Carbon credits and activities that generate them should meet credible atmospheric integrity standards and represent real decarbonization.

  • The activity would not have occured in the absence of the incentives of the crediting mechanism and is not required by law or regulation.

  • One credit corresponds to only one tonne of carbon dioxide (or its equivalent) reduced or removed from the atmosphere and is not double-issued.

  • Claimed emissions reductions or removals represent genuine atmospheric impact that is determined in a transparent and replicable manner using robust, credible methodologies. Relevant activities are designed to prevent emissions from occurring, being shifted, or intensifying beyond their boundaries as a result of the activity ("leakage").

source: FACT SHEET: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Announces New Principles for High-Integrity Voluntary Carbon Markets, May 28, 2024.

  • Activity design is validated, and results are verified by a qualified accredited independent third party.

  • The emissions removed or reduced will be kept out of the atmosphere for a specified period of time during which any credited results that are released back into the atmosphere are fully remediated.

  • Baselines for emissions reductions and removal activities are based on rigorous methodologies that avoid over-crediting, prioritizing the use of performance benchmarks where applicable, and that evolve over time to reflect advancements in national climate policy, emissions pathways and decarbonization practices and technology.

Axiom carbon offsets are aligned with the White House voluntary carbon market regulations as they adhere to the guidelines and principles set forth by the administration to mitigate climate change. These regulations emphasize transparency, integrity, and environmental efficacy in carbon offset projects. By following these guidelines, Axiom’s carbon offsets ensure that emissions reductions are accurately measured, verified, and reported. This alignment demonstrates a commitment to contributing to national and international efforts to address climate change while supporting sustainable development and environmental stewardship.

Credit certification standards bodies—which register activities and issue credits on the basis of verification against standards and approved methodologies—play an essential role in ensuring credit integrity. These bodies and their standards should:

• Effectively govern their standards to ensure transparency, accountability, responsiveness (e.g., to evolving best practice, science, and policy landscapes), and, when applicable, the longevity necessary to responsibly certify removal activities;

• Operate or make use of a registry to transparently track the attributes, issuance, ownership, and retirement and/or cancellation of credits, coordinating where appropriate to ensure that activities are not registered with more than one registry;

• Ensure robust MMRV of emissions reductions and removals;

• Have procedures in place to effectively address double-counting risks, including to prevent double-registration and -issuance, to prohibit doubleselling and -use, and to transparently reinforce multi-stakeholder efforts to avoid double-claiming as applicable;

• Require publicly available and accessible, comprehensive, and transparent information on crediting activities;

• Ensure verification of reported emissions reductions and removals, and validation of the relevant project or program, is undertaken by independent, accredited third parties;

• Ensure their governance procedures address real or perceived conflicts of interest in relation to the standards body’s own governance, as well as in registry administration and in validation and verification activities; and

• Support a robust enabling environment for equitable participation, including by projects and programs in developing countries.

source: FACT SHEET: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Announces New Principles for High-Integrity Voluntary Carbon Markets, May 28, 2024.