Additionality

Additionality is the test that a carbon-offset project’s emission reductions would not have happened without the revenue from selling credits. A project that was already commercially viable, legally required, or common practice fails the test, and its credits do not represent real extra abatement. Verification standards apply financial, regulatory, and common-practice screens against a counterfactual baseline. Additionality is the most contested pillar of offset quality: studies of renewable-energy and avoided-deforestation credits found large fractions non-additional, which is why buyers in shipping treat offsets as a weaker claim than measured emission cuts at the ship.