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GREEN GLOSSARY An Energy Lexicon
Afforestation: Planting trees on land not recently forested. Albedo: The ration of light from the sun reflected by the Earth to the light received by it. Areas covered by ice and snow are highly reflective (have a high albedo) and contribute to cooling while forests contribute to warming. Changes in land use can influence climate through changes in albedo. Assigned Amount: From the Kyoto Protocol refers to permitted emissions during a commitment period. Anthropologic Emissions: Emissions of greenhouse gases resulting from human activities. Base Year: Targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 1990 was the base year for most countries. Biodiversity: Variety of organisms found within a specified geographic region. Biomass: Living and recently dead biological material that can be used as fuel or for industrial production.* Bubble: An option from Kyoto allowing countries to meet targets jointly by aggregating their total emissions. Carbon Dioxide: Colorless, odorless non-poisonous gas that is a normal part of the ambient air. Of major greenhouse gases carbon dioxide contributes most to human-induced global warming. Carbon Sinks: Processes that remove more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than they release. Terrestrial biosphere and oceans act as carbon sinks. Cementious Siding: Cement mixed with ground glass fiber used as a sustainable building material. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs): Synthetic industrial gases composed of chlorine, fluorine and carbon. Used as refrigerants, aerosol propellants, cleaning solvents and in the manufacture of plastic foam, they can last from decades to centuries and have 100-year global warming potential thousands of times that of carbon dioxide. They also contribute to ozone depletion in the stratosphere. Climate Sensitivity: Average global air temperature change resulting from a doubling of pre-industrial atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. Commitment Period: The period under the Kyoto Protocol during which the 40 countries plus the European Economic Community (listed as Annex I) must meet their GHG emissions targets. The first period runs from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2012. Discounting: The process that reduces future costs and benefits to reflect the time value of money and the common preference of consumption now rather than later. Ecosystem: A community of organisms and its physical environment. Emissions: The release of substances (greenhouse gases) into the atmosphere. Enhanced Greenhouse Effect: Increase in greenhouse effect resulting from increases in atmospheric concentrations due to emissions from human activities. Evapotranspiration: The process by which water re-enters the atmosphere through evaporation from the ground and transpiration by plants. Fuel Cells: Electrochemical energy conversion devices that run on hydrogen gas and air.* Global Warming: Gradual rise in Earth temperature thought to be caused in part by increased greenhouse gases. Estimates vary on global warming potential because the effects of some greenhouse gases are more persistent than others. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs): are synthetic industrial gases used in refrigeration and semi-conductor manufacturing as commercial substitutes for chlorofluorocarbons. The atmospheric lifetime of HFCs is decades to centuries, and they have 100-year global warming potentials thousands of times that of carbon dioxide depending on the gas. HFCs are among the six gases to be curbed under the Kyoto Protocol. Kyoto Protocol: An international agreement adopted in December, 1997 in Kyoto, Japan. It sets binding emission targets for developed countries that would reduce their emissions on average 5.2% below 1990 levels. Mauna Loa record: The record recorded since 1958 of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii. It indicates continued increase in average annual atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. Methane: Among the six greenhouse gases to be curbed under the Kyoto Protocol. It is produced by natural processes but there are substantial emissions from human activities involving landfills and livestock. Nitrous Oxide: A greenhouse gas to be curbed under the Kyoto Protocol produced by natural processes but receives substantial emissions from activities such as agriculture and fossil fuel combustion. Perfluorocarbons: Among the greenhouse gases to be curbed under the Kyoto Protocol, they are synthetic industrial gases emitted as a by-product of aluminum smelting and uranium enrichment. Photovoltaics: Solar power technology that uses solar cells to provide electricity for human activities which can be used to power equipment or to recharge a battery.* Sulfur Hexafluoride: Among the gases to be curbed by the Kyoto Protocol. It is a synthetic industrial gas used in heavy industry to insulate high-voltage equipment. Thermal expansion: Expansion of a substance from the addition of heat. Thermal expansion of the world’s oceans in response to global warming is considered a predominant driver of current and future sea level rise. Tidal power: The power of electricity achieved by capturing the energy contained in moving water mass due to tides.* UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC): A treaty signed in 1992 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. Water Vapor: The primary gas responsible for the greenhouse effect. It is believed that increases in temperature caused by anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases will increase water vapor in the atmosphere resulting in additional warming. *These definitions courtesy of David Winchester, executive vice president, Invision.
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