Operationalising and Scaling Post-2020 Voluntary Carbon Market

Earlier this year, Gold Standard published a set of principles to guide development of new requirements for certified projects in the voluntary carbon market as the rulebook for the Paris Agreement comes into force in 2021. These principles aim to ensure that the voluntary carbon market continue to catalyse new, ambitious climate action without displacing current policy ambition or corporate ambition.

Following a series of working group deliberations and subsequent papers, available here, feedback from partners, and extensive discussion among our Technical Advisory Committee, Gold Standard is please to now share a document “Operationalising and Scaling Post-2020 Voluntary Carbon Market” that captures our own technical proposals for public consultation. The brief outlines:

1. How we expect claims in the voluntary carbon market to evolve as corresponding adjustments will become a reality for compliance markets, leading to differentiated claims for carbon credits that have corresponding adjustments or do not. 

2. What rule updates will follow to align with ongoing Paris Agreement Article 6 negotiations, including additionality and ongoing financial need, baseline setting, crediting periods, microscale projects, distinction of carbon removals, and transition plans for all of the above. 

3. Where Gold Standard intends to focus future efforts in scaling our climate protection project portfolio through existing and new activity types. 

Gold Standard is seeking input to continue shaping this policy to ensure integrity and quality in the post-2020 era, including inputs on:

- Guiding principles and approach to carbon markets

- Supporting the development of robust, credible claims

- The role(s) Gold Standard will play in future markets

- The potential changes to our standards and how these will be introduced

- The types of activities Gold Standard will support 

We recognise that there has been and will continue to be ongoing dialogue and evolution of these topics. The intention of this consultation is therefore to engage our stakeholders in these conversations and to help make sense of the changes affecting our markets, including those that Gold Standard does not directly control but must react to robustly. It is acknowledged that parts of this policy will evolve and improve over time, as we and our stakeholders learn together.