FOOTPRINT.MARKETS

Measuring what we leave behind

Surface: 0-50m / Voluntary Carbon Markets

Surface Markets

Annual Volume 2.4Gt CO2e traded in 2025
Market Cap $186B voluntary carbon market
Active Projects 14,200 registered globally
Avg Price $48.30 per tonne CO2e
Retirement Rate 67% credits retired vs issued
Nature-Based 42% of all offsets
Growth Rate +31% year over year
Verified 89% third-party audited
Forestry 3.1M hectares protected
Participants 8,400+ corporate buyers
200m / Carbon Credit Geology

Credit Geology

Beneath the surface of voluntary markets lies a complex stratigraphy of credit types, each with distinct formation conditions and verification depths. Like geological layers, older credit methodologies underpin newer innovations, creating a sedimentary record of environmental finance evolution.

The deepest layers -- forestry credits from early REDD+ projects -- form the bedrock upon which today's technology-based removal credits are built. Each layer tells a story of shifting methodologies, regulatory pressures, and the slow compression of loose commitments into verified, auditable instruments.

Understanding this stratigraphy is essential for any participant navigating the markets. The age, type, and verification depth of a credit determines its value, its permanence, and its true environmental impact. Surface-level trading obscures these distinctions; the geology reveals them.

TECH-BASED REMOVAL 2023-PRESENT BLUE CARBON 2019-2023 RENEWABLE ENERGY 2012-2019 REDD+ FORESTRY 2008-2015 CDM / KYOTO ERA 1997-2012 EARLY VOLUNTARY PRE-1997
800m / Biodiversity Bedrock

Biodiversity Bedrock

The deepest stratum holds the most fundamental forces: biodiversity indices that measure the health of the living systems upon which all markets ultimately depend.

2025 2020 2015 2010

Biodiversity index by year -- ring width represents ecosystem health score. Wider rings indicate stronger biodiversity readings.

Species Index 0.68 Living Planet Index 2025
Protected Areas 17.6% of global land surface
Ecosystem Credits $2.1B biodiversity credit market
Coral Systems -14% reef coverage since 2020
Forest Carbon 861Gt stored in global forests
Pollinators -40% insect pollinator decline

Every transaction leaves a trace