Sustainable finance

Verified Carbon Unit (VCU)

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Definition

A Verified Carbon Unit is a tradable certificate representing one metric tonne of CO₂ equivalent reduced or removed, issued by Verra to projects registered under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) — the largest programme in the voluntary carbon market. VCUs are generated after validation of the project and verification of outcomes by accredited bodies, tracked in the Verra registry, and retired when used toward compensation claims.

References

verra.orgBulk import source

Source imported for editorial provenance.

Source organisationSupporting reference

This reference provides supporting context for how “Verified Carbon Unit (VCU)” is defined and used.

Overview

How it is used

The unit structures voluntary offsetting transactions, corporate compensation claims, carbon market analysis, and the design of integrity safeguards.

Why it matters

The VCU is the unit in which the voluntary carbon market's promise — and its problems — are denominated.