Gold Standard is pleased to announce the release of its Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) Model Requirements and Guidelines for a 30-day public consultation period. These guidelines aim to provide project developers and third-party auditors with a robust framework for SOC model selection, calibration, validation, and uncertainty management, supporting the adoption of best practices across the industry. Designed to complement the SOC Framework Methodology (SOC FM), the guidelines emphasise practical implementation while maintaining flexibility to accommodate diverse project contexts and objectives. We invite stakeholders to review the key components outlined below and provide feedback to ensure the guidelines are both practical and scientifically rigorous. Key highlights of the document are:
- Gold Standard has developed comprehensive guidelines to support SOC modelling for climate change mitigation, covering model selection, calibration, validation, and uncertainty handling, and aligning with its SOC Framework Methodology (SOC FM).
- The guidelines emphasise project-specific applications, focusing on outcomes rather than prescribing specific models, treating models as "black boxes" with defined inputs and outputs.
- They stress the importance of understanding project context—soil properties, climate, land-use practices—to tailor model selection and ensure alignment with objectives.
- Key elements include using project-specific data for calibration and validation, providing validation metrics and thresholds, addressing uncertainty estimation, and advocating for recurring model verification to maintain accuracy over time.
