeting climate targets across ASEAN countries.

The research study, conducted by an international team of scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS), with contributions from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and James Cook University in Australia, highlights the significant climate benefits of conserving and restoring peatlands and mangroves.

Together, these ecosystems store more than 90 per cent of their carbon in soils rather than vegetation, making them among the most efficient natural carbon sinks globally.

However, when disrupted or destroyed through activities such as land-use changes, these ecosystems release significant amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, posing a major challenge to achieving emission reduction targets.

Additionally, peatland degradation during dry periods, such as those associated with El Niño events, not only results in massive carbon emissions but also contributes to regional haze events, affecting air quality in countries including Singapore.

Associate Professor Massimo Lupascu, Principal Investigator and the paper’s senior author, explained, “If we conserved and restored the carbon-dense peatlands and mangroves in Southeast Asia, we could mitigate approximately 770 megatonnes of CO2 equivalent (MtCO2e) annually, or nearly double Malaysia’s national greenhouse gas emissions in 2023.”

“Our research underscores the immense climate benefits of protecting these ecosystems, making them a pragmatic and effective natural climate solution for ASEAN countries,” said Assoc Prof Lupascu, who is from the Department of Geography at the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

Professor David Taylor, a co-author of the paper and Head of the NUS Department of Geography, said that “including both peatlands and mangroves in the new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs 3.0) that countries signed up to the Paris Agreement must update and re-commit to every five years can certainly contribute to increasing the ambition of countries across the region through the setting of higher emissions reduction targets, although this would involve substantial investment in effective conservation and restoration.“

Unique ecosystems with global implications

Southeast Asia is home to some of the world’s largest areas of tropical peatlands and mangroves. These ecosystems share water-saturated, oxygen-limited soils that slow the decomposition of organic matter, enabling them to act as natural carbon sinks when undisturbed.

However, these soil-stored carbon is “irrecoverable”, meaning it cannot easily be replaced once lost to human activities, such as agriculture or urban development.

Assistant Professor Pierre Taillardat, a co-author of the paper and principal investigator at the Wetland Carbon Lab at the Asian School of the Environment, NTU Singapore, emphasised the transformative potential of wetland conservation and how it can also yield economic benefits through schemes like carbon credits.

“Wetland soils may have little agronomic value, as it is generally not well-suited for traditional farming or crop cultivation, but they are unmatched in their ability to store and preserve carbon,” added Asst Prof Taillardat.

“If carbon were valued like other critical commodities, such as being traded on the carbon credits market, it could unlock vast opportunities for conservation and restoration projects. This will enable local communities to lead carbon management efforts with a win-win scenario where livelihoods and sustainable ecosystems thrive together.”

Updated Emissions Estimates and Pathways for Change

The study also provides up-to-date estimates of emissions from disturbed peatlands and mangroves across Southeast Asia from 2001 to 2022, broken down by land-use type and country.

By doing so, it offers policymakers critical data to identify hotspots for intervention and prioritise conservation efforts.

In their paper, the researchers call for ASEAN governments to integrate peatland and mangrove conservation into national climate strategies.

Given their high carbon storage capacity and the ability to mitigate land-use emissions, peatlands and mangroves represent a cost-effective and impactful approach to achieving net-zero targets.

By conserving and restoring these ecosystems, Southeast Asian nations can reduce emissions, bolster climate resilience, and support local communities that depend on wetlands for their livelihoods.

Dr Sigit Sasmito, from TropWATER, James Cook University in Brisbane, Australia, who is the study’s first author and led the work when he was a Research Fellow in the NUS Department of Geography, remarked, “By investing in the conservation of peatlands and mangroves, Southeast Asia can lead the world in deploying cost-effective, nature-based solutions that deliver enduring climate and biodiversity benefits. These ecosystems pack a climate mitigation punch far beyond their size, offering one of the most scalable and impactful natural solutions to combat the planet’s climate crisis.”

The open-access paper, titled “Half of land use carbon emissions in Southeast Asia can be mitigated through peat swamp forest and mangrove conservation and restoration”, is available online at Nature Communications.

Read more at: https://news.nus.edu.sg/peatlands-and-mangroves-key-to-reducing-carbon-emissions-in-southeast-asia-finds-international-study/

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SOURCE National University of Singapore

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XLCS Partners advises Concurrent Utility Services on sale to UniTek Global Services

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July 23, 2026

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NASHVILLE, Tenn., July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — XLCS Partners, Inc., a leading middle market investment bank, is pleased to announce that it served as exclusive M&A advisor to Concurrent Utility Services LLC on its acquisition by UniTek Global Services, Inc., a portfolio company of New Mountain Finance Corporation (Nasdaq: NMFC) and its affiliates, and BTG Pactual Strategic Capital.

Headquartered in Miami, Florida, Concurrent is a licensed general and electrical contractor providing infrastructure development and maintenance services to electric utilities, telecom providers, and land developers throughout the Southeast United States. The company’s capabilities span overhead and underground utility construction, professional telecom services, emergency service restoration, in-building networks, environmental services, and data center development. Backed by a safety-first culture and an experienced workforce, Concurrent has built a strong regional platform and a reputation for quality across the markets it serves.

UniTek is a leading digital infrastructure services provider supporting the expansion of fiber and data center connectivity across the U.S. and Canada. With over 600 employees and 60 locations, UniTek delivers a full suite of infrastructure services. The acquisition of Concurrent accelerates UniTek’s Power Services Division, which launched in July 2025 to broaden the company’s maintenance, repair, upgrade, and new infrastructure development services for the power sector. Concurrent’s established Southeast footprint and power capabilities directly complement UniTek’s existing broadband and data center infrastructure platform, positioning the combined company to capitalize on growing demand for resilient, modernized power infrastructure. Concurrent will continue to operate under its established brand, maintaining uninterrupted service for its customers.

“Selling Concurrent was one of the biggest decisions of my career, and Anthony, Jay, and the XLCS team guided us through every step with professionalism and genuine care for our people,” said Steve Sarno, CEO of Concurrent. “They stayed fully engaged throughout, gave us honest and thoughtful advice, kept our best interests front and center, and delivered an outcome that exceeded our expectations. I would recommend them without hesitation to any owner considering a transaction.”

XLCS acted as the exclusive M&A advisor to Concurrent, and the transaction was led by Anthony Contaldo, Partner, and Jay Cremer, Vice President. The transaction was completed on July 1, 2026.

About XLCS Partners, Inc.

XLCS Partners is a leading global investment banking firm providing M&A advisory services. Visit www.xlcspartners.com for more information.

Media Contact: 
Kendra Span 
kspan@xlcspartners.com
615-379-7783

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/xlcs-partners-advises-concurrent-utility-services-on-sale-to-unitek-global-services-302833542.html

SOURCE XLCS Partners, Inc.

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XLCS Partners advises Concurrent Utility Services on sale to UniTek Global Services

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4 minutes ago

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July 23, 2026

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NASHVILLE, Tenn., July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — XLCS Partners, Inc., a leading middle market investment bank, is pleased to announce that it served as exclusive M&A advisor to Concurrent Utility Services LLC on its acquisition by UniTek Global Services, Inc., a portfolio company of New Mountain Finance Corporation (Nasdaq: NMFC) and its affiliates, and BTG Pactual Strategic Capital.

Headquartered in Miami, Florida, Concurrent is a licensed general and electrical contractor providing infrastructure development and maintenance services to electric utilities, telecom providers, and land developers throughout the Southeast United States. The company’s capabilities span overhead and underground utility construction, professional telecom services, emergency service restoration, in-building networks, environmental services, and data center development. Backed by a safety-first culture and an experienced workforce, Concurrent has built a strong regional platform and a reputation for quality across the markets it serves.

UniTek is a leading digital infrastructure services provider supporting the expansion of fiber and data center connectivity across the U.S. and Canada. With over 600 employees and 60 locations, UniTek delivers a full suite of infrastructure services. The acquisition of Concurrent accelerates UniTek’s Power Services Division, which launched in July 2025 to broaden the company’s maintenance, repair, upgrade, and new infrastructure development services for the power sector. Concurrent’s established Southeast footprint and power capabilities directly complement UniTek’s existing broadband and data center infrastructure platform, positioning the combined company to capitalize on growing demand for resilient, modernized power infrastructure. Concurrent will continue to operate under its established brand, maintaining uninterrupted service for its customers.

“Selling Concurrent was one of the biggest decisions of my career, and Anthony, Jay, and the XLCS team guided us through every step with professionalism and genuine care for our people,” said Steve Sarno, CEO of Concurrent. “They stayed fully engaged throughout, gave us honest and thoughtful advice, kept our best interests front and center, and delivered an outcome that exceeded our expectations. I would recommend them without hesitation to any owner considering a transaction.”

XLCS acted as the exclusive M&A advisor to Concurrent, and the transaction was led by Anthony Contaldo, Partner, and Jay Cremer, Vice President. The transaction was completed on July 1, 2026.

About XLCS Partners, Inc.

XLCS Partners is a leading global investment banking firm providing M&A advisory services. Visit www.xlcspartners.com for more information.

Media Contact: 
Kendra Span 
kspan@xlcspartners.com
615-379-7783

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/xlcs-partners-advises-concurrent-utility-services-on-sale-to-unitek-global-services-302833542.html

SOURCE XLCS Partners, Inc.

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Fathom Applauds Introduction of the FRONTIER Act, the First Federal Blueprint for Independent AI Verification

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July 23, 2026

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Reps. Lori Trahan (D-MA-03) and Jay Obernolte (R-CA-23) introduce a bill to build a competitive marketplace of independent verifiers for frontier AI models.

WASHINGTON, July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Fathom welcomes the introduction of the FRONTIER Act, the most complete federal framework yet for independent, third-party verification of frontier AI. The legislation is built to earn public trust as AI technology continues to accelerate. As frontier systems begin to take autonomous action in the world, the gap between what these models can do and our ability to keep them in check is widening. FRONTIER is the starting point to close that gap.

“AI governance keeps running into the same wall. The technology is hard to measure and it moves faster than any law can keep up with,” said Andrew Freedman, Co-Founder and CEO of Fathom. “Trying to write the perfect rules and freezing them in place won’t work. What will work is a competitive market of independent verifiers who are accountable for real-world outcomes and who the government can actually count on. The FRONTIER Act shows we can move fast and still get this right.”

The bill gets the fundamentals correct. It sets one public standard – the adequate mitigation of catastrophic risk – and holds both the AI companies and their independent verifiers accountable to it. FRONTIER does not freeze a single testing method into statute. Instead, it licenses competing verification organizations, allows them to sharpen their methods, and gives the government the power to revoke a license when a verifier’s work does not hold up in the field. That is how you build a system that keeps pace with the science instead of falling behind it.

Fathom thanks Reps. Trahan and Obernolte for their leadership, and for their courage in releasing a discussion draft, inviting scrutiny, and incorporating substantive improvements from across the field. One priority improvement as the bill advances: giving the government a fuller range of tools to act upstream – for pushing companies to close identified gaps in risk mitigation early, rather than only once a catastrophe is imminent. We are committed to working with these sponsors, committees of jurisdiction, and Congressional leadership to continue refining the bill in the weeks and months ahead.

About Fathom
Fathom is an independent nonprofit whose mission is to build a governance architecture that helps society navigate the transition to a world with AI by fostering trust, safety, and innovation. Fathom has developed and championed the independent verification model for AI and works with policymakers across the country to put it into practice. Learn more at http://fathom.org.

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SOURCE Fathom AI Inc.

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