Introduction to Carbon Offsets and Green-e Climate Certification

An explanation of how carbon offsets work to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, with an introduction to Green-e Climate, the largest international certification program for carbon offsets sold in the retail market. Since 2008, Green-e Climate has served a crucial role in international over-the-counter (OTC) markets for carbon offsets. By providing critical oversight over the chain of custody of retail offsets from project to consumer, Green-e Climate ensures transparency and accuracy throughout the transaction. Join Green-e Climate staff in a free webinar to learn:

What carbon offsets are, where they come from and how they're used
What is included in Green-e Climate certification
How organizations match their emissions with carbon offsets
The role of Endorsed Programs and other project-level certifications
The marketing benefits to organizations of reducing and reporting their carbon footprints

Transcript

1. Introduction to Carbon Offsets and Green-e Climate Certification Maggie Lund Senior Analyst, Certification Programs Center for Resource Solutions
2. 2 Nongovernmental Organization (NGO) creating policy and market solutions to advance sustainable energy since 1997. • Expert assistance • Renewable energy and climate policy • Renewable Energy Markets annual conference • Green-e® certification for suppliers and users of renewable energy and carbon offsets in the voluntary market About Center for Resource Solutions Copyright © 2017 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
3. IPCC’s ‘Global Warming of 1.5°C’ Report
4. IPCC’s ‘Global Warming of 1.5°C’ Report
5. Voluntary Carbon Offsets
6. What is a carbon offset? 1 metric ton of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions reductions (mtCO 2 e) • Intangible • Global Copyright © 2017 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
7. Source: Ecosystem Marketplace - Voluntary Carbon Markets Insights: 2018 Outlook and First-Quarter Trends
8. Carbon Offset Project Project-level Standards & Registries Retail Offset End-use Purchaser Lifecycle of a carbon offset Copyright © 2017 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
9. Carbon Offset Project Project-level Standards & Registries Retail Offset End-use Purchaser • What does an offset project look like? • How are offsets created? Lifecycle of a carbon offset Copyright © 2017 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
10. Offset Project Types Renewable Energy Forestry and Agriculture Methane Capture Energy Efficiency Industrial Processes And many more! Copyright © 2017 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
11. Baseline Scenario (BAU) Offset Project Activity Emissions Reductions (1 ton = 1 carbon offset) Emissions (mtCO2 e) Time Copyright © 2017 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
12. Carbon Offset Project Project-level Standards & Registries Retail Offset End-use Purchaser • How are emissions reductions quantified in a consistent and credible way? • How can we be sure emissions reductions go beyond business as usual? Lifecycle of a carbon offset Copyright © 2017 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
13. High Quality Project-Level Standards • Climate Action Reserve (CAR) • Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Find a Methodology Project Description & Validation Monitoring & Verification • The Gold Standard • American Carbon Registry (ACR) How to Register a Project Copyright © 2017 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
14. Offsets registered under high-quality standards meet the P.A.V.E.R criteria Permanent Additional Verified Enforceable Real Copyright © 2017 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
15. Baseline (BAU) Emissions (mtCO2 e) Time What if, in a business as usual scenario, emissions reductions decrease? Who can claim to have caused these emissions reductions? Copyright © 2017 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
16. vs. Paying for (and owning) emissions reductions that occurred as a result of your offset purchase Subsidizing emissions reductions that would have otherwise occurred. Copyright © 2017 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
17. Carbon Offset Project Project-Level Standards & Registries Retail Offset End-Use Purchaser • Who provides oversight in the retail market? • How are offsets sold and who sells them? Lifecycle of a carbon offset Copyright © 2017 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
18. Carbon Offset Project Project-Level Standards & Registries Retail Offset End-Use Purchaser Lifecycle of a carbon offset Project-Level Certification Retail Certification Copyright © 2017 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
19. High-Quality Offsets Full and complete ownership of emissions reductions Accurate and transparent disclosure Green-e Climate = Consumer Protection for Retail Offsets Copyright © 2017 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
20. Permanent Additional Verified Enforceable Real Why Green-e Climate? Verified GHG emissions reductions come from projects certified under high-quality project standards Copyright © 2017 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
21. Permanent Additional Verified Enforceable Real Ownership Why Green-e Climate? Annual Verification Audit of Sales and Supply… • Ensures emissions reductions are not being double- sold. • Confirms retirement of enough emissions reductions to match sales. • Verifies correct type of offsets were procured to meet customer obligations. Copyright © 2017 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
22. Permanent Additional Verified Enforceable Real Ownership Disclosure Why Green-e Climate? Annual Marketing Compliance Review ensures… • Customers receive complete information on offsets purchased (project type, location etc.) • Marketing materials meet strict transparency criteria laid out in Green-e Climate’s Code of Conduct • Price, Terms and Conditions documents contain full information on pricing, contract length, additional fees and billing Copyright © 2017 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
23. A.P.R.O.V.E.D. Copyright © 2017 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
24. LEED v4 Green-e Climate in • BD&C – EA CREDIT: GREEN POWER AND CARBON OFFSETS (maximum 2 points) • ID&C – EA CREDIT: GREEN POWER AND CARBON OFFSETS (maximum 2 points) • EBOM – EA CREDIT: RENEWABLE ENERGY AND CARBON OFFSETS (maximum 5 points) “Carbon offsets […] must be Green-e Climate certified, or the equivalent.”
25. Gas Offset Programs Natural Gas Carbon Offsets How does it work? 1. Open an account in a carbon offset registry. Purchase offsets. 2. Track customers’ natural gas usage. Convert therms to metric tons of CO2e. 3. Retire carbon offsets (CO2e) on behalf customer natural gas usage. No change to supply or sources of gas required Green-e Climate can certify…
26. Where can you buy Green-e Climate certified offsets? https://www.green-e.org/certified-resources/carbon-offsets Copyright © 2017 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
27. Vs. Co-benefits Project Impacts • Carbon Reduction Project Impacts • Carbon Reduction • Social – job creation and training, health benefits • Environmental – biodiversity, watersheds Copyright © 2017 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
28. Source: Ecosystem Marketplace - Voluntary Carbon Markets Insights: 2018 Outlook and First-Quarter Trends
29. Lifecycle of a carbon offset Carbon Offset Project Project-Level Standards & Registries Retail Offset End-Use Purchaser • How are offsets used? • What emissions can an offset purchase be applied against? Copyright © 2017 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
30. Scopes Scope 1 Scope 3 Scope 2 Direct Emissions Indirect Emissions – Electricity, Heating/Cooling Indirect Emissions – All Other Sources Copyright © 2017 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
31. Recent Developments Copyright © 2017 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
32. 32 Q&A
33. Contact Maggie Lund Senior Analyst, Certification Programs maggie.lund@resource-solutions.org (415) 561-8499 Copyright © 2017 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.