How carbon markets actually work

CCTS: India's carbon market

The Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS) is India's national carbon market framework, notified by the Government of India on 28 June 2023, under which verified greenhouse gas emission reductions and removals are issued as Carbon Credit Certificates — one certificate for each tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO₂e).

• Who is an obligated entity
• The compliance mechanism
• The offset mechanism
• Carbon Credit Certificates
• CCTS timeline and deadlines
• CCTS vs the voluntary market
• CCTS document library

Verra and the VCS

Verra is a non-profit standard body that administers the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), the largest voluntary greenhouse gas crediting programme, under which independently validated and verified projects are issued Verified Carbon Units representing one tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent each.

• VM0033 blue carbon
• VCS document library
• VCS land-based methodologies
• Non-permanence risk and the buffer pool
• Validation, verification and issuance
• AFOLU project types

Gold Standard

Gold Standard is a certification body founded in 2003 by WWF and other international non-governmental organisations, whose Gold Standard for the Global Goals framework certifies carbon projects against both greenhouse gas outcomes and contributions to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

• Gold Standard document library
• Gold Standard methodologies
• Consultation and safeguards
• The certification process
• Land eligibility for forestry

Verra vs Gold Standard

Verra's Verified Carbon Standard and Gold Standard for the Global Goals are the two largest voluntary carbon standards, and the practical difference is that Verra certifies a wider range of project types against greenhouse gas outcomes, while Gold Standard additionally requires every project to demonstrate contributions to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.