Knowledge Base
Plain-language guides to how carbon credits work, from first principles to measurement.
Carbon Credits Explained: From Project to Retirement
A carbon credit represents one metric tonne of CO₂ equivalent that has been reduced, avoided or removed. Here is how the full lifecycle works.
VCS vs Gold Standard vs CDM: How to Choose the Right Standard
The three frameworks that issue carbon credits differ in scope, methodology and how buyers recognise them.
MRV: What Monitoring, Reporting and Verification Actually Involves
Every carbon credit claim rests on MRV: how emissions reductions are measured, reported and independently checked.
The Voluntary vs Compliance Carbon Market: Key Differences
Compliance markets are required by law. Voluntary markets are chosen by buyers. Article 6 sits between them, linking the two.
Additionality and Permanence: The Two Tests Every Credit Must Pass
Two questions decide whether a carbon credit represents a real and lasting reduction: would it have happened anyway, and will the carbon stay stored?
Understanding Verification: From Project Design to Issuance
Verification is how an independent auditor confirms that a project did what it claims. Here is what happens at each stage.
REDD+: Stopping Deforestation as a Climate Strategy
REDD+ pays for keeping forests standing. Credits are generated when deforestation is lower than a reference level, which makes measurement hard.
Nature-Based Solutions vs Technology-Based Removal: A Framework
Forests and soils and engineered systems that capture CO₂ both have a role. The tradeoffs are about durability, cost, measurement and scale.
Article 6: ITMOs and Corresponding Adjustments in Depth
Article 6 lets countries cooperate on emissions reductions. Its rules on transfers and double counting determine what a unit can be used for.
Carbon Pricing Mechanisms Compared
Emissions trading, carbon taxes and crediting mechanisms all put a price on carbon in different ways. They also interact in ways that matter for credit buyers.
How to Read a Project Design Document (PDD)
The project design document is the basis for every credit a project issues. Here are the sections that tell you whether the claim holds up.
Carbon Offsetting vs Carbon Removal: Why the Difference Matters
Avoiding emissions and removing carbon from the air are not the same thing. Both have a role, but they answer different climate questions.
The Main Carbon Registries: Verra, Gold Standard, ACR and CAR
Registries issue, track and retire carbon credits. Here is who runs the main ones and how to tell them apart.