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.
Validation comes first
Before a project starts claiming reductions, an accredited validation body checks its design. It reviews the project design document, the baseline, the methodology, and the monitoring plan. Validation confirms that the project is set up to measure what it claims to measure. It does not confirm that any reductions have happened yet.
Periodic verification
After the project is running, a verification body audits the reductions claimed for each monitoring period. It checks the monitoring records against the plan, samples data, and often visits the site. Where the auditor finds a gap or an error, it raises a finding. The project must correct it and show the correction before the verification can be completed.
The verification report and issuance
The verification body produces a report that states the reductions it considers verified, and any findings still open. The registry reviews the report before issuing credits. Only then do credits appear in the registry, with serial numbers that can be traced back to the monitoring period.
Why it matters to a buyer
A credit is only as strong as the verification behind it. Check which body verified the project, whether it is accredited for that sector, and whether its verification reports are public. Look at the dates: the period a credit covers should match the period the report verifies.