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At ZeroMission we work with energy projects registered under the Gold Standard. These projects may or may not be registered additionally with the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). Although the two validation systems were initially linked, today they operate independently.
The Gold Standard was developed in 2003 by a group of not-for-profit organizations concerned about the impact of some CDM projects on the environment and local populations. Initially it was applied only to CDM projects.
As the voluntary market for carbon credits developed it was recognized that the Gold Standard could also be used outside the CDM market and the first non-CDM projects that fulfilled the Gold Standard criteria were registered in 2006.
For the technical aspects of measuring and verifying carbon emission reductions, the Gold Standard and CDM systems use the same methodologies, and similar criteria apply (for instance all projects must be “additional”). The main difference between the two systems is that the Gold Standard gives greater attention to impact of projects on the economic, environmental and social welfare of the local population.
For these reasons Gold Standard validation alone is generally considered sufficient for the voluntary carbon market and this is borne out by the sales figures. Worldwide in 2012 the volume of carbon credits from projects registered under the Gold Standard alone was 10 MtCO2e, of which a mere 0.35 MtCO2e was from projects also validated under the CDM.
You can read more about the Gold Standard here: http://www.cdmgoldstandard.org/about-us/why-gs
