Selling carbon offsets to the Province

Last updated on January 15, 2024

The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy invests in high-quality B.C.-based carbon offset projects that reduce or sequester greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in order to offset the emissions produced by the provincial public sector each year.

Under the Carbon Neutral Government program, the Ministry manages a portfolio of carbon offsets on behalf of all provincial public sector organizations in support of our commitment to carbon neutrality.

The Carbon Neutral Government offset portfolio has offset over 8.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions from the provincial public sector between 2010 and 2022. In addition to reducing emissions, offsetting advances green technologies, supports clean job growth and stimulates the economy.

How the government chooses offsets

The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy is currently reviewing its approach to purchasing carbon offsets and exploring options for an updated offset procurement process. The former Request for Offset Units (RFOU) closed on July 19, 2021. Thank you to those who applied under that process. Existing offset purchase agreements established under that process, including contracted purchases under those agreements, will not be affected by the procurement review.

Selling offsets to the Province

Please check back for updates on carbon offset procurement opportunities. For more information regarding the review of offset procurement, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions (PDF, 136KB). Additional questions related to offset procurement can be directed to Carbon.Neutral.Investment@gov.bc.ca.

Offset project development

The offset procurement review will not impact work related to the development of offset protocols. Protocol development is a separate process that is part of provincial offset regulatory requirements; it is distinct from the government’s purchasing process for carbon offsets.

Prospective project proponents are encouraged to review provincial offset regulatory requirements as a first step prior to planning projects, considering investment decisions, or seeking potential purchasers.

Projects must meet provincial regulations in order to have their emission reductions or removals recognized as B.C. Offset Units. 

For questions related to the regulations and offset project development, contact GHGRegulator@gov.bc.ca.