A guide to understanding how to act in the face of the climate emergency.
Reduce your emissions and support global carbon neutrality.
Choose the carbon credits that meet your needs.
Choosing the right carbon credit program for your company is essential when engaging in the voluntary carbon market (VCM). Because not all carbon credits deliver the same impact, which directly influences the effectiveness of carbon offset initiatives aimed at mitigating a company’s unavoidable carbon emissions. Buyers must assess the quality against various criteria to ensure that their investments contribute to emission reduction. A comprehensive assessment of carbon credit quality involves evaluating the project's integrity, including additionality, permanence, and monitoring. Projects that are not rigorously vetted may result in lower quality credits, undermining the intended climate impact.
To achieve climate goals, stakeholders must prioritise projects with a solid verification process and transparent methodology. This includes examining the protocol used for quantification and the baseline established for measuring reductions. Buyers must also compare various projects within their portfolio and assess their respective ratings.
Furthermore, carbon removal projects' social and environmental benefits cannot be overlooked. Many high-quality projects also promote sustainable development and enhance biodiversity, delivering a dual impact on the climate and the community. Engaging with project developers and experts in the field can provide additional insights into the impact of these initiatives. Buyers can avoid pitfalls associated with low-quality projects by ensuring that every credit purchased meets a stringent rating system.
A carbon credit is a certificate that proves the avoidance or capture of one tonne of CO2e, i.e. through the implementation of an action. One carbon credit represents one tonne of CO2e avoided or removed from the atmosphere. They play a crucial role in addressing climate change by providing a financial incentive for emission reduction. By purchasing credits, individuals and organisations can mitigate their unavoidable emissions and support projects that promote sustainable development and enhance climate action.
The quality of credits can be assessed through multiple criteria. To be sure that you are purchasing high-quality credits, consider factors such as the project's additionality, the integrity of the carbon registry, and the transparency of the verification process. A rigorous assessment of these factors will help you make more informed decisions regarding the carbon credit quality.
Additionality refers to the concept that the reductions in greenhouse gas emissions would not have occurred without the existence of the carbon removal project. This criterion is significant because it ensures that the projects funded by the sale of carbon removals genuinely contribute to emission reduction and are not merely a result of business as usual. High-quality projects must demonstrate that they provide a measurable and verifiable impact on climate change.
A carbon registry is an official system that tracks carbon removals' issuance, transfer, and retirement. It serves as a transparent platform that confirms the authenticity and ownership of each credit. By consulting one of those, companies can make sure that the credits they purchase are legitimate and not double-counted, thereby supporting the integrity of their investments.