“Momentum” is the one-word takeaway from London Climate Action Week 2025.

The event itself doubled in size from the previous year, with hundreds of events and by one estimate, 45,000 local and international participants gathering across the city. Given London’s role as a global center of commerce and finance, and the fact that the UK Government had an open consultation on voluntary carbon and nature markets, it is perhaps not surprising that there were many events focused on carbon markets. And whereas past large gatherings centered around integrity, London events emphasized the need for pragmatic action.

The week kicked off with an excellent gathering at the Nature Hub, which was organized by Nature4Climate. The N4C team gathered a strong group of global market leaders to discuss the need for private-sector investment.

Other events ACR participated in included the Natural Climate Solutions Alliance’s session on carbon crediting standards, IETA’s carbon accounting roundtable, meetings with ICVCM, and a dinner focused on remote sensing frameworks, hosted by Chloris Geospatial.

ACR’s goal for participation was to connect with stakeholders – project developers, credit buyers, market-supporting NGOs, and government leaders – and to reinforce awareness of ACR as a high-quality carbon crediting program. London Climate Action Week offered us an excellent opportunity to advance this goal.

If you are considering whether to invest in London Climate Action Week 2026, please let Brad Kahn (brad.kahn@winrock.org) know. ACR is very likely to participate again, based on our positive experience this year.

Climate Scientist Carlos Nobre, Arbor Day Foundation, Duke University, and Grupo Perú and the Ministry of Environment of Perú recognized for enduring and innovative commitment to climate action.

LOS ANGELES – March 26, 2025 – ACR recognized trailblazing individuals and organizations for their commitments to climate action at its 2025 ACR Climate Impact Awards, which has been held annually for more than 15 years. The 2025 ACR Climate Leadership Award was presented to Carlos Nobre, a world-renowned Brazilian scientist whose pioneering research on the Amazon has shaped global climate policy and created practical solutions to harness economic opportunities for forest conservation. ACR also recognized the Arbor Day Foundation, Duke University, and Peruvian Indigenous organizations and the Ministry of Environment with awards.

“From the conservation of the Amazon rainforest to reforestation in the Mississippi Delta and the destruction of potent greenhouse gases, the carbon market is incentivizing impactful climate action during this critical decade,” said Mary Grady, Executive Director of ACR. “The 2025 ACR Climate Impact Award winners show that we all have important roles to play – scientists, governments, nonprofits, Indigenous Peoples, academia and companies – to advance climate solutions. We thank each of the award winners for their tireless dedication.”

Earth System scientist Dr. Carlos Nobre received the 2025 Climate Leadership Award for his lifetime of pioneering scientific research on the critical role of preserving the Amazon rainforest to combat climate change and avoid the tipping point of ecological collapse. As a Nobel Laureate for his contribution to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) fourth Assessment Report, and a member of the US National Academy of Sciences, the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, the Royal Society and the World Academy of Sciences, Dr. Nobre has effectively translated his groundbreaking science into climate policy. Nobre has provided data-driven evidence to the global scientific community, as well as national and international policymakers and citizens, of the inextricable links among forests, biodiversity and climate change. As the founder of Amazônia 4.0, he has highlighted practical solutions to bring wealth and development to the Amazon and its peoples while protecting and restoring forests, and he has inspired collective, global action towards this goal.

Nobre thanked ACR for the recognition of his work and stated “If we exceed the tipping point, we will lose 50 to 70 percent of the Amazon rainforest, and we may reach the tipping point by 2050 if we continue current rates of deforestation and global warming. My research on the savannization of the Amazon showed the risks to the global ecosystems from exceeding planetary boundaries. I have worked to mentor a new generation of leaders, scientists and ecopreneurs to help us create a sustainable planet based on the socio-bioeconomy. Now that we have proven the vast worth of the Amazon rainforest, we must preserve indigenous knowledge and increase the value of the Amazon’s resources and its main ecosystem services, and that includes using innovative financing such as high integrity carbon markets to help save the Amazon.”

The Arbor Day Foundation received the 2025 Commitment to Quality Award for using carbon markets to help accelerate climate goals by financing reforestation projects. The Arbor Day Foundation has planted more than half a billion trees in more than 60 countries since 1972. The nonprofit’s wholly owned subsidiary, Arbor Day Carbon, collaborates  with landowners, project developers, and credit buyers to access carbon credits to plant and grow new trees, including in the Mississippi River Alluvial Valley with the GreenTrees project. To date, the organization has retired more than 1.6 million credits issued by ACR, planting millions of trees as a result.

“A thriving voluntary carbon market can have a planet-shaping impact,” said Chris Tointon, President of Arbor Day Carbon. “Every carbon credit we retire is a win for the present and future of our planet and a record of real, measurable impact.”

Duke University received the 2025 Organizational Excellence Award for achieving its pledge to become carbon neutral by 2024, including a 31% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions since 2007 despite a 24% growth in campus population and the addition of 3 million square feet of new building space. In addition to investing hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure improvements and efficiencies, Duke also took responsibility for its remaining emissions by using 232,000 carbon credits in 2024 to achieve its goal, over 75% of which were ACR-issued credits sourced from high-quality projects to collect and destroy potent ozone-depleting refrigerant gases.

“Achieving carbon neutrality on campus is a triple winner – we reduce our carbon footprint, we save money in the long term, and we demonstrate how universities can be part of the climate solution,” said Toddi Steelman, Vice President and Vice Provost for Climate and Sustainability at Duke University. “Our Duke Climate Commitment extends to every facet of our university, including operations, research, education, community partnerships and external engagement. We are now setting even more ambitious goals at Duke, not only to reduce carbon emissions but also to develop sustainable operation goals and strategies.”

The Ministry of Environment of Perú (MINAM) and Indigenous organizations of Grupo Perú received the 2025 Innovation Award for partnering to develop the world’s first Indigenous Jurisdictional REDD+ Program under the Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART). The collaboration between MINAM and the Indigenous organizations known as Grupo Perú – ANECAP, AIDESEP, and CONAP – not only recognizes Indigenous rights and the crucial role that Indigenous knowledge and governance play in forest conservation but also sets a global example of what can be achieved when governments work hand in hand with communities to address climate change. By uniting the strengths of national governments and Indigenous Peoples, the partnership is demonstrating that it is possible to protect the forests, honor Indigenous rights, and create lasting, sustainable benefits for all involved.

“The Government of Peru is proud to be partnering with Indigenous organizations to create a new model for the world,” said Minister of Environment of Peru Juan Carlos Castro Vargas. “Built on a foundation of mutual respect, this collaboration highlights the essential connection between forest conservation, Indigenous rights, and climate action.”

“Indigenous jurisdictional REDD+ is an opportunity to recognize Indigenous Peoples as partners and not only as beneficiaries in nature-based solutions to climate change,” said Fermín Chimatani of ANECAP. “As guardians of some of the world’s most biodiverse and carbon-rich forests, this partnership is a step forward for the recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ rights and for rewarding our efforts in the fight against deforestation” said Jorge Pérez of AIDESEP. “This initiative shows how jurisdictional REDD+ can be developed in partnership with Indigenous Peoples, recognizing our leadership in preserving highly valuable ecosystems and delivering climate action at scale” said Oseas Barbarán of CONAP.

Issued annually, previous winners of the ACR Climate Leadership Award include John Kerry (Special Presidential Envoy for Climate at the time), Christiana Figueres (Executive Secretary of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change at the time); Mary Nichols (Chair of the California Air Resources Board at the time); Tom Vilsack (former  U.S. Secretary of Agriculture); Todd Stern (U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change at the time); Paul Hawken (author and founder of Project Drawdown); Jonathan Pershing (Environment Program Director at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation) and Frances Seymour (then Senior Scientist at the World Resources Institute and one of the world’s foremost authorities on the relationships between tropical forests and climate change).

ACR is an internationally recognized carbon crediting program that operates in global compliance and voluntary carbon markets. A nonprofit enterprise of Winrock International, ACR was founded in 1996 as the first private greenhouse gas (GHG) registry in the world with the mission of harnessing the power of markets to improve the environment. 

ACR is headed to New York Climate Week to participate in a range of events, including:

• Xpansiv Climate Week Summit
• Accelerating Climate Action: Delivering High Integrity Carbon Markets
• The Nature Hub at Climate Week New York City 2024
• IETA North America Climate Summit

If you’d like to try to connect in New York, send a note to Brad Kahn, communications director (brad.kahn@winrock.org).

We hope to see you there!

Government of Guyana, Climate Impact Partners, and Green Assets also recognized for enduring commitment to climate action

Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry received the 2024 ACR Climate Leadership Award at ACR’s Climate Impact Awards event held last night. Other winners were the Government of Guyana, Climate Impact Partners, and Green Assets. ACR, an internationally recognized carbon crediting program that operates in global compliance and voluntary carbon markets, convenes the annual event to recognize enduring and demonstrated commitment to ambitious climate action.

“With the urgency of climate change undeniable, the 2024 award winners are shining examples of what’s possible when vision, determination and pragmatism join together,” said Mary Grady, Executive Director of ACR. “The winners demonstrate how high integrity carbon markets are delivering meaningful climate action to achieve Paris Agreement goals.”

Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry received the 2024 Climate Leadership Award for his relentless dedication to motivate urgent, practical, and transformational climate action by governments, businesses, and civil society. Kerry served on the U.S. delegation to the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, where the U.N. climate framework was created, and co-authored climate change legislation as a U.S. Senator. More recently, he has played a critical role in the “decisive decade” for climate. As Secretary of State, he helped to broker the landmark Paris Agreement, which he signed on behalf of the U.S. As Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, he re-established the United States’ credibility on the world stage. In particular, his vision to create the Energy Transition Accelerator will catalyze private capital through carbon markets to support an ambitious and just energy transition around the world.

“No U.S. based organization has done more than ACR to realize the promise of high-integrity carbon markets. From establishing the world’s first private greenhouse gas registry to pioneering the next generation of carbon crediting, ACR has been at the forefront every step of the way,” stated Kerry in a video statement for the event. “And that’s why we turned to you for high-integrity standards to underpin two of our most critical carbon market initiatives: the LEAF coalition, which is helping to reduce tropical deforestation, and the new Energy Transition Accelerator, which will help developing countries speed their transition to clean power. Getting initiatives like these off the ground requires thought leadership, technical acumen, diplomacy, and an enduring commitment to environmental quality, all of which ACR delivers. I’d like to thank you for honoring me with your Climate Leadership Award.” See his statement below.

The Government of Guyana received the 2024 Commitment to Quality Award for serving as a powerful model of high-integrity climate leadership for other countries to follow. From the creation of its broadly consulted Low Carbon Development Strategy in 2009 to the more recent certification and issuance by the Architecture for REDD+ Transactions of the world’s first Paris Agreement-aligned jurisdictional forest carbon credits, Guyana has consistently demonstrated excellence in achieving climate impact, as well as in delivering tangible benefits to communities across the country. As a “High Forest Low Deforestation” country, Guyana is proving to the world that forests can be more valuable when they are left standing.

“In Guyana, we have long believed that progress comes through hard work, partnership and an ambitious vision. We are grateful for this award, which recognizes the work and commitment of thousands of people in communities across Guyana, as well as our professionals, and our national and international partners. Together, we have pursued opportunities to advance the common good of sustainably managing our natural resources. As a result, 99% of Guyana’s forests remain standing, and we maintain one of the lowest deforestation rates in the world. Over 800 projects are advancing across the country financed by our Forest Carbon Credits programme to create better lives and livelihoods. We welcome and look forward to continued inspiration, support and partnerships for the good of all,” said Pradeepa Bholanath, Ministry of Natural Resources of Guyana.

Climate Impact Partners received the 2024 Corporate Excellence Award for its work to deliver climate solutions at a scale necessary to restore a thriving planet. By helping companies achieve their net zero goals through rigorous approaches that include the purchase and retirement of high-quality carbon credits, Climate Impact Partners is a model of excellence. Climate Impact Partners’ work to navigate a complex landscape is helping companies embrace comprehensive and transformational climate action.

“We are delighted to have been recognized for our laser focus on quality in everything we do, which enables us to deliver reliable outcomes. That is how we build trusted partnerships with our clients and our project partners, ensuring they achieve ambitious climate goals and deliver real impact on emission reductions, biodiversity, and community health and livelihoods, right now. Time is of the essence, and we are privileged to work with climate-leading clients all over the world who see the business value in going beyond their internal emission reductions to support the global low carbon transformation,” said Sheri Hickok, CEO of Climate Impact Partners.

Green Assets received the 2024 ACR Innovation Award for the co-development of ACR’s groundbreaking methodology for Active Conservation and Sustainable Management on U.S. Forestlands. Forests capture and store significant amounts of carbon while supporting a stable climate and providing habitat and ecosystem services benefits. Nonetheless, three million acres of U.S. forestland is converted to other land uses each year. Green Assets is demonstrating that carbon markets can be a powerful financial incentive to sustainably manage at-risk forests by executing their unique and trusted approach of “landowners working with landowners.”

“Green Assets is proud to accept ACR’s 2024 Innovation Award for our contribution to the development of the Active Conservation methodology. This methodology enables landowners, businesses, governments, and institutional organizations to make informed decisions and take proactive measures in combating climate change through a robust and effective nature-based mechanism. We are excited to partner with ACR to promote conservation and sustainable forest management throughout the United States,” said Bailey Evans, CEO of Green Assets.

Issued annually, previous winners of the ACR Climate Leadership Award include Christiana Figueres (Executive Secretary of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change at the time); Mary Nichols (Chair of the California Air Resources Board at the time); Tom Vilsack (former and current U.S. Secretary of Agriculture); Todd Stern (U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change at the time); Paul Hawken (author and founder of Project Drawdown); Jonathan Pershing (Environment Program Director at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation) and Frances Seymour (then Senior Scientist at the World Resources Institute and one of the world’s foremost authorities on the relationships between tropical forests and climate change).

ACR is an internationally recognized carbon crediting program that operates in global compliance and voluntary carbon markets. A nonprofit enterprise of Winrock International, ACR was founded in 1996 as the first private greenhouse gas (GHG) registry in the world with the mission of harnessing the power of markets to improve the environment. Learn more at ACRclimate.org.

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Join American Carbon Registry at the Argus California Carbon and LCFS Summit in Napa Valley October 9-11, 2017 to understand the changing dynamics of California’s carbon and fuels markets as well as federal and emerging state emissions programs.

REGISTER NOW and receive a 15% discount using code ACR15.

Join the American Carbon Registry at the Ontario Cap and Trade Forum, April 26-27, 2017 at Allstream Centre, Toronto to liaise with industry and government involved in Ontario’s new cap and trade program.

Enter the code “acr20” on the event registration page to receive a 20% registration discount.

With the imminent linkage of Ontario’s market with California and Quebec carbon markets via the Western Climate Initiative, the event is an excellent opportunity to understand how the addition of Ontario will change market dynamics. The event will offer mandatory participants timely and business-critical information for navigating market uncertainties and developing successful carbon strategies for the province.

ACR Policy Director Arjun Patney is speaking at this high caliber forum organized by Canadian Clean Energy Conferences. He will be joined by 50+ speakers from industry, government and finance including senior representatives from ArcelorMittal Dofasco, Enbridge, Cascades, Gerdau, Union Gas, PG&E, ConAgra Foods, Gaz Metro, Suncor, Glencore, Lafarge, Goldcorp, Ontario Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, International Emissions Trading Association, GreenField Specialty Alcohols,  ClearBlue Markets, Evolution Markets, and RBC Capital Markets.

Visit the event website for more details and or contact Adrienne Baker at adrienne.baker@canadianclean.com or 613-680-2482

American Carbon Registry (ACR), a nonprofit enterprise of Winrock International, will be attending COP 22 in Marrakech, Morocco November 7-18, 2016 as an official NGO Observer Organization.

In addition to the official UNFCCC meetings and side events, ACR will participate in events organized by the U.S. Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE) and will host two side events with the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA).

ACR Hosted Side Events:

Wednesday 9 Nov: 1pm-2:30pm

The Role of Carbon Markets to Incentivize the ODS Destruction and the Use of Certified Reclaimed Refrigerants and to Accelerate the Transition to Low GWP Refrigerants and Foams

The Montreal Protocol phased out production of various Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS), however the use of recycled ODS is still allowed, leaking high GWP refrigerants into the atmosphere. The phase out of CFCs spurred production of hydroflourocarbons (HFCs), the fastest growing source of global emissions. Developed as “ozone-friendly” alternatives, pound for pound, HFC refrigerants and foam blowing agents have GWPs up to 4000 times higher than CO2. The panel will present case studies for utilizing carbon finance to incentivize ODS destruction, the purchase of certified reclaimed HFCs, and the transition to advanced low GWP refrigeration systems and foam blowing agents.

Moderator:  Mary Grady, Deputy Director, American Carbon Registry

Panelists:   Kevin Fay, Executive Director, Alliance for Responsible Atmospheric Policy Jeff Cohen, Senior Vice President, EOS Climate Jeff Fort, Partner, Dentons Todd Keske, Chief Operating Officer, Foam Supplies, Inc

Friday 11 November: 2-3:30pm

Compliance Carbon Markets Built on Voluntary Offset Program Innovation and Infrastructure

Credible Voluntary Offset Standards have piloted innovative and environmentally rigorous methodologies with large emissions reduction potential in sectors such as agriculture, forestry, wetlands and grasslands; transportation efficiency; ODS destruction and low GWP refrigerants. Building on this experience, U.S. compliance offset programs in California and Washington have adopted or approved voluntary offset methodologies and approved standards bodies to help them implement their programs. It is expected that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) will do the same. Panelists will discuss the important role of voluntary offset programs to serve as an incubator for and co-implementer of compliance markets to deliver climate and sustainability results.

Moderator:  Jonathan Shopley, Managing Director, Natural Capital Partners

Panelists:   Bill Hohenstein, Director, Climate Change Program Office, U.S. Department of Agriculture John Kadyszewski, Director, American Carbon Registry Edie Chang, Deputy Executive, California Air Resources Board Molly Peters-Stanley, Negotiator, U.S. Department of State

Argus California Carbon and LCFS Summit   October 26- 28, 2016 Napa Valley, California

Join Argus, the American Carbon Registry and over 200 senior level risk managers, traders and compliance and regulatory executives to discuss the impact of changing federal and regional carbon and emissions programs on North America’s carbon and fuels market.

Have your most pressing questions answered including: How has legal uncertainty with the Clean Power Plan impacted the carbon markets? How will amendments to California’s Cap-and-Trade impact the offsets market? What new developments have occurred in the offset market? Will California approve REDD offsets? What role will the transportation sector play in meeting California’s goals?

American Carbon Registry members receive a 15% registration discount. Register today and use the code ACR at checkout. Visit the conference website for information on venue, agenda and more.

We look forward to seeing you in Napa Valley!