Isometric, a pioneering carbon removals startup, has unveiled its new Isometric Standard, which sets out a rigorous set of regulations for carbon removals. The company, based in London and New York, is developing the world’s first independent and transparent registry for durable carbon removal credits. By addressing the challenges faced by the traditional carbon offset market, Isometric is introducing an innovative approach. The Isometric Standard aims to establish a framework for carbon removal credits, providing confidence in the market and encouraging larger purchases by buyers.
Founded in 2022, Isometric’s goal is to provide the necessary technology to scale up the nascent carbon dioxide removal (CDR) industry. The company’s science platform and public registry report data and verification results from a wide network of partners. This transparency aims to instill more confidence in the market and drive further growth. The first half of this year has already seen significant purchases, indicating that the industry is poised for expansion. Isometric is committed to ensuring responsible growth as it seeks to scale CDR rapidly.
To achieve this responsible growth, Isometric has developed two products. The first is the Science Platform, which facilitates the acceleration of alignment with high-quality standards. Scientific experts collaborate on this platform to enable CDR suppliers to host and visualize their removal data and protocols clearly and consistently. The second product is Isometric’s Registry, which ensures that CDR scales responsibly. It allows the company to publish scientifically verified carbon removal records in a transparent manner, in collaboration with the appropriate experts. Isometric believes that the CDR industry, which currently removes only a few kilo tons of CO2, will need to grow at a much faster pace to remove gigatonnes of CO2 annually.
Carbon removals have gained significant support, with the Energy Department pledging $3.7 billion last year to develop the CDR industry in the U.S. Similarly, the UK plans to amend its Emissions Trading Scheme to welcome engineered or technological carbon removals. The CDR industry has the potential to become a major part of the next $1 trillion industry, but it requires the right rules and regulations. This is precisely what the Isometric Standard aims to achieve by providing a robust framework for carbon removal credits.
Eamon Jubbawy, CEO & Founder of Isometric, emphasized that the Isometric Standard raises the bar for carbon credits. He stated that rebuilding trust in the Voluntary Carbon Market requires rigorous science and transparency, and the Isometric Standard provides an opportunity for the carbon removal industry to meet the urgent challenges we face. The Isometric Standard only recognizes carbon credits that can demonstrate the actual removal of CO2 from the atmosphere. Additionally, the captured CO2 must be stored permanently and quantifiable over long-duration timelines, typically exceeding 1,000 years. The Standard does not include “avoidance” carbon credits, which are associated with nature-based climate solutions like reforestation. It also excludes carbon credits generated by projects that carry the risk of temporary CO2 storage, such as tree-planting initiatives susceptible to wildfires.
The Isometric Standard is the result of collaboration among over 150 expert scientists, following a trusted approach. The calculations behind each carbon removal credit listed on Isometric’s platform are fully transparent and open to public scrutiny. Trust and transparency are the foundations of the Standard, ensuring the generation of genuine carbon credits. By combining scientific rigor and radical transparency, the Isometric Standard provides an opportunity for the fast-growing carbon removal industry to address issues such as greenwashing.
The Isometric Standard guides the Isometric Crediting Program in two distinct ways. Firstly, it offers guidance and transparent infrastructure to foster high-quality climate action through durable removals of CO2. Secondly, it issues verified credits as evidence of ownership for removal claims and reporting purposes. The Standard sets out all the requirements to ensure that delivered tonnes have measurable and verifiable climate impact. It also outlines the duties and obligations of stakeholders in relation to the Isometric Registry. The credited tonnes of removal must be durable, additional, and measured using the latest scientific methods. All the rules and requirements for crediting, including issuance, retirement, reversals, and buffer pools, are detailed in the Standard.
By offering a foundation of trust in CDR credits, the Isometric Standard enables the industry to grow to the scale required to stay within the 1.5°C warming threshold. When the stakes are high, the standards must match. The Isometric Standard focuses on transparency, permanence, and rigorous science, providing a framework that supports the flourishing of the carbon removal industry while ensuring that carbon credits genuinely contribute to a greener future.
