Verra has published a Request for Proposals (RFP) (PDF) for validation/verification bodies (VVBs) to review the draft of the Methodology for Accelerated Coal-Fired Power Plant Retirement Using a Just Transition (methodology development ID #M0233) in the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program.

The methodology quantifies the emissions avoided by retiring power plants before the end of their expected operational period. It also requires the pairing of new renewable energy-generating capacity with the retired coal capacity to prevent leakage. Any residual leakage is accounted for by applying conservative discounts for all emissions from grid electricity needed to replace the retired plant.

The methodology can have a high impact on the energy sector by enabling owners or operators of coal-fired power plants to access finance that can support an early retirement of the plant without impacting ratepayers or preventing the plant operators or owners from meeting other fiduciary obligations. The methodology also includes comprehensive requirements to ensure a just transition for local communities and vulnerable groups who will be affected by the retirement of such plants.

The VVB assessment will align with procedures set out in section 6 of the Methodology Development and Review Process, v4.4 (PDF), but will focus exclusively on the following:

• Structure, clarity, and consistency of the methodology
• Greenhouse gas quantification
• Baseline date assessment
• Additionality assessment
• Verifiability

This alternative approach is allowed for per section 2.1.2 of the Methodology Development and Review Process, v4.4.

The draft methodology was open for public consultation between December 4, 2023, and January 16, 2024. It has been developed under the Coal to Clean Credit Initiative (CCCI), led by the Rockefeller Foundation (external).

Verra is inactivating Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Methodology VM0022 Quantifying N₂O Emissions Reductions in Agricultural Crops through Nitrogen Fertilizer Rate Reduction, v1.1 as of July 1, 2024. This methodology quantified reductions of N₂O emissions from cropping systems.

VM0022 has been inactivated for the following reasons:

• Since the methodology was published in 2013, no project registered in the VCS Program has used it. Per section 5.1.4 of the Methodology Development and Review Process, v4.4 (PDF), Verra may make a VCS methodology inactive where no projects using the methodology have been registered within five years of the last update or review.
• It uses an outdated approach for quantifying N₂O emission reductions.
• The methodology’s greenhouse gas (GHG) quantification approaches do not provide a full accounting of potential GHG emissions, including changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks.

Due to this inactivation, Verra will no longer continue with the major revision to VM0022 (methodology development ID #M0163). Instead, Verra is scoping updated nitrogen management and N₂O reduction approaches and guidance as part of a major revision to VM0042 Methodology for Improved Agricultural Land Management, v2.0, which would result in version 3.0 of the methodology (methodology development ID #M0264).

Verra invites interested stakeholders to complete a pre-consultation survey (external) on the revision toward VM0042, v3.0. The survey includes questions on respondents’ interest in expanding activities for nitrogen management and on the latest approaches to N₂O emission measurement and quantification.

Verra has launched a public consultation on proposed revisions (PDF) (methodology development ID #M0288) to VM0010 Methodology for Improved Forest Management: Conversion from Logged to Protected Forest, v1.3 in the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program. The changes would improve the methodology’s applicability conditions. Verra has also released a correction and clarification document to correct several equations in the methodology.

VM0010 quantifies the greenhouse gas (GHG) benefits generated from preventing the logging of forests. This methodology is applicable where the baseline scenario includes selective logging and where a project ensures that forest use is limited to activities that do not result in commercial timber harvest or forest degradation. Eligible ecosystems include tropical, temperate, and boreal forests.

The proposed revisions clarify applicability conditions and exclude activities that would take place on planted forests.

To provide feedback on the proposed revisions, please submit the M0288 VM0010 Comment Template (XLSX) by July 10, 2024.

The “Corrections and Clarifications to VM0010 ” (PDF) applies to all projects in the VCS Program that are using this methodology. It is effective as of June 10, 2024. The corrections pertain to equations governing GHG emissions flux quantification.

These proposed updates are part of Verra’s efforts to strengthen the VCS Program’s Improved Forest Management methodologies. They fall under Verra’s commitment to enhanced program impact and integrity, as outlined in the New Era for Verra initiative.

Verra has launched a public consultation on proposed revisions (methodology development ID #M0273) to Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Methodology VM0047 Afforestation, Reforestation, and Revegetation, v1.0 and the associated module VMD0054 Module for Estimating Leakage from ARR Activities, v1.0. The proposed updates will facilitate the adoption of the new Afforestation, Reforestation, and Revegetation (ARR) methodology by clarifying the applicability conditions for a census-based approach.

The suggested revisions, which are based on stakeholder feedback, include the following:

• Clarifications to the georeferencing requirements associated with the census-based approach, which applies to contiguous areas of less than one hectare and is best suited to dispersed planting activities (e.g., urban forestry, agroforestry, shelterbelts, revegetation that does not meet the forest definition)
• Clarifications around options to account for the clearing of degraded ecosystems for site preparation
• Updates to equation numbers, footnotes, and cross-references

The proposed revision to VMD0054 is a minor correction to the definition of leakage mitigation areas.

These revisions demonstrate Verra’s commitment to continuously improving its methodologies, which falls under the “Enhanced Program Integrity and Impact” priority area of the New Era for Verra initiative.

To provide feedback, please submit the M0273 VM0047 Comment Template (XLSX) by June 24, 2024.

Verra is advancing jurisdictional deforestation risk mapping in an initial set of jurisdictions (see Table 1 below). This risk mapping process is the critical final step before jurisdictional deforestation activity data can be made available for allocation to projects using Verra’s new REDD methodology (Verified Carbon Standard [VCS] Methodology VM0048 Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, v1.0) and the new module for Avoided Unplanned Deforestation (AUD) activities (VCS Module VMD0055 Estimation of Emission Reductions from Avoiding Unplanned Deforestation, v1.0).

Jurisdictional risk mapping involves taking the gathered deforestation activity data across a jurisdiction and allocating it to projects based on deforestation risk. This will enable projects using VM0048 and VMD0055 to determine their crediting baselines.

Verra is working with Clark Labs (external) to develop risk maps for the first 12 jurisdictions. This effort builds on the previous collaboration between Verra and Clark Labs, which resulted in the development of the VCS Tool VT0007 Unplanned Deforestation Allocation (UDef-A), v1.0. VT0007 launched in February 2024 and will be used to develop the risk maps. It offers a unified approach for risk mapping and allocation that applies to both VM0048 and the Jurisdictional and Nested REDD+ (JNR) Framework.

The risk mapping process will involve using VT0007 to deliver a benchmark and at least two alternative risk maps for each of the jurisdictions.

Verra is continuing to update and/or inactivate its existing REDD methodologies and modules and provide guidance for proponents of Avoiding Unplanned Deforestation projects as they transition their projects to Verra’s transformative new REDD methodology, VM0048 Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation. (Please also see the previous program notice on initial methodology updates and inactivations.)

Verra has made the following updates to VM0015 Methodology for Avoided Unplanned Deforestation, v1.1:

• Incorporated the December 13, 2014, erratum regarding the omission of error propagation
• Incorporated the November 3, 2017, clarification regarding post-deforestation carbon stock increase
• Excluded accounting for carbon stock enhancement
• Added a requirement to determine the most plausible baseline scenario
• Added a stepwise process for testing greenhouse gas emissions significance
• Excluded the modeling approach to project future deforestation
• Updated requirements to delineate the reference region

The following effective dates pertain to the use of VM0015, v1.1:

• For new projects and projects where the public comment period has not been initiated (i.e., where the proponent has not yet requested pipeline listing “under validation”) before December 19, 2023, proponents have until March 19, 2024, to do so to continue using VM0015, v1.1.
• For projects where a public comment period has been initiated or will be initiated before March 15, 2024, proponents have until March 19, 2025, to complete validation using VM0015, v1.1. If their projects have been successfully validated by then, proponents may be able to use VM0015, v1.1 until they have to transition to VM0048 or until the next baseline reassessment or crediting period renewal, whichever is the earliest.
• For projects validated using previous versions of the methodology, proponents may be able to use these versions until they have to transition to VM0048 or until the next baseline reassessment or crediting period renewal, whichever is the earliest.
• All other project proponents must use VM0015, v1.2 until they have to transition to VM0048.

Verra is making minor updates to VMD0051 Methods for Monitoring of Carbon Stock Changes and Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Removals in Tidal Wetland Restoration and Conservation Project Activities (M-TW), which is used with VM007 REDD+ Methodology Framework (REDD+MF). These changes align VMD0051 with Verra’s new Non-Permanence Risk Tool for Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use, which now incorporates risks associated with sea-level rise.

The updated version, VMD0051, v1.1, is effective immediately.

Verra is also inactivating VMD0012 Estimation of Emissions from Displacement of Fuelwood Extraction (LK-DFW), v1.0, as this module relates exclusively to avoided forest degradation and is no longer referred to in any active methodology.

The grace periods for the inactivation of VMD0012 are as follows:

• Projects that are listed (or requested pipeline listing) under development using VMD0012 must request pipeline listing under validation within three months of the announcement, i.e., before March 19, 2024.
• Project proponents that have initiated or will initiate a public comment period before March 19, 2024, have until December 19, 2024, to complete validation with VMD0012. If they complete validation by then, projects may continue to use this module until their next baseline reassessment or crediting period renewal, whichever is the earliest.
• Projects validated under VMD0012 may continue to use it until their next baseline reassessment or crediting period renewal, whichever is the earliest.

Verra would like to remind project proponents that the new rules and requirements for the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program related to the updated Non-Permanence Risk Tool (NPRT) for Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use (AFOLU) projects and 40-year longevity period will come into effect as of January 1, 2024. These new requirements were published in the August 29, 2023, VCS Program updates and are summarized in the “August 2023 Overview of VCS Program Updates and Effective Dates” document (PDF). In September, Verra issued additional corrections and clarifications to the VCS Program rules and requirements related to some of these effective dates.

• As of January 1, 2024, project proponents must use the new version of the AFOLU Non-Permanence Risk Tool and generate Non-Permanence Risk Reports using the new Risk Assessment Calculator. The AFOLU NPRT, v4.2 (PDF) was released along with the VCS Program updates in August 2023, and a digital version of the tool, the AFOLU Non-Permanence Risk Assessment Calculator, recently became available on the Verra Project Hub. For more information about using the digital calculator, see the recent training webinar. Please email hubsupport@verra.org with any further questions.
• Updates to the VCS Standard and the AFOLU Non-Permanence Risk Tool require a 40-year project longevity period and associated monitoring and compensation agreements (see VCS Standard, v4.5 [PDF], Section 3.2.11, and AFOLU NPRT, v4.2 [PDF], Section 2.2.4 [6][d] and Table 4). These requirements are effective for all project proponents who request registration on or after January 1, 2024. For any questions, please email programupdates@verra.org.

Verra announced today that, for the first time, it has applied Article 6 authorized labels to VCUs from a project registered in the Verified Carbon Standard Program.

Labels that identify Verified Carbon Units (VCUs) authorized for use under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement have been available on the Verra Registry as of August 2023. These labels are a key tool to support cooperative approaches to implement the Paris Agreement, driving finance to activities that accelerate global climate action.

Verra applied the Article 6 labels to VCUs issued to the DelAgua Live Well Clean Cookstove Programme (external) in Rwanda, which has worked in partnership with the Government of Rwanda for 12 years. DelAgua recently received Letters of Authorization (LOA) signed by the Rwanda Environment Management Authority, the authority designated by the Government of Rwanda to issue authorizations under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. As described in Verra’s Article 6 Label Guidance (PDF), the LOA is a critical step toward obtaining Article 6 VCU labels and demonstrates Rwanda’s commitment to completing corresponding adjustments in its reporting under the Paris Agreement.

While the VCUs from DelAgua Live Well Clean Cookstove Programme in Rwanda are the first to receive Verra’s Article 6 Authorization labels, three other DelAgua projects have also submitted similar LOAs from the Rwanda Environment Management Authority that will enable labeling of future VCU issuances.

Project proponents may request Article 6 Labels during a project’s verification approval request, or at any time thereafter, through the Verra Registry under “Additional Certifications” on the project’s Verification Summary page.

The project proponent may apply for up to three Article 6 Labels, which transparently display the host Party authorized use(s) specified in the Letter of Authorization. The three available Article 6 Labels are:

• Article 6 Authorized – NDC Use
• Article 6 Authorized – International mitigation purposes
• Article 6 Authorized – Other purposes

An Article 6 Label request will be assessed by Verra after the project’s relevant verification is approved for VCU issuance. Verra assesses whether the submitted Letter of Authorization meets the eligibility criteria contained in Section 3 of the guidance are met before approving or rejecting the Article 6 Label(s). Approved Article 6 Labels for VCUs will be publicly visible on the Verra Registry.

Verra invites proposals for a consultant to collect data and potentially conduct a review of Avoiding Planned Deforestation (APD) projects registered in Verra’s Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program to determine the extent of deforestation risk the areas in which the projects are located face. A second objective is to assess to what extent deforestation has been halted as a result of VCS project activities.

The selected consultant will identify and use data from concessions and timber harvest permits granted and executed in several countries and, if possible, compare this data with the expected deforestation rates APD projects use in their baseline calculations.

This analysis will be used to strengthen Verra’s current APD accounting methods. Verra is currently developing an updated APD module for projects to use in conjunction with VM0048, the new REDD methodology. Updates to other VCS APD methodologies are expected for early 2024.

It is possible that the research could inform the development of performance-based APD baselines, e.g., that data resulting from this analysis could be useful for setting project baselines in the countries in which the work is being carried out. The results of this research might also be used to provide peer-reviewed data to improve the scientific basis for such baselines.

Verra is currently developing an updated APD module for projects to use in conjunction with VM0048, the new REDD methodology. Updates on some of the APD methodologies are forthcoming in December 2023.

Interested consultants should review the Request for Proposals (PDF) for further details on the scope of work, deliverables, timeline, and required skills and qualifications to apply.

Please submit all proposals and documents to forestcarbon@verra.org by Sunday, January 14, 2024. 

Deforestation currently makes up 12 to 20 percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and keeping forests standing is a fast and cost-effective way of contributing to urgently needed, impactful climate action. Financing this solution is of the essence, and REDD+, since its inception, has served as a revolutionary method of driving finance to the protection of standing forests. It has also empowered local communities to maintain these forests and their biodiversity, and can contribute to governments’ climate commitments under the Paris Agreement.

The new REDD methodology (VM0048 Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) and the new module for AUD activities (VMD0055 Estimation of Emission Reductions from Avoiding Unplanned Deforestation) will strengthen the VCS Program for issuing carbon credits to AUD projects.

In an important step toward meeting national climate action goals, which is a central topic at the upcoming COP28 in Dubai, VMD0055 involves collaboration between Verra and national governments and enables project baselines to be derived from jurisdictional REDD baselines.

The new module for AUD activities employs a cutting-edge, high-integrity approach to setting project baselines, which are used to calculate a project’s emission reductions. Going forward, Verra will lead on establishing project baselines. Data for these baselines will be sourced from high-quality service providers, in compliance with stringent accuracy requirements. The data collection process will incorporate sophisticated technologies, such as satellites and remote sensing, as well as ground-truthing.

VMD0055 will allow the carbon accounting of all AUD projects in a jurisdiction (e.g., national or first subnational unit) to be proportionate to the total deforestation in that jurisdiction and will factor in carefully analyzed deforestation risk information.

Project baselines will no longer use reference regions to project future deforestation, reducing the potential for any perceived or actual conflict of interest at the project proponent level. Instead, Verra will allocate deforestation data directly to projects.

VMD0055’s new baseline approach includes the following key features:

• Baselines are calculated based on a single deforestation dataset for a given jurisdiction established and approved by Verra, following stringent requirements.
• Verra allocates baseline data to projects based on an assessment of deforestation risk in their project area. This allows for the number of verified emission reductions of all projects in this jurisdiction to be proportionate to the total of potential emission reductions in that area.

A key to implementing this new baseline approach will be the release of the revised VT0007 Unplanned Deforestation Allocation Tool. This new digital version of the tool includes a procedure for developing risk maps for jurisdictions where REDD projects registered in Verra’s VCS Program are located. Verra is conducting final testing of the tool using the first sets of activity data gathered and expects to release the tool, along with requests for proposals for risk mapping providers and for risk mapping data layers, in Q1 2024.

This new approach to providing allocated baselines for VCS AUD projects is not intended to replace or question government Forest Reference Emission Levels (FRELs). As Verra implements this new approach to baseline setting, it will engage with governments, use official data where possible, and share all final data with relevant government agencies.

Per the January 2022 VCS Program update (PDF), baselines must be reassessed every six years. Previously, baselines were reassessed every 10 years.

All current AUD projects are required to transition to the new methodology. As part of this transition, Verra is (1) inactivating two of its current AUD methodologies (VM0009 and VM0037) but certain projects currently “under validation” will have a limited window to complete the validation process (Verra will notify those project proponents who will be affected) and (2) updating one methodology (VM0007) so it continues to be available for AUD projects under certain conditions, for a limited time. Two more methodologies, VM0006 and VM0015, will be updated in the near future (expected for Q1 2024).

Certain modules originally designed to be used with VM0007 (VMD0001, VMD0002, VMD0003, VMD0004, VMD0005, VMD0006, VMD0011, VMD0013, VMD0014, VMD0015, and VMD0016) have been updated to enable their use with VM0048. VMD0008, also used with VM0007, is being inactivated.

The exact timing of an AUD project’s transition to the new REDD methodology will depend on (1) the current status of the project and (2) the availability of activity data for the jurisdiction in which a project is located.

For details on transitioning an AUD project to the new REDD methodology, see the “Transition Process by Project Status” webpage on the Verra website.

Verra anticipates that data for all jurisdictions with existing REDD projects will be available by January 1, 2025.

Because Verra will incur the additional costs for baseline setting under this new methodology, we will institute a new fee to cover these costs. We expect this fee to be lower than the historical costs of baseline setting. More details will be available in a new fee schedule (expected for Q1 2024).

The release of the new REDD methodology and AUD module follows a three-year process that included multiple rounds of expert review and public consultations. We would like to sincerely thank all stakeholders who contributed to this process!

The publication of VM0048 and VMD0055 contributes to the “Enhanced Program Integrity and Impact” thematic area under Verra’s “New Era for Verra” initiative.

Verra led the development of the methodology and module with support from Tim Pearson (Green Collar), Kevin R. Brown (Wildlife Conservation Society), Simon Koenig (Climate Focus), Till Neeff, Sarah M. Walker (Wildlife Conservation Society), and Lucio Pedroni (Carbon Decisions International). Juan Felipe Villegas (Carbon Decisions International), Igino Emmer (Silvestrum), Rebecca Dickson and David Shoch (TerraCarbon), and J. Ronald Eastman and Robert Gilmore Pontius Jr. (Clark Labs), and Manuel Estrada made significant contributions.

As announced previously, Verra is committed to providing projects with a pathway for obtaining the Core Carbon Principles (CCP) label for historically issued VCUs. Such a pathway would allow for projects to transition to a new methodology version that has been approved by the Integrity Council for Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) and apply this methodology retroactively to past issuances.

Verra will soon issue a guidance document with specifics on how to pursue this pathway. For REDD projects, this guidance would include information about gathering the necessary data and approaches for their retroactive application.

By the end of 2024, Verra plans to release additional modules for addressing other aspects of REDD, such as avoiding planned deforestation (see the request for proposals related to avoiding planned deforestation). These modules will also be used together with VM0048.

On Tuesday, December 19, 2023, at 11:00 am ET, Verra hosted a webinar to provide an overview of the new REDD methodology and the module for AUD activities.