Building a Sustainable World: Cookstove Distribution Program

Audit Analysis

A Gold Standard cookstove distribution project in India with verified additionality (investment test) and a quantified 5% leakage deduction, but undermined by a significant internal inconsistency in claimed emissions reductions (28,003 vs 36,220 tCO₂e within the same monitoring report), a project-specific baseline with no stated reassessment, no buffer pool, and nine open corrective action requests. CORSIA eligibility adds dual-channel risk, and the absence of a verified ERR figure limits confidence in the actual credit volume.

Project Description

Red Flags

• ⚠Internal contradiction in the monitoring report: claimed ERR of 28,003 tCO₂e vs 36,220 tCO₂e (same document, same date 2025-02-19) — a ~29% discrepancy that undermines data reliability
• ⚠Nine Corrective Action Requests remain open, including gaps in SDG monitoring approach, incomplete stakeholder consultation, and unconfirmed carbon-rights-transfer awareness among end users
• ⚠No buffer pool percentage stated in any available document, leaving permanence risk unmitigated for a cookstove project where device failure or replacement is a realistic reversal pathway
• ⚠CORSIA eligibility confirmed while CCP status is not stated, creating potential dual-channel crediting risk

Credit Vintages