Achievement follows record annual issuance in 2025 and represents trust in the Reserve’s customer service, strong integrity and power of carbon markets

LOS ANGELES, CA – Marking a significant milestone for voluntary and compliance carbon markets and for its own program, the Climate Action Reserve announced it has issued its 250 millionth carbon credit. The achievement for this leading global carbon credit registry represents the trust voluntary market stakeholders and governments hold in the organization and in the critical need for strong integrity.

“It’s great to start 2026 with a bang. On behalf of the Reserve, I thank everyone – stakeholders, communities, project developers, government officials, and more – who have contributed to this achievement. But while we take pride, we are also humbled by how much more work is needed to galvanize climate action at the speed and scale necessary to save the world. We look forward to supporting the carbon crediting sector’s continued development as we pursue a path of smart and strategic growth,” said Robin Rix, President of the Climate Action Reserve.

Key trademarks of the Reserve’s work distinguish this achievement. Every one of the 250 million credits was issued according to protocols developed through public processes. And the credits were reviewed and registered according to world-leading timelines with a high degree of efficiency and with a high level of customer service.

A nitric acid project, CAR1624, developed by Ascend Performance Materials received the 250 millionth credit issued. The project, located in Cantonment, Florida, near the border with Alabama, was first registered in November 2023, and the issuance for its 2025 vintage credits included the Reserve’s 250 millionth credit. To date, the project has reduced 647,111 metric tonnes of emissions.

The Reserve has been a leader in bringing the industrial sector into voluntary climate action through carbon projects and in supporting the use of industrial gas projects for compliance markets. To date, the organization has issued 63,332,983 credits for industrial gas projects, and its voluntary U.S. and Article 5 Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) Protocols supported the development of the ODS compliance offset protocols for California and Washington.

Including the Reserve’s industrial gas projects, a total of 1,174 projects are included in the 250 million credit milestone. They are located in 17 Mexican states and 45 U.S. states and represent 27 compliance and voluntary project types.

The credits have been issued under the voluntary market, as well as the compliance markets in California and Washington. Currently, 32,801,477 are eligible for the Core Carbon Principles (CCP) label under ICVCM, corresponding to roughly 30% of all CCP-labeled credits in the market. The Reserve issued 27,647,455 credits in 2025, its highest-ever year, exceeding its previous record year of 23,834,810 credits in 2024.

“Since the launch of the Reserve program in May 2008, we have remained unwavering in our commitment to integrity and accountability. Achieving this milestone provides proof that it is possible to deliver high quality emission reductions through customer service and programmatic expertise executed at high standards,” said Jennifer Weiss, VP Advancement and Program Operations.

The Climate Action Reserve is the most trusted, efficient, and experienced carbon credit registry for global carbon markets. A pioneer in carbon accounting, the Reserve promotes and fosters the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through credible market-based policies and solutions. As a high-quality carbon credit registry for voluntary carbon markets, it establishes rigorous standards involving multi-sector stakeholder workgroup development and local engagement and issues carbon credits in a transparent and publicly available system. The organization also supports compliance carbon markets in California, Washington and internationally. The Reserve is an environmental nonprofit organization operating virtually with staff located around the world and a support office in Los Angeles, California. For more information, please visit www.climateactionreserve.org. The Climate Action Reserve is an equal opportunity provider.