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.
What a PDD is
The project design document (PDD) describes the project, the methodology it follows, the baseline it is measured against, the expected reductions, and how they will be monitored. Registries publish it, usually alongside validation and verification reports. It is the document auditors check against.
Start with the project description
Check what the project does, where it is, who runs it, and when it started. Look for dates: a project that started long before its credit vintage may be claiming reductions from a period when it was not yet in operation, and a project that started after the vintage may have a weak additionality case.
Baseline and additionality
The baseline section describes what would have happened without the project. Read the assumptions carefully. Baselines based on optimistic future deforestation rates or on unusually high historical emissions produce more credits than the project really achieves.
Monitoring and calculation
The monitoring plan lists the data the project will collect, how often, and by whom. The emissions calculation shows how the data becomes credits. Check whether the data sources are named, whether uncertainty is accounted for, and whether leakage has been assessed.
Risk, stakeholders and changes
Look for the non-permanence risk assessment and the buffer contribution. Stakeholder consultation records show whether affected communities were involved. Finally, check the version history: changes to the methodology or the project can change how many credits it issues, and they should be explained.