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
   

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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.
   

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3. IPCC’s ‘Global Warming of 1.5°C’ Report
   

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4. IPCC’s ‘Global Warming of 1.5°C’ Report
   

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5. Voluntary Carbon Offsets
   

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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.
   

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7. Source: Ecosystem Marketplace - Voluntary Carbon Markets Insights:
   2018 Outlook and First-Quarter Trends
   

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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.
   

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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.
   

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10. Offset Project Types
    Renewable Energy Forestry and Agriculture Methane Capture Energy Efficiency Industrial Processes
    And many more!
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11. Baseline Scenario (BAU)
    Offset Project Activity
    Emissions Reductions
    (1 ton = 1 carbon offset)
    Emissions (mtCO2
    e)
    Time
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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
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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
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14. Offsets registered under high-quality standards
    meet the P.A.V.E.R criteria
    Permanent
    Additional
    Verified
    Enforceable
    Real
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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.
    

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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.
    

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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
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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.
    

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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.
    

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20. Permanent
    Additional
    Verified
    Enforceable
    Real
    Why Green-e Climate?
    Verified GHG emissions reductions come from
    projects certified under high-quality project
    standards
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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.
    

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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.
    

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23. A.P.R.O.V.E.D.
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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.”
    

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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…
    

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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.
    

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27. Vs.
    Co-benefits
    Project Impacts
    • Carbon Reduction
    Project Impacts
    • Carbon Reduction
    • Social – job creation and training, health benefits
    • Environmental – biodiversity, watersheds
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28. Source: Ecosystem Marketplace - Voluntary Carbon Markets Insights:
    2018 Outlook and First-Quarter Trends
    

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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.
    

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30. Scopes
    Scope 1 Scope 3
    Scope 2
    Direct Emissions Indirect Emissions –
    Electricity, Heating/Cooling
    Indirect Emissions –
    All Other Sources
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31. Recent Developments
    Copyright © 2017 Center for Resource Solutions. All rights reserved.
    

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32. 32
    Q&A
    

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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.
    

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