ICVCM Seeks External Experts for Carbon Credit Category Assessment Working Groups

The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market has issued a call for carbon methodology experts to join Multi-Stakeholder Working Groups that will assess categories of carbon credits against the Core Carbon Principles. Initial placement on the expert roster is for two years, with the possibility of renewal.

The ICVCM is seeking individuals with direct expertise in carbon crediting methodology development and project development across sectors including agriculture, forestry and land-use, energy, transport, and industrial gases. The call prioritises candidates from civil society, environmental non-government organisations, commercial entities, rating agencies, carbon crediting programs, and the public sector. The ICVCM has committed to fostering a diverse roster reflecting geographic and gender balance and representation from Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

Multi-Stakeholder Working Groups will hold virtual three-hour meetings in the second half of 2023 and into early 2024, staggered across the different category tracks. Members should expect to spend additional time on preparation and post-meeting comments, and should be available for extra meetings if required. The MSWGs are designed to handle categories that raise complex issues not suited to the ICVCM's internal assessment track — particularly those involving forestry, agriculture, and renewable energy methodologies that dominate the market.

The MSWG process is a central element of the ICVCM's regulatory-like approach to establishing consistency in the voluntary carbon market. Recommendations from the groups will feed into the governing board's formal decisions on category approvals. Programs issuing credits under approved categories will be able to use the CCP label, signalling to buyers — including Indian companies investing in voluntary offsets — that the credits meet internationally recognised quality standards. The application window for MSWG experts has now closed.

Key figure — 2-year initial term — length of expert roster placement for members of ICVCM Multi-Stakeholder Working Groups