Verra

Verra's Board of Directors is appointing Mandy Rambharos as its chief executive officer, effective August 12. Mandy’s selection was made after an extensive search by a leading global search firm and driven by the goal of selecting a CEO with demonstrated leadership in shaping the carbon markets, extensive relationships with stakeholders, a proven record of success in implementation, and a commitment to Verra’s mission. Mandy brings a wealth of experience in the carbon markets to the role. For over 15 years, she was a negotiator for South Africa and Africa at the United Nations climate talks and chaired negotiations on carbon markets (CDM and Article 6). This experience will be invaluable as she guides Verra’s strategy and as the broader voluntary carbon market continues to evolve. Mandy was instrumental in the Just Energy Transition Partnership agreed at COP26 in Glasgow between South Africa and Germany, France, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union. This background has led to her recognition as a thought leader on the global stage and given her extensive relationships across the industry, from government to private to nonprofit sectors. Mandy also served on the Verra Board of Directors from 2019 to 2021 before rejoining in 2023. A current Verra Board member, Mandy brings a deep understanding of the organization to her new role. This eliminates the need for an extended learning curve and enables the organization to focus on the urgent demands of the climate crisis. She takes the helm of Verra from the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), where she served as vice president for global climate cooperation, leading EDF’s strategy to promote well-designed carbon pricing and markets that support the transformation toward a low-emissions future. “Carbon markets are crucial to enable carbon neutrality and they must work efficiently and with unquestionable integrity. I look forward to working with the talented people at Verra to deliver these outcomes for a climate-resilient future for us all,” said Mandy. Read more: https://bit.ly/3LFoLik #Verra #ClimateAction #ClimateChange #StandardsMatter

❗Reminder: Verra is running a public consultation until September 9 for a minor revision to Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Module VMD0055 Estimation of Emission Reductions from Avoiding Unplanned Deforestation, v1.0. 💡VMD0055 describes the procedures and methods for accounting for the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions from projects that aim to avoid unplanned deforestation. ✅ Last Friday, Verra held a webinar to provide an overview of this revision. 💻 #ICYMI: You can find the recording, and all other information about the consultation and how to provide feedback, here: https://bit.ly/3YFs68B #Verra #StandardsMatter #CarbonMarkets #Deforestation #CarbonCredits

Earlier this week, Verra and the Indian Sugar & Bio-energy Manufacturers Association (ISMA) hosted a capacity-building workshop in India on the development of compressed biogas (CBG) projects and their registration with Verra’s Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program. TERI - The Energy and Resources Institute and Praj Industries supported the workshop as well.    The Indian government has a mandate to blend 1% CBG into City Gas Distribution (CGD) networks by FY 2025-26, a rate that is set to increase to 5% by 2028-29. CBG is a green fuel, and the Indian government has mandated blending it it into the general energy supply networks to reduce the country’s dependency on fossil fuels. Generating CBG also avoids the emission of methane into the atmosphere.    Because sugar biorefineries in India produce more than 1 million (or 10 lakh) tonnes of CBG annually, primarily from press mud, they have a critical role in meeting this government mandate. Therefore, sugar mills are in the process of setting up CBG plants that generate biogas from organic waste, and many well-known corporations from other sectors in India have also announced plans to establish CBG plants over the next five years.     During the capacity-building workshop, Ashok K. Chandhel, regional representative, Central and South Asia, delivered the keynote speech during the opening session. He also provided an overview of the rules and requirements of the VCS Program and the VCS registration process. He also discussed general principles of the carbon markets.    Pooja Verma, manager, waste management projects, at Verra presented on waste management methodologies in the VCS Program, specifically about the relevant applicability criteria, baseline assessment, additionality, quantification of emission reductions, and monitoring requirement.      After the presentations, participants were able to ask further questions.    The workshop was attended by the sugar mills and companies involved in CBG supply chains, including Dalmia Bharat Sugar and Industries Limited, DCM Shriram Limited, Olam Sugars, Dhampur Bio Organics Limited, Dhampur Sugar Mills, Dwarikesh Sugar Industries Ltd, Gas Authority of India Ltd., Indreshwar Sugar Mills Limited, Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Indian Potash Limited, ISGEC Heavy Engineering Limited, JIO BP, KM Sugars, M/S Avadh Sugar & Energy Ltd., Maruti Suzuki India Ltd., Mawana Sugars, National Federation Of Cooperative Sugar Factories Ltd (NFCSF), Nayara, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation of India, Praj Industries, Saraswati Sugars, Shell, Shree Renuka Sugars Limited, TERI, Triveni Engineering & Industries Limited, Uttam Sugar Mills Ltd, etc.     

📢 Public Comment Period Now Open! 🌍 Every project seeking to register in a Verra standards program undergoes a 30-day public comment period. The public comment periods for the projects listed here opened during the week of August 19. This week's listing includes projects seeking registration and/or verification in the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), the Sustainable Development Verified Impact Standard (SD VISta), and the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standards (CCBS) Programs. The projects are located in various geographic regions, including in the United States of America, Zambia, China, and Taiwan, and are implementing a broad range of activities, including activities related to waste handling and disposal, livestock and manure management, water supply, and more. 🌱 Impact Highlight: Collectively, these projects could reduce and/or remove 485, 909 tCO2e from the atmosphere, helping to accelerate our transition to a more sustainable future. 🔗 Learn More: View the full list of projects open for public comment in our announcement: https://bit.ly/46WeB6N 🗣️ Get Involved: Share your thoughts and contribute to shaping these projects. Your feedback matters! #ClimateAction #CarbonMarkets #Verra #SustainableDevelopment #CarbonCredits Photo by Steve Ogle. Nature Conservancy of Canada, Darkwoods Forest Carbon Project, Verra Project #607

🔊 Last chance to sign up for our webinar tomorrow, Friday, August 23, at 11:00 am ET, to learn more about the public consultation for a minor revision to VCS Module VMD0055 Estimation of Emission Reductions from Avoiding Unplanned Deforestation, v1.0. 💡 During the webinar, we will provide an overview of the methodology and the proposed changes. ✅ VMD0055 describes the procedures and methods for accounting for the greenhouse gas emission reductions from projects that aim to avoid unplanned deforestation. It must be used along with VCS Methodology VM0048 Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation v1.0. ➡️ Register: https://bit.ly/3Ashpwd #Verra #StandardsMatter #CarbonMarkets #CarbonCredits #ClimateAction

📢 Verra has launched a public consultation on two new tools in the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program to assess the additionality of project activities. ➡️ The proposed tools, which would would replace and consolidate various Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) tools, align with the Core Carbon Principles (CCPs) Assessment Framework of the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) and provide procedures and requirements for conducting the investment, barrier, and common practice analyses, and identifying the baseline scenario where applicable. 📆 The consultation runs until September 23, 2024. 💡Read the full announcement and learn how to provide feedback: https://bit.ly/3ACS2b9 #Verra #StandardsMatter #CarbonMarkets #CarbonCredits #ClimateAction

📆 Last chance to comment! ➡️ Verra is currently consulting on an optional pathway for VCS projects to (1) update the methodology or methodology version they are using for past verification periods, and (2) requantify the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions and carbon dioxide removals (reductions and removals) from past verification periods in accordance with that methodology. ➡️ If a new methodology or methodology version to which a project updates is approved by the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM), such a change would enable proponents to obtain Core Carbon Principles (CCP) labels for the requantified Verified Carbon Units (VCUs). ❗This coming Friday, August 23, is the last day to submit feedback on this optional pathway. Read the full announcement and learn how to submit your comments: https://bit.ly/4bB7tNF #Verra #StandardsMatter #ClimateAction #CarbonMarkets #CarbonCredits

📢 Verra is issuing updates to its Jurisdictional and Nested REDD+ (JNR) Framework within the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program. With these updates, Verra seeks to align the JNR Framework with the Core Carbon Principles (CCPs) of the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM). ➡️ Specifically, the updates to the JNR Framework pertain to the following documents: JNR Non-Permanence Risk Tool, JNR Requirements: Scenario 1, JNR Requirements: Scenario 2, JNR Requirements: Scenario, and JNR Registration and Issuance Process. 💡 The JNR Framework is the world’s first accounting and verification framework for jurisdictional REDD+ programs and nested projects, and it is unique in its concrete guidance and tools for nesting, bringing together national (or subnational) jurisdictional accounting with nested project activities. ❗These changes are effective immediately. ➡️ JNR programs that, on the release date, are listed (or have requested pipeline listing) as “under development” or “under validation” in the Verra Registry, may continue to use the previous version of the respective documents until their jurisdictional forest reference emission level (FREL) reassessment. Read the full announcement: https://bit.ly/4dvckSz #Verra #StandardsMatter #CarbonMarkets #CarbonCredits #ClimateAction

💻 There is still time to sign up! 🔊 Join Verra for a webinar on Friday, August 23, at 11:00 am ET, to learn more about the public consultation for a minor revision to VCS Module VMD0055 Estimation of Emission Reductions from Avoiding Unplanned Deforestation, v1.0. ✅ VMD0055 describes the procedures and methods for accounting for the greenhouse gas emission reductions from projects that aim to avoid unplanned deforestation. It must be used along with VCS Methodology VM0048 Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation v1.0. 💡 During the webinar, we will provide an overview of the methodology and the proposed changes. ➡️ Register: https://bit.ly/3Ashpwd #Verra #StandardsMatter #CarbonMarkets #CarbonCredits #ClimateAction

📢 A new report by The World Bank, "Unlocking Financing to Combat the Plastics Crisis: Opportunities, Risks, and Recommendations for Plastic Credits," recognizes Verra’s Plastic Program as one of three fully independent plastic crediting programs that exist today. This report includes the following: ☑️ An overview of how plastic credits work ☑️ Commentary and analysis on the plastic credit market today ☑️ Summary of the ways Plastic Credits can interact with or support extended producer responsibility systems. Verra was pleased to contribute to this report which will be an invaluable source of information for the growing plastic credit market. 💡 Read the full report: https://bit.ly/4fPHXHW #Verra #StandardsMatter #PlasticCredits #CircularEconomy #PlasticWaste