Data sources & disclaimers
Where our data comes from.
Every score on Terminal Carbon is built from public registry data, project documentation, and independent remote-sensing checks. Here is exactly what we use, how often it refreshes, and what our scores are not.
Methodology v1.2Currently in effect— since 1 May 2026
Methodology
v1.2
Last updated May 2026
Registry refresh
Weekly + on-click
Bulk weekly, plus live verification on demand.
Score review
Event-driven
Re-scored on every registry or MRV event.
Sources we ingest
Eight primary data sources, all auditable.
| Source | Type | Refresh cadence | How we use it |
|---|---|---|---|
Verra Registry (VCS) Visit | Public registry — issuance, retirement, project status | Daily lookup on demand; weekly bulk refresh for tracked projects | Source of truth for VCS-registered projects, vintages and registry events. |
Gold Standard Impact Registry Visit | Public registry — projects, credits, retirements | Weekly bulk refresh; on-demand verification on click | Source of truth for Gold Standard projects and SDG impact reporting. |
American Carbon Registry (ACR) Visit | Public registry — US-focused offsets | Weekly bulk refresh | Verification of ACR project IDs, vintages and serial numbers. |
Climate Action Reserve (CAR) Visit | Public registry — US protocols | Weekly bulk refresh | Verification of CAR project IDs and credit issuance. |
Puro.earth Registry Visit | Engineered removals registry (biochar, BiCRS, mineralisation) | Weekly bulk refresh | Durability-tier and engineered-removal data for premium credits. |
ICVCM — Core Carbon Principles Visit | Independent integrity assessments | On publication (typically quarterly) | Methodology- and program-level CCP-eligibility flags. |
Project documentation (PDDs, MRV reports) | Developer-supplied documents | On submission and at each new verification cycle | Primary source for additionality, leakage and permanence analysis. |
Remote sensing (open-data satellite) | Sentinel-2, Landsat, ESA WorldCover | Per-project on review cycle (typically annual for AFOLU) | Independent ground-truthing for forest cover, deforestation belts and project boundaries. |
Refresh cadence in detail
What changes when, and how you can force a fresh check.
Project status (registered / issued / retired)
Weekly bulk + on-click
Click 'Verify' on any project page to force a fresh lookup against the source registry.
Credit-score components
Re-evaluated on registry events
Issuance, retirement, suspension or new MRV reports trigger an automatic rescore.
Pricing references
On listing change
We do not publish a live spot price — pricing shown is the most recent transacted or asked level.
Methodology version
Versioned, with changelog
Currently v1.2 (updated May 2026).
What our scores are not
Disclaimers, in plain English.
- Terminal Carbon scores are an internal opinion intended to help buyers compare credits like-for-like. They are not financial, legal, tax or compliance advice.
- A score does not guarantee the credit will be accepted under any specific compliance regime (CORSIA, EU ETS, Article 6, SBTi, CSRD).
- Inclusion in our public registry is not an endorsement of the project developer or a guarantee of credit availability.
- Buyers should perform their own due diligence and consult qualified advisers before transacting.
Methodology version v1.2 · Last updated May 2026. Material changes are versioned with a public changelog. Questions? Talk to our team.
Methodology changelog
Every version, dated and itemised.
Material changes to the scoring framework are versioned and dated. Older versions remain referenceable so any historical score on the platform can be reproduced.
- v1.2 CurrentEffective 1 May 2026
MRV pillar refresh and ICVCM CCP integration.
- Added ICVCM Core Carbon Principles eligibility flag at the program and methodology level.
- Tightened VVB credibility scoring — past suspensions now down-score by up to 15 points.
- Down-score threshold for stale verification reduced from 36 to 24 months.
- Added Puro.earth durability tiers (short-term / long-term / geological) to the score card.
- v1.1Effective 1 February 2026
Leakage adjustments for commodity-driven projects.
- Introduced market-leakage discount calibrated to commodity elasticity (timber, beef, palm oil).
- Required leakage belt of 5–20km for all REDD+ projects.
- Added cookstove fuel-stacking adjustment to the leakage pillar.
- v1.0Effective 1 November 2025
First public methodology release.
- Four-pillar framework: additionality, permanence, leakage, MRV.
- 0–100 composite score with letter band (AAA → C).
- Registry coverage: Verra, Gold Standard, ACR, CAR, Puro.earth.