How do I know which offsets are legitimate?

The easiest way to make sure that carbon offsets meet quality standards is to buy offsets that are certified by the established registries only. “High-end” registries are the Gold Stand, established by the WWF in 2003 and Planet Vivo, which emphasizes communities and smallholders.

Other mainstream registries are Verra Carbon Standard, the American Carbon Registry and Climate Action Reserve. There are also new standards coming into the market such as the Woodland and Peatland Carbon Code for the UK, a local high quality initiatives that are issuing offsets for private woodland reforestation.

These registries follow certified standard procedures and require annual audits from offset project providers in order to verify that the emissions reductions are real.

Another newcomer is the Puro.earth standard, the first marketplace that focusses solely on carbon removals.