2 - Definitions

• Climate change

  Any long-term trend or movement in climate detected by a sustained shift in the average value for any climatic element (e.g. rainfall, drought)
• Greenhouse gases

  Atmospheric gases that absorb infrared radiation and cause world temperatures to be warmer than they would otherwise be
• External forcing

  A term used to describe processes that impact on Earth’s climate system, which originate from outside of the climate system itself, such as variations in solar output
• Global dimming

  Suspended particulate matter in the atmosphere that can reflect solar energy back into space and have a net cooling effect. Due to both natural and human reasons.
• Permafrost

  Ground that remains at or below 0 degrees for at least 2 consecutive years- Thickness varies from less than 1m to more than 1.5km
• Albedo

  The amount of incoming solar energy reflected back into the atmosphere by the Earth’s surface
• Per capita carbon footprint

  Amount of carbon dioxide emissions an average person in a country is responsible for as they go about their daily life
• Anthropogenic carbon flow

  The current amount of carbon emissions released annually by a country
• Deindustrialisation

  Loss of traditional manufacturing industries in some high-income countries due to their closure or relocation elsewhere. 
• Carbon intensity

  The amount of CO2 emitted per unit of GDP. 
• Renewable energy

  Wind, solar, tidal power sources that result from a flow of energy from the Sun
• Wicked problem

  A challenge that cannot be dealt with easily due to its scale or complexity. Wicked problems arise from the interactions of many different places, people, things, ideas and perspectives within complex and interconnected systems.
• El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO)

  A sustained sea surface temperature anomaly across the central tropical Pacific Ocean. It brings change in weather conditions that can last from 2 to 7 years. These events are part of a short-term climate cycle that brings variations in climate. 
• The Greenhouse Effect

  Process by which certain gases (water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane and CFCs), allow short wave radiation from the sun to pass through the atmosphere and heat up the Earth, but trap a proportion of long-wave radiation emitted from the Earth. Leads to warming of the atmosphere.
• Global warming

  The increase in temperatures around the world that has been noticed since the 1960s, and in particular, the 1980s
• The enhanced greenhouse effect

  The increasing amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere as a result of human activities and their impact on atmospheric systems. 
• Cryosphere

  Portions of the Earth’s surface where water is in solid form
• Mass balance

  The difference between the amount of snowfall gained by a glacier or ice sheet and the amount of ice lost in the process of calving (blocks breaking off) or melting
• Eustatic

  A worldwide change in average sea level resulting from warming or cooling climate affecting the volume or depth of water in the oceans
• Extreme weather event

  An occurrence such as a drought or a storm which appears unusually severe or long lasting and whose magnitude lies at the extreme range of what has been recorded in the past 
• Biome

  Large planetary scale plant and animal communities covering vast areas of Earth’s continents. For example, tropical rainforests, deserts
• Tundra

  A cold desert ecosystem composed of tough short grasses that survive in extremely cold, sometimes waterlogged conditions at high latitudes where trees cannot grow. Underlain by permafrost
• Tree line

  The boundary between the coniferous forests and tundra biomes
• Food insecurity

  When people cannot grow or buy the food they need to meet basic needs
• Resilience

  The capacity of individuals, societies or environments to recover and resume “business as usual” functions and operations following a hazard event or other system shock
• Mitigation

  Any action intended to reduce GHG emissions, such as using less fossil fuel-derived energy, thereby helping to slow down climate change. Can be practised by stakeholders at different scales.
• Adaptation

  Any action designed to protect people from the harmful impacts of climate change but without tackling the underlying problem of greenhouse gas emissions
• Cap and Trade

  An environmental policy that places a limit on the amount of natural resources that can be used, identifies the resource users, divides this amount up into shares per user, and allows users to sell their shares if they do not want to use them directly
• Geo-engineering

  The deliberate, large-scale manipulation of the planetary environment in order to counteract anthropogenic climate change
• Latent heat

  The heat energy required to convert a solid into a liquid or vapour, or a liquid into a vapour, without change of temperature.
• Sensible heat

  Heat that changes the temperature of a substance without a change in state 
• Risk

  Probability of a hazard event causing harmful consequences, real or perceived threats to people’s lives, or economic or property damage
• Vulnerability

  The susceptibility of a community to a hazard or to the impacts of a hazard event
• Resilience

  The capacity to recover from difficulties 
• Disparity

  A lack of equality or similarity, especially in a way that is not fair
• Economic development: the process by which a nation improves the economic, political, and social well-being of its people.
• Civil society:

  society considered as a community of citizens linked by common interests and collective activity
• Corporate: 

  relating to a large company or group
• Afforestation: Large scale planting of trees in previously unforested areas

  • Absorbs carbon dioxide via photosynthesis, mitigating global warming
  • Application: 30 million trees planted in Mexico, which has lost almost 50% of its forests thanks to illegal logging and clearance for farming / settlement
• Geoengineering(solar and carbon):

  deliberate, large scale-intervention in the earth’s natural systems to counteract climate change. (aka climate engineering)