Verification

Verification is the evaluation of project design and implementation against an agreed set of criteria or standards. Verification provides stakeholders with information concerning project performance and can be important in increasing purchaser confidence in carbon services from a project. It is likely to become increasingly important as the number of projects selling carbon increases.

At its simplest verification involves assessing a project's performance against its own systems and procedures. Alternatively verification may be carried out against a set of criteria defined by the purchaser or using an internationally agreed set of standards. The requirements for verification will be largely defined by the market in which the project is operating:

1. the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is a trading mechanism which allows the transfer of carbon credits between developed and developing countries. Projects selling carbon credits through the CDM will have to conform to regulations set out by the CDM executive board, including verification by an approved CDM verifier (a 'Designated Operating Entity'). Carbon credits from verified projects will be know as Certified Emission Reductions (CERs).
2. Voluntary carbon trading schemes allow companies and individuals to reduce their impact on the environment by purchasing Voluntary Emission Reductions (VERs). The sale of VERs, which does not result in the transfer in sovereignty of carbon rights, is not bound by the rules of the CDM. However, purchasers may still request independent verification.

Click HERE for a comparison of example verification criteria for selected carbon trading schemes.

Verification is not a cheap process - it is likely to cost at least US$20,000 per project and possibly much more - and it is important that projects are well prepared prior to attempting to achieve independent verification. A fundamental requirement for verification is the existence of defined systems and documented evidence that it is implementing these systems. Without defined project systems it is impossible to tell what the standards the project aims to apply; without documentary evidence of project activities verification can only be achieved by checking each and every action - raising the cost beyond sensible limits.

The Plan Vivo System is designed to help projects set up verifiable systems. The Plan Vivo Verification Checklist provides a list of criteria that are likely to be included in a verification of a carbon project and specifies the Plan Vivo tools that can be used to help demonstrate compliance. Download the checklist as a pdf file or view it as a web page with links to the Plan Vivo Manual.