Glossary
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
Afforestation
The act or process of
establishing a forest, especially on land not previously forested.
Alternative Energy
Energy derived from
non-fossil fuel sources.
Anthropogenic Emissions
Emissions of greenhouse gases
(GHGs) associated with human activities. These include burning of fossil fuels
for energy, deforestation, and land-use changes.
Annex I Countries
Annex I to the Climate
Convention (UNFCCC) lists all the countries in the Organization of Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD), plus countries with economies in
transition, Central, and Eastern Europe (excluding the former Yugoslavia and
Albania). By default the other countries are referred to as Non-Annex I
countries. Under Article 4.2 (a&b) of the Convention, Annex I countries
commit themselves specifically to the aim of returning individually or jointly
to their 1990 levels of GHG emissions by the year 2000.
Annex II Countries
Annex II to the Climate
Convention lists all countries in the OECD. Under Article 4.2 (g) of the
Convention, these countries are expected to provide financial resources to
assist developing countries comply with their obligations such as preparing
national reports. Annex II countries are also expected to promote the transfer
of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries.
Annex B Countries
Annex B in the Kyoto Protocol
lists those developed countries that have agreed to a target for their GHG
emissions, including those in the OECD, Central and Eastern Europe, and the
Russian Federation. Not quite the same but similar to Annex I, which also
includes Turkey and Belarus, while Annex B includes Croatia, Monaco,
Liechtenstein, and Slovenia.
TOP
Baseline
A projected level of future
emissions against which reductions by project activities could be determined.
Base Year
A common year for calculating
emission inventories or to begin model simulations for future scenarios.
Biofuel
A fuel produced from dry
organic matter or combustible oils produced by plants. Examples of biofuel include
alcohol (from fermented sugar), black liquor from the paper manufacturing
process, wood, and soybean oil.
Biomass
The total dry organic matter
or stored energy content of living organisms. Biomass can be used for fuel
directly by burning it (e.g., wood), indirectly by fermentation to an alcohol
(e.g., sugar), or by extraction of combustible oils (e.g., soybeans).
TOP
Carbon Cycle
The natural processes that
influence the exchange of carbon (in the form of carbon dioxide (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 (approximately 100 billion
tons/year (gigatons)); thermodynamic invasion and evasion between the ocean and
atmosphere, operation of the carbon pump and mixing in the deep ocean (approx.
90 billion tons/year). Deforestation and fossil fuel burning releases
approximately 7 Gt into the atmosphere annually. The total carbon in the
reservoirs is approximately 2000 Gt in land biota, soil, and detritus, 750 Gt
in the atmosphere, and 38,000 Gt in the oceans. (Figures from IPCC WGI
Scientific Assessment 1990.)
Carbon Dioxide
A naturally occurring gas, CO2 is also a by-product of burning fossil fuels and biomass, as well as land-use
changes and other industrial processes. It is the principal anthropogenic GHG
that affects the earth's temperature. It is the reference gas against which
other GHGs are measured and therefore has a "Global Warming
Potential" (GWP) of 1.
Carbon Sequestration
The long-term storage of
carbon or CO2 in the forests, soils, ocean, or underground in
depleted oil and gas reservoirs, coal seams, and saline aquifers. Examples
include the separation and disposal of CO2 from flue gases or
processing fossil fuels to produce H2- and CO2-rich
fractions, 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 CO2 from the atmosphere and store them. Trees, plants,
and the oceans all absorb CO2 and, therefore, are carbon sinks.
CFCs
See
"Chlorofluorocarbons".
CH4
See "Methane".
Chlorofluorocarbons
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
are GHGs covered under the 1987 Montreal Protocol and used for refrigeration,
air conditioning, packaging, insulation, solvents, or aerosol propellants. As
they are not destroyed in the lower atmosphere, CFCs drift into the upper
atmosphere where, given suitable conditions, they break down ozone. These gases
are being replaced by other compounds, including hydrochlorofluorocarbons
(HCFCs) and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are GHGs covered under the Kyoto
Protocol.
Climate Change (UNFCCC
definition)
A change of climate which is
attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition
of the global atmosphere and that is in addition to natural climate variability
over comparable time periods.
Climate Convention
See "UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change".
Climate Models
Large and complex computer
programs used to mathematically simulate global climate. They are based on
mathematical equations derived from our knowledge of the physics that governs
the earthatmosphere system.
Co-generation
The use of waste heat from
electric generation, such as exhaust from gas turbines, for either industrial
purposes or district heating.
Commercialization
Sequence of actions necessary
to achieve market entry and general market competitiveness of new innovative
technologies, processes, and products.
Conference of the Parties
(COP)
The supreme body of the UN
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), comprises countries that have
ratified or acceded to the Framework Convention on Climate Change. The first
session of the Conference of the Parties (COP-1) was held in Berlin in 1995,
COP-2 in Geneva 1996, COP-3 in Kyoto 1997, and COP-4 in Buenos Aires. COP-5
will be held in Bonn.
CO2
See "Carbon
Dioxide".
Cost-effective
A criterion that specifies
that a technology or measure delivers a good or service at equal or lower cost
than current practice, or the lowest cost alternative for the achievement of a
given target.
TOP
Decarbonization
A decrease in the specific
carbon content of primary energy or of fuels.
Deforestation
The removal of forest stands
by cutting and burning to provide land for agricultural purposes, residential
or industrial building sites, roads, etc., or by harvesting the trees for
building materials or fuel.
Demand-Side Management
Policies and programs
designed to reduce consumer demand for electricity and other energy sources
while maintaining (or even increasing) the services the energy use renders. It
helps to reduce the need for constructing new power facilities.
Dematerialization
A decrease in the material
intensity of economic activity in general, or of individual production
processes and end-use applications.
TOP
Economic Potential
The portion of technical
potential for GHG emissions reductions or energy efficiency improvements that
could be achieved cost-effectively in the absence of market barriers. The
achievement of market potential requires additional policies and measures to break
down market barriers.
Emissions
The release of GHGs and/or
their precursors into the atmosphere over a specified area and period of time.
Emissions Category
The SRES Scenarios are
grouped into four categories of cumulative CO2 emissions (all sources)
between 1990 and 2100: low, medium-low, medium-high, and high emissions. Each
category contains scenarios with a range of different driving forces yet
similar cumulative emissions. See also "(Scenario) Category."
Emission Standard
A level of emission that
under law may not be exceeded.
Energy Intensity
This is the ratio of energy
consumption to economic or physical output. At the national level, energy
intensity is the ratio of total domestic primary energy consumption or final
energy consumption to gross domestic product or physical output.
TOP
FCCC
See 'UN Framework Convention
on Climate Change'.
Final Energy
Energy supplied that is
available to the consumer to be converted into useful energy (e.g. electricity
at the wall outlet).
Fossil Fuels
Carbon-based fuels, including
coal, oil, and natural gas and their derived fuels such as gasoline, synthesis
gas from coal, etc.
Fuel Switching
Policy designed to reduce CO2 emissions by requiring electric utilities or consumers to switch from
high-carbon to low- carbon fuels (e.g. from coal to gas).
TOP
GHGs
See "Greenhouse
Gases".
GHG Reduction Potential
Possible reductions in
emissions of greenhouse gasses (quantified in terms of absolute reductions or
in percentages of baseline emissions) that could be achieved through the use of
technologies and measures.
Global Warming
The hypothesis that the
earth's temperature is being increased, in part, because of emissions of GHGs
associated with human activities, such as burning fossil fuels, biomass
burning, cement manufacture, cow and sheep rearing, deforestation, and other
land-use changes.
Global Warming Potential
A measurement technique to
define the relative contribution of each GHG to atmospheric warming. A GWP can
only be calculated for specified time horizons (e.g. 20 to 500 years) and for
given GHG concentration levels (e.g. current). Both direct and indirect effects
are considered. (Indirect effects include changes in atmospheric chemistry such
as ozone formation and changes in stratospheric water vapor.) CO2 has been assigned a GWP of 1, against which all other GHGs are compared. For
example, methane (CH4) has a GWP that is currently estimated to be
about 21 times greater than that of CO2 over a 100 year time
horizon, and thus CH4 has a GWP of 21. (Note that in the economic
literature GWP usually denotes gross world product, referrred to as global GDP
in this report.)
Greenhouse Effect
The trapping of heat by an
envelope of naturally occurring heat-retaining gases (water vapour, CO2,
nitrous oxide (N2O), CH4, and ozone) that keeps the earth
about 30°C (60°F) warmer than if these gases did not exist.
Greenhouse Gases
Gases in the earth's
atmosphere that absorb and re-emit infrared radiation. These gases occur through
both natural and human-influenced processes. The major GHG is water vapour.
Other GHGs include CO2, N2O, CH4, ozone, and
CFCs.
Gridding
The provision of emission or
socio-economic activity data in spatially highly explicit form.
GWP
See "Global Warming
Potential".
TOP
HFCs
See
"Hydrofluorocarbons".
Harmonization
A procedure to ease
comparability of model results by adopting common (exogenous) input
assumptions. Through harmonization, differences in emissions outcomes resulting
from differences in model input assumptions (e.g. exogenous population growth)
can be separated from differences that arise from different internal model
parametrizations (e.g. of the dynamics of technological change). The scenarios
reported here can be classified into three categories: "fully
harmonized" scenarios share population, GDP, and final energy use
assumptions at the level of the four SRES regions (and hence also at the global
level) between 1990 and 2100 within prespecified bounds. "Globally
harmonized" scenarios share global population and GDP assumptions at the
global level for the 1990 to 2100 period within prespecified bounds (deviations
in one 10-year interval are not considered). "Other scenarios" have
adopted alternative assumptions for population and GDP than the ones suggested
for scenario harmonization.
Hydrofluorocarbons
HFCs are among the six GHGs
to be curbed under the Kyoto Protocol. They are produced commercially as a
substitute for CFCs. HFCs are used largely in refrigeration and semi-conductor
manufacturing. Their GWPs range from 1300 to 11,700 times that of CO2 (over
a 100 year time horizon), depending on the HFC.
TOP
Illustrative Scenario
A scenario that is
illustrative for each of the six scenario groups reflected in the Summary for
Policymakers of this report. They include four revised "scenario
markers" for the scenario groups A1B, A2, B1 and B2, and two additional
scenarios for the A1FI and AIT groups. All scenario groups are equally sound.
See also "(Scenario) Groups" and "(Scenario) Markers".
Intergovernmental
Organization (IGO)
Organizations constituted of
governments. Examples include the World Bank, the OECD, and the International
Civil Aviation Organization. The UNFCCC allows accreditation of these IGOs to
attend the negotiating sessions.
International Energy
Agency (IEA)
Paris-based organization
formed in 1973 by the major oil-consuming nations to manage future oil supply
shortfalls.
International Institute
for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
Non-governmental, international,
interdisciplinary research institute located in Laxenburg, Austria. IIASA is
supported by the Academy of Sciences and similar learned societies from 15
countries. Its research focuses on the human dimensions of global change.
TOP
Kyoto Mechanisms (formerly known as Flexibility Mechanisms)
Economic mechanisms based on
market principles that Parties to the Kyoto Protocol can use in an attempt to
lessen the potential economic impacts of GHG emission-reduction requirements.
They include Joint Implementation (Article 6), the Clean Development Mechanisms
(Article 12), and Emissions Trading (Article 17).
Kyoto Protocol
The Protocol, drafted during
the Berlin Mandate process, that, on entry into force, would require countries
listed in its Annex B (developed nations) to meet differentiated reduction
targets for their GHG emissions relative to 1990 levels by 20082012. It was
adopted by all Parties to the Climate Convention in Kyoto, Japan, in December
1997.
TOP
Marker (Scenario)
See "(Scenario) Marker".
Market Penetration
The share of a given market
that is provided by a particular good or service at a given time.
Market Potential (or Currently Realizable Potential)
The portion of the economic
potential for GHG emissions reductions or energy efficiency improvements that
could be achieved under existing market conditions, assuming no new policies
and measures.
Measures
Actions that can be taken by
a government or a group of governments, often in conjunction with the private
sector, to accelerate the use of technologies or other practices that reduce
GHG emissions.
Methane
One of the six GHGs to be
mitigated under the Kyoto Protocol, it has a relatively short atmospheric
lifetime of 10 ± 2 years. Primary sources of CH4 are landfills, coal
mines, paddy fields, natural gas systems, and livestock (e.g., cows and sheep).
It has a GWP of 21 (100 year
time horizon).
Model
A formal representation of a
system that allows quantification of relevant system variables and simulation
of systems' behavior, e.g. the implications on future GHG emissions of
alternative demographic, economic and technological developments (scenarios).
Montreal Protocol
International agreement under
the UN which entered into force in January 1989 to phase out the use of
ozone-depleting compounds such as CFCs, methyl chloroform, carbon
tetrachloride, and many others.
TOP
NGO
See "Non-Governmental
Organization".
Nitrous Oxide
One of the six GHGs to be
curbed under the Kyoto Protocol, N2O is generated by burning fossil
fuels and the manufacture of fertilizer. It has a GWP 310 times that of CO2 (100 year time horizon).
Non-Annex I Parties
The countries that have
ratified or acceded to the UNFCCC that are not included in Annex I of the
Convention.
Non-Annex B Parties
The countries that are not
included in the Annex B list of developed nations in the Kyoto Protocol.
Non-Governmental
Organization/Observer
Non-Governmental Organization
(NGOs) include registered non-profit organizations and associations from
business and industry, environmental groups, cities and municipalities,
academics, and social and activist organizations.
No Regrets
Actions that result in GHG
limitations and abatement, and that also make good environmental and economic
sense in their own right.
TOP
Ozone
Ozone (O3) in the
troposphere, or lower part of the atmosphere, can be a constituent of smog and
acts as a GHG. It is created naturally and also by reactions in the atmosphere
that involve gases resulting from human activities, including nitrogen oxides
(NOx), from motor vehicles and power plants. The Montreal Protocol
seeks to control chemicals that destroy ozone in the stratosphere (upper part
of the atmosphere), where the ozone absorbs ultra-violet radiation.
TOP
PAMs
See "Policies and
Measures".
Perfluorocarbons
Among the six GHGs to be
abated under the Kyoto Protocol. Perfluorocarbons (PFCs) are a by-product of
aluminum smelting and uranium enrichment. They also are the replacement for
CFCs in manufacturing semiconductors. The GWP of PFCs is 65009200 times that
of CO2 (100 year time horizon).
PFCs
See 'Perfluorocarbons'.
Policies and Measures
In UNFCCC parlance, policies
are actions that can be taken and/or mandated by a government often in
conjunction with business and industry within its own country, as well as with
other countries to accelerate the application and use of successful measures
to curb GHG emissions. Measures are technologies, processes, and practices used
to implement policies that, if employed, would reduce GHG emissions below
anticipated future levels. Examples might include carbon or other energy taxes,
standardized fuel efficiency standards for automobiles, etc. "Common and
co-ordinated" or "harmonized" policies refer to those adopted
jointly by Parties. (This could be by region, such as the European Union (EU),
or by countries that comprise a given classification, for example, all Annex I
nations.)
Precautionary Principle
From the UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change (Article 3): Parties should take precautionary
measures to anticipate, prevent or minimize the causes of climate change and
mitigate its adverse effects. Where there are threats of serious or
irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty should not be used as a
reason for postponing such measures taking into account that policies and
measures to deal with climate change should be cost-effective so as to ensure
global benefits at the lowest possible cost.
Primary Energy
Energy embodied in natural resources
(e.g., coal, crude oil, sunlight, uranium) that has not undergone any
anthropogenic conversion or transformation.
TOP
Quantified Emissions
Limitations and Reductions Objectives
Abbreviated to QELROs, these
are the GHG emissions reduction commitments made by developed countries listed
in Annex B of the Protocol. (See also "Targets and Timetables".)
TOP
Regulatory Measures
Rules or codes enacted by
governments that mandate product specifications or process performance
characteristics.
Renewables
Energy sources that are,
within a short timeframe relative to the earth's natural cycles, sustainable,
and include non-carbon technologies such as solar energy, hydropower, and wind
as well as carbon-neutral technologies such as biomass.
Research, Development, and
Demonstration
Scientific/technical research
and development of new production processes or products, coupled with analysis
and measures that provide information to potential users regarding the
application of the new product or process; demonstration tests, and feasibility
of applying these products processes via pilot plants and other pre-commercial
applications.
TOP
Scenario
A plausible description of
how the future may develop, based on a coherent and internally consistent set
of assumptions ("scenario logic") about key relationships and driving
forces (e.g., rate of technology change, prices). Note that scenarios are
neither predictions nor forecasts.
(Scenario) Category
The SRES Scenarios are
grouped into four categories of cumulative CO2 emissions (all
sources) between 1990 and 2100: low, medium-low, medium-high, and high
emissions. Each category contains scenarios with a range of different driving
forces yet similar cumulative emissions. See also "Emissions
Category".
(Scenario) Family
Scenarios that have a similar
demographic, societal, economic and technical-change storyline. Four scenario
families comprise the SRES scenario set: A1, A2, B1 and B2.
(Scenario) Group
Scenarios within a family
that reflect a consistent variation of the storyline. The A1 scenario family
includes four groups designated as A1T, A1C, A1G and A1B that explore
alternative structures of future energy systems. In the Summary for
Policymakers, the A1C and A1G groups have been combined into one "Fossil
Intensive" A1FI scenario group. The other three scenario families consist
of one group each. The SRES scenario set reflected in the SPM thus consists of
six distinct scenario groups, all of which are equally sound and together
capture the range of uncertainties
associated with driving
forces and emissions.
(Scenario) Marker
A scenario that was
originally posted in draft form on the SRES website to represent a given
scenario family. The choice of markers was based on which of the initial
quantifications best reflected the storyline, and the features of specific
models. Markers are no more likely than other scenarios, but are considered by
the SRES writing team as illustrative of a particular storyline. They are
included in revised form in this report. These scenarios have received the
closest scrutiny of the entire writing team and via the SRES open process.
Scenarios have also been selected to illustrate the other two scenario groups
(see also "Scenario Group" and "Illustrative Scenario".
(Scenario) Set
A set of scenarios developed
using a particular methodologic approach. The SRES scenario set comprises 40
scenarios grouped into four scenario families, seven (six in the SPM) scenario
groups and four (cumulative CO2) emissions categories.
(Scenario) Storyline
A narrative description of a
scenario (or a family of scenarios) highlighting the main scenario
characteristics, relationships between key driving forces and the dynamics of
their evolution.
Standardization
Adopting standardized numerical
values to improve model and scenario comparability. In this report, emissions
are standardized for the two reporting years 1990 and 2100 across all models
and scenarios, and individual scenario differences thereafter are corrected for
differences between original model outputs and standardized values
("offsets"). (Base year differences reflect scientific uncertainty in
source/sink strengths for many GHGs as well as differences in model calibration
and simulation time horizons, e.g. for some models 1990 is a projected year as
simulations begin by an earlier base year.
SF6
See "Sulfur
Hexafluoride".
Sinks (UNFCCC Definition)
Any process or activity or
mechanism that removes a GHG, aerosol, or precursor of a GHG into the
atmosphere.
Source (UNFCCC Definition)
Any process or activity that
releases a GHG, aerosol, or precursor of a GHG into the atmosphere.
Standards/Performance
Criteria
Set of rules or codes that
mandate or define product performance (e.g., grades, dimensions, characteristics,
test methods, rules for use).
Structural Change
Changes, for example, in the
relative share of GDP produced by the industrial, agricultural, or services
sectors of an economy; or (more generally) systems transformations whereby some
components are either replaced or potentially substituted by other ones.
Sulfur Hexafluoride
One of the six GHGs to be
curbed under the Kyoto Protocol. Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) is
largely used in heavy industry to insulate high-voltage equipment and to assist
in the manufacturing of cable-cooling systems. Its GWP is 23,900 times that of
CO2 (100 year time horizon).
TOP
Targets and Timetables
(see also QELROs)
A target is the reduction of
a specific percentage of GHG emissions (e.g., 6%, 7%) from a baseline date
(e.g., "below 1990 levels") to be achieved by a set date, or
timetable (e.g., 20082012). For example, under the Kyoto Protocol's formula,
the EU has agreed to reduce its GHG emissions by 8% below 1990 levels by the
20082012 commitment period. These targets and timetables are, in effect, a cap
on the total amount of GHG emissions that can be emitted by a country or region
in a given time period.
Technical Potential
The amount by which it is
possible to reduce GHG emissions or improve energy efficiency by using a
technology or practice in all applications in which it could technically be
adopted, without consideration of its costs or practical feasibility.
Technology
A systems of means towards
particular ends that includes both hardware and social information, e.g. a
piece of equipment or a technique for performing a particular activity.
Trace Gas
A minor constituent of the
atmosphere. The most important trace gases that contribute to the greenhouse
effect are CO2, ozone, CH4, N2O, ammonia,
nitric acid, ethylene, sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitric oxide, CFCs,
HFCs, HCFCs, SF6, methyl
chloride, carbon monoxide, and carbon tetrachloride.
TOP
UN Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC)
A treaty signed at the 1992
Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro by more than 150 countries. Its ultimate
objective is the "stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the
atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic
(human-induced) interference with the climate system". While no legally
binding level of emissions is set, the treaty states an aim by Annex I
countries to return these emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2000. The treaty
took effect in March 1994 upon the ratification of more than 50 countries; a
total of some 160 nations have now ratified. In March 1995, the UNFCCC held the
first session of the COP, the supreme body of the Convention, in Berlin. Its
Secretariat is based in Bonn, Germany. In the biennium 200001, its approved
budget and staffing level are approximately US$12 million annually with
approximately 80 personnel.
TOP
Values
Values are based on
individual preferences, and the total value of any resource is the sum of the
values of the different individuals involved in the use of the resource. The
values that are the foundation of the estimation of costs are measured in terms
of the willingness to pay (WTP) by individuals to receive the resource or by
the willingness of individuals to accept payment (WTA) to part with the
resource.
Voluntary Measures
Measures to reduce GHG
emissions that are adopted by firms or other actors in the absence of
government mandates. Voluntary measures help make climate-friendly products or
processes more readily available or encourage consumers to incorporate
environmental values in their market choices.
TOP |
