In our work, the true test of integrity isn’t in the headlines we celebrate, but in the decisions we make when the spotlight is harshest.

One of those spotlighted moments was Verra’s recent announcement about the outcomes of the Kariba project review, one of the most difficult and closely scrutinized in our history. Questions were raised, and some media coverage was unforgiving.

But at Verra, our responsibility is to acknowledge the lessons learned from such experiences and to embed them into the very systems that shape this market.

Behind every project are farmers, families, and ecosystems relying on climate finance. That is why we take this responsibility seriously: for climate action, for livelihoods, and for impact on the ground.

We released the recently completed findings of the Kariba project review while climate finance and the carbon markets were in the global spotlight during Climate Week NYC.

We did not delay. We did not bury the results. We shared them openly and transparently, because integrity matters most when the pressure is greatest.

The Kariba project was unprecedented in almost every sense. Allegations raised against it were serious, and the process of review was prolonged and complicated, especially once the proponent had withdrawn the project from the Verra Registry.

The Kariba project, like other first-generation REDD initiatives, was developed using the best available data, tools, and science at the time. Early methodologies like VM0009 required project developers to produce local deforestation estimates with the resources available and to assume responsibility for their accuracy. Advances in data and technology now enable far more precise estimates, reflecting the evolution and continuous improvement of the market.

The first iPhone didn’t have the technologies it does today: it worked with what was available. When Kariba was first registered, the iPhone 4 was the latest model; we’re now at iPhone 17. Just as no one would rely on an iPhone 4 today, it would be unthinkable not to use the far more advanced tools and standards we have now.

Similarly, VM0009, which has nowhere near the level of precision that today’s markets demand, has since been replaced with VM0048, a stronger, more robust approach that reflects advances in science, technology, and practice. VM0048 has been given the stamp of approval by the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM). There is no higher bar for integrity.

In VM0048, deforestation risk is determined through a careful assessment of historical jurisdictional deforestation and projected deforestation risk in the jurisdiction. It utilizes data sourced from expert service providers, following a detailed process using remotely sensed data, ground observation, image interpretation, and risk modeling. All of these data are used to develop a project’s baseline, which becomes the basis for calculating the emission reductions a project achieves.

Our Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program has also evolved, with the soon-to-be-released version 5 embedding strengthened safeguards, improved monitoring, and clearer benefit-sharing requirements.

These are beyond simple tweaks; they’re transformational shifts.

Some have called for sweeping changes to carbon markets in response to the Kariba project. Others have written headlines about the “empty” credits. It is easy to write headlines. It is harder to do the slow, rigorous work of reform: strengthening methodologies, enforcing safeguards, and holding ourselves accountable.

That work is especially critical for REDD projects. They are inherently complex, but that does not stop us because forest protection is central to solving climate change. Some of the most impactful and transformative climate solutions are also the hardest to get right, and our responsibility is to take on that challenge, not avoid it.

Because at Verra, we choose to learn and do better when we know better. It’s the only way carbon markets can scale with trust.

The Kariba review was not comfortable, but comfort is not the point. Integrity is.

If carbon markets are to play the role we all know they must play, then integrity must lead, especially when the going gets tough. And if we encounter obstacles in implementing these markets, we should not abandon these vital tools but recognize that their built-in self-correction mechanisms are working to strengthen them.

We continue to improve our systems. We continue to evolve. And we will do it all openly, because only through transparency and accountability can trust be reinforced.

In the end, credibility is not built in the easy moments.

It’s forged in the hardest ones.

Mandy Rambharos is the chief executive officer of Verra.