Who keeps carbon markets running, in plain language. Use the toggles to see how roles shift in regulated, voluntary, and blended markets.
Governments and registries write the rulebook. They decide how big the carbon budget is, how to measure projects, and who checks the work.
Developers and land stewards team up to protect or restore land. They gather data, follow registry standards, and invite an independent verifier to check results.
Once credits are issued, traders and buyers move them through the market. Companies retire credits to match their emissions; NGOs watch for quality and fairness.
Set the rules of the game: caps, permits, and reporting so everyone plays fair.
Power plants, airlines, and factories that must report emissions and hold enough allowances.
Design and run offset projects, gather evidence, and guide them through approval.
Brokers, exchanges, and banks that help credits move quickly and set a fair price.
Keep the official record, track every credit, and oversee third-party verification.
Purchase credits to meet climate goals or regulations and retire them to claim use.
Communities and owners who manage forests or land, decide on participation, and share benefits.
Advise on transparency, data quality, and community safeguards to keep trust high.
Choose any card above. We will highlight what they do, who they work with, and where they add the most value.
Stronger bars show phases where the three teams must talk often and agree on evidence.
LNG is natural gas cooled into a liquid for shipping. Both are mostly methane, so their carbon content when burned is essentially the same.
Chilling gas to -162 C, loading it onto ships, and warming it back up uses energy and can leak methane. That makes LNG's lifecycle footprint higher than pipeline gas.
LNG (like natural gas) emits far less CO2 than coal when burned. Keeping methane leaks low is critical to keeping its advantage over other fossil fuels.
Gas is cooled to become liquid. Power for refrigeration adds CO2; equipment must be tight to avoid methane slip.
Specialized tankers move LNG. Shipping fuel use and boil-off gas management affect emissions.
Terminals warm LNG back to gas. Efficient heaters and leak-tight valves keep the footprint lower.
Once burned, LNG and pipeline gas produce nearly the same CO2 per unit of energy - much less than coal or oil.
Illustrative values (kg CO2e per million BTU). "Low leak" assumes strong methane controls; "higher leak" shows how poor controls erode the benefit.
Modern wind power has very low lifecycle emissions (mostly from materials and construction), roughly 10-15 kg CO2e per MWh.
Solar manufacturing and materials add footprint, typically around 40-60 kg CO2e per MWh over its life.
Gas combined-cycle plants using LNG are far below coal on emissions, but still orders of magnitude higher than wind or solar.
Illustrative lifecycle values: Wind ~12, Solar PV ~45, LNG combined-cycle ~450, Coal ~1000 kg CO2e per MWh. Wind and solar reduce emissions by ~99% and ~95% vs coal; LNG power can cut roughly half vs coal if methane is controlled.
Electric vehicles emit nothing from the exhaust. Gas and diesel cars release CO2 directly when fuel is burned.
EV lifecycle emissions include battery/vehicle production plus charging electricity. Cleaner grids drive much lower g CO2e per mile.
With typical grids, EVs still cut per-mile emissions versus gasoline or diesel after accounting for vehicle manufacturing and fuel cycles.
Illustrative values: Tailpipe (EV 0, gasoline ~330, diesel ~300 g CO2e/mi). Lifecycle averages include vehicle manufacturing, battery, and fuel production. Avg grid + vehicle (~180 EV, 410 gasoline, 380 diesel). Higher-carbon grid shifts EV upward (~260 EV) while gasoline/diesel stay similar because grid carbon does not affect fuel combustion.
| Vehicle | Value |
|---|---|
| EV | 0 |
| Gasoline | 330 |
| Diesel | 300 |
Methods range from point-source capture to reforestation, soil carbon, biochar, and direct air capture.
Higher capture rates and durable storage drive bigger reductions. Energy use and leaks can erode benefits.
Nature-based paths can be cost-effective but need land and permanence. Tech capture can scale at point sources if energy and leaks are managed.
At 75% capture, point-source CCS cuts emissions significantly but leaves some residual plus energy penalty.
Alberta is leasing pore space and backing carbon hubs so heavy industry and oil sands can pipe CO2 to shared storage.
Industry plans (e.g., Pathways) target around 22 Mt of captured CO2 per year by 2030 if projects reach FID.
Concept is to double capture in the 2030s (around 40 Mt) and keep scaling toward ~70 Mt by 2050 to offset remaining heavy-industry emissions.
Baseline gross emissions ~70 Mt CO2e/year; no capture applied.
Leads the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero, pushing banks, insurers, and investors to align portfolios with 1.5 C pathways.
Emphasis on transition plans, credible offsets, and channeling private finance into clean power, heavy industry decarbonization, and emerging markets.
Supports Canadian frameworks to label credible transition investments so capital can flow to oil sands decarbonization, CCUS, and clean electricity.
GFANZ headline pledge is large, but mobilized flow is lower; closing the gap requires robust transition plans and policy signals.
Developers and land stewards agree on land access and carbon rights, then pick a registry that fits the project.
Developers draft to registry rules. Stewards supply field data and show how they will manage the land.
The registry brings in an independent verifier. If it passes, the registry issues numbered credits.
Projects keep reporting. Stewards and developers maintain performance; the registry tracks and resolves issues.
| Player Category | Main Role |
|---|---|
| Governments/Regulators | Design, oversee, and enforce carbon markets |
| Compliance Entities | Report emissions and retire allowances |
| Project Developers | Create and certify offset projects |
| Traders/Brokers/Banks | Facilitate trading and market access |
| Registries/Auditors | Issue, track, and verify credits |
| End Buyers/Corporations | Offset emissions and drive demand |
| Land Stewards/Holders | Hold carbon rights and guide benefit sharing |
| NGOs/Consultants | Advise policy, reporting, and integrity |