IDH, reVive, and BioFlux released a white paper detailing the economic and operational viability of biochar applications within agricultural supply chains. The report analyses how integrating biochar systems can convert agricultural residues into durable carbon sinks, improve soil health, and enhance supply chain resilience. It establishes a strategic framework for corporations and investors to deploy pyrolytic systems across international sourcing landscapes. The publication aims to resolve market knowledge gaps by delineating structured project frameworks connecting residue management with carbon accounting and soil amendment strategies. It also provides an analytical baseline for assessing project readiness and managing operational risks for agricultural stakeholders.
Carbon Standards, a Swiss-based registry, launched a 30-day public consultation for its new EU Biochar Carbon Removal Standard (EU BCR) on 27 August 2026. This methodology offers a certification pathway for permanent carbon removals from biochar activities, aligning with the EU Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming Regulation (CRCF).
It applies to biochar production and storage facilities within the European Union, providing two tracks: Track A for soil application and Track B for incorporation into cement, concrete, or asphalt.
The standard details biomass sourcing, feedstock classification, and digital monitoring, reporting, and verification (dMRV) requirements, also mandating European Biochar Certificate (EBC) compliance.
Stakeholders can submit feedback until 24 September 2026, enabling project developers to issue CRCF-compliant carbon removal credits.
Gold Standard has published Tool 10, a technical addendum to the UNFCCC Article 6.4 Methodological Tool 'Emissions from electricity generation and consumption', to help renewable energy projects in countries with limited electricity data meet high-integrity carbon accounting requirements. An independent assessment found that fewer than 15% of host nations globally possess the digital infrastructure for the preferred approaches in the latest UNFCCC grid-emissions methodology. Tool 10 introduces provisional measures, including a 10% conservativeness discount for annual data when hourly dispatch data is unavailable, and a 5% ceiling and 24-month administrative lag buffer for vintage-decay factors. It also clarifies conditions for treating intermittent generation sources with Battery Energy Storage Systems as non-intermittent. This initiative aims to make carbon finance more accessible in developing markets while maintaining environmental integrity.
Rainbow initiated a public consultation on 21 August 2026 for its new biomass burial carbon storage module, part of its BiCRS methodology. The consultation period for public feedback will conclude on 21 September 2026. This module provides guidelines for credibly storing biomass underground to prevent decay and CO2 release, covering eligible technologies, biomass types, storage sites, and certification requirements. It specifies eligible biomass categories, including woody biomass and thermochemically converted biomass like hydrochar and biochar, and requires storage for at least 100 years in suitable subsurface sites. This development offers a new pathway for permanent CO2 storage for hydrochar and biochar developers.
Sequest announced a new carbon dioxide removal methodology that uses hyper-arid desert conditions to store agricultural biomass residue, preventing decomposition and creating a durable carbon sink. The approach involves transporting crop residues to desert locations and enclosing them in engineered chambers to maintain moisture levels below microbial activity thresholds. The 'Horizon' project in Saudi Arabia is the initial operational deployment, targeting an annual net removal of 1,000 tonnes of durable carbon dioxide. Puro.earth has completed a preliminary assessment of the core methodology, which aims to provide a scalable, low-complexity solution for durable carbon removal.
Verra published minor revisions (v1.1) to its VM0038 Electric Vehicle Charging Systems methodology and associated module VMD0049. The updates include changes to applicability conditions based on EV market share, revisions to the positive list for additionality, and the adoption of VCS tools VT0008 and VT0011. VM0038, v1.0 will be inactivated on 1 September 2027, and VMD0049, v1.0 on 1 March 2027. Projects using the older versions can submit requests until 31 August 2027 and 28 February 2027, respectively, and continue applying them for their current crediting period.
PT Yanmar Diesel Indonesia, Faeger, and IPB University launched a field trial in April 2026 to evaluate combining Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) with biochar application in Indonesian rice paddies. The project aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, particularly methane, from rice cultivation while maintaining crop yields. This multi-stakeholder initiative seeks to establish a scalable, low-carbon rice production framework for Southeast Asia, utilising pyrolysed rice husks as biochar. The research intends to generate empirical data to inform future agricultural carbon credit projects and offer farmers new revenue streams.
On 12 August 2026, Verra announced that the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) approved two of its methodologies as meeting the Core Carbon Principles (CCPs). The approved methodologies are VM0051 Improved Management in Rice Production Systems, v1.1, and VMR0016 Flaring or Use of Landfill Gas (ACM0001 Revision), v1.0. These methodologies address methane emissions from rice cultivation and landfill gas capture, respectively. Projects using these methodologies can now generate CCP-labelled credits if they meet all eligibility conditions. VMR0016 replaces ACM0001 and AMS-III.G. as the standalone landfill gas methodology in the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Programme.
Sylvera has released its first framework for 'superpollutant' carbon credits, specifically covering landfill methane (LFM) projects, in December 2025. This follows increased market attention on superpollutants, with registry Isometric expanding into these credits in October 2025 and the CCAC launching a Superpollutant Country Action Accelerator at COP30 in November 2025. Superpollutants, including methane, nitrous oxide, and F-gases, have a greater warming impact per tonne than carbon dioxide and are estimated to have driven around 45% of historic global warming. Methane, for example, is approximately 30 times more potent than CO₂ over 100 years, with its warming impact concentrated in the near term due to a shorter atmospheric lifespan. The framework aims to help buyers identify high-integrity superpollutant projects.
Sylvera has introduced a new ratings framework to assess the quality of Alternate Wetting & Drying (AWD) projects in the voluntary carbon market. The framework evaluates projects across four pillars: Carbon Accounting, Additionality, Permanence, and Safeguarding & Co-Benefits. Carbon Accounting, which assesses over-crediting risk, combines Project Reporting and Carbon Modelling, examining monitoring methods, baseline assumptions, and accounting boundaries. This initiative aims to help buyers confidently assess AWD projects, a fast-growing project type addressing methane emissions from rice cultivation.
Sylvera has published a guide explaining Environmental Attribute Certificates (EACs), also known as commodity certificates, which separate the environmental benefit from a lower-carbon commodity for independent sale. This concept, already established with RECs and GOs, is expanding to hard-to-abate sectors like cement and steel. The guide highlights that ISO 22095-3 and SBTi's Corporate Net-Zero Standard v2.0 (June 2026) support the use of EACs for Scope 3 targets via book-and-claim mechanisms. PepsiCo's May 2026 agreement with TalusAg for 30,000 tonnes of low-carbon ammonia EACs, with an option for 41,000 more, exemplifies their use as a catalytic investment tool. Quality factors for EACs include carbon intensity, additionality, and delivery risk, though a reliable quality-to-price correlation is not yet established.
Sylvera has introduced a new framework to evaluate carbon projects focused on plugging orphan oil and gas (OOG) wells, which are a significant source of methane emissions. The framework assesses projects across four pillars: Carbon Accounting, Additionality, Permanence, and Safeguarding & Co-benefits, using a methodology-agnostic approach. OOG well-plugging projects aim to permanently seal abandoned wells that lack a solvent owner, stopping ongoing methane emissions. The voluntary carbon market has issued over 8.3 million credits from 80 registered OOG projects as of early 2026, with plugging costs ranging from thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars per well. This framework addresses market complexities such as variable methane emissions, differing crediting methodologies, and questions surrounding plug permanence.
Verra has opened a public consultation from 15 July to 17 August 2026, for a significant revision to its VM0044 methodology for biochar use in soil and non-soil applications. The proposed version 2.0 expands eligibility to existing biochar production plants and high-technology facilities, and includes novel applications like biochar-amended concrete. Key changes involve replacing the standardised additionality approach with a project method, broadening feedstock eligibility to include invasive species, and introducing new monitoring procedures for parameters such as hydrogen to organic CO2 ratio. This revision aims to enhance accuracy and transparency, aligning with current scientific evidence and best practices in biochar production. The original VM0044 v1.2 received approval from the ICVCM in 2025 as meeting Core Carbon Principles, and Verra plans to submit the revised version for reassessment.
Verra has launched a public consultation on a major revision (ID #M0226) to its VM0044 methodology for biochar utilisation in soil and non-soil applications. The consultation runs from 15 July to 17 August 2026 and aims to update the framework to version 2.0. The proposed revision replaces the standardised positive list approach with a project-specific method for additionality and expands feedstock eligibility to include invasive species and non-purpose-grown residues. It also introduces specific physical monitoring rules for H:Corg ratio, moisture levels, material transport emissions, and long-term storage protocols. This update seeks to strengthen transparency, accuracy, and environmental conservativeness, aligning with global benchmarks for carbon dioxide removal tracking.
Carbonfuture has outlined seven reasons why carbon removal suppliers should implement digital Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) from a project's inception. The company states that early adoption of digital MRV accelerates certification and credit issuance, citing Puro.earth's COO Benno Fuchs, who noted that supplier data handling constitutes '95% of the workload'. Digital MRV also provides real-time transparency, captures comprehensive data, builds scalable infrastructure, and ensures accountability across complex value chains. Carbonfuture argues that this approach differentiates credits with verifiable data and helps suppliers align with evolving market standards.
A new draft international standard, ISO/DIS 14060, for net zero-aligned organisations was released for ballot on 17 June 2026, with comments open until September. This draft confirms environmental attribute certificates (EACs), termed environmental commodity certificates (ECCs) by ISO, will have a defined, guardrailed role in corporate net zero strategies. The standard, alongside SBTi's Corporate Net-Zero Standard V2, establishes that additionality and integrity are preconditions for an attribute's value. It mandates that ECCs are subordinate to direct emissions cuts and requires organisations to explain why direct procurement of low-carbon products is not possible. Carbon credits are explicitly not considered ECCs under this draft standard.
Sylvera has updated its Improved Forest Management (IFM) carbon project rating framework, introducing new methods for assessing carbon, additionality, and permanence. The revised framework integrates Sylvera's proprietary Biomass Atlas for direct comparison of reported carbon stock changes against independently observed data. It also differentiates IFM project types for additionality, moving to an Internal Rate of Return (IRR)-based financial test where models are available. These changes aim to address integrity concerns around baseline inflation, weak additionality, and leakage in IFM projects, which have seen issuances double since 2022 and account for 61% of nature-based issuances in 2026.
Verra has opened a public consultation on a major revision to its biochar methodology, VM0044, which quantifies carbon dioxide removals from converting waste biomass into biochar. The consultation runs from 15 July to 17 August 2026, aiming to enhance accuracy, transparency, and consistency in emission reduction quantification. Key updates include expanding eligibility to existing biochar facilities and new feedstocks, replacing the positive list for additionality with a project method, and introducing detailed monitoring approaches. Verra hired Canadian Biomass Energy Research as a technical consultant for this revision. The updated VM0044 v2.0 will be submitted to the ICVCM for assessment, following v1.2's approval in 2025.
Isometric has launched its 'Improved Soil Management 1.0' protocol, a certification framework designed to standardise the verification of soil-based carbon removal projects. The protocol establishes rigorous requirements for data collection, monitoring, and project governance to ensure measurable and verifiable improvements in soil health and carbon sequestration. This initiative aims to address the lack of consistent verification standards in the soil carbon market, which has historically led to variability and scepticism regarding permanence and accuracy. By codifying strict requirements for project design, site validation, and ongoing verification, Isometric seeks to provide a unified, transparent framework for high-integrity soil carbon credits. The protocol also includes mandates for environmental and social safeguards, land tenure, and financial planning, aiming to facilitate institutional investment and scale biochar applications within a broader soil management strategy.
Isometric has certified its new Improved Soil Management Protocol, which sets out rules for measuring, certifying, and monitoring carbon dioxide removal and reduction from improved land management. The protocol mandates direct soil sampling, alone or combined with validated modelling, and requires projects to account for all associated greenhouse gas emissions. It also includes strict environmental and social safeguards, such as a minimum 20% revenue share for enrolled landowners. Three project developers, Great Yellow, hectares Cultivo, and HGX, have registered to generate CDR certificates under this new protocol. Isometric states that this protocol aims to increase demand for soil-based carbon dioxide removal, which has the potential to remove up to 430 million tonnes of atmospheric CO2 annually.
The Carbon Business Council released an issue brief, 'Direct Storage of Biomass: Assessing the Carbon Removal Opportunity,' outlining a framework for deploying biomass storage technologies. The brief, developed by the Direct Storage of Biomass Coalition, recommends expanding direct biomass storage as a low-tech climate solution. This method involves permanently interring organic matter in engineered facilities to prevent decomposition and store carbon for centuries. The coalition estimates this approach could sequester 55 to 115 million tonnes of CO2e annually from American forestry residues alone, leveraging private carbon finance for land management and creating revenue streams.
Verra published a minor revision (v1.1) to its VM0051 methodology for improved management in rice production systems, effective immediately. The update clarifies requirements, aligns with VCS Programme version 5 rules, and refines guidance for project area stratification and quantification procedures. Projects requesting registration or crediting period renewal from 1 August 2027 must use VM0051, v1.1. The revised methodology has been submitted for assessment under the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market's Core Carbon Principles. Existing projects using VM0051, v1.0 can continue until their next crediting period renewal if they meet specific submission deadlines.
Verra has launched a public consultation on a significant revision to its VM0043 methodology, 'CO2 Utilization in Concrete Production', which will run from 10 July to 10 August 2026. The proposed updates, leading to version 2.0, broaden the scope to include additional optional project activities such as using supplementary cementitious materials and mineralising CO2 into recycled concrete aggregate. The revision also introduces new requirements for project-based calculations, updates the default cement displacement factor from 30% to 6.5%, and includes natural carbonation in emission reduction calculations. CarbonCure Technologies sponsored the methodology revision, with 3Degrees also contributing technically. This update aims to enhance the accuracy and applicability of carbon credit generation from CO2 use in concrete production.
Verra has opened a public consultation on a major revision to VM0050 Energy Efficiency and Fuel-Switch Measures in Cooking Devices, v1.0, which applies to improved cookstove projects. The consultation for the revised VM0050, v2.0, will run from 9 July to 10 August 2026. The updates aim to strengthen accuracy, transparency, and consistency in emission reduction quantification, incorporating current scientific evidence and operational experience. Key changes include adding a MoFuSS—DS tool for non-renewable biomass determination and including the Hawthorne effect in quantification. Verra will submit the finalised VM0050, v2.0 to the ICVCM for review against the Core Carbon Principles, following v1.0's approval in March 2025.
Gold Standard published two new methodologies, Powering Universal Lighting via Solar Energy (PULSE) and Safe Drinking Water Supply (SDWS) Version 2.0, on 9 July 2026. These methodologies aim to channel climate finance to projects providing essential services to underserved communities, replacing legacy methodologies AMS-III.AR and the previous SDWS. Both methodologies are aligned with the Paris Agreement and Net Zero trajectories, incorporating features like falling baselines and enhanced digital monitoring. PULSE focuses on replacing fossil fuel-based lighting with solar LEDs, while SDWS quantifies emissions avoided by providing safe drinking water where boiling with biomass or fossil fuels is common. The updates introduce more rigorous monitoring, safeguards, and accessibility for diverse geographies.
Gold Standard has updated four clean cooking and thermal energy methodologies and introduced a digital stove monitoring tool, effective for all 2026 credit vintages onwards. The updates, which follow a public consultation, aim to align 34% of Gold Standard's current project portfolio with Paris Agreement accounting principles. The revised methodologies, including Reduced Emissions from Cooking and Heating (RECH) V5.0 and Metered & Measured Energy Cooking Devices (MECD) V2.0, establish a unified market framework from micro-scale to fully metered interventions. These changes strengthen environmental integrity, ensure conservative crediting, and aim to improve scalability and accessibility for projects in diverse settings. The updates also incorporate enhanced safeguards and new digital monitoring options to maximise market viability.
Gold Standard initiated public consultations on five new and updated methodologies, including its first biochar carbon dioxide removal (CDR) standard, Production and Application for the Removal of Carbon via Biochar (PARC), on 22 April 2026. The PARC methodology establishes a pure CDR framework, issuing credits exclusively for durable CO2 sequestration, and features a three-track architecture to accommodate projects from micro-scale to industrial facilities. Other consultations include the Sustainable Transformation Through Afforestation, Reforestation and Revegetation (STARR) methodology, a revision of its forestry framework, and new approaches for rice systems, efficient cookstoves, and water purification. These updates aim to enhance integrity, scalability, and alignment with the Paris Agreement across diverse project types. The consultations are part of Gold Standard's 2026 Standards Setting Workplan.
Gold Standard and Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) launched a new methodology on 24 March 2026, enabling carbon finance for replacing fossil fuel generators with renewable energy systems. This 'Joined-up Sustainable Transition (JUST): Fossil Fuel Generators' methodology targets small-scale, distributed energy systems in emerging markets, where an estimated 350–500 gigawatts of fossil fuel generators operate. It is the first carbon market methodology designed to support a just transition at this dispersed scale, aiming to address the upfront costs of clean energy deployment. The methodology requires verified decommissioning, continued energy reliability, and includes safeguards for workers and communities affected by the transition. This follows Gold Standard's 12 March 2026 publication of its JUST: Coal Decommissioning methodology, expanding frameworks for fossil fuel phase-out across generation scales.
Gold Standard has launched consultations for two new methodologies, 'JUST: Coal Decommissioning' and 'JUST: Fossil Fuel Generators', aimed at mobilising finance for the managed phase-out of fossil fuels. These methodologies incentivise the early retirement of fossil fuel infrastructure, including coal power stations and decentralised generators, and their replacement with renewable energy. The 'JUST: Coal Decommissioning' methodology supports the early retirement of coal plants and their replacement with renewables, while 'JUST: Fossil Fuel Generators' focuses on replacing decentralised fossil fuel generators with renewable energy systems. Both methodologies are designed to align with the Paris Agreement and reward verified emissions reductions, supporting a just transition away from fossil fuels. Gold Standard is also consulting on Just Transition Requirements to ensure fairness for workers and communities.
Land and Forest Iceland, a government agency, has partnered with the International Carbon Registry (ICR) to develop and update carbon methodologies. This collaboration includes creating a new methodology for peatland rewetting, which will soon undergo a 30-day public consultation, and updating the existing Skógarkolefni (Icelandic Forest Standard) for afforestation. Both methodologies will align with the ISO 14064-2 standard and ICR's requirements, with validation by an accredited body. The move aims to enhance the integrity and international applicability of Iceland's climate initiatives.
Gazelle published a white paper on 3 July 2024, identifying methodological challenges in generating carbon credits from grassland conservation. The paper highlights the unreliability of remote sensing for certain baseline scenarios and the lack of grassland-specific methodologies in avoided-conversion projects. It recommends developing more rigorous protocols, integrating digital Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) solutions, and utilising ISO 14064-2 standards. The International Carbon Registry (ICR) supports this approach, using ISO 14064-2 in the absence of established methodologies. Grasslands are expected to provide 24% of Nature-Based Solutions credits by 2050.