Why carbon credits?

An honest answer. No greenwash. No corporate euphemism. Just a clear explanation of what carbon credits are, what they do — and what they can't.

The honest case for credits

Carbon credits aren't perfect. Like any market-based mechanism applied to complex environmental systems, quality varies — and there have been well-publicised cases of projects that didn't deliver what they promised.

But the alternative isn't simply “do nothing.” Verified credits — properly certified, independently measured, permanently retired — are one of the most direct ways to channel real money to real climate projects. The key is quality, and quality is verifiable.

Here's what verified looks like.

What is a carbon credit?

A carbon credit represents one tonne of CO₂ that has either been removed from the atmosphere, or prevented from entering it. When you buy and retire a credit, that tonne can never be sold again.

The key word is “verified”. Anyone can claim to have planted a tree. A carbon credit means an independent registry has checked the methodology, measured the actual impact, and certified the result. It's a claim backed by evidence, not a promise backed by marketing.

Criteria 1: Additional

The carbon impact must be additional — meaning it wouldn't have happened without the credit revenue. A forest that would have been protected anyway doesn't count. The project has to prove that funding was the deciding factor.

This is the most scrutinised criterion, and the reason we only work with certified registries.

Criteria 2: Co-benefits

The best projects don't just sequester carbon — they also protect biodiversity, improve community livelihoods, clean water sources, or restore habitat. We select projects that deliver these co-benefits alongside the core climate impact.

A peatland restoration that also creates rare species habitat and prevents downstream flooding is a better project than one that only sequesters carbon.

Criteria 3: Certified

Every project we list is certified by an internationally recognised standard. We use Gold Standard, Verra VCS, and the Woodland Carbon Code. These organisations set the methodology, verify the measurements, and maintain the public registries where credits are retired.

Removal vs. avoidance — what's the difference?

Carbon removal

CO₂ is physically taken out of the atmosphere and stored — in trees, soil, peat, or ocean sediment. Projects: Borneo rainforest, Scottish peatlands, Cornish seagrass.

Emissions avoidance

Emissions that would otherwise have occurred are prevented. Not sequestration, but still real impact. Projects: Kenya cookstoves, Amazon REDD+.

Both matter. We're transparent about which type each project is. We never mix them up or pretend avoidance is the same as removal.

How onemillion.earth approaches quality

The voluntary carbon market is not self-regulating. Quality varies enormously. onemillion.earth lists only projects certified by Gold Standard, Verra VCS, or the Woodland Carbon Code — internationally recognised registries that require independent verification before a credit is issued.

We don't use the word “offset”. We don't promise “carbon neutrality”. We say: here is a real project, here is what it does, here is what your money funds. If you want to check it yourself, every registry link is on our Verify page.

The goal isn't absolution. It's collective action — one tile at a time.