Methodology determinations or 'methods' set out the eligible activities, that you can do to generate Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs), and the rules for undertaking projects and calculating the emissions reductions.
While Verra VCS focuses on renewable energy, energy efficiency, and forestry projects, the Gold Standard covers a broader range of project types, including waste management and community services. The Gold Standard also has a strong emphasis on sustainable development and social benefits.
Verra's Methodology Change and Requantification Procedure allows VCS Program projects to update methodologies used in past verification periods, align previous monitoring and verification reports with updated methodology versions, and requantify greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions and removals from past periods.
VCS methodologies set out detailed procedures for quantifying the real greenhouse gas (GHG) benefits of a project and provide guidance to help project developers determine project boundaries, set baselines, assess additionality, and ultimately quantify the GHG emissions that were reduced or removed.
As a standard, Verra sets rules and requirements for carbon credit projects to ensure that they achieve measurable, high-integrity outcomes. As a carbon credit registry, it keeps a public database of all registered Verra projects and the issued and retired carbon credits.
VCS methodologies set out detailed procedures for quantifying the real greenhouse gas (GHG) benefits of a project and provide guidance to help project developers determine project boundaries, set baselines, assess additionality, and ultimately quantify the GHG emissions that were reduced or removed.
A carbon offset methodology is a framework document that defines the quantification and parameters that are required to generate carbon offsets throughout the life of a project.
A carbon market methodology defines a standard set of parameters, criteria, and operations required for the calculation of emission reductions or removals from a carbon project during its lifetime.
The Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) project cycle sets out the major steps in developing an individual project to generate credible greenhouse gas emission removals and reductions, as well as credits.