Why is conservative quantification of greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions or removals important?

Greenhouse gas accounting is the quantification of GHG emissions produced by an activity or within a boundary. When applied to carbon credit projects, GHG accounting requires the use of a precise and conservative methodology that has been scientifically reviewed and tested. This includes determining the emissions associated with the project’s baseline, or the activity under the business-as-usual scenario. Once the project has been implemented, the actual amount of emissions reduced or removed over a specific timeframe are quantified and then compared to the baseline scenario. The delta between the two represents the number of carbon credits generated during that reporting period.