Cercarbono is a voluntary carbon market standard headquartered in Medellín, Colombia, that certifies emission reduction and removal projects and issues tradable carbon credits known as Verified Carbon Credits (VCCs). Each VCC represents one metric tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO₂e) avoided, reduced, or removed from the atmosphere. Projects span sectors including forestry and land use (REDD+, afforestation, reforestation), renewable energy, energy efficiency, waste management, and agriculture.
The program operates through a protocol that sets out rules for project eligibility, additionality, baseline setting, monitoring, reporting, and verification by accredited third-party validation and verification bodies (VVBs). Issued credits are tracked on the EcoRegistry platform, which maintains public records of projects, issuances, transfers, and retirements.
Cercarbono has become particularly relevant in Latin America because Colombia's carbon tax, introduced under Law 1819 of 2016, allows regulated entities to offset their tax liability by surrendering credits from approved voluntary standards — a mechanism known as the no causación option. Cercarbono is one of the standards whose credits are accepted under this framework, alongside others such as Verra's VCS and Gold Standard. This has driven a high volume of domestic REDD+ issuances, especially from projects on collective Afro-Colombian and Indigenous territories in regions like Chocó and the Amazon.
The standard has faced scrutiny common to the broader voluntary carbon market, including questions raised in 2023–2024 by journalists and researchers about the additionality, baseline integrity, and benefit-sharing arrangements of certain large Colombian REDD+ projects. Cercarbono has responded by updating its forestry protocols and tightening community consultation requirements.
For MUN delegates and researchers, Cercarbono illustrates how Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, national carbon pricing instruments, and voluntary markets intersect in practice in developing-country contexts.
Example
In 2022, several REDD+ projects in Colombia's Pacific region issued Verified Carbon Credits under Cercarbono that were purchased by fuel distributors to offset their obligations under Colombia's national carbon tax.
Frequently asked questions
All three are voluntary carbon standards, but Cercarbono is Colombian-based and especially active in Latin American REDD+ and within Colombia's carbon tax offset mechanism, whereas Verra (US) and Gold Standard (Switzerland) operate globally with longer track records.
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