Dictionary

Terms, abbreviations and their explanations. 

Adapted and expanded from the COP15 DICTIONARY http://en.cop15.dk/frontpage/dictionary

C
CAN
Climate Action Network. "A worldwide network of over 450 Non- Governmental Organizations (NGOs) working to promote government and individual action to limit human-induced climate change to ecologically sustainable levels." Information exchange and a multi-level approach that includes national, regional and global NGO strategies are at the core of CAN's projects and processes. www.climatenetwork.org

Carbon footprint
"A carbon footprint is a way of expressing the amount of CO2 emitted as a result of a person's day-to-day life. For a business, it is the CO2 emitted as a result of its operations. Carbon footprints are usually expressed in tonnes of carbon dioxide emitted per year. They are calculated from information such as travel, burning of fossil fuels (eg: to heat buildings) and use of non-renewable electricity. The average carbon footprint of a UK citizen has been estimated to be 11.5 tonnes per year." (From BT's Climate change dictionary)

Carbon sink
The term used for natural mechanisms that absorb CO2 naturally. Until now the oceans have absorbed about half the extra CO2 that humans have sent into the atmosphere, but this proportion is now declining slightly. Vegetation is also a carbon sink.

CFC gases
A group of gases - part of the group called HFC gases - that have been used a lot industrially, for example in refrigerators or in firefighting appliances. CFC gases are greenhouse gases and their use is extremely limited today. CFC gases affect the climate but also contribute to depleting the ozone layer, which protects the earth against ultraviolet radiation from the sun. The CFC gases that are already present in the atmosphere are broken down very slowly, and therefore they still contribute to the depletion of the ozone layer and increase the greenhouse effect.

CGP
Citizens' Global Platform: a civil society project that was initiated in the Helsinki Process, spearheaded by the UNA's of Finland and Tanzania. Read more.

CO2
CO2 is a gas, also known as carbon dioxide, which is formed by the burning of organic materials such as coal, oil, gas and wood. Humans and animals inhale oxygen and exhale CO2. Plants absorb CO2 and release oxygen. CO2 and water vapour (H2O) are the most important natural greenhouse gases.

CO2 equivalents
Different types of gases contribute to the greenhouse effect to a greater or lesser degree. In order to have a comparable target, these contributions to the greenhouse effect are converted to the amount of CO2 that would be required to create the same effect. These are called CO2 equivalents.

COP (Conference of the Parties)
The annual meeting of representatives of the countries that have ratified the UN's climate convention (see UNFCCC). The COP is the topmost agency for decisions under the climate convention. The next conference, COP15, will be held in Copenhagen December 7th-18th 2009.
Read more about the COP´s here (only in English)

CSO
Civil Society Organisation

E
Emission Reduction Unit (ERU)
A sort of international "climate currency" used for payment within the flexible mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol.

EPA
(The United States') Environmental Protection Agency

Extreme weather
Extreme weather can include such things as unusually violent storms; heatwaves or droughts that are longer or hotter than normal, and exceptionally violent levels of precipitation. As global warming continues, more occurrences of extreme weather are expected, and this has already been seen in several areas.

F
FOEI
Friends of the Earth International. Environmental civil society network that campaigns on inter alia, climate, energy, food sovereignty, forests and biodiversity, indigenous peoples' rights, and against neoliberalism in a multitude of ways from direct political campaigns to cultural means. www.foei.org

Fossil fuels
Energy sources formed in the earth's crust from the remains (fossils) of plants and animals that lived on earth many millions of years ago. Coal, oil and natural gas are fossil fuels. Uranium - for nuclear power - is sometimes counted as a fossil fuel, even though it is not formed from dead plants and animals, but is a naturally occurring element.

G
Global warming
An increase in the average global temperature. The rate of warming has increased since the 1950s, which is mainly due to increased greenhouse gas emissions. The warming is greatest over the land and near the poles.

Greenhouse effect
The greenhouse effect is the name given to a process occurring naturally that insulates the earth against the loss of heat into space. The greenhouse effect is necessary for life to exist on earth and is not a problem in itself. It is the increased greenhouse effect, which is the result of increased greenhouse gas emissions, that creates problems in the form of increased global warming. The greenhouse effect is not the same as the hole in the ozone layer, although CFC gases contribute to both phenomena.

Greenpeace
Nongovernmental campaigning organisation for the preservation of environment and peace. The goals and aspirations of the organisation are comprehensive, ranging from conservation of various natural habitats, to an energy revolution and sustainable agriculture, and disarmament including nuclear non-proliferation. Greenpeace is known for its shock tactics and large-scale campaign operations that at times balance on the boundaries of legality, e.g. their numerous stunts (breaching security to tie a banner onto an aircraft at Heathrow to protest against the 3rd runway, or climbing Big Ben with a banner against WMDs). www.greenpeace.org

 H

Helsinki Process
The Helsinki Process on Globalisation and Democracy was jointly initiated by Finland and Tanzania as a result of the Helsinki Conference of December 2002. The core idea of the process was to develop concepts and strategies for multi-stakeholder cooperation in global problem-solving, in other words, to increase democracy in international decision-making by bringing in non-state actors. The second phase followed with exemplary multi-stakeholder Round Tables on specific issues, under broad themes, such as environment, and poverty and development. The Final Report of the Second Phase was presented to the Secretary-General of the UN during the Ministerial Week of the 63rd Session of the General Assembly in September 2008. Even though the Helsinki Process itself has come to an end, it spurned initiatives such as the Citizens' Global Platform. Read more: www.helsinkiprocess.fi

I
IPCC
Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change: The UN's climate panel, which was set up to understand and evaluate the extent and effects of climate change, and to assess the possibilities of adjusting to or neutralising expected changes in climate. Read more

K
The Kyoto Protocol
Appendix to the UN's climate convention, which among other things imposes concrete reductions in greenhouse gas emissions on a number of industrialised countries. The Kyoto Protocol gets its name from the 1997 conference in Kyoto where it was drafted. It is an addition to the UN Framework Convention on Climate, which in itself only recommends restrictive measures. The Protocol has been effectively ratified by 184 states (June 1st 2009), unfortunately not by the US which is one the biggest pollutants. Read the treaty (only in English).

L
LULUCF
Land use, land-use change and forestry

M
MDGs
Millennium Development Goals. Eight international development goals that 192 United Nations member states and at least 23 international organizations have agreed to achieve by the year 2015. They include reducing extreme poverty, reducing child mortality rates, fighting disease epidemics, developing a global partnership for development and fostering environmental sustainability. http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/bkgd.shtml

Methane
Also called natural gas. The simplest of the so-called hydrocarbons, which comprise combustible gases, oils and a whole range of other substances. Methane is a very powerful greenhouse gas - about 20 times more powerful than CO2 in a 100-year perspective.

N
Nitrous oxide
A gas with the chemical formula N2O. Nitrous oxide is still used as an anaesthetic in several areas, but it is also a greenhouse gas. By far the greatest share of human emissions of nitrous oxide come from agriculture (inorganic fertiliser and manure) and from the burning of petrol and oil in combustion engines.

O
Offsetting
"Offsetting involves calculating the total amount of carbon dioxide that will be emitted from a certain activity, for example plane travel or a conference call. The person or group carrying out that activity then donates money to a project which is designed to reduce the same amount of carbon dioxide emissions, typically in the developing world; For example, this could be a renewable energy development in India, but tree planting has also been a common activity in offsetting." (From BT's Climate change dictionary)

Ozone depletion
"Damage to the ozone layer was a hot topic in the 1980s. CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons), used in fridges and aerosols, were to blame. Businesses and governments took action to phase them out and it is expected that the ozone hole will disappear by the end of this century. Although ozone depletion is a distinct issue to climate change, CFCs and similar gases also contribute to the greenhouse effect." (From BT's Climate change dictionary)

R
Renewable energy
Energy production based on sources of energy that do not run out, for example wind, water and solar power. The production of renewable energy does not in itself discharge greenhouse gases, but the production and the installation of plant, or other circumstances - for example the formation of methane in water reservoirs - can place a strain on the climate. This strain is however far smaller than when fossil fuels are used.

Rising sea level
A warmer climate causes the sea level to rise. Half of this effect has until now been caused by the fact that water expands when it gets warmer.

S
SEI
Stockholm Environment Institute

Stern Review
A report on climate change economics by Lord Stern of Brentford released in late 2006. He assesses that the worst-case-scenarios are still avoidable, if we submit about 2% of world GDP annually to combating climate change immediately (the original figure was 1% but was later revised). This, he argues, would still be much cheaper than the likely 20% drop in GDP worldwide that neglect would result in - comparable to the devastating economic situation mid-20th century that resulted from war and depression. Stern also notes the uneven distribution of the effects of climate change.

Sunspots
Areas on the surface of the sun, which in periods are a little colder than the rest of the surface and appear as dark spots. Sunspots are formed by powerful magnetic fields in the sun, and their number indicates the sun's activity. The sun's magnetic fields influence the amount of so-called cosmic radiation that can reach the earth's atmosphere.

U
UNA
United Nations Association: Civil Society Organisation for the promotion of the United Nations. See also WFUNA.

UNEP
United Nations Environment Program

UNFCCC
The UN's climate convention. The convention constitutes the framework for international cooperation in combatting climate change. Read more

Uncertainties
In the scientific field, no one can claim something with 100% certainty, but this does not mean that nothing is known. The UN's climate panel, IPCC, employs a range of terms in order to try to clarify how one deals with uncertainties.

W
WFUNA
World Federation of United Nations Associations. See also UNA www.wfuna.org

WWF
World Wildlife Fund. Nongovernmental organisation that focuses on saving endangered species and conservation projects. www.wwf.org