It’s not clear to many how carbon credits come into existence. They don’t just ‘pop up’ in the way central banks increase the currency supply. In reality the process involves a complex series of steps, from a project proposal document, through to validation, monitoring, reporting and verification, and final issuance by a carbon standards group. In this Carbonwise Visual Learning asset, we help set out the sequence of steps needed to create a carbon credit.
Content up-to-date at time of publication
The Carbonwise editorial team is formed of seasoned established industry writers and specialist journalists.
12 May 2026
A set of 10 principles put forward by the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) which define high-quality carbon credits, focused on aspects such as governance, tracking, verifiability and additionality.
29 April 2025
Airbnb’s direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions come from its own offices, while indirect emissions come from the energy it consumes, and from upstream and downstream activities associated with its business...
20 April 2026
Carbon offset standards organisations operate electronic registries in which the details of each project and each carbon credit issued and retired are kept.
Partner with the Carbonwise team to produce innovative educational content on Carbon Markets
Partner with the Carbonwise team to produce innovative educational content on Carbon Markets.
