Markets & Policy
Core carbon principles
A set of integrity criteria covering additionality, permanence, quantification and governance that credits are assessed against.
The principles articulate what a credible credit should satisfy: genuine additional emission reductions or removals, sound quantification, durable storage, no double counting and transparent governance.
They function as a common yardstick across standards, allowing comparison between credits issued under different programmes, which fragmented markets previously made difficult.
Frequently asked questions
Are they mandatory?
No. They are a voluntary benchmark that standards and buyers may adopt.
Which principle is hardest to satisfy?
Additionality and permanence, because both rest on counterfactual reasoning and long horizons.