Trust and Quality: Frequently Asked Questions
Straight answers on why every score is currently provisional, who verifies assessments, how you can tell a credit is real, what the grade means, and why the Quality Index is not yet populated.
Trust is the whole point
CarbSet exists to close the information gap in the carbon market. That only works if we are honest about the limits of what we can currently prove. The answers below set out exactly where those limits sit today.
All quality assessments on CarbSet are currently provisional. This means scores have not yet been independently verified by an external assessor. A Provisional badge is shown wherever a grade appears.
Why are all scores Provisional?
Because credibility depends on the authority behind a score, not just the number itself. In this phase, our assessments are drafted internally using a consistent five-dimension method, but they have not yet been confirmed by an accredited external assessor. Rather than dress a draft up as a finished verdict, we label every score Provisional and show a Provisional badge wherever a grade appears. When independent assessors confirm a score with supporting evidence, that specific assessment loses its provisional status. Until then, treat every grade as a well-reasoned draft, not a final judgement.
Who verifies the scores?
In the current phase, no external party has verified them. The scores are produced through CarbSet's own assessment process. The long-term model brings in qualified, independent verifiers who confirm each dimension against real evidence, at which point an assessment moves from provisional to verified. We will never quietly upgrade a score without that evidence in place, because doing so would break the promise the platform is built on.
How do I know a credit is real?
Every credit on CarbSet traces back to a registry (Gold Standard or Verra) and carries a unique serial number issued by that registry. The serial number ties the credit to a named project, a country, a methodology, and a vintage year. You can take that serial number to the registry's own public record and confirm the credit exists independently of CarbSet. Our assessment sits on top of a real, registry-issued credit. It does not invent one.
What does the grade mean?
A grade summarises a credit's quality on a scale from AAA (highest) down through AA, A, BBB, BB, B, CCC, and D (lowest). It is a composite of five dimensions: additionality (would the reduction have happened anyway), permanence (how durable is the benefit), measurement (how accurately it is quantified), co-benefits (positive effects beyond carbon), and verification (the strength of independent review). A higher grade means stronger performance across those dimensions. Remember that the grade is currently provisional, so read it as guidance rather than a settled verdict, and always open the Trust Card to see the reasoning behind the letter.
Why doesn't the Quality Index show data yet?
The Public Quality Index is designed to publish aggregate quality signals across the market: scores sliced by country, registry, methodology, and category. Because every assessment today is provisional, publishing an index built on provisional data would risk presenting draft figures as an authoritative market benchmark. That would contradict the platform's honesty rules. The Index activates once there is a body of verified assessments to aggregate. Until then it stays deliberately empty rather than misleading.
Where to go next
- To understand the five dimensions in depth, read Understanding quality scoring.
- To learn how to read the evidence behind a grade, see Trust Cards.