Validation
Assessment of a proposed activity or design against specified requirements.
Example
A project design may be validated before monitored results become available.
The catch
Validation of a plan does not prove later operating performance.
Related terms
Audit trail, Calibration, Carbon neutral, Climate positive, Conflict of interest, Contribution claim
In more depth
Validation, explained.
Validation looks forward and verification looks back, and claims often blur the two. In carbon crediting, an accredited auditor reviews the project documents ahead of registration, checking eligibility, the choice of baseline, the case for additionality and the plan for measuring results. Many programmes also open the design to public comment at this stage.
The word travels. The Science Based Targets initiative validates corporate targets against its criteria, which is a check on ambition and method. Some sellers market future credits on the strength of validation alone, and those carry the full risk that the project underdelivers.