Verra is launching a public consultation on proposed changes to the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program to strengthen and update the program rules. These revisions would also align the program with certain integrity initiatives in the voluntary carbon market, such as the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market, and make the VCS Program eligible for the next phase of the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation.
Specifically, this consultation solicits feedback on proposed updates to the following:
- Safeguard rules
- AFOLU Non-Permanence Risk Tool (NPRT) and minimum project longevity and crediting period requirements to reduce non-permanence risk (building on previously consulted NPRT updates to address climate risk)
- Rules for when project construction emissions and upstream emissions increases must be included in VCS methodologies
- The process for revising standardized methods
For more information about the proposed updates, please review the June 2023 VCS Program Public Consultation Overview (PDF).
Verra will hold a webinar on this consultation on July 17, 2023, at 12:00 pm ET.
Please submit comments electronically via the provided online form by July 31, 2023. We look forward to your feedback. If you have any questions as you engage in this consultation, please contact us at ProgramUpdates@verra.org.
The timeline for this consultation is as follows:
| DATES | ACTIVITY |
|---|---|
| June 27 – July 31, 2023 | Public consultation |
| July 17, 2023 | Consultation webinar |
| July – August 2023 | Review comments and finalize proposals |
| Late August 2023 | Publication of VCS Program rule changes |