Introduction: The Quality Question in Carbon Markets

Not all carbon credits are equal — and not all carbon removals are real.

As the carbon market expands, credibility has become its biggest challenge. The questions buyers, regulators, and even farmers are asking are simple but critical:

-Is this carbon removal permanent?

-Would this have happened anyway?

These questions lead us to the two most important concepts in the carbon world: Permanence and Additionality.

Without them, a carbon credit is just an accounting illusion.
With them, it becomes a verified environmental impact — a tonne of carbon genuinely removed or avoided.

The 2025 Criteria for High-Quality Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) identifies these two as non-negotiable pillars of carbon integrity.

Anaxee, through its digital-first, ground-executed model, ensures that every carbon project — whether afforestation, soil carbon, or biochar — meets these principles with measurable, traceable proof.

---

Understanding the Core: Permanence and Additionality

Let’s start with what these terms really mean, beyond the policy jargon.

---

1. Permanence: Will the Carbon Stay Locked Away?

Definition:
Permanence refers to the duration for which carbon remains removed from the atmosphere.

If a tree stores carbon today but burns in 10 years, that carbon goes right back — the removal is temporary.
If a tonne of CO₂ is stored as biochar or in stable soil carbon for 100–1000 years, that’s durable carbon removal.

In short, permanence asks:

“How long will this tonne of carbon actually stay out of the atmosphere?”

Typical Permanence Ranges by Project Type:

Projects with low reversal risks and robust monitoring score higher on permanence — and therefore generate higher-value carbon credits.

---

2. Additionality: Would It Have Happened Anyway?

Definition:
Additionality means the project results in emission reductions or removals that wouldn’t have occurred without carbon finance.

If a farmer plants trees only because a carbon project supports them — that’s additional.
If a company was going to switch to renewables regardless — that’s not additional.

It’s about causality.

“Would this action have taken place without the incentive of carbon revenue?”

High Additionality = Real Climate Impact.

---

3. Why Both Matter

A carbon credit that isn’t additional is fake impact.
A credit that isn’t permanent is short-lived impact.
Only when both align do we get genuine, measurable, and lasting climate action.

---

The Problem: Greenwashing through Weak Permanence & False Additionality

Many early carbon projects — especially in forestry and avoidance categories — overpromised and underdelivered.
Examples include:

-Forest projects that were later cut down or burned.

-Landfill gas projects claiming credits for activities already mandated by law.

-Soil carbon claims without credible measurement or baselines.

These failures eroded market trust — prompting buyers and rating agencies (like BeZero and Sylvera) to emphasize permanence and additionality scores.

The outcome:
High-quality credits are no longer about volume — but about verifiable, durable impact.

---

How Permanence Is Ensured

Permanence depends on how we store carbon and monitor it over time.

1. Buffer Pools and Insurance Mechanisms

Most registries (like Verra, Gold Standard, and Puro.Earth) require projects to deposit a percentage of credits into a buffer pool — a form of insurance in case stored carbon is reversed (e.g., fire, storm, etc.).

2. Long-Term Land Tenure and Legal Safeguards

Projects must ensure land rights, agreements, and protection mechanisms over decades.
This is particularly important in community projects where tenure can shift.

3. dMRV and Ongoing Monitoring

Digital Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (dMRV) — a key Anaxee innovation — ensures permanence isn’t just promised, but continuously verified.

Anaxee’s dMRV includes:

-Satellite-based land-use monitoring

-Geotagged on-ground surveys

-Automated alerts for land-use change or degradation

-Periodic verification dashboards

This creates a living record of permanence, not just a one-time audit.

---

How Additionality Is Proven

Additionality isn’t theoretical — it must be demonstrated with evidence.

Carbon standards evaluate this through three major tests:

Anaxee ensures additionality through baseline data collection, local socioeconomic surveys, and verifiable financial models that demonstrate carbon revenue as a key enabler.

---

The Anaxee Approach: Making Permanence and Additionality Measurable

1. Tech-Driven Baseline Creation

Before project start, Anaxee collects data on land cover, biomass, and farmer income levels.
This becomes the baseline for proving additionality and tracking change.

2. Continuous Digital MRV

Unlike traditional MRV (one-time field verification), Anaxee’s dMRV continuously captures:

-Tree survival and canopy cover (via remote sensing)

-Soil organic carbon trends (via sample-linked mapping)

-Farmer adoption patterns and incentive dependency

This real-time visibility ensures both permanence and additionality are auditable.

3. Human Network for Ground Validation

Anaxee’s Digital Runners Network — a unique on-ground workforce across rural India — provides hyper-local verification.
They collect evidence, interviews, and geotagged photos to validate real community engagement and prevent “paper projects.”

4. Long-Term Project Stewardship

Most developers exit post-crediting. Anaxee stays.
Its model includes long-term monitoring contracts and community revenue-sharing mechanisms — creating incentives for project durability.

---

Case Study: Comparing Two Carbon Credit Pathways

This contrast explains why Anaxee’s projects consistently meet high-quality carbon standards and appeal to global buyers seeking verified permanence.

---

The Policy Context: India and Global Markets

In India:

The upcoming Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS) under the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) will classify credits based on quality.
“Durable” and “additional” projects — like biochar, soil carbon, and long-term ARR — are likely to attract premium demand.

Globally:

Initiatives like the Integrity Council for Voluntary Carbon Markets (IC-VCM) and Carbon Credit Quality Initiative (CCQI) are codifying permanence and additionality into rating frameworks.

In this landscape, Anaxee’s data-verified permanence gives Indian credits global credibility.

---

Anaxee’s Permanence Tools

Anaxee essentially operationalizes permanence — turning what was once a “paper claim” into data-backed continuity.

---

Why Permanence & Additionality Are the Future of Carbon Markets

1. Buyers Are Paying for Quality

The premium in today’s carbon market is not for tree counts, but for certainty and proof.
Durable, additional projects command 3–10x higher prices.

2. Rating Agencies Demand Evidence

Projects without measurable permanence or clear additionality are being downrated or delisted.

3. Regulatory Shifts

As India formalizes its carbon registry, “high-quality” projects will likely receive faster approvals and compliance eligibility.

---

The Anaxee Value Proposition

Anaxee is building the infrastructure of credibility in India’s carbon market.
Its unique combination of technology, traceability, and human verification ensures every credit sold is:

✅ Real (Additional)
✅ Lasting (Permanent)
✅ Transparent (Digitally Verified)

Through its Tech for Climate model — powered by a 125+ member internal team and 40,000+ Digital Runners — Anaxee can implement and monitor carbon projects at unprecedented scale and reliability.

Whether it’s soil carbon, biochar, or ARR, permanence and additionality are not theoretical promises — they are measured outcomes.

---

Conclusion: Trust Is Built on Permanence

Carbon credits without permanence and additionality are hollow promises.
The world is demanding proof — not pledges.

By embedding long-term durability and verifiable additionality into every project, Anaxee is redefining what a “high-quality carbon credit” means in the Indian context.

In a market moving from offsetting to authentic removal, permanence isn’t just a metric — it’s the foundation of trust.

---

About Anaxee:

 Anaxee drives/develops large-scale, country-wide Climate and Carbon Credit projects across India. We specialize in Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) and community-driven initiatives, providing the technology and on-ground network needed to execute, monitor, and ensure transparency in projects like agroforestry, regenerative agriculture, improved cookstoves, solar devices, water filters and more. Our systems are designed to maintain integrity and verifiable impact in carbon methodologies.

Beyond climate, Anaxee is India’s Reach Engine- building the nation’s largest last-mile outreach network of 100,000 Digital Runners (shared, tech-enabled field force). We help corporates, agri-focused companies, and social organizations scale to rural and semi-urban India by executing projects in 26 states, 540+ districts, and 11,000+ pin codes, ensuring both scale and 100% transparency in last-mile operations. Connect with Anaxee at sales@anaxee.com