Verra has rejected multiple carbon projects in China and launched a broader review of dozens more after uncovering serious questions about the legitimacy of government approval documents, the voluntary carbon market standards body said Friday.
In quality control reviews completed earlier this month, Verra determined that independent auditors could not verify whether four forestry projects had received the required authorizations from Chinese authorities.
The move resulted in the outright rejection of those projects—with project IDs 1847, 1864, 1865, and 2070—which collectively had issued roughly 4.42 million Verified Carbon Units (VCUs).
Verra also removed their contributions from its risk buffer pool and is requiring the project proponent to replace the credits.
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The standards setter has placed 35 other China-based projects with similar issues into additional reviews under its registration and issuance process.
While these projects remain on hold and cannot issue new carbon credits, Verra has instructed the respective validation/verification bodies (VVBs) to confirm official approvals directly with government authorities.
If that confirmation cannot be obtained, Verra said more projects may be rejected and subject to VCU replacement.
There are also concerns about another 10 previously withdrawn Chinese projects that issued about 7.1 million VCUs before exiting the registry.
Verra said it will launch separate checks on those now-inactive activities, requiring VVBs to substantiate whether necessary governmental authorizations existed.
The organizations auditing those projects have already been suspended by Verra.
Verra’s chief executive, Mandy Rambharos, said the standards body views compliance with local legal requirements and authentic documentation as essential to maintaining trust in voluntary carbon markets.
“The integrity of our standards programs depends, among others, on projects meeting all applicable legal requirements, including necessary government approvals,” she added.
Verra’s actions reflect heightened scrutiny of carbon projects in China and around the world as market participants press for greater transparency and confidence in the climate benefits underpinning carbon credits.
Read more: Verra Suspends Validation Bodies Responsible For Rejected China Projects
