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The rights of indigenous groups and areas of high biodiversity significance are the focus of updated carbon project verification standards issued by the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance (CCBA). The group has released a second edition of its carbon offset design standards at the annual UN climate conference in Poznan, superseding the initial version launched in 2005.
The CCB Standard has emerged as one of the leaders among standards aimed at the burgeoning voluntary carbon market, although it does not issue formal carbon credits. Over the past two years, a number of independent verification standards have arisen amid widespread concerns over the integrity of unregulated projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, especially in forestry.
There are now more than a dozen standards on offer to project developers to allow them to prove that their activities produce real and permanent benefits in reducing emissions, but not all these standards will survive. Last month the Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS), another leader, issued its final rules for land-use projects.
The CCB Standard targets the land-use sector solely and has a strong focus on the social and environmental impacts and benefits of projects, beyond the straight carbon benefits. The second edition strengthens these in key areas, Joanna Durbin, director of the CCBA, told Carbon Positive.
The social requirements now encourage greater say in projects from local stakeholders via the public comment period, which is the first stage of a three-step registration process. There is also now greater cultural recognition built in to the socio-economic requirements; the various indigenous groups impacted must be identified and their rights recognised.
The new edition ditches the Silver level of performance and introduces a revised Gold level which now rewards the delivery of
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