# Carbon Methodology Registry Database
## Summary Statistics

**Generated:** 2026-01-20
**Total Methodologies Catalogued:** ~370+
**Registries Covered:** 17

---

## Registry Overview

| Registry | Tier | Type | Methodologies | Focus Areas |
|----------|------|------|---------------|-------------|
| Verra VCS | 1 | Voluntary | ~80 | AFOLU, Energy, Waste, Industrial |
| Gold Standard | 1 | Voluntary | ~25 | Cookstoves, Water, Land Use |
| ACR | 1 | Voluntary | 41 | Forestry, Agriculture, Industrial |
| Climate Action Reserve | 1 | Voluntary | 33 | Forestry, Livestock, Biochar |
| Plan Vivo | 1 | Voluntary | 17 | Smallholder Agroforestry, REDD+ |
| CDM | 2 | Compliance | 223+ | All sectors (legacy) |
| California ARB | 2 | Compliance | 6 | Forest, Livestock, ODS |
| RGGI | 2 | Compliance | 5 | Landfill, Forest, Agriculture |
| Australia ACCU | 2 | Compliance | 14 | Vegetation, Energy, Waste |
| Puro.earth | 3 | Voluntary | 7 | Carbon Removal (Biochar, ERW) |
| Cercarbono | 3 | Voluntary | 8 | REDD+, Renewables (LATAM) |
| BioCarbon Registry | 3 | Voluntary | 5 | REDD+ (LATAM) |
| Global Carbon Council | 3 | Voluntary | 10 | Renewables, NBS (MENA) |
| Isometric | 3 | Voluntary | 18 | Carbon Removal (DAC, BiCRS, Marine) |
| CORSIA | 4 | Sector | N/A | Aviation fuels & offsets |
| SBTi FLAG | 4 | Sector | N/A | Forest, Land, Agriculture targets |
| ART TREES | 4 | Sector | 1 | Jurisdictional REDD+ |

---

## Methodology Categories

### By Project Type
| Category | Count | Examples |
|----------|-------|----------|
| **Avoidance/Reduction** | ~180 | REDD+, Cookstoves, Landfill gas |
| **Sequestration** | ~120 | Forestry, Soil carbon, Blue carbon |
| **Carbon Removal** | ~50 | DAC, Biochar, Enhanced weathering |
| **Industrial** | ~30 | Refrigerants, ODS, Nitric acid |

### By Sector
| Sector | Methodologies | Key Registries |
|--------|---------------|----------------|
| Forestry/AFOLU | 85+ | Verra, ACR, CAR, ACCU |
| Energy/Renewables | 60+ | CDM, Gold Standard, GCC |
| Agriculture | 40+ | Verra, ACR, CAR, ACCU |
| Waste/Landfill | 30+ | CDM, RGGI, ACCU |
| Industrial | 25+ | ACR, CDM, California ARB |
| Carbon Removal | 45+ | Puro.earth, Isometric, ACR |
| Blue Carbon | 10+ | Verra, ACCU, Isometric |

---

## Isometric Carbon Registry (ICR) - Carbon Removal Focus

### Certified Protocols (12)
| Protocol | Version | Category |
|----------|---------|----------|
| Subsurface Biomass | v1.0 | BiCRS |
| Biochar Production and Storage | v1.2 | BiCRS |
| Enhanced Weathering in Agriculture | v1.1 | Enhanced Weathering |
| Open System Ex-situ Mineralization | v1.0 | Mineralization |
| Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement | v1.0 | Marine |
| Electrolytic Seawater Mineralization | v1.0 | Marine |
| Wastewater Alkalinity Enhancement | v1.1 | Marine |
| River Alkalinity Enhancement | v1.0 | Marine |
| Direct Ocean Capture and Storage | v1.0 | Marine |
| Reforestation | v1.1 | Biosphere |
| Improved Forest Management | v1.0 | Biosphere |
| Mangrove Restoration | v1.0 | Biosphere |

### Pending Certification (6)
| Protocol | Version | Category |
|----------|---------|----------|
| Biogenic Carbon Capture and Storage | v1.3 | BiCRS |
| Biomass Geological Storage | v1.2 | BiCRS |
| Bio-oil Geological Storage | v1.2 | BiCRS |
| Direct Air Capture | v1.3 | DAC |
| Agroforestry | v1.0 | Biosphere |

### Active Consultations: 2

---

## ACR Methodology Lifecycle

ACR tracks methodologies through distinct stages:

| Stage | Description | Count |
|-------|-------------|-------|
| **Active** | Approved for project registration | 13 |
| **In Scientific Peer Review** | Under expert review | 1 |
| **Open for Public Comment** | Public consultation period | 0 |
| **In Development** | Being developed | 3 |
| **Inactive** | No longer accepting new projects | 24 |

**Key methodologies in development:**
- Carbon Capture and Storage v2.0
- Enhanced Weathering
- Direct Air Capture

---

## Compliance Markets Summary

### California ARB Offset Protocols
1. U.S. Forest Projects (Reforestation, IFM, Avoided Conversion)
2. Livestock Projects (Dairy digesters)
3. Ozone Depleting Substances
4. Rice Cultivation
5. Mine Methane Capture
6. Urban Forest Projects

### RGGI Offset Categories
1. Landfill Methane Capture and Destruction
2. U.S. Forest Projects (Reforestation, IFM, Avoided Conversion)
3. Afforestation (CT only)
4. Agricultural Methane (Anaerobic digesters)
5. Sulfur Hexafluoride (limited availability)

### Australia ACCU Methods (14 active)
**Vegetation:** Plantation forestry, Savanna fire management, Blue carbon, Reforestation
**Agriculture:** Animal effluent, Soil carbon
**Energy Efficiency:** Commercial appliances, Industrial equipment, Refrigeration
**Waste:** Landfill gas, Organic waste
**Mining:** Carbon capture and storage

---

## Sector-Specific Standards

### CORSIA (Aviation)
- ICAO-administered carbon offsetting scheme
- Eligible Fuels: Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), Lower Carbon Aviation Fuels
- Key documents updated November 2025:
  - Default Life Cycle Emissions (8th Edition)
  - Methodology for Actual Life Cycle Emissions (7th Edition)

### SBTi FLAG (Forest, Land & Agriculture)
- Mandatory for food production, processing, retail, tobacco
- Required if FLAG emissions >20% of total emissions
- Key requirements:
  1. Account for land-based emissions and removals
  2. Near-term targets (5-10 years)
  3. Long-term targets (72% reduction by 2050)
  4. No-deforestation commitment (by 2025)
- **Note:** Timber & wood fiber pathway temporarily suspended

### ART TREES (Jurisdictional REDD+)
- TREES 2.0 (August 2021)
- National and subnational scale
- Aligned with Paris Agreement, Warsaw Framework, Cancún Safeguards

---

## Data Quality Notes

### High Confidence Data
- ACR: Full lifecycle tracking, PDF methodology documents
- Isometric: Detailed protocol specifications with modules
- RGGI: Complete offset category documentation
- Australia ACCU: Current methods with detailed requirements

### Needs Verification
- Verra VCS: Large methodology count, requires API verification
- CDM: Legacy system, methodology status may be outdated
- Regional registries: Cercarbono, BioCarbon - limited English documentation

### Update Priority
1. **High:** ACR (status changes), Isometric (consultations), Verra
2. **Medium:** CAR, Gold Standard, Australia ACCU
3. **Lower:** CDM, regional registries

---

## Files Generated

| File | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `data/methodologies_database.json` | Full structured database |
| `output/methodology_changes.json` | Change tracking log |
| `scripts/methodology_updater.py` | Automated update script |
| `scripts/update_config.yaml` | Registry configuration |
| `scripts/run_monthly_update.sh` | Cron-ready update script |

---

## Next Steps

1. **Monthly Updates:** Run `./scripts/run_monthly_update.sh` on 1st of each month
2. **Change Tracking:** Review `output/methodology_changes.json` for status transitions
3. **PDF Collection:** Consider archiving methodology PDFs for version tracking
4. **API Integration:** Implement Firecrawl API for automated scraping
5. **Alerting:** Set up notifications for methodology status changes

---

*Generated by Carbon Methodology Registry Updater v1.0*