Dear Colleague,
Welcome to Verra’s September Newsletter!
September tends to be a busy month in the environmental and social markets, and this year is no different. Just halfway into September, we already have a few exciting updates to share:
- We recently published updates to the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program that will strengthen the program’s usability, transparency, and integrity. They also align it with major global carbon markets initiatives, including the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) and the Carbon Offsetting Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).
- We released an updated version of the Non-Permanence Risk Tool (NPRT) for Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use (AFOLU) projects. This version incorporates future climate change impacts and sea-level rise, as well as several other changes that increase the robustness of this tool.
- We launched a new Methodology for Time Savings from Improved Cookstoves under our Sustainable Development Verified Impact Standard (SD VISta) Program. This methodology enables project proponents to quantify the time households save by switching to clean, efficient cookstoves. Its release marks the first-ever opportunity for investors to buy a market-based unit of a social good.
We are also looking forward to Climate Week NYC, which begins on Sunday, September 17. Verra staff will have a strong presence at the event and will participate in a number of speaking engagements. We hope to connect with many of you in New York!
Whether you are attending in person or virtually, please join us for our side event, New Era for Verra, on September 19 at 2:00 pm ET. Our leadership team will share highlights from their recent stakeholder listening tour and survey, as well as provide insights into Verra’s upcoming major developments and announcements. This event is part of IETA’s North America Climate Summit (NACS). Participation is open to those registered for the NACS, and virtual participation is free of charge.
Stakeholder Updates
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- Photo courtesy of Keneco. Cambaleon Lake, Mindanao Tree Planting Program for our Climate and Communities (MinTrees) (Verra Project 2412)
Top News
VCS Program
- Verra Releases Version 4.5 of the VCS Standard
- Verra Releases Updated AFOLU Non-Permanence Risk Tool
- Verra at Africa Climate Week and Africa Climate Summit: Key Takeaways
- Verra Conducts Quality Review of VCS Methodologies, Inactivates 10 with No Use
- Verra Takes Steps to Streamline Methodology Development Process
- RFP: Validation/Verification Body for Review of the Proposed New Methodology for Cookstoves and Other Thermal Applications
- Verra Launches Ocean Carbon Working Group
- Webinar: Food Loss and Waste Methodology
- Response to New West et al. Study in Science Magazine
SD VISta Program
Plastic Program
Regular Updates
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- Photo by Laura Toledano via WikiMedia Commons
General
Verra Staff at Events
Don’t miss out on Environmental Markets Week (28-29 September, London, UK), co-located with Energy Trading Week Europe 2023. This event brings together the European and global environmental market ecosystem. Policy makers, project developers, emitters, trading firms, market makers, exchanges, investors, and innovative service providers will come together to discuss the ins and outs of how to engage in these new and developing markets.
Verra staff will be at a number of events this fall, including the following:
- Natural Capital Investment Americas (25 September, New York, USA):
- Sinclair Vincent, Director, Sustainable Development Innovation
- V Colombia – Latin America Climate Summit (27-28 September, Cali, Colombia):
- Susana Vélez Haller, Senior Manager (Latin America and the Caribbean), Regional Engagement
- Lorena Arredondo Tagle, Manager, Sustainable Development Innovation
- Jacobo Carrizales, Senior Program Officer (Latin America and the Caribbean), Regional Engagement
- Earth Observation for Carbon Markets Forum (3-5 October, Esrin, Italy):
- Spencer Plumb, Manager, Forest Carbon Innovation
- Massimiliano Sanfilippo, Manager, Natural Climate Solutions
- Corporate Investments into Forestry and Biodiversity (4-5 October, London, UK):
- Naomi Swickard, Senior Director, REDD+ Program Development and Innovation
- Ciara McCarthy, Director, Natural Climate Solutions, VCS Program
- Sinclair Vincent, Director, Sustainable Development Innovation
- Manish Neupane, Senior Manager, CCB and SD VISta Programs
- Nandita Lal Molloy, Senior Program Officer, International Climate Policy
- Middle East and North Africa Climate Week (MENACW) (9-12 October, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia):
- Heather McEwan, Senior Manager (Africa and the Middle East), Regional Engagement
- Kranav Sharma, Manager, Industrial Innovation
- Global Plastics Summit (11-12 October, Bangkok, Thailand):
- Komal Sinha, Director, Plastics and Sustainable Development Policy and Markets
- Carbon Forward 2023 (11-13 October, London, UK):
- Robin Rix, Chief Legal, Policy, and Markets Officer
- Nandita Lal Molloy, Senior Program Officer, International Climate Policy
- UNCTAD World Investment Forum (16-20 October, Abu Dhabi, UAE):
- Robin Rix, Chief Legal, Policy, and Markets Officer
- Ian Kuwahara, Director, Energy and Industrial Innovation
For a comprehensive list, please check our events page. If you’d like to invite a Verra team member to speak at your event, please contact events@verra.org.