Climate protection projects

ISO 14064-2 is part of a series of standards for balancing and reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It is used for quantification, monitoring and reporting on the reduction of GHGs within an organization. ISO 14064-2 provides the framework for this process through principles and requirements. In doing so, it refers to the project level – to project planning, as well as to the identification and selection of the sources, sinks and reservoirs of greenhouse gas emissions that are crucial for the project and the reduction of GHGs.

The Gold Standard (GS) was established in 2003 by the WWF and other international non-governmental organizations. The Gold Standard for Global Goals (GS4GG) means that the next generation is ready to start. GS is a voluntary carbon standard. It sets out rules, requirements and methodologies to efficiently measure and monitor the impact of GHG reduction measures. This can be useful for GHG projects that wish to issue carbon credits, and also for activities in supply chains up to national project level. When certified by Gold Standard, the relevant GHG project is listed in the GS Impact Registry, and carbon credits titled VER (Gold Standard Verified Emission Reductions) can be purchased.

One system offered by the UN to offset emissions is the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). It can be used to purchase certified emission reduction credits (CERs) for projects in so-called developing countries. These will then be traded so that industrialised countries can move closer to their Kyoto Protocol targets.

The Forest Climate Standard (WKS) was developed specifically for German forest climate protection projects, based on UN guidelines. It is the first such standard for the Ecosystem Value Association (eva) e.V., the organization which is behind it. Based on WKS certification, climate protection projects can receive tradable CO2 certificates, whose sale enables forest owners in turn to receive funds for further climate protection projects. It also offers a good opportunity for other companies and organizations to contribute to climate protection and biodiversity in Germany by purchasing these certificates. After all, the projects always involve measures for forest conservation or reforestation or adaptation of existing forests to achieve greater climate resilience.

According to Article 6.2 of the Framework Convention on Climate Change, countries are allowed to trade carbon credits and carbon sinks with each other – bilaterally and multilaterally. This allows countries implementing climate measures to sell their carbon credits to other countries as International Transfer Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs). The latter can then be credited as their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
The ITMOs are measured in CO2 equivalents. This too is laid down in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change: the methods, measurement procedures and measurement parameters have been tested by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and recognised by the Paris Climate Conference. The countries that have signed the Convention also jointly defined further measurement methods that influence the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
TÜV NORD CERT GmbH is registered in Switzerland as a validator and verifier.

The Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) is an international climate protection standard against which projects are measured on a voluntary basis, leading to issue of emission credits. If the rules and requirements of the standard are met, a project can be registered in the VCS program and receive carbon credits accordingly. End users buy these so-called VCUs (Verified Carbon Units) and then retire them to compensate for emissions. The issuance and retirement of VCUs is publicly accounted for by the managing organization Verra.

The Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standard (CCB) has been administered by Verra since the end of 2014. It deals with land management projects – including those that generate GHGs from deforestation and the avoidance of degradation of forests and other ecosystems. It can be used to determine whether such a project offers demonstrable benefit for climate protection, biodiversity – and local communities. For a CCB-certified project must always include the strong involvement of communities and stakeholders.

The Certified Carbon Standard was introduced at the end of 2016. Committed to the Sustainable Development Goals, this standard is a carbon certification program that facilitates and guarantees the registration of climate change mitigation programs or projects (CCMPs). The standard is voluntary and is used to register and certify the removal of greenhouse gases and GHG reductions achieved through climate protection measures. The carbon credits are issued by Cercarbono and traded in conjunction with other project-specific carbon credits.

The A6.4 mechanism replaces the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol in order to promote the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and encourage sustainable development. The projects must be registered with the supervisory authority and approved by the country in which they are to be carried out – the so-called host country. The A6.4 mechanism enables meaningful climate protection projects in the host country and allows the investing country to generate carbon credits. These can be used to achieve Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

The International Carbon Registry (ICR) was founded in Reykjavik in 2020 and has cooperated with validation and verification bodies worldwide from the very beginning. The ICR is both a carbon registry and a far-reaching emissions programme. Projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions can register on the platform. In addition, ICR Carbon Credits (ICC) can be generated for these projects. Reduction of emissions, as well as additionality and other criteria, are validated and verified for all projects.

Registration of the projects as well as validation and verification of the emission reductions are carried out transparently in accordance with the internationally recognized requirements of international standard ISO14064-2 and the special requirements of the ICR program.