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WASHINGTON – Aug. 12, 2026 | Two more Verra methodologies have been approved by the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) as meeting the Core Carbon Principles (CCPs), recognizing high-integrity carbon credits from improved water and crop management in rice paddies and from landfill gas capture projects. Both methodologies address methane, a greenhouse gas that is 28 times more powerful at trapping heat in the atmosphere than CO2.
The two methodologies are VM0051 Improved Management in Rice Production Systems, v1.1, which credits projects that adjust water levels in flooded rice fields to curb methane, and VMR0016 Flaring or Use of Landfill Gas (ACM0001 Revision), v1.0, which credits projects that capture landfill gas and flare it, convert it to energy, or route it into gas networks. Credits generated by projects using these methodologies are eligible to receive CCP labels if they meet all eligibility conditions.
VM0051 quantifies emission reductions from improved water and crop management practices in flooded rice systems, primarily by reducing methane released during cultivation. The methodology enables smallholder farmers, who make up the majority of rice producers across Asia, to access carbon finance that can fund the transition to lower-emitting practices. These practices also enhance food security for low-income communities while addressing rice farming’s greenhouse gas emissions.
VMR0016 covers projects that capture landfill gas and either flare the methane, use it to generate electricity or thermal energy, or supply it to consumers through gas distribution networks, dedicated pipelines, or trucks. The methodology is globally applicable and was developed to align with the CCPs, replacing ACM0001 and AMS-III.G. to become the standalone landfill gas methodology in the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program. VMR0016 is linked to the new VCS additionality tool, VT0009 Combined Baseline and Additionality Assessment, v1.0, which enables all projects to claim CCP labels for the credits they generate. (Previously only landfill gas-to-electricity projects with a capacity of equal to or below 10 megawatts electrical [MWe] were eligible to request CCP labels.) Further, VMR0016 reflects increased integrity by ensuring oxidation factors are applied according to the latest science.
- VMR0017 Grid-Connected Electricity Generation from Renewable Sources (ACM0002 Revision), v1.0
- ACM0008: Abatement of methane from coal mines, v6.0–8.0
- VM0047 Afforestation, Reforestation, and Revegetation, v1.0–1.1
- VM0044 Methodology for Biochar Utilization in Soil and Non-Soil Applications, v1.2
- VM0050 Energy Efficiency and Fuel-Switch Measures in Cookstoves, v1.0
- VM0045 Improved Forest Management Methodology Using Dynamic Matched Baselines from National Forest Inventories, v1.2
- ACM0001: Flaring or use of landfill gas, v15.0–19.0
- AMS-III.G.: Landfill methane recovery, v9.0–10.0
- AM0023: Leak detection and repair in gas production, processing, transmission, storage and distribution systems and in refinery facilities, v4.0
- VCS Jurisdictional and Nested REDD+ (JNR) Framework, v4.1
- VM0048 Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, v1.0
- VM0042 Methodology for Improved Agricultural Land Management, v2.2
Contact:
Media Inquiries: Erdem Koch | media@verra.org
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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.