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CLIMATE CHANGE GLOSSARY 2008
Terminology Used Within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
and other UN and National Systems
Abrupt Climate Change: A change in climate
over a widespread area that takes place so
rapidly and unexpectedly that human and natural
systems have difficulty adapting. An abrupt
climate change occurs on the scale of decades,
rather than centuries, and persists for years. This
is presenting taking place in Greenland and
Polar regions of the North and South poles.
for a long time by planting trees or their seeds.
This differs from reafforestation which is the
restocking of existing forests and woodlands
which have been depleted. Trees absorb carbon
dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere during
photosynthesis. It has been suggested that large
scale afforestation could successfully absorb the
CO2 generated by the burning of the fossil fuels,
coal and oil. The vast areas of afforestation
required to achieve this would result in many
negative environmental impacts. From a local
perspective, in the short term such afforestation
would cause as much environmental destruction
as global warming could in the long term.
Abatement - Actions resulting in reductions to
the degree or intensity of greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions. Also referred to as mitigation
Adaption or Adaptation - Adaptation is
adjustment in natural or human systems to a new
or changing environment. Adaption refers to
adjustments in natural or human systems as a
result of new or changing environment.
Adaptation is intended to reduce vulnerability to
actual or anticipated climate change and
variability. Within the North and global South,
most national adaptation plans do not take into
consideration the special adaptation needs of
Indigenous Peoples.
Air pollution - Air pollution describes the
presence of chemical, physical (e.g. particulate
matter), or biological agents that modify the
natural characteristics of the atmosphere,
interfere with human health or welfare, or
produce harmful environmental effects. In
environmental policy, air pollution is usually
addressed separately from the greenhouse effect.
The most important greenhouse gases, in
contrast, do not directly act as pollutants but are
harmful because of their capacity to alter the
climate.
Adaption Costs - Costs of planning, preparing
for, facilitating, and implementing adaption
measures, including transition costs.
Albedo - The fraction of solar energy
(shortwave radiation) reflected from the earth’s
surface back into space. When you look at the
globe, you see that the clouds are mostly white
but the ocean is a dark blue. The clouds have a
higher albedo than the surface of the ocean. It is
a measure of the reflectivity of the earth's
surface. Ice, especially with snow on top of it,
has a high albedo, resulting in most sunlight
hitting the surface bouncing back towards space.
Water is much more absorbent and less
reflective. So, if there is a lot of water, more
solar radiation is absorbed by the ocean than
when ice dominates, resulting in the sea water
warming. Changes in land use that significantly
Adaption Fund – This is an international
mechanism to finance adaption projects and
programs in developing countries that are Parties
to the Kyoto Protocol.
Adaptive Capacity – This is the ability of a
system to adjust to climate change, variability
and extremes to moderate potential damages, to
take advantage of opportunities, or to cope with
the consequences.
Afforestation – This is the process of
establishing a forest by artificial methods on
land that is not a forest, or has not been a forest
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alter the characteristics of land surfaces can
therefore influence the climate through changes
in albedo.
Annex B - A list in the Kyoto Protocol of 38
countries plus the European Community that
agreed to emission targets. The list is nearly
identical to the Annex I Parties listed in the
Convention except that it does not include
Belarus or Turkey.
Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) - A
coalition of some 43 low-lying and small island
countries, most of which are members of the
G77 that are particularly vulnerable to the
potential adverse consequences of climate
change such as sea-level rise, coral bleaching,
and increased frequency and intensity of tropical
storms.
Arctic – The northern polar region of Mother
Earth which includes almost the whole area of
the Arctic ocean and adjacent areas of Eurasian
and North American continents. Technically the
term “Arctic” covers the area north of the Arctic
Circle, but often the term describes everything
north of the tree line.
Allocation - Under an emissions trading
scheme, permits to emit can initially either be
given away for free to “polluters”, usually under
a ‘grandfathering’ approach based on past
emissions in a base year or an ‘updating’
approach based on the more recent emissions.
The alternative is to auction permits in an initial
market offering.
Arctic Circle – This is the parallel of latitude
that runs approximately 66.5º north of the
Equator. Within the Arctic Circle, the arctic sun
is above the horizon for, at least, 24 continuous
hours per year at the time of the summer
solstice, and at winter solstice, the arctic sun is
below the horizon for at least 24 continuous
hours.
Anthropogenic Emissions - Emissions of
greenhouse gasses resulting from human
activities.
Avoided Deforestation - The practice of saving
existing forests is called "avoided deforestation",
and is not recognized as a legitimate source of
CDM offsets under the Kyoto Protocol. At Bali
UNFCCC in 2007, this was a contentious issue,
resulting in COP Parties supporting the idea to
further amend CDM rules to allow carbon
offsets in avoided deforestation. Many
Indigenous Peoples and forest peoples at Bali
UNFCCC opposed this initiative expressing
concerns the offsets markets would not
recognize Indigenous People's land rights and
local tenure and customary rights.
Annex I Parties -The 40 industrialized
countries plus the European Economic
Community (economies in transition) listed in
Annex I of the UNFCCC that agreed to try to
limit their GHG emissions: Australia, Austria,
Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia,
Czech Republic, Denmark, European Economic
Community, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany,
Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Latvia,
Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco,
The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation,
Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Turkey, Ukraine, United States.
Annex II - List established under the UNFCCC
of industrialized countries, excluding economies
in transition, that are to provide new and
additional resources to help developing countries
meet existing commitments under the UNFCCC.
Bali Action Plan – The commitment terms of
the Kyoto Protocol ends in 2012. New climate
data says deeper emission cuts are required. The
goal of the UNFCCC COP/MOP in Bali in 2007
was to get an agreement from all the 187 country
delegates to agree to a new accord and timetable
for the next 2 years for deeper cuts. The U.S.
was an obstructionists finally agreeing to a
water-downed agreement with no binding
commitment. The Bali Action Plan only
acknowledged that deeper global emission cuts
Annex A - A list in the Kyoto Protocol of the
six greenhouse gases and the sources of
emissions covered under the Kyoto Protocol.
See also "Basket of Gases."
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are needed, with no exact levels cited.The
targets sought by Europe and others remain in
the action plan — including the need for rich
countries to cut emissions by 2020 up to 40
percent below 1990 levels, and a 50 percent cut
in emissions globally by 2050. But these figures
are now a footnote to the nonbinding preamble,
not a main feature of the plan.
countries to build, develop, strengthen, enhance
and improve their capabilities to achieve the
objective of the Convention and their
participation in the Kyoto Protocol process.
Within current UNFCCC negotiations,
Indigenous Peoples are excluded in capacity
building mechanisms.
Carbon Capture and Storage, or CSS
(Sequestration) - Capture of carbon dioxide
(CO2 )emitted from large point sources,
compression, transportation and injection into
underground geological formations for longterm storage. Carbon capture and storage
(sequestration) is an approach to mitigate global
warming by CO2 from large point sources such
as fossil fuel power plants and storing it instead
of releasing it into the atmosphere. Although
CO2 has been injected into geological
formations for various purposes, the long term
storage of CO2 is a relatively untried concept
and as yet (2008) no large scale power plant
operates with a full carbon capture and storage
(sequestration) system.
Baselines - The baseline estimates of
population, gross domestic product (GDP),
energy use and hence resultant greenhouse gas
emissions (GHG) without climate policies,
determine how big a reduction is required, and
also what the impacts of climate change without
policy will be.
Base Year - Targets for reducing GHG
emissions are often defined in relation to a base
year. In the Kyoto Protocol, 1990 is the base
year for most countries for the major GHGs;
1995 can be used as the base year for some of
the minor GHGs.
Basket of Gases - This refers to the group six of
greenhouse gases (GHG) regulated under the
Kyoto Protocol. They are listed in Annex A of
the Kyoto Protocol and include: carbon dioxide
(CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O),
hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons
(PFCs), and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6).
Biofuel (Agrofuel) - A fuel produced from
biomass – recently living organisms or their
metabolic byproducts, for example, oils from
palm trees and plants, methane from manure
from animals and human sewage, wood from
trees, agricultural products specifically grown as
a fuel crop, such as corn, soybeans, flaxseed,
rapeseed, etc. Waste from industry, agriculture,
forestry, and households can also be used to
produce bio-energy; examples include straw,
lumber, garbage and food leftovers
Carbon Cycle - The natural processes that
govern the exchange of carbon (in the form of
CO2, carbonates and organic compounds, etc.)
among the atmosphere, ocean and terrestrial
systems. Major components include
photosynthesis, respiration and decay between
atmospheric and terrestrial systems.
Carbon Dioxide (CO2 ) - This is the main GHG,
accounting for some 81% of Annex I countries’
GHG emissions in 1990. It is one of the six
GHGs controlled by the Kyoto Protocol. A
naturally occurring gas, it is also produced by
natural process such as respiration, decay of
vegetation or forests, and as a by-product of
human activities including use of fossil fuels and
biomass, as well as land-use changes and other
industrial processes. It is the principal
anthropogenic (human-caused) greenhouse gas
that affects Mother Earth's temperature.
Capacity Building - A process of constructive
interaction between developed and developing
countries to help developing countries build the
capability and skills needed to achieve
environmentally sound forms of economic
development. Under current negotiations,
capacity building should assist developing
Carbon Market - A popular term for a trading
system through which countries may buy or sell
units of greenhouse gas emissions(not just
carbon dioxide) in an effort to meet their
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national limits on emissions, either under the
Kyoto Protocol or under other agreements, such
as that among member states of the European
Union. The term comes from the fact that carbon
dioxide is the predominant greenhouse gas and
other gases are measured in units called ‘carbondioxide equivalents’.
Carbon Tax - A tax placed on carbon
emissions. It is similar to a BTU tax, except that
the tax rate is based on the fuel’s carbon content.
Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) - The
Clean Development Mechanism was added at a
late stage of the UNFCCC negotiations that
culminated in the Kyoto Protocol. The CDM
goes back to a Brazilian proposal to create a
“Clean Development Fund” as part of the Kyoto
Protocol. This proposal, supported by G77 and
China, was based upon penalizing those
industrialized countries not complying with the
emission targets set in the Kyoto Protocol. The
resources of the fund were to be made available
to non-industrialized developing countries for
use in climate change mitigation projects (90%)
and projects to help countries fight the
consequences of climate change, such as floods,
droughts – the so-called adaptation projects.
Industrialized countries opposed this idea. The
Clean Development Mechanism was created as a
compromise. Unlike the fund, the mechanism is
not linked to compliance of industrialized
countries with their emission targets; rather, it
aims to achieve climate change mitigation
through a market-based approach: industrialized
countries receive emission rights in exchange for
financing emission abatement projects in the
South.
Carbon Sequestration – This is the storage of
carbon or carbon dioxide in the forests, soils,
ocean, or underground in depleted oil and gas
reservoirs, coal seams and saline aquifers.
Examples include: the separation and storage of
CO2 from flue gases or the processing of fossil
fuels to produce H2; and the direct removal of
CO2 from the atmosphere through land-use
change, afforestation, reforestation, ocean
fertilization, and agricultural practices to
enhance soil carbon.
Carbon Sinks - Natural or man-made systems
that absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
and store them. Carbon sinks are areas that
absorb and hold onto lots of carbon dioxide –
oceans, soil, plants and forests. A carbon “sink”
can become a carbon “source.” For example, a
growing forest is a carbon sink as it absorbs
more carbon than it releases. But when it burns,
it becomes a carbon “source” as it releases lots
of carbon into the atmosphere. (See “Carbon
cycle.”). The concept of carbon sinks is based on
the natural ability of trees, other plants and the
soil to soak up carbon dioxide and temporarily
store the carbon in wood, roots, leaves and the
soil. Another important carbon store are fossil
fuel deposits. But this particular carbon store,
buried deep inside the earth, is naturally
separated from the carbon cycling in the
atmosphere unless humans decide to release it
into the atmosphere when it is mined, or burn
fossil fuels like coal, oil or natural gas. This
process has seen greenhouse gas concentrations
in the atmosphere soar to levels more than 30%
higher than at the beginning of the industrial
revolution. And through our current greenhouse
gas emissions, we are still adding at least 6
billion tons of carbon per year to the
atmospheric carbon cycle, significantly altering
the intricate web of carbon fluxes, and as a
consequence, altering the global climate.
CH4. Methane - The second most common gas
in the basket of six GHGs controlled by the
Kyoto Protocol.
Climate Change - Climate change is a change
in the “average weather” that a given region
experiences. When we speak of climate change
on a global scale, we are referring to changes in
the climate of Mother Earth as a whole,
including temperature increases (global
warming) or decreases, and shifts in wind
patterns and precipitation.
Commitment Period - The period under the
Kyoto Protocol during which Annex I Parties'
GHG emissions, averaged over the period, must
stay within their emission targets. The first
commitment period covers 2008-2012.
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the formerly communist states of central and
eastern Europe - that are now in transition to a
market economy. These countries are expected
to be the location of choice for many JI projects
under the Kyoto Protocol on cost grounds.
Conference of the Parties (COP) - This is the
supreme body of the UNFCCC, charged with the
task of regularly reviewing implementation of
the Convention and any related instruments,
such as the Kyoto Protocol. The COP meets
annually.
Ecosystem – The community of all of the living
things in an area. It includes surroundings, plus
all the ways in which the living things interact
with each other and their surroundings.
COP/MOP - Conference of the Parties (COP)
serving as the Meeting of the Parties (MOP) to
the Kyoto Protocol. To avoid duplication, the
COP will serve as the MOP. Parties to the
UNFCCC that are not Parties to the Protocol
will be able to participate in the COP/MOP as
observers.
El Niño - A climatic phenomenon occurring
every 5 to 7 years during the Christmas season
(El Niño means Christ child) in the surface
oceans of the southeast Pacific. The
phenomenon involves seasonal changes in the
direction of Pacific winds and abnormally warm
surface ocean temperatures. The changes
normally only affect the Pacific region, but
major El Niño events can disrupt weather
patterns over much of the globe. The
relationships between these events and global
weather patterns are poorly understood and are
currently the subject of much research.
CO2 Tax - A compulsory tax levied on fuels in
accordance with their carbon content, with the
aim to encourage using less carbon-intensive
fuels and to reduce energy consumption.
Deforestation - Deforestation is the long-term
removal of trees from an area because of cutting
and burning to provide land for agriculture
purposes and other changes in land use, such as
roads, residential, recreational and industrial use.
Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere by photosynthesis, helping to
regulate the greenhouse effect. Deforestation
releases significant amounts of CO2 into the
atmosphere because of soil disturbance, burning,
and removal of above ground biomass from the
ecosystem.
Emissions - The release of greenhouse gases
into the atmosphere over a specified area and
period of time. Most commonly, emission refers
to a substance discharged into the air, especially
exhaust gases resulting from the combustion of
fuels.
Emissions Cap - A mandated restraint, in a
scheduled time frame, that puts a ‘ceiling’ on the
total amount of anthropogenic greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions that can be released into the
atmosphere. The Kyoto Protocol mandates caps
on the GHG emissions released by developed
countries listed in Annex B. Climate policy
legislation within the United States are currently
proposing “cap” proposals to cap CO2
emissions.
Desertification – This is long-term damage to
dry lands, especially in arid or semi-arid regions
bordering existing deserts, caused by drought
and by human activities such as commercial
agricultural activities, over cultivation, western
forms of development, mining, deforestation,
and poor irrigation practices that turn the land
into a desert, unable to grow anything. Existing
dry lands, which cover over 40% of the total
land area of the world, mainly in Africa and
Asia, are most at risk for desertification resulting
from drought caused by climate change.
Emissions Permit - The phrase emissions
permit is sometimes used to refer to the nontransferable or tradable entitlement bestowed by
an administrative authority (intergovernmental
organization, central or local government
agency) to a regional (country, sub-national) or a
sectoral (an individual corporation firm) entity
Economies in Transition (EIT) - A term within
the UNFCCC used to describe countries of the
former Soviet bloc - the Soviet Union itself and
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to emit a pollutant within specified constraints.
In some settings, an emissions permit is required
for activities that create emissions, and the
operator responsible for emissions must acquire
and surrender emissions allowances in amount
equal to actual emissions.
a powerful tool for the reduction of greenhouse
gas emissions.
Energy Efficiency Standards - Energy
efficiency standards are procedures and
regulations on the energy performance of
manufactured products, sometimes prohibiting
the sale of products less energy efficient than the
minimum standard, often called minimum
energy performance standards (MEPS). Energy
efficiency standards can be complemented by
energy efficiency labels, which provide
consumers with data necessary for making
informed purchases, by giving information on
energy use, efficiency, and/or cost.
Emissions Reduction Unit (ERU) - An ERU
represents one ton of CO2 - equivalent
greenhouse gas emissions reductions to be
achieved through a Joint Implementation (JI)
project.
Emissions Trading - The Kyoto Protocol
established provisions for an emissions trading
system that allows industrialized countries
(Annex 1 Parties) to buy and sell emission
credits to other Annex 1 Parties. This trading
scheme is likely to involve private companies.
Countries that keep emissions below their
agreed target will be able to sell the excess
emission credits to countries that find it more
difficult or more expensive to meet their own
targets. One of the main concerns is that the
Kyoto targets of some countries are so low that
they can be met with minimal effort. These
countries could then sell large quantities of
emission credits (known as ‘Hot Air’). The rules
of this trading system have not yet been decided.
Flexible Mechanisms - Rather than relying on
domestic action to meet the modest targets
contained in the Kyoto Protocol, governments of
the industrialized countries decided that they
needed ‘flexibility’ in achieving national
emission reduction targets. They therefore
agreed to include three flexible mechanisms in
the Kyoto Protocol to ‘help’ them achieve their
obligations through carbon trading and emission
reduction activities abroad rather than
domestically.
Forest - Key to the identification of Kyoto lands
is a definition of forest that is consistent for all
Parties. This definition is critical to the
accounting of sources and sinks under the Kyoto
Protocol (Articles 3.3 and 3.4). There are many
definitions of forest, based on land-use status
(administrative/cultural records) or a minimum
threshold of canopy cover and/or tree height.
None, however, were specifically designed for
carbon accounting as required under the
Protocol. This definition and the implications of
using different definitions are addressed in detail
in Chapter 3 of the IPCC Special Report on
LULUCF. The IPCC 2006 Guidelines for
National GHG Inventories provide a broad, nonprescriptive definition of forest lands, but leave
it to individual countries to decide which of their
lands they will designate as forest.
Energy – Energy comes in different forms –
heat (thermal), light (radiant), mechanical,
electrical, chemical, and nuclear. There are two
types of energy – stored (potential) energy and
working (kinetic) energy. For example, the
energy from the food that you eat is stored in
your body as chemical energy until you use it.
Much of the energy we use comes from nonrenewable sources such as fossil fuels (coal, oil
and gas). Renewable energy sources include
solar power, wind power and hydroelectric
power (within many Indigenous and local
communities, hydroelectric dams results in
environmental damages and land lost that
outweighs renewable energy benefits).
Energy Efficiency - Energy efficiency (or
energy intensity) describes the relationship
between energy use and service output.
Improving energy efficiency is generally seen as
Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) A new initiative launched on December 11,
2007 in Bali at the UNFCCC by the World Bank
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to address the destruction of forests. The PCPF
is designed to "test the feasibility" of different
market-based approaches to avoided
deforestation. It is set to be officially launched in
Bali, and pilot projects have already been
proposed for Papua New Guinea, Costa Rica,
Indonesia, Brazil, and the Democratic Republic
of Congo.
Glacier – A very large body of ice moving
slowly down a slope or valley or spreading
outward on a land surface
Global Environment Facility (GEF) - A
jointly funded Program established by developed
countries at the time of the Rio Summit to meet
their obligations under various international
environmental treaties. GEF serves as the
interim financial mechanism for the UNFCCC,
in particular to cover the cost of reporting by
non-Annex I countries.
Fossil Fuels - Carbon-based fuels include coal,
natural gas and petroleum products (such as oil)
formed from the decayed bodies of animals and
plants that died millions of years ago. Fossil
fuels are considered as non-renewable, as their
formation requires geological time periods. The
combustion of fossil fuels leads to an increase in
the atmosphere’s CO2 content, since carbon that
was stored in Mother Earths’ crust over very
long periods of time is released within a very
short time period.
Global Warming - This is the increase in
Mother Earth’s temperature, in part due to
emissions of greenhouse gases associated with
human activities such as burning fossil fuels,
biomass burning, deforestation and other landuse changes.
Global Warming Potential (GWP) - Term
used to describe the relative potency, molecule
for molecule, of a GHG, taking account of how
long it remains active in the atmosphere. The
GWPs currently used are those calculated over
100 years. Carbon dioxide is taken as the gas of
reference, with a 100-year GWP of 1.
G8 - G8 is an international annual forum formed
by the governments of Canada, France,
Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United
Kingdom and the United States of America. It is
an informal organization without an
administrative structure or a permanent
secretariat. The G8 reinforced that the UNFCCC
will remain the appropriate forum for
negotiating future global action on climate
change at their meeting in Heiligendamm in
2007.
GHG emissions – This is the greenhouse gases
we discharge into the air. The major emission
adding to the greenhouse effect is CO2 , but
other emissions, such as methane and nitrous
oxide, absorb energy more efficiently than CO2
and thus have a higher impact per amount
emitted.
G77. Group of 77 (and China) – This is the
main negotiating group of developing countries
within the UN system. Despite its name, it
represents more than 130 countries.
Greenhouse Effect – The burning of fossil fuels
like coal, oil, and natural gas releases a number
of gases. Gases released from burning fossil
fuels are greenhouse gases, which act like a
blanket around Mother Earth, trapping heat and
warming the earth's atmosphere. This effect
allows incoming solar energy to pass through
Mother Earth’s atmosphere, but preventing most
of the outgoing heat from Mother Earth from
escaping into outer space. Unfortunately,
because of excess GHG emissions, the GHGs
are now trapping too much heat. This is
Geothermal Energy – Power generated by the
harnessing of heat from the interior of Mother
Earth when it comes to, or closes to Mother
Earth’s surface. The regions with highest
underground temperatures are in areas with
active or geologically young volcanoes, but also
include geysers and hot spring areas. Many
Indigenous Peoples, from northern California,
Nevada and Hawaii opposed large-scale
geothermal energy developments. Indigenous
beliefs recognize these geothermal sites as
sacred areas.
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sometimes called the enhanced greenhouse
effect.
accreditation of these IGOs to attend the
negotiating sessions.
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) - Many chemical
compounds, including water vapor, found in
Mother Earth’s atmosphere act as greenhouse
gases. These gases allow sunlight to enter the
atmosphere freely. When sunlight strikes the
Earth’s surface, some of it is reflected back
towards space as infrared radiation (heat).
Greenhouse gases absorb this infrared radiation
and trap the heat in the atmosphere, leading to
the greenhouse effect. These gases occur
through both natural and human-influenced
processes. Primary GHGs include carbon
dioxide but also includes nitrous oxide, methane,
ozone and CFCs.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) - The total
market value of all final goods and services
produced in a country in a given year, equal to
total consumer, investment and government
spending, plus the value of exports, minus the
value of imports
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC) - The IPCC is widely regarded as the
most authoritative international voice on the
science and impacts of climate change. The
panel was established in 1988 by governments
under the auspices of the World Meteorological
Organization and the UN Environment Program
(UNEP). It prepares assessments, reports and
guidelines on: the science of climate change and
its potential environmental, economic and social
impacts; technological developments; possible
national and international responses to climate
change; and cross-cutting issues. Four
Assessment Reports have been completed in
1990, 1995, 2001 and the most recent,
November 2007, titled, the “Fourth Assessment
Report: Climate Change 2007.
Joint Implementation (JI) - Within the Kyoto
Protocol, this mechanism allows industrialized
countries or companies from those countries to
gain credits for financing emission reduction
projects in other industrialized countries.
Reporting rules, monitoring guidelines and the
extent to which credits can be gained from
‘carbon sinks’ have not yet been decided.
Habitat – The natural environment of a plant or
animal, including its food supply, climate, and
shelter.
Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) - Family of
industrial gases included in the basket of six
GHGs controlled by the Kyoto Protocol. HFCs
have replaced ozone-depleting
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in many
applications but are powerful GHGs.
Kyoto Protocol - The protocol, drafted during
the Berlin Mandate process, requires countries
listed in its Annex B (developed nations) to meet
differentiated reduction targets for their
emissions of a ‘basket’ of greenhouse gases (see
‘Kyoto Basket’) relative to 1990 levels by 2008–
12. It was adopted by all Parties to the UNFCCC
in Kyoto, Japan in December 1997 and entered
into force on February 16, 2005.The Kyoto
Protocol is the international plan to reduce
climate change pollution. As of November
2007, 174 countries have signed and ratified the
protocol. It sets targets for industrialized
countries (Annex 1 Parties) to cap and reduce
their pollution, and gives them flexibility as to
how they can reach these targets. The KP was
the mechanism that established the international
carbon trading market. Developing countries
participate in the KP in a number of ways,
including through the Clean Development
Hydropower - Hydropower has been considered
a renewable source of energy that uses the force
of moving water to create electricity. Generally,
the water is dammed and released in controlled
amounts through a system of turbines. Largescale hydropower currently accounts for about
20% of the world’s electricity supply. Globally,
most Indigenous peoples have opposed
hydropower dams.
Intergovernmental Organization (IGOs) Organizations constituted of governments.
Examples include The World Bank, the
Organization of Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD), etc. The UNFCC allows
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Mechanism CDM). The first commitment period
of the KP runs from 2008 to 2012, and future
commitment period targets are being negotiated
now.
Kyoto Target - Kyoto target is the rate of
reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
by industrialized countries, fixed in Annex B of
the Kyoto Protocol. Kyoto targets are defined as
percentage reductions from the base year (for
most countries: 1990) to the average of the fiveyear period for 2008-2012.
compounds such as CFCs, halons, methyl
chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, HCFCs and
methyl bromide.
MOP (Meeting of the Parties) - A commonly
used but incorrect name for the COP/MOP. See
‘Conference of the Parties serving as the
meeting of the Parties’.
National Action Plans - Plans submitted to the
UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP) by
all Parties outlining the steps that they have
adopted to limit their anthropogenic (humancaused) GHG emissions. Countries must submit
these plans as a condition of participating in the
UNFCCC and, subsequently, must communicate
their progress to the COP regularly. The
National Action Plans form part of the National
Communications which include the national
inventory of greenhouse gas (GHG) sources and
sinks. In countries that have Indigenous
Peoples, most National Action Plans do not
specifically address Indigenous Peoples , lands
and territories.
Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry
LULUCF) - A range of activities which can act
either as carbon sinks or as emission sources.
This area remains subject to considerable
scientific and other uncertainties and risks. Many
Indigenous forums within the UNFCCC have
denounced carbon sinks and carbon/emissions
trading systems.
Market-Based Incentives - Measures intended
to use price mechanisms (e.g., taxes and tradable
emissions permits) to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions.
National Adaptation Plan of Action (NAPA) In 2001, COP-7 of the UNFCCC established the
National Adaptation Plans of Action (NAPAs)
program to provide a process for Least
Developed Countries (LDCs) to identify and
prioritize their adaptation needs.
Non-Governmental Organization, or NGO NGOs can include accredited non-profit
organizations and associations from business
and industry, environmental groups, cities and
municipalities, academics and social and activist
organizations. Under the UN, NGOs must be
accredited to observe its activities and, to do so,
they must meet certain qualifications. Many
Indigenous Peoples Organizations have UN
ECOSOC Category II Non-Governmental
Organization consultative status.
Methane – A colorless, odorless, non-toxic gas
that is produced by organic matter decomposing
in an environment without much oxygen – a
landfill or a swamp, for instance. Methane is
one of the greenhouse gases, and is the main
ingredient in natural gas. Methane is also a
biogas fuel a renewable energy source,
increasingly used as a source of power on large
farms where there is lots of animal manure.
Model (Climate) – A climate model is a method
of simulating the behavior of the climate, to
provide a picture of past climates, and to predict
future climate change. The basic laws and other
relationships necessary to model the climate are
expressed as a series of mathematical equations.
The climate however, is a very complex system,
and climate models require supercomputers to
calculate the complicated interactions between
landforms, atmosphere and emotions.
Nitrous Oxide (N2O) - One of the six GHGs
controlled by the Kyoto Protocol. A colorless,
non-flammable gas with a sweetish odor,
commonly known as “laughing gas”. N2O is
sometimes used as an anesthetic. Oceans and
rainforests naturally produce nitrous oxide.
Nitrous oxide is produced by a range of human
Montreal Protocol - International agreement
under UNEP which entered into force in January
1989 to phase out the use of ozone-depleting
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activities including: nylon and nitric acid
production; the use of fertilizers in agriculture,
use of catalytic converters in cars and the
burning of organic matter. As are carbon
dioxide and methane, nitrous oxide is a
greenhouse gas.
Non-Renewable Energy – Energy that can be
used only once. Most non-renewable sources of
energy (oil, gas and coal) produce greenhouse
gases when they are used.
and a market economy. The OECD allows
international co-operation for policy comparison
and the exchange of good practice, as well as
outreach to non-OECD countries. The OECD
maintains extensive databases of world
statistical, economic, and social data.
Ozone Layer Ozonosphere - The ozonosphere
is the lower region of the stratosphere, 15—25
kilometers above Mother Earth’s surface, in
which there is an appreciable ozone
concentration. It is also termed the ozone layer.
The ozone of the ozonosphere acts as a
greenhouse gas.
Nuclear Energy- Nuclear energy is produced by
nuclear fission inside a nuclear reactor. The
technology is dependent on a non-renewable
resource (uranium) and does not produce any
direct greenhouse gas emissions. A legacy of
contaminated uranium mines and human
exposure as well as proposed nuclear waste
disposal in Indigenous lands has resulted in
opposition by Indigenous Peoples to nuclear
energy.
Permafrost – The layer of permanently frozen
ground that underlies nearly half of Canada and
northern areas of Alaska, existing wherever
ground temperatures remain below 0º C (on
average) throughout the year, and where summer
heat fails to reach it.
Observers - Agencies, non-governmental
organizations, and governments that are not
Parties to the UNFCCC Convention which are
permitted to attend, but not vote, at meetings of
the COP and its subsidiary bodies. Observers
may include the UN specialized agencies; other
intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) such as
the International Atomic Energy Agency; and
accredited non-governmental organizations
(NGOs). Indigenous peoples and Indigenous
Peoples Organizations (IPOs) are accredited as
NGO’s.
Petroleum products – Petroleum is another
word for oil (see “Oil”). After being pumped up
from the earth, petroleum is refined and turned
into many products, including kerosene,
benzene, gasoline, paraffin wax, and asphalt.
Other materials that we use every day, like
plastic and nylon, are also petroleum-based
products.
Photosynthesis – The process by which green
plants use light to synthesize organic compounds
from carbon dioxide and water. In the process,
oxygen and water are released. Plants create a
very important reservoir (or “sink”) for carbon
dioxide. See “Carbon cycle” for more on this.
Oil – Oil (sometimes called petroleum) is
formed from the decayed remains of animals and
plants. Under the influence of heat and pressure,
the decayed matter breaks down first into liquids
and into gases. Both the liquid (petroleum) and
gas phases (natural gas) collect in pools under
Mother Earth’s surface. After a drilling and
pumping process to extract it, oil is refined and
turned into a variety of petroleum-based
products.
Photovoltaic cells – Cells, usually made of
specially-treated silicon that transfers solar
energy from the sun to electrical energy.
Precipitation – Rain, hail, mist, sleet, snow or
any other moisture that falls to the earth.
Primary Energy Consumption - Primary
energy consumption is all energy consumed by
end users, plus losses that occur in the
generation, transmission, and distribution of
energy. To prevent double counting, primary
Organization for Economic Co-Operation
and Development (OECD) - Founded in 1961,
the OECD currently is comprised of 30
developed countries committed to democracy
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INDIGENOUS ENVIRONMENTAL NETWORK –NATIVE ENERGY and CLIMATE CHANGE
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energy consumption excludes electricity but
includes the energy consumed at electric utilities
to generate electricity.
Protocol - An international agreement linked to
an existing convention, but as a separate and
additional agreement which must be signed and
ratified by the Parties to the convention
concerned. Protocols typically strengthen a
convention by adding new, more detailed
commitments.
accounts for as much as 25% of global carbon
emissions.
Renewables - Energy sources that are constantly
renewed by natural process. These include noncarbon technologies such as solar energy,
hydropower and wind as well as technologies
based on biomass. Life cycle analyses are
required to assess the extent to which such
biomass-based technologies may limit net
carbon emissions.
Ratification - Formal approval, often by a
Parliament or Congress (USA) or other national
legislature, of a convention, protocol, or treaty,
enabling a country to become a Party.
Ratification is a separate process that occurs
after a country has signed an agreement. The
instrument of ratification must be deposited with
a ‘depositary’ (in the case of the UNFCCC, the
UN Secretary-General) to start the countdown to
becoming a Party (in the case of the Convention,
the countdown is 90 days).
Secretariat of the UN Framework Convention
on Climate Change - The United Nations staff
assigned the responsibility of conducting the
affairs of the UNFCCC. In 1996 the Secretariat
moved from Geneva, Switzerland, to Bonn,
Germany.
Sequestration – (See Carbon Capture and
Storage, or CSS) Process to remove atmospheric
CO2, either through biological processes (e.g.
plants and trees), or geological processes
through storage of CO2 in underground
reservoirs.
Reduced Emissions from Deforestation
(RED) and Reducing Emissions from
Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) –
RED/REDD is a new means to stimulate an
international market in carbon credits from
‘reduced deforestation’ and extend CDM carbon
offsets to avoided deforestation initiatives. Many
Indigenous Peoples and forest peoples of the
Global south are opposed to these initiatives.
Sinks (see Carbon Sinks)
Small-Scale Hydro – Small hydro-electric
power generating projects that vary in size from
5 kw to 30 MW, which either use a “run-of-theriver” turbine, or a small dam to generate power.
Source - Any process or activity that results in
the net release of greenhouse gases, aerosols, or
precursors of greenhouse gases into the
atmosphere.
Stratosphere: The region of the Earth's
atmosphere 10-50 km above the surface of the
planet.
Reflectivity – The fraction of solar energy
reflected from a surface (as compared to the
fraction that is absorbed by the surface). See also
“albedo.”
Reforestation - The act or process of reestablishing a forest on land that had been
deforested in the last 50 years. Under the Kyoto
Protocol, the reforested land, as example, has to
have been deforested before 1990 to prevent
logging companies from cashing in on their own
damage, and buyers can only use forestry to
offset 1% of their emissions per year, or 5%
over the course of the Kyoto process – despite
the fact that the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) says deforestation
Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI - A
permanent body established by the UNFCCC
that makes recommendations to the COP on
policy and implementation issues. It is open to
participation by all Parties and is composed of
government representatives.
Subsidiary Body for Scientific and
Technological Advice (SBSTA) - A permanent
body established by the UNFCCC that serves as
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a link between expert information sources such
as the IPCC and the COP.
referred to as the timetables. In the Kyoto
Protocol, a target is the percent reduction from
the 1990 emissions baseline that the country has
agreed to. On average, developed countries
agreed to reduce emissions by 5.2% below 1990
emissions during the period 2008-2012, the first
commitment period.
Sub Arctic – Sub arctic regions lie just south of
the Arctic Circle, characterized by very cold
winters, and brief, often warm, summers. This
kind of climate offers some of the most extreme
seasonal temperature variations found on the
planet. In winter, temperature can drop to -40º
and in summer, the temperature may rise to 30º
C above zero. Vegetation in sub arctic climates
is usually sparse, as only hardy species can
survive the long winter and make use of the
short summer.
Temperate Rain Forest - Forests in regions
with mild climate and heavy rainfall that
produce lush vegetative growth; one example is
the coniferous forest of the Pacific Northwest of
North America.
Tidal Energy – Tidal changes in sea level can
be used to generate electricity by constructing
dams across coastal bays or estuaries which have
large differences between low and high tides.
The difference in water levels creates water
pressure that can drive turbines, creating
electricity.
Sulfate Aerosols - Sulfur-based particles
derived from emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2)
from the burning of fossil fuels (particularly
coal). Sulfate aerosols reflect incoming light
from the sun, shading and cooling the Earth's
surface (see "radiative forcing") and thus offset
some of the warming historically caused by
greenhouse gases.
Tundra – Tundra is the open Arctic terrain
between the treelike and the ice regions of the
far north. Shrubs and small vegetation grow on
the tundra that covers much of Nunavut, the
Northwest Territories and northern Yukon and
northern Alaska.
Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF6) - SF6 is among the
six types of greenhouse gases to be curbed under
the Kyoto Protocol. SF6 is a synthetic industrial
gas largely used in heavy industry to insulate
high-voltage equipment and to assist in the
manufacturing of cable-cooling systems. There
are no natural sources of SF6. SF6 has an
atmospheric lifetime of 3,200 years.
Sustainable Development - Development that
meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs.
Turbine – A mechanism that spins to create
power. It is made up of a rotor with blades or
cups. Moving water, air, steam or gases turn the
blades or cups. This spinning action activates a
generator to create electricity.
Vulnerability – This is the degree to which a
system is susceptible to, or unable to cope with,
adverse effects of climate change, including
climate variability and extremes. Vulnerability is
a function of the character, magnitude, and rate
of climate change and variation to which a
system is exposed, its sensitivity, and its
adaptive capacity.
United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) - A treaty signed
at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro that
calls for the "stabilization of greenhouse gas
concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that
would prevent dangerous anthropogenic
interference with the climate system." The
Taiga – Taiga is another word for boreal forest.
Taiga exists in northern areas that have 40-100
centimeters per year of precipitation, much of it
snow. The forest contains conifer species (Abies,
Picea, Larix, and Pinus), and some deciduous
trees. Ground cover is mostly mosses and
lichens.
Targets and Timetables - Targets refer to the
emission levels or emission rates set as goals for
countries, sectors, companies, or facilities.
When these goals are to be reached by specified
years, the years at which goals are to be met are
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treaty includes a non-binding call for developed
countries to return their emissions to 1990 levels
by the year 2000. The treaty took effect in
March 1994 upon ratification by more than 50
countries. The United States was the first
industrialized nation to ratify the Convention.
water table is at, near, or above the land surface,
or the area is saturated for long periods. These
wetlands provide important homes to rare or
threatened species, particularly birds.
Wind Power – Air moves around Mother Earth
because of the differences in temperature and
atmospheric pressure that exist. Wind turbines
harness the movement of air to produce energy.
The wind turns the blades, which turn a rotor
shaft. This produces mechanical power used to
drive an electric generator.
Umbrella Group - Negotiating group within the
UNFCCC process comprising the United States,
Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand,
Norway, Iceland, Russia and Ukraine.
Urban Heat Island (UHI) - Refers to the
tendency for urban areas to have warmer air
temperatures than the surrounding rural
landscape, due to the low albedo of streets,
sidewalks, parking lots, and buildings. These
surfaces absorb solar radiation during the day
and release it at night, resulting in higher night
temperatures. Large percentages of Indigenous
Peoples have either been relocated or
voluntarily moved to city urban areas, living in
poverty, and experiencing health and economic
effects of urban heat islands.
Contact: Indigenous Environmental Network
P.O. Box 485, Bemidji, MN 56619 USA
Tel: + 1 218 751-4967
E-mail: mien@igc.org
Energy/Climate organizer:
E-mail: ienenergy@igc.org
Canada contact:
E-mail: ienoil@igc.org
Vector-Borne Disease - Disease that results
from an infection transmitted to humans and
other animals by blood-feeding anthropoids,
such as mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas. Examples
of vector-borne diseases include Dengue fever,
viral encephalitis, Lyme disease, and malaria.
Water Cycle – The water cycle is the movement
of water from the surface of bodies of water, to
the atmosphere, to precipitation. Water vapor
enters the atmosphere by evaporation from
surface bodies of water and from plants and
trees. When the air becomes saturated, excess
water vapor is released as condensation. This
condensation is the source of all clouds and
precipitation. The cycle of evaporation,
condensation and precipitation is called the
water cycle of the earth and atmosphere.
Weather - Describes the short-term (i.e., hourly
and daily) state of the atmosphere. Weather is
not the same as climate.
Wetlands – Areas that are neither fully
terrestrial nor fully aquatic. In wetlands, the
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