How do carbon capture and storage credits deal with the risk that stored CO2 escapes?
It depends on where the CO2 goes. ICVCM says geochemical storage and mineralisation generally carry low reversal risk. Underground reservoirs and aquifers need proof the storage holds, ongoing monitoring and contributions to a buffer pool. The VM0049 rules for this were judged appropriate to the risk.
By type of storage
- Geochemical storage or mineralisation: generally low reversal risk.
- Underground reservoirs, aquifers and similar: proof of storage integrity, ongoing monitoring of the store and contributions to a buffer pool in case of a reversal.
Regulation may lag
Some countries have no rules yet for storing CO2 underground. Programs must make project owners follow national and local law. The Board expects programs to watch the gap and consider requiring best available practice where regulation is not in place.
Two points on counting
- VM0049 version 1.0 does not require construction-related emissions. Literature suggests they may be about 15 g CO2 per kg captured, about 1.5% of credited removals. The Board did not find this material but says it may matter in some cases.
- Where the capture uses biomass, land-use change in the feedstock supply could outweigh the removals. Methodologies usually exclude the riskiest biomass or limit it to residues.
Scope of this view
VM0049, Carbon Capture and Storage, is the only methodology these observations cover. Others in the category remain under assessment.
What Senseible does here
Senseible does not issue or verify carbon credits and is not a registry. It gives carbon credit eligibility signals from your own records and keeps those records in order for a verifier. Verified here means rule checks passed against the evidence, not third-party assurance.
- Durable removals and nature-based credits for net zero
- What are the ICVCM Core Carbon Principles?
- Carbon credits
Sources: ICVCM, Observations on category assessment: carbon dioxide removals (September 2026)
Last reviewed 2026-11-04.