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CCB

The Community and Biodiversity Standards Standards were developed by the CCBA and have been managed by the Verra since November 2014. The CCB Standards foster the integration of best-practice and multiple-benefit approaches into project design and implementation. The CCB Standards [58]:

  • Identify projects that simultaneously address climate change, support local communities and smallholders, and conserve biodiversity [58].
  • Promote excellence and innovation in project design and implementation [58].
  • Mitigate risk for investors and offset buyers and increase funding opportunities for project developers [58].

Vera CCB

The Verra Registry is the central repository for all information and documentation related to CCB projects. The registry facilitates public comment periods, and records the generation, retirement, and cancellation of all Verified Carbon Units that bear a CCB label, which indicates that an emission reduction unit was generated during a CCB-verified period [59].

The CCB Program can be combined effectively with a recognized GHG program such as the VCS Program. Validation and verification to the CCB Standards provide assurances of the social and environmental quality of the project’s implementation, while the GHG program enables delivery of credits for quantified greenhouse gas emissions reductions or removals [59].

The Sustainable Development Verified Impact Standard (SD VISta) is a framework for assessing and reporting on the sustainable development benefits of carbon offset projects [60].

American CCB

American Carbon Registry(ACR) Founded as a nonprofit entity in 1996 by Winrock International, American Carbon Registry (ACR) is the first voluntary offset program and focuses on the voluntary market and the California Cap-and-Trade program in the U.S. CCB Projects are predominantly specific to land use. An independent third-party verifies the social benefits that accompany a CCB certified carbon project [60].

GSF

Gold Standard Foundation established by the World Wildlife Fund in 2003 and based in Geneva, Switzerland, the Gold Standard Foundation administers a secure and transparent transaction between climate funders, climate security, and sustainable development. The projects are global and include, but are not limited to, small hydropower plants in Peru, improved kitchen techniques in Mozambique, and safe drinking water in Ethiopia [60].

What sets it apart from other standards?
The Gold Standard Foundation exclusively couples carbon finance with sustainable development goals in the developing world, focusing on jobs, social justice, and empowering disadvantaged populations in accordance with the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals.

CAR

The Climate Action Reserve is the premier North American GHG registry. Its published protocols are used by the California Cap-and-Trade program. The scope of CAR’s projects used for carbon trade spread across the U.S. and Mexico, and include livestock compliance, forestry management, landfill compliance, and grassland compliance [60].

What sets it apart from other standards?
CAR protocols are used by the California Air Resource Board and their administration of the California Cap-and-Trade program [60].

CDM

The Clean Development Mechanism, allows a country with an emission-reduction or emission-limitation commitment under the Kyoto Protocol (Annex B Party) to implement an emission-reduction project in developing countries. Such projects can earn saleable certified emission reduction (CER) credits, each equivalent to one tonne of CO2, which can be counted towards meeting Kyoto targets [61].

The mechanism is seen by many as a trailblazer. It is the first global, environmental investment and credit scheme of its kind, providing a standardized emissions offset instrument, CERs. A CDM project activity might involve, for example, a rural electrification project using solar panels or the installation of more energy-efficient boilers. The mechanism stimulates sustainable development and emission reductions, while giving industrialized countries some flexibility in how they meet their emission reduction or limitation targets [61].