Permanence Guarantee
Mechanisms ensuring long-term carbon storage, mitigating reversal risks.
What is a Permanence Guarantee?
A permanence guarantee refers to the mechanisms or assurances put in place by carbon crediting standards or project developers to ensure that the carbon removed from the atmosphere or emissions avoided will remain sequestered or prevented from re-entering the atmosphere for a specified long duration (e.g., 100 years or more).
Why is a Permanence Guarantee important?
A permanence guarantee is important because it addresses the critical challenge of ensuring the long-term climate benefit of carbon projects, especially for nature-based solutions where risks of reversal (e.g., fire, disease, land-use change) exist. Without such guarantees, the climate impact of credits could be negated, undermining market integrity.
Related terms
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Frequently asked questions
Common types include buffer pools (collective insurance mechanisms), long-term monitoring and adaptive management plans, legal covenants on land use, and sometimes insurance products.
The responsibility often lies with the standard body (through buffer pools) and the project developer (through ongoing management and monitoring), with some standards also placing liability on credit buyers for certain reversal types.
While robust mechanisms are in place, no guarantee is 100% foolproof against all unforeseen risks. The goal is to mitigate risks to an acceptable level and ensure overall program integrity.