Carbon Credit Quality Initiative

The Carbon Credit Quality Initiative offers independent scorings to measure the quality of carbon credits. Produced by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), Oeko-Institut and World Wildlife Fund (WWF-US), it is a useful and ongoing resource to help carbon credit buyers identify high quality in the market. It is a unique initiative because: It is not funded by revenues related to carbon credits; the experts providing the assessments are not employed by project developers or carbon crediting programs; and it scores credits on an interval scale, not on a binary basis.

Offsets As Ordered: Buyer Due Diligence To Ensure Carbon Credit Quality

This report from The Nature Conservancy helps buyers navigate the voluntary carbon market. Produced in March 2023 – a time when so much of the market was in flux – this report helps reduce risk for those looking to buy carbon credits. It provides guidance on due diligence and equips businesses with the knowledge to identify high-quality credits.

Credit where credit’s due: Identifying principles for a high integrity biodiversity credit market

Plan Vivo Foundation, goodcarbon and Blue Marine Foundation have collaborated to help us identify the core principles of high integrity in the biodiversity credit market. It surveyed companies of varying sizes, sectors and geographies to understand their perspectives and interest in the biodiversity credit market. Published in July 2024, the results revealed that half of all respondents are closely following developments in the biodiversity markets due to their nature and climate commitments.

Buyers guide to carbon credit data quality

Uncertain where to start with carbon credit quality assessment? This is a guide to the data-driven tools that can help. Produced by Climate Collective and RMI in June 2024, it shares a six-step process for purchasing carbon credits and shares tests that can be used to test the effectiveness of data packages. One especially useful section links existing carbon credit guidance with the most relevant stage of a buyer’s journey.

Guidelines for high integrity use of carbon credits

Published in April 2024, IETA’s guidelines are designed to help companies incorporate carbon credits into their decarbonisation strategies with integrity. As well as its six specific recommendations, these guidelines contain a useful comparison of the different guidances currently available to companies.

The Oxford Principles for Net Zero Aligned Carbon Offsetting: 2024 revisions

Published in February 2024 by the University of Oxford, these revisions to the 2020 Oxford Principles call for a ‘course correct’ for the VCM. It states that ‘current approaches are unlikely to deliver the level of emissions reduction needed to achieve global climate goals. NOTE: Despite the strong call to scale action, the Principles are supportive and clear. It says that each credit type offers different co-benefits and has a unique role to play in decarbonisation. The world needs avoidance and removal, just as it needs both nature and tech.

The Principles of Natural Climate Solutions

This paper was published in January 2024 in Nature Communications. It addresses natural climate solutions and how they will benefit corporates as they assess potential carbon credit projects. It outlines five principles that will help leaders define, implement, and measure effective natural climate solutions. It is highly recommended reading for those buying from and investing in, NCS projects.