Verified Carbon Standard (VCS)  

 

The Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) is a global standard for validating and verifying voluntary emission reductions. Any emission reductions that are validated and verified by VCS must be real, measurable, permanent, additional, unique, transparent, conservatively calculated and checked by an independent verifier. Methodologies of the VCS are closely based on the rules of the Kyoto Protocol. When it comes to the volume of emission reductions, the VCS is the most important standard for the voluntary funding of climate action with carbon credits.

 

Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)  

 

The CDM is one of three mechanisms defined by the Kyoto Protocol for certifying emission reduction projects in developing countries. These projects produce CER certificates, which each refer to a single tonne of carbon dioxide. These CERs can be traded and used by industrialized countries to help meet their own emission reduction targets under the Kyoto Protocol.  

 

Gold Standard  

 

The Gold Standard is largely built on the Kyoto Protocol’s rules for calculating emission reductions. However, the Gold Standard additionally requires the ecological, social and economic added value of a project to be periodically checked by a validator. The Gold Standard is the highest quality project standard and was co-developed by the WWF.