A standard is a methodology used for measuring and verifying emission reductions, to provide third party verification of emission offsets. A variety of standards exist.
The Gold Standard wants to ensure that carbon projects not only reduce carbon reduction, but that they make measurable contributions to sustainable development as well.
As of June 2011, there are 276 projects listed in the voluntary Gold Standard database, and 182 projects listed in the CDM Gold Standard database. Only a handful of projects that are pro-poor and household scale are located in Southern Africa.