ICVCM Approves Global Carbon Council and New Renewable Energy Methodology

The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market has approved the Global Carbon Council as its tenth CCP-Eligible program and given conditional CCP approval to a revised renewable energy methodology, VCS VMR0017. The latest batch of decisions also found that ART TREES high-forest-cover crediting levels do not currently meet CCP requirements, with remedial actions required.

The Global Carbon Council (GCC), established in Qatar in 2016 by the Gulf Organisation for Research and Development, becomes CCP-Eligible under its Standard on ICVCM Eligibility of Projects and Issuances v1.1. The standard incorporates strengthened rules on confidential information handling, non-permanence risk assessment, crediting period renewal, uncertainty management, and safeguard procedures. Separately, VCS VMR0017 — a revised renewable energy methodology covering wind, solar, geothermal, small-scale hydro, and wave or tidal power — has received conditional CCP approval. No historical issuances will be CCP-approved under VMR0017, but the ICVCM noted significant market interest in high-integrity renewable energy projects.

The Isometric Mangrove Restoration Protocol v1.0 has been fully approved, with three signed projects and potential to issue up to 2 million carbon removal credits by 2030. VCS ACM0008 for mine methane abatement (Versions 6-8) received conditional approval for Ventilation Air Methane and Coal Mine Methane activities. Approximately 6.44 million credits have been issued under the approved ACM0008 versions, but few are expected to be eligible for CCP labels due to approval conditions. ART TREES v2.0 HFLD and Removals Crediting Levels both require remedial actions; 58.4 million credits issued under the HFLD level to date are not eligible for CCP labels.

As of April 2026, the ICVCM has approved ten CCP-Eligible programs and 40 methodologies, with 25 methodologies found not to meet requirements. An estimated 107 million credits have been approved to use the CCP label, with approximately 63 million available in the market and 44 million retired or cancelled. ICVCM Board Chair Annette Nazareth stated that the difficult decisions taken to date are charting a path toward increased methodological rigour, and the approval of VMR0017 signals the arrival of a new generation of more robust renewable energy methodologies with a large expected pipeline.

Key figure — 58.4 million credits issued under ART TREES v2.0 HFLD level — none CCP-eligible