We are excited to share that version 2.0 of the Absolute Carbon Standard (ACS) is now open for public consultation!
The draft is available on the Absolute Climate Documentation page and open for public comment until December 26th, 2025. If you would like to provide feedback, please track your suggestions using a feedback form (available in Google Doc or Microsoft Office versions) and send a completed copy to consultation@absoluteclimate.com. Absolute Climate will publicly respond to each comment we receive in a document published alongside the final version of the standard.
The Absolute Carbon Standard is the first independent quality assurance standard that consistently aligns allowable project claims with actual atmospheric impacts. Today’s carbon market faces significant challenges stemming from limited standardization, misaligned incentives, heavy reliance on counterfactuals, and insufficient level of scientific alignment. These challenges result in unnecessary complexity, a lack of trust, and costly levels of due diligence, all of which risk severely undermining potential climate impacts. ACS addresses all of these challenges and more by applying a universal and transparent assessment framework across technologies and creating a scientifically sound and level playing field for all market participants.
This version reflects insights from project developers, registry partners, and policy developments over the past year. We’ve made extensive revisions with the goal of creating more clarity and consistency in several areas that are critical to ensuring high-quality certifications, including:
- Uncertainty quantification
- Reversal risk management
- Feedstock emissions allocation
ACS v2.0 is designed to accelerate the development of an accountable CDR industry, one where climate claims always match their atmospheric impacts. The missing piece is your feedback! We would greatly appreciate any comments you can provide on our approach and areas that need additional improvement. Additionally, if you would like to talk through any aspects of v2.0 or otherwise learn more about Absolute Climate, please always feel free to reach out to us at hello@absoluteclimate.com.
