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Verra is a global leader helping to tackle the world’s most intractable environmental and social challenges by developing and managing standards that help the private sector, countries, and civil society achieve ambitious sustainable development and climate action goals. Verra’s global standards and frameworks serve as linchpins for channeling finance towards high-impact activities that tackle some of the most pressing environmental issues of our day. The standards and programs Verra develops and manages are globally applicable and advance action across a wide range of sectors and activities. All of our programs undergo extensive stakeholder consultation and expert review, and draw from four key components: standard,  independent assessment, accounting methodologies, and registry.

The Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program is the world’s most widely used voluntary GHG program. Nearly 1,700 certified VCS projects have collectively reduced or removed more than 630 million tonnes of carbon and other GHG emissions from the atmosphere. VCS leads the way in developing frameworks to unlock the carbon reduction potential of Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) projects. In just a few short years, VCS has become the most widely used standard in the sector. AFOLU projects fall under the following categories:

• Afforestation, Reforestation and Revegetation (ARR)
• Agricultural Land Management (ALM)
• Improved Forest Management (IFM)
• Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD)
• Avoided Conversion of Grasslands and Shrublands (ACoGS)
• Wetlands Restoration and Conservation (WRC)

The Improved Agricultural Management Methodology (IALM) - VM0042 was released in October 2020 and allows for quantifying SOC stock change and N2O and CH4 fluxes associated with a range of ALM activities such as improved water, residue and livestock management, as well as reduced tillage and fertilizer use.

Verra’s standards and programs:

• Are trusted by a broad range of stakeholders, including NGOs, the private sector and governments, and are widely recognized and used in voluntary and compliance markets because they deliver credible and transparent assessments of project performance.
• Provide innovative solutions to environmental and social problems by identifying opportunities where clear and robust measurement and reporting of on-the-ground interventions can help tackle at scale the world’s most pressing challenges.
• Work for people and the planet by supporting projects and activities that deliver a range of benefits to communities and the environment.