Carbon Certification Programs, Carbon Standards and Emissions Trading
This page provides information and resources on the various carbon certification schemes and standards; as well as emissions trading and greenhouse gas tracking.
Carbon Offsetting Sub Categories:
U.S. Green Power and Carbon Credits
Carbon Certification Programs and Standards
Carbon Emissions Trading and Greenhouse Gases Tracking
Carbon Consultants and Related Providers
Additional Resources
Certification Programs, Protocols, Standards
The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) is an independent not-for-profit organisation which acts as an intermediary between shareholders and corporations on all climate change related issues, providing primary climate change data from the world’s largest corporations, to the global market place.
Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) - GENI Overview (.pdf file)
An in-depth overview of the CDM - whereby under the Kyoto Protocol, industrialized countries invest in emission reduction projects in developing nations and earn carbon credits corresponding to the level of emissions prevented.
Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA) Standards
The Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA) is a partnership between leading companies, NGOs and research institutes seeking to promote integrated solutions to land management around the world. With this goal in mind, the CCBA has developed voluntary standards to help design and identify land management projects that simultaneously minimize climate change, support sustainable development and conserve biodiversity.
Green-e
Green-e is the nation's leading independent certification and verification program for renewable energy and greenhouse gas emission reductions in the retail market. It has three certification programs: Green-e Climate is a voluntary certification program launched in 2007 that sets consumer-protection and environmental-integrity standards for greenhouse gas(GHG) emission reductions sold in the voluntary market. Green-e Energy is the nation's leading independent certification and verification program for renewable energy. Green-e Marketplace is a program that allows companies to display the logo when they have purchased a qualifying amount of renewable energy and passed our verification standards.
Greenhouse Gas Protocol 
The Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol) is the most widely used international accounting tool for government and business leaders to understand, quantify, and manage greenhouse gas emissions. The GHG Protocol, a decade-long partnership between the World Resources Institute and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, is working with businesses, governments, and environmental groups around the world to build a new generation of credible and effective programs for tackling climate change.
ISO 14064-1:2006 specifies principles and requirements at the organization level for quantification and reporting of greehouse gas (GHG) emissions and removals. It includes requirements for the design, development, management, reporting and verification of an organization's GHG inventory.
ISO 14064-2:2006 specifies principles and requirements and provides guidance at the project level for quantification, monitoring and reporting of activities intended to cause greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions or removal enhancements. It includes requirements for planning a GHG project, identifying and selecting GHG sources, sinks and reservoirs relevant to the project and baseline scenario, monitoring, quantifying, documenting and reporting GHG project performance and managing data quality.
ISO 14064-3:2006 - Guidance for the validation and verification of greenhouse gas assertions
ISO 14064-3:2006 specifies principles and requirements and provides guidance for those conducting or managing the validation and/or verification of greenhouse gas (GHG) assertions.
ISO 14065:2007 - Requirements for greenhouse gas validation and verification bodies
ISO 14065:2007 specifies principles and requirements for bodies that undertake validation or verification of greenhouse gas (GHG) assertions. It is GHG programme neutral. If a GHG programme is applicable, the requirements of that GHG programme are additional to the requirements of ISO 14065:2007.
Renewable Energy Certificate System (Europe)
RECS was created to stimulate international renewable energy development. The system advocates a standard certificate as evidence of the production of a standard renewable energy quantity and provides a methodology which enables renewable energy trade. This enables a market for renewable energy to be created, so promoting the development of new renewable energy capacity in Europe.
Scientific Certification Systems
SCS is a leading third-party provider of certification, auditing and testing services, and standards, founded in 1984. Our goal is to recognize the highest levels of performance in food safety and quality, environmental protection and social responsibility in the private and public sectors, and to stimulate continuous improvement in sustainable development.
The Carbon Trust Standard certifies that an organisation has genuinely reduced its carbon footprint and is committed to making further reductions year on year.
The Gold Standard Foundation offers a quality label to CDM/JI and voluntary offset projects, fetching premium prices. Renewable energy and energy efficiency projects with sustainable development benefits are eligible. The Gold Standard is endorsed by over 49 non-governmental organizations worldwide. Gold Standard projects are preferred by a range of government and private actors.
UNFCC - Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)
One of three flexibility mechanisms set forth in the Kyoto Protocol, CDM allows emission-reduction (or emission removal) projects in developing countries to earn certified emission reduction (CER) credits, each equivalent to one tonne of CO2. These CERs can be traded and sold, and used by industrialized countries to a meet a part of their emission reduction targets under the Kyoto Protocol. The mechanism stimulates sustainable development and emission reductions, while giving industrialized countries some flexibility in how they meet their emission reduction limitation targets.
UNFCC - Joint Implementation (JI)
As one of three flexibility mechanisms set forth in the Kyoto Protocol, JI allows any Annex I country to invest in emission reduction projects (referred to as "Joint Implementation Projects") in any other Annex I country as an alternative to reducing emissions domestically. In this way countries can lower the costs of complying with their Kyoto targets by investing in greenhouse gas reductions in an Annex I country where reductions are cheaper, and then apply the credit for those reductions towards their commitment goal.
U.S. Renewable Portfolio Standards - GENI Overview
Overview of U.S. Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) which mandate a minimum percentage of electricity be generated from renewable sources. RPS allows flexibility to choose whichever resources are most appropriate for their markets.
The VCS Program provides a robust, new global standard and program for approval of credible voluntary offsets.
VCS offsets must be real (have happened), additional (beyond business-as-usual activities), measurable, permanent (not temporarily displace emissions), independently verified and unique (not used more than once to offset emissions).
Emissions Trading/GHG Tracking
Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX), launched in 2003, is the world’s first and North America’s only active voluntary, legally binding integrated trading system to reduce emissions of all six major greenhouse gases (GHGs), with offset projects worldwide.
Asia Pacific Emissions Trading Forum
The Asia-Pacific Emissions Trading Forum (AETF) is the prime information service and business network dealing with domestic and international developments in greenhouse gas emissions markets in this region. The AETF provides a range of services including publications, events, and networking opportunities for its members.
California Climate Action Registry
The California Registry serves as a voluntary greenhouse gas (GHG) registry to protect and promote early actions to reduce GHG emissions by organizations. The California Registry provides leadership on climate change by developing and promoting credible, accurate, and consistent GHG reporting standards and tools for organizations to measure, monitor, third-party verify and reduce their GHG emissions consistently across industry sectors and geographical borders.
The American Carbon Registry® is a leading non-profit U.S. carbon market registry and carbon technical services provider. In 1996, market-oriented environmental experts at the Environmental Defense Fund founded the Environmental Resources Trust (ERT) and launched the GHG Registry, now known as the American Carbon Registry. The American Carbon Registry and Environmental Resources Trust joined Winrock International in 2007, expanding the Winrock team of climate change, forestry, clean energy, agriculture, and carbon market experts. As the first private voluntary greenhouse gas (GHG) registry in the U.S., the American Carbon Registry boasts time-tested integrity in high quality carbon offset registration and carbon technical services.
In January 2005 the European Union Greenhouse Gas Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS) commenced operation as the largest multi-country, multi-sector Greenhouse Gas emission trading scheme world-wide.
The scheme is based on Directive 2003/87/EC, which entered into force on 25 October 2003.
The European Climate Exchange (ECX) manages the marketing and product development for ECX Carbon Financial Instruments (ECX CFIs), listed and admitted to trading on the ICE Futures Europe's electronic platform. ECX / ICE Futures Europe is the most liquid platform for carbon emissions trading, attracting over 85% of the exchange-traded volume in the European carbon market. ECX CFI Contracts include standardised futures and options based on EU Allowances (EUAs) and Certified Emission Reductions (CERs). More than 90 leading businesses have signed up for membership to trade ECX products.
International Emissions Trading Association
An independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the establishment of effective systems for trading in greenhouse gas emissions by businesses.
The Montréal Climate Exchange (MCeX) provides a market-based solution to help companies and all those involved in addressing the most serious environmental challenges, especially reducing air pollutant and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Point Carbon is a world-leading provider of independent news, analysis and consulting services for European and global power, gas and carbon markets. Point Carbon’s comprehensive services provide professionals with market-moving information through monitoring fundamental information, key market players and business and policy developments.
Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is the first mandatory, market-based effort in the United States to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Ten Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states will cap and then reduce CO2 emissions from the power sector 10% by 2018. States will sell emission allowances through auctions and invest proceeds in consumer benefits: energy efficiency, renewable energy, and other clean energy technologies. RGGI will spur innovation in the clean energy economy and create green jobs in each state.
The Climate Registry is a nonprofit organization that provides meaningful information to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Climate Registry establishes consistent, transparent standards throughout North America for businesses and governments to calculate, verify and publicly report their carbon footprints in a single, unified registry.
Additional Resources
Point Carbon is a world-leading provider of independent news, analysis and consulting services for European and global power, gas and carbon markets. Point Carbon’s comprehensive services provide professionals with market-moving information through monitoring fundamental information, key market players and business and policy developments.
Carbon Offsets Daily helps business leaders stay up to date on the carbon market. We focus on trading, policy, market vitality and the future of carbon offsets to help professionals deal with the sometimes overwhelming challenge of keeping current with a fast moving marketplace while still running a business.
Earthfuture - Listing of Various Carbon Calculators
Contains a listing of approximately 20 carbon calculators.
SinksWatch is an initiative of the World Rainforest Movement, hosted by the WRM's Northern Support Office and implemented by FERN.The aim of SinksWatch is to track and scrutinize carbon sequestration projects related to the Kyoto Protocol, and to highlight their threats to forests and other ecosystems, to forest peoples as well as to the climate. The focus of SinksWatch will be on tree plantation sinks projects, particularly in areas where land tenure and land use rights are in dispute.
U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) 2008 Hearing on Carbon Offsets/RECs
Web site devoted to the FTC's public workshop examining the emerging market for carbon offsets (i.e., greenhouse gas emission reduction products) and renewable energy certificates, and related advertising claims.