Depending on where you are in the world, summer or winter will soon be at hand; for us at the VCS, it always seems like spring, as new and exciting opportunities continue to sprout to life. From the opening of our Offset Project Registry (OPR) within California’s cap-and-trade program, to expanding the reach and scope of our AFOLU team, and some exciting new updates to the VCS program, let me bring you up to speed on what is happening in our world.
VCS Offset Project Registry
We are both excited and honored to operate an Offset Project Registry (OPR) within California’s compliance program, and now is the perfect time for you to open your account; we are waiving all account opening fees for the remainder of the year!
There is a wealth of information on our www.v-c-s.org/California page along with links to several short “how to” videos that will walk you through the process. You can also email any specific questions you have to our OPR secretariat: opr@v-c-s.org.
Updates to the VCS Program Documents
Today we released updates to several VCS Program documents. In particular, the JNR Requirements were updated to include a number of minor clarifications and revisions to ensure jurisdictions can align their JNR programs with theWorld Bank Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) Carbon Fund, simplifying the process for JNR programs to access the Carbon Fund. Additionally, a JNR Monitoring Report template and several JNR representations were released to provide more functionality for governments looking to use the JNR framework.
We have also released some minor, yet important, updates to other VCS Program documents. To see all the updates please take a look at our Program Update Catalogue.
AFOLU Team becomes the Sustainable Landscapes Team
The VCS continues to expand our focus beyond activities implemented at the project level to include activities at larger scales; our Jurisdictional and Nested REDD+ framework is one key example. However, some of our latest initiatives move beyond developing frameworks for reducing GHG emissions to include improving sustainability more broadly at the landscape scale. To reflect this evolving scope, our Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) team are taking on a new name: Sustainable Landscapes.
New Methodology and Methodologies page
Have you seen our new methodologies page yet? If not, please have a look. The new page organizes methodologies by protect type, rather than sectoral scope. Further, we have enhanced the search functionality to make it (hopefully) easier for you to find methodologies.
While you are there, be sure to look at the newest VCS methodology, which opens up carbon finance to projects looking to rewet peatlands in Southeast Asia. The methodology, developed by WWF-Germany, should spur project development in these important and carbon-dense ecosystems.
VCS at a New Location
This might be a little out of place in such a digital age (especially in an email communication), but for those of you who either do make it to Washington and come by to see us in person, or send things via post, you will need to update your address books. We have moved to a beautiful new office at:
One Thomas Circle, NW
Suite 1050
Washington, DC 20005
Finally…
I know many of you are gearing up for COP in a few weeks and I am sure you are as hopeful as I am to see further progress towards an international agreement. In addition, with this year’s event in Peru, we expect forestry and REDD+ to be front and center of the discussions, and will be doing everything we can to advance that conversation. While we will send out a complete list of VCS COP related activities later, I wanted to make sure you had the chance to put our side event on your calendar now.
If you will be in Peru along with Toby, Naomi and myself, I hope we get the chance to catch up in person; if not, I hope we find ourselves together sometime between now and the New Year.
Sincerely,
David