Before a carbon project issues a single credit it has to be listed, validated and registered. Every project in that queue publishes one forward-looking number: the emission reductions or removals it expects to deliver each year. A validator reviews it, but it is only tested against reality at the first verification, which can be years away. We added them up.
The total. On 1 October 2026, 2,814 projects sat in the pipeline or under validation across Verra, Gold Standard, Isometric and Equitable Earth. 2,687 of them publish an estimate. Together they claim 841 million tonnes a year. The 5,094 projects already registered on the same registries claim 751 million. The queue promises more than everything that has already made it through.
It is concentrated. The median project in the queue expects 58,717 tonnes a year. The 20 largest claims add up to 29% of the total and the largest 100 to 54%. A handful of very large REDD+, cookstove and water-purifier programmes carry the number. Seven of the ten largest are REDD+ or household-device programmes. Four are in Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and the DR Congo.
The ten biggest promises
Each of these is one registry page. Click through for the proponent, validator, methodology and the full status history we have recorded.
| Project | Registry status | Mt/yr claimed |
|---|---|---|
| DRC REDD+ Carbon Credit Harvesting ProjectDR Congo · REDD+ · R.E.D.D. Carbon Credit Harvesting L.P | Under validation (Public comment period closed) | 27.6 |
| Zero Energy Water Purifier GS Project in India by Hindustan Unilever LimitedIndia · Clean Water · Hindustan Unilever Limited | LISTED | 26.7 |
| Cerrado and Amazonia REDD BrasilBrazil · REDD+ · Bankers Capital, LLC | Pipeline listing requested (under development) | 25.0 |
| Grouped Project for Philippines Cookstove ProgramPhilippines · Cookstoves · Sustainability Investment Promotion and Development Joint Stock Company | Under validation (Public comment period closed) | 20.7 |
| Integrated Redd+ Project1 In Papua New GuineaPapua New Guinea · REDD+ · Kanaka Management Services Private Limited | Pipeline Listing (under development) approved | 20.0 |
| Redd+ Project In Sanduan Province Of Papua New GuineaPapua New Guinea · REDD+ · Kanaka Management Services Pvt. Ltd | Pipeline listing requested (under development) | 16.8 |
| REDD Project - Territorio Indígena Originario CampesinoBolivia · REDD+ · Green Carbon Partners Pty Limited | Registration and verification approval requested | 12.9 |
| Maharashtra Methane Mission (M3)India · Feed Additives · eVerse.AI Private Limited | Under validation (Public comment period closed) | 10.7 |
| Mongolia Afforestation Project (Phase Ii)Mongolia · Afforestation/Reforestation · Multiple Project Proponents | Pipeline Listing (under development) approved | 9.6 |
| Plant For PlanetIndia · Afforestation/Reforestation · Partners in Prosperity | LISTED | 9.0 |
Who has to check it
Every one of those tonnes has to pass a validation and verification body. At Verra, 820 projects are under validation right now, and two firms hold 197 of them: Earthood Services Limited (124) and Carbon Check (India) Private Ltd. (73). Developers often name validator capacity as what sets the pace from listing to first issuance.
| Validator (Verra, under validation) | Projects | Mt/yr claimed |
|---|---|---|
| Earthood Services Limited | 124 | 54.3 |
| Carbon Check (India) Private Ltd. | 73 | 58.9 |
| AENOR CONFIA, S.A. (UNIPERSONAL) | 57 | 13.9 |
| LGAI Technological Center, S.A. (Applus+ Certification) | 54 | 9.6 |
| KBS Certification Services Limited | 49 | 10.0 |
| CTI Certification Co., Ltd. | 47 | 8.1 |
| EcoLance Private Limited | 33 | 15.4 |
| RINA Services S.p.A | 32 | 7.4 |
How to read this. A pipeline estimate is a developer’s forecast, made before validation, for a crediting period that may run 10 to 40 years. It is not a forecast of issuance, and the gap between the two is the single most useful thing an investor can learn about a developer. That is why we keep every project’s status history: you can see which proponents’ estimates turned into issued credits and which stalled.
All 2,814 projects in the queue, with estimate, proponent, validator, methodology and days in status. Paid editions get the full list, updated daily.
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