Understanding the Carbon Terminology
A glossary of terms you may come across relating to Decarbonisation, Climate Change and everything Climate Emergency related:
1.5°C target
It is a target to limit the average rise in global temperatures by 1.5°C by 2030 above pre-industrial levels.
2-Degree Scenario
Widely accepted as the limitation to global average temperature growth to prevent significant changes to the planet. One of the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement is to limit global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, and pursue efforts to limit temperature increase to 1.5°C, which is the 1.5°C target.
Baseline
a minimum or starting point used for comparisons and measuring progress against.
Biodegradable
A quality describing materials which can be decomposed by bacteria or fungi, thereby reducing waste. It is not the same as compostable.
Biodiversity
The variety of plant and animal life in the world or in a particular habitat, a high level of which is usually considered to be important and desirable.
Carbon Capture
The process of capturing and storing carbon dioxide (CO2) before it is released into the atmosphere.
Carbon Credits
Permits which allow a country or organisation to produce a certain amount of carbon emissions, and which can be traded if the full allowance is not used.
Carbon footprint
According to the WHO, a carbon footprint is a measure of the impact your activities have on the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) produced through the burning of fossil fuels and is expressed as a weight of CO2 emissions produced in tonnes.
Carbon Emissions
Carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted when fossil fuels are burned in vehicles, buildings, industrial processes and so on.
Carbon Neutral Event
An event whereby event organisers have made efforts to reduce non-essential emissions and offset the remaining unavoidable greenhouse gases (GHGs) to balance out emissions resulting from event activities.
Carbon offsets
A carbon offset broadly refers to a reduction in GHG emissions – or an increase in carbon storage (e.g., through land restoration or the planting of trees) – that is used to compensate for emissions that occur elsewhere.
Carbon removal
Carbon removal is the process of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and locking it away for as long as possible.
Carbon Sink
A carbon sink is anything that absorbs more carbon from the atmosphere than it releases – for example, plants, the ocean, and soil.
Carbon Source
A carbon source is anything that releases more carbon into the atmosphere than it absorbs – for example, the burning of fossil fuels or volcanic eruptions.
Climate action
Climate action is any policy, measure, or programme that reduces greenhouse gases, builds resilience to climate change, or supports and finances those goals.
Climate Change
Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. These shifts may be natural, but since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels (like coal, oil, and gas), which produces heat-trapping gases.
Climate Impacts
Long term shifts in temperature and weather patterns as a result of human activities – the burning of fossil fuels.
Circular Economy
An approach to a model of production and consumption, which involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing, and recycling existing materials and products as long as possible. In this way, the life cycle of products is extended. In practice, it implies reducing waste to a minimum. When a product reaches the end of its life, its materials are kept within the economy wherever possible. These can be productively used again and again, thereby creating further value. Whereas Linear Approach is a process or development is one in which something changes or progresses straight from one stage to another and has a starting point and an ending point.
Diverted from Landfill
The prevention and reduction of generated waste from reaching the landfills through source reduction, recycling, reuse, and composting.
DMO (Destination Management Organisation)
A professional services company with local knowledge, expertise, and resources, working in the design and implementation of events, activities, tours, transportation, and programme logistics.
EAC
Energy Attribute Certificates, proof of electricity produced by renewable sources. Each EAC endorses that 1MWh was generated and injected to the grid by a specific renewable source, such as wind or solar plant.
Ecological Impact
The effect of human activities and natural events on living organisms and their non—living environment.
Equity Considerations
The quality of being impartial, reasonable, or fair. The concept of equity considerations or equity principles comes from the UN Race to Zero criteria and is also part of UNFCCC’s guiding principles.
Embodied carbon
Embodied carbon refers to carbon emissions associated with materials and construction processes throughout the whole lifecycle of a building or infrastructure. This includes emissions released before it begins operation, caused by extraction, manufacture / processing, transportation and assembly of every element and material used in the building. It also includes the emissions from maintenance and replacement activities during its use stage, and emissions from deconstruction / demolition and disposal during its end-of-life stage.
Emissions Boundaries
The definition of the composition of the company or entity for which a carbon footprint is being calculated, the emissions sources to be included and the timeframe to which the footprint relates.
ESG
Environment, Social, Governance as criteria for investing.
EU Fit for 55 Plan
A package by the European Union (EU) designed to reduce the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030.
Event Carbon Footprint
The total greenhouse gas emissions caused by an event inclusive of individuals, products, places, services expressed as a carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e).
Green Energy Tariffs
An electricity rate that allows customers to purchase electricity sourced from renewable or green resources from their local energy provider.
Greenhouse Gas (GHG)
Gases in the atmosphere that absorb and emit energy, affecting the earth’s temperature. Some common GHGs are water vapor (H2O), Carbon Dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O).
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard
A standard designed for organisations to inventory and report all of the GHG emissions they produce.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change.
LED
Light Emitting Diode.
Long-term Decarbonisation
Decarbonisation refers to a strategy an entity may take to reduce their carbon footprint. Long-term decarbonisation in turn refers to strategies with a long time horizon towards 2050. Such strategies are needed to achieve the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global average temperature to well below 2°C, and preferably 1.5°C, relative to pre-industrial levels. To do so, there is scientific consensus that carbon emissions have to be reduced by half by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050.
Milestone
A Significant stage or event in the development of something.
Net Zero
Refers to a state in which the greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere are balanced by removal out of the atmosphere to mitigate global warming. The IPCC concluded that net zero carbon has to be achieved by 2050 to limit global warming at 1.5°C. Other similar but different terms refer to the different ways in which emissions sources and sinks are accounted for in context, and help to indicate what is included and excluded in the calculations:
• Climate Neutral: An actor’s activities result in no net effect on the climate system. Any GHG emissions or other activities with warming effects are fully compensated by GHG reductions or removals, or other activities with cooling effects — irrespective of the time period or the relative magnitude of emissions and removals involved. A near synonym for GHG neutral, but climate neutral also includes non-GHG radiative forcing effects, such as land use changes with albedo effects. Not a valid end-state target, as it does not require “like for like” balancing, but a possible intermediate step.
• Carbon Neutral: An actor’s net contribution to global CO2 emissions is zero. Any CO2 emissions attributable to an actor’s activities are fully compensated by CO2 reductions or removals exclusively claimed by the actor — irrespective of the time period or the relative magnitude of emissions and removals involved. Not a valid endstate target, as it only refers to carbon, but a possible intermediate step.
Net Zero Carbon Events Pledge
A commitment by signatories within the events industry.
Net Zero Carbon Events Initiative
An Events Industry Initiative to Address Climate Change through the development of a framework to reduce carbon emissions by 50% by 2030 and work towards net zero by 2050.
Net Zero Carbon Events (NZCE) Task Force
The group of individuals who are actively involved in the development of the initiative.
Net Zero Pathway
Refers to the temporal evolution of natural and / or human systems towards a future net zero state. The trajectory is modelled based on a set of features such as technological advancement and institutional policy changes, depending on the course of action and strategy set by countries and organisations to achieve net zero carbon emissions by the selected date.
Non-Renewable Energy Sources
Coal, natural gas, oil, and nuclear energy. Once these resources are used up, they cannot be replaced, which is a major problem for humanity as we are currently dependent on them to supply most of our energy needs.
Paris Agreement
The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international treaty on climate change. It was adopted by 196 Parties at COP 21 in Paris, on 12 December 2015 and entered into force on 4 November 2016.
Participants
A person who takes part in something.
Power Purchase Agreements (PPA)
A contract between two parties, one which generates electricity and one which is looking to purchase electricity.
Renewable energy (RE)
Energy that is sourced from resources that will not be depleted.
Renewable Energy Certificate (REC)
A market-based instrument that represents the property rights to the environmental, social, and other non-power attributes of renewable electricity generation.
Residual Carbon Emissions
Any GHG Emissions which remain after a project or organisation has implemented all technically and economically feasible opportunities, to reduce emissions in all scopes and from all sources.
Scopes 1, 2, 3
Scope 1 emissions are direct emissions from company-owned and controlled resources. In other words, emissions are released into the atmosphere as a direct result of a set of activities, at a firm level.
Scope 2 emissions are indirect emissions from the generation of purchased energy, from a utility provider. In other words, all GHG emissions released in the atmosphere, from the consumption of purchased electricity, steam, heat and cooling.
• Location based emissions reflects emissions of grids on which energy consumption occurs (using mostly grid-average emission factor data).
• Market-based emissions method reflects emissions from electricity that companies have purposefully chosen (or their lack of choice).
Scope 3 emissions are all indirect emissions – not included in scope 2 – that occur in the value chain of the reporting company, including both upstream and downstream emissions. In other words, emissions are linked to the company’s operations.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s)
or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked global goals designed to be a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future". The SDGs were set up in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly and are intended to be achieved by 2030.
Service Provider
An Individual or business that provides a service to another organisation.
Single Use Plastics
Plastic Products used once, or for a short period of time, before being thrown away.
Stakeholders
An individual, group, or organisation that is impacted by the outcome of a project or a business venture.
Supply chain
The sequence of processes involved in the production and distribution of a commodity.
Sustainability
Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Sustainability Criteria
Requirements to the sustainable quality of a product and its sustainable production, which have to be fulfilled in order to acquire a sustainability status or certification.
Sustainable Materials
Materials used throughout our consumer and industrial economy that can be produced in required volumes without depleting non-renewable resources and without disrupting the established steady-state equilibrium of the environment and key natural resource systems.
Task Force on Climate Related Disclosure (TCFD)
A group providing recommendations on climate-related financial disclosures meant to help companies provide better information to support informed capital allocation.
T&D Losses
Transmission & distribution losses in the electricity sector occur when the amount of electricity generated is greater than the amount of electricity delivered to end-users. T&D losses are included in the Scope 3 Protocol and are a common category for CDP and SBTi, and as such are necessary to include.
UNFCC
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
UN Race to Zero
Global campaign criteria to rally leadership and support from businesses, cities, regions, investors for a healthy, resilient, zero carbon recovery that prevents future threats, creates decent jobs, and unlocks inclusive, sustainable growth.
Value chain (upstream and downstream)
The process or activities by which a company adds value to an article, including production, marketing, and the provision of aftersales service. The upstream part of the value chain includes all the materials, people and environmental factors that contribute to the product and service. The downstream value chain is generally classified as what happens once a product or service has left the door for the consumer.
Zero Emissions
An engine, motor, process, or other energy source, that emits no waste products that pollute the environment or disrupt the climate.
Zero Waste
A set of principles focused on waste prevention that encourages redesigning resource life cycles so that all products are reused.