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The Voluntary Carbon Standard

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by Felix Salmon
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Nov 19 2007 12:00am EDT

The Voluntary Carbon Standard

Today marks the launch of the Voluntary Carbon Standard. The VCS is meant to be a kind of Good Housekeeping seal of approval for carbon offsets: if you want to offset your jet-set lifestyle or your new SUV, look for the VCS logo first.

After reading the new VCS Carbon Standard specification, my feeling is that it still leaves a lot of scope for slightly fudgy carbon accounting. For instance, can the notorious RCEs, or renewable energy credits, count as VCUs, or voluntary carbon units, under the VCS? I'm pretty sure the answer is yes, just so long as they aren't double-counted elsewhere.

But at least now the system of VCS approval means that not just anybody can come along and claim to be offsetting carbon emissions without any external verification. (Hey! I'm not flying to England for Christmas! Now I can sell you the carbon I'm not emitting!) So file this under "good first step," I think, and wait to see how it evolves.

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