Carbon Credit Realities - Global Green Institute

Reality Check regarding Carbon Credits from founder Daniel A. Huard, LEED Fellow!

“We are in a need for an authentic ‘Reality Check’ regarding Carbon Credits. The sad truth is we have so many entities out there marketing inexistent Carbon Credits” Huard provides. He continues “The ability exists for Carbon Credit authenticity, we have developed the needed credible methodology to validate, determining and considering real impacts, and assessing the ability to make positive environmental impacts while mitigating GHG Emissions“.

Unlike the plethora of Voluntary Credit promoting entities, Global Green Institute (GGI) works to establish regulatory-compliance Carbon Credits utilizing their developed Investment Grade Documentation and Validation Techniques to truly determine the ROI and IRR of the three major categorical types of Carbon Credits and all six impacting Greenhouse Gasses. For clarification we concur that Carbon Credits can be developed from nature based solutions (our historical precedent) or technology based solutions. Additionally we as well look to Environmental Emissions and Environmental Degradation most obviously initiated via Air Pollution as the reason to place a cost/price on those impacts which Carbon Credits serve to reduce, mitigate and offset.

A Simplified Cap & Trade Process

The simplified Carbon Credit exchange process is illustrated in the image at the right. Within this image, the facility on the left exceeds its requisite Allocated GHG Emissions Units threshold Cap, the facility on the right in the image has GHG Emissions that are below its requisite threshold Cap. In a very simple scenario if the facility on the right has enough additional threshold below its Cap they could provide that measure to the facility on the right so that it becomes compliant with its threshold Cap. The central circle with within the graphic indicates Carbon Market aligning to a more realistic location where Offset Credits are made available for purchase via sales by mutual agreement or via auctions in several jurisdictions globally.

Although the public perception focus is on Carbon Dioxide (CO2) there are six (6) major GHG Emissions which we seek to minimize and as well mitigate.

These 6 major GHGs include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and perfluorocarbon (PFCs), their differing compositions as well as environmentally impacting characteristics cause differing damage to the planet as a result of their differing Global Warming Potential (GWP) per unit basis.

To provide narrative illustration one unit of CO2, for instance has a GWP value of 1, CH4 has a GWP value of 27-30 and as well is a precursor to ozone which is itself a GHG. Likewise, one unit of N2O has a GWP of 273 thus N2O has the potential to warm the earth 273 times more than the same amount of CO2 (based on US EPA valuations). Therefore we must convert GHG Emissions into Carbon Dioxide Equivalents (CO2e).

Sadly non-compliant Carbon Credits are overly marketed!

Global Green Institute has developed its specific Independent Third-Party Not-for-Profit Carbon Registry, where we simply categorize one Carbon Credit as equivalent to one metric tonne of GHG reduced or avoided from entering the atmosphere fully audited and documented for credibility! These efforts are not applicable to Voluntary Credits!

Again we validate nature based or technology based solutions to develop Carbon Credits from:

Renewable Energy Production or Offsets;

Carbon Emission Abatement Technologies and Energy Efficiency Measures;

and Forestry, Landscape, Agriculture and Nature Based

solution implementations… according to these typologies.

The analysis of these GHG abatement and mitigation potentials is provided via compliance standards developed within Global Green Institute utilizing the Investment Grade Audit analysis and Multidisciplinary Professional Managerial Expertise of our founders and their affiliated organizations. Global Green Institute as well utilizes Lifecycle Analysis (LCA) to form a benchmarking basis for truly defining all of the impacts that play a great part in the accurate evaluations inclusive of credible accounting for resultant ‘GHG reduced or avoided from entering the atmosphere Carbon Credits’ based on the identified specific typologies. An affiliated vertical MDH Evolution’s accomplishes this LCA consulting work.

With aligned Organizations we bring substantive Carbon Emission Reductions to reality. We have been working for decades evaluating via Investment Grade Audits then applying specific measurable efficiencies within the built environment as well as manufacturing and other industries. Our efforts at applying scientific and engineering proven best practices extend as well to the improvement of transportation efficiency, renewable energy, agriculture, as well as bio-diverse habitat and forestry restoration to substantially reduce environmental impacts to bring substantive carbon emission reductions to reality, again we make positive impacts for the planet and its peoples.