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WASHINGTON – Dec. 12, 2025 | Multiple carbon projects in China are facing serious allegations regarding the authenticity of government approval documents, resulting in Verra rejecting four projects and initiating reviews of 45 others.
Verra requires that all projects registered in the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program do not violate local laws. Under Chinese regulations, Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use (AFOLU) projects must obtain the necessary government approvals and demonstrate that they comply with the country’s land use and forestry requirements.
The validation/verification bodies (VVBs) of the four projects below could not confirm that the relevant authorities authorized the projects, nor that the documentation submitted by the project proponent, Guizhou Baiheng Fertiliser Co., Ltd., was authentic.
Verra has now rejected the projects after finalizing their quality control reviews (QCRs).
Table 1: Rejected Projects
| Project IDs | Total Issued VCUs | Active VCUs | Retired VCUs | Buffer Pool Contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1847, 1864, 1865, 2070 | 4.42 million | 1.32 million | 3.1 million | 491,163 |
Verra has contacted the project proponent and will now seek replacement of the 4.42 million Verified Carbon Units (VCUs). Verra will also cancel the projects’ contributions to the buffer pool.
Mandy Rambharos, CEO, Verra
Verra has also sought confirmation that several other projects in China have obtained the necessary government approvals, after serious uncertainties arose. The standards setter will now initiate QCRs for 35 additional projects under section 6 of its Registration and Issuance Process, as outlined below.
Table 2: Projects Under QCR
| Project IDs | Total Issued VCUs | Active VCUs | Retired VCUs | Buffer Pool Contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1332, 1361, 1529, 1542, 1577, 1664, 1715, 1718, 1825, 1826, 1832, 1866, 1895, 1896, 1935, 2249, 2326, 2327, 2343, 2370, 2375, 2391, 2405, 2413, 2418, 2451, 2458, 2565, 2606, 2722, 2745, 2748, 2852, 3319, 4102 | 14.2 million | 7.1 million | 7.1 million | ~1.5 million |
Verra is requiring the projects’ respective VVBs to contact the appropriate Chinese government authorities to verify whether these projects were granted valid authorization. Where this cannot be confirmed, Verra may pursue further actions, including potential project rejection and requiring VCU replacement.
While the QCRs are ongoing, the projects are on hold and cannot be issued new credits.
There are similar concerns with 10 other AFOLU projects in China that issued 7.1 million VCUs and subsequently withdrew from the Verra Registry. A separate review process will take place under sections 2.5.6 and 6 of the VCS Program Guide, according to which the projects’ VVBs must determine and confirm whether the relevant government approvals existed for these projects. The VVBs in question have already been suspended by Verra. Verra will announce additional actions it may take following the outcomes of the review.
Table 3: Withdrawn Projects to be Reviewed
| Project IDs | Total Issued VCUs | Active VCUs | Retired VCUs | Buffer Pool Contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1855, 1930, 2082, 2083, 2087, 2310, 2378, 2379, 2387, 2652 | 7.1 million | 2.2 million | 4.9 million | ~780,000 |
Contact:
Media Inquiries: Erdem Koch | media@verra.org
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About Verra
Verra is a global leader helping to tackle the world’s most intractable environmental and social challenges. As a mission-driven nonprofit organization, Verra is committed to helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve livelihoods, and protect natural resources by working with the private and public sectors. We support climate action and sustainable development with standards programs and tools that credibly, transparently, and robustly assess environmental and social impacts and enable funding for sustaining and scaling up projects that verifiably deliver these benefits.