Lifecycle of a carbon credit

Let's talk about the journey of a carbon credit. It all starts with a project that captures or reduces carbon emissions. This could be a nature-based project like planting trees, or a tech-based one that uses machines to take carbon out of the air. After the project has been verified by a registry like Verra or Gold Standard, it can issue carbon credits. Each carbon credit stands for one tonne of carbon that's been captured or offset.

Now, once issued, these carbon credits become tradable assets. They work pretty much like any other financial product. You can buy and sell carbon credits and their price is set by the market. But it's important to remember that the point of a carbon credit isn't to be traded forever.

In terms of carbon accounting, a carbon credit is used to offset a specific ton of carbon that a company has emitted. Even though the carbon credit might change hands a few times, it eventually ends up with a company. This company buys the credit, "retires" it, and counts it against their carbon emissions for a particular year, usually the most recent one.

Retirement is the last stage in a carbon credit's life. The company that bought the credit logs its retirement with the registry, which takes it out of circulation. This means the carbon credit can't be reused or traded again, so it becomes worthless.

Once a carbon credit is retired, its retired status is permanent and can be seen by the public. Every carbon credit has a unique identifier, so anyone can confirm its retirement with the registry. The company that retired the credits can also log them for auditing purposes. This creates a way to verify the link between the credits they've retired and those in the database of the registry.

How does retirement affect carbon investors?

But what does retirement mean for people trading carbon credits? Well, they should remember that the main buyers or holders of carbon credits are usually companies trying to offset their own carbon emissions. The process of retirement allows this offset to happen.

The way carbon credit trading works is a bit like trading commodities. A commodity might be traded multiple times, but eventually there's a delivery date when the product reaches its final destination and can't be traded anymore. While there are differences between carbon credits and traditional commodities, this comparison can help understand the process.

To wrap up, the idea of retiring carbon credits is crucial in global carbon accounting practices. It provides a systematic way to reduce carbon emissions, making it a key tool in the fight against climate change. The life of a carbon credit—from the start of a carbon-capturing project to its retirement—gives a useful insight into how this complex process contributes to a more sustainable future.

Download the Ora app to start investing in carbon credits.