Who sets the rules? Registries and standards

Verra (Verified Carbon Standard)

Verra runs the VCS Program, which it describes as the world's most widely used greenhouse gas crediting programme. One VCU represents one metric tonne of CO2 equivalent reduced or removed. Verra approves auditors and keeps a public registry (Verra, VCS Program page, 2026).

Gold Standard

Gold Standard for the Global Goals is an independent standard that, besides the carbon tonne, requires projects to show benefits for sustainable development, such as health or livelihoods, and keeps its own public Impact Registry (Gold Standard website, 2026).

ICVCM and the Core Carbon Principles

The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) is an independent governance body. It does not issue credits. It sets a quality threshold called the Core Carbon Principles (CCPs): ten principles grouped under governance (effective governance, tracking, transparency, independent validation and verification), emissions impact (additionality, permanence, robust quantification, no double counting) and sustainable development (safeguards and benefits, and contribution to the net zero transition) (ICVCM website, 2026).

A credit can carry a CCP label only if two tests are passed: the crediting programme (for example Verra or Gold Standard) is approved as "CCP-Eligible", and the credit's category or methodology is approved by the ICVCM. The first CCP labels appeared on the Verra Registry in 2024 (Verra announcement, 2024). The ICVCM has since approved some categories, with conditions, and rejected others, for example older cookstove methodologies (ICVCM announcement, 2025). The list keeps changing, so always check the ICVCM website for the current position.