Exploring Trends, Prices, Projections, and SDG Synergies
This section focuses on Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) in the voluntary market. The chart uses Tenza's "medium-low" scenario, starting near $6.0/tCO₂e in 2019, with fluctuations, and around $8.0/tCO₂e in 2023. It's projected to reach approximately $85/tCO₂e by 2035 from an adjusted $7.0/tCO₂e in 2024.
Current Indicative Price Range (late May 2025): $0.00 - $0.00 /tCO₂e
Chart data uses Tenza's provided historical medium-low scenario for voluntary credits.
This covers Energy Efficiency & Carbon Removal Projects. The chart uses Tenza's "medium-high" scenario, beginning around $10.0/tCO₂e in 2019, and at approximately $15.0/tCO₂e in 2023. It's projected to reach approximately $120/tCO₂e by 2035 from an adjusted $13.0/tCO₂e in 2024.
Current Indicative Price Range (late May 2025): $0.00 - $0.00 /tCO₂e
Chart data uses Tenza's provided historical medium-high scenario for voluntary credits.
EU ETS prices are for EU Allowances (EUAs) in the compliance market. Historical data reflects prices from approximately €25/tCO₂e in 2019 to €83.5/tCO₂e in 2023. Forecasts project a rise to approximately €194/tCO₂e by 2035 after a near-term adjustment.
Current Indicative Price (late May 2025): €0.00 /tCO₂e (0.0%)
Chart data uses Tenza's provided historical figures and forecast.
This section provides illustrative examples of buyers and sellers operating in the higher-value segments of the voluntary carbon market, focusing on premium RECs and high-quality EEC/Removal projects (e.g., Verra or Gold Standard certified). Data from sources like Ecosystem Marketplace and Verra project information inform these examples.
Corporations often procure high-quality RECs to meet renewable energy goals (e.g., RE100 commitments) or to support impactful projects. These can be sourced via Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) or from providers specializing in RECs with strong additionality or co-benefits (e.g., GoldPower label from Gold Standard).
Indicative Price Points (Premium RECs): Can range from $5 - $20+/tCO₂e equivalent, highly dependent on contract terms and project specifics.
Demand is increasing for carbon credits from projects with robust verification, clear additionality, permanence, and significant co-benefits (e.g., Verra CCB, Gold Standard). This includes energy efficiency, fuel switching, and especially carbon removal projects.
Indicative Price Points (High-Quality Avoidance/Removal):
- Premium Avoidance: $15 - $50/tCO₂e.
- Nature-Based Removals (ARR): $20 - $80+/tCO₂e.
Source indications: General price ranges and project types informed by reports from Ecosystem Marketplace, Climate Focus, and project listings on Verra's registry. Specific corporate transactions are often private.
Carbon offset projects can deliver significant benefits beyond emissions reduction, contributing to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These "co-benefits" enhance the overall impact of climate action and are increasingly valued by buyers seeking holistic sustainability outcomes.
The 17 SDGs provide a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet. Carbon projects can align with multiple SDGs, such as:
Different carbon project types inherently support different SDGs:
Standards like Verra's Climate, Community & Biodiversity (CCB) Standards and the Gold Standard for the Global Goals explicitly verify these co-benefits. Projects certified to these higher standards often command a price premium in the voluntary market, as buyers increasingly seek credits that deliver broader sustainable development impacts alongside climate mitigation.
This dashboard offers a consolidated view of key carbon credit markets, presenting historical price trends, current indicative pricing snapshots, and future projections. We focus on three main areas:
Additionally, the "Corporate Activity" tab provides illustrative examples of how organizations engage with the higher-value segments of the voluntary carbon markets, and the "SDG Synergies" tab explores co-benefits. The dashboard aims to provide clarity on the distinct characteristics and valuation trends within these diverse market segments.
The data and visualizations presented are compiled to reflect recognized trends and potential future scenarios, informed by publicly available information from established industry sources.
All charts depicting historical trends (2019-2023), the 2024 market adjustment, and future projections (2025-2035) are based on the specific datasets provided by Tenza for this dashboard. For more details on our estimation process, please see our Methods for Project Carbon Offset Estimations.
The "Current Price" and "Current Indicative Price Range" figures displayed on the dashboard are static values. These are based on general market information and data from relevant exchanges (like EEX for EU ETS) and market reports (like those from Ecosystem Marketplace or other carbon market analysts) available as of late May 2025. These current price indicators do not auto-update and serve as a recent snapshot.