A

  • Adaptation: Adjusting to the impacts of climate change to minimize damage or take advantage of opportunities.
  • Anthropogenic: Caused or influenced by human activities, especially in the context of greenhouse gas emissions.

B

  • Biodiversity: The variety of life on Earth, which is affected by climate change through habitat loss and shifting ecosystems.
  • Biofuels: Fuels derived from organic materials, such as plants, which are considered more sustainable than fossil fuels.

C

  • Carbon Footprint: The total amount of carbon dioxide emissions caused by an individual, organization, or product.
  • Carbon Neutral: Achieving a balance between emitting carbon and absorbing carbon from the atmosphere in carbon sinks.
  • Climate Change: Long-term changes in temperature, precipitation, and other atmospheric conditions, primarily due to human activity.

D

  • Deforestation: The removal of forests, which reduces the planet’s capacity to absorb carbon dioxide.
  • Drought: Extended periods of low precipitation, often exacerbated by climate change.

E

  • Emissions: The release of gases, particularly greenhouse gases, into the atmosphere from sources such as vehicles, industry, and agriculture.
  • Extreme Weather: Unusual, severe weather events, such as hurricanes, floods, and heatwaves, increasingly linked to climate change.

F

  • Fossil Fuels: Energy sources like coal, oil, and natural gas, which release carbon dioxide when burned.
  • Feedback Loops: Processes that can either amplify or diminish the effects of climate change, such as the melting of polar ice reducing Earth’s reflectivity.

G

  • Global Warming: The increase in Earth’s average surface temperature due to the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
  • Greenhouse Effect: The trapping of heat by greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere, which warms the planet.

H

  • Heat Island Effect: Urban areas that experience higher temperatures than their rural surroundings due to human activities and infrastructure.
  • Hydropower: Renewable energy generated by harnessing the power of moving water.

I

  • IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change): The United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change.
  • Ice Melt: The reduction of ice in polar regions and glaciers, contributing to sea level rise.

J

  • Jet Stream: A fast-flowing air current in the atmosphere that influences weather patterns, which can be affected by climate change.

K

  • Kyoto Protocol: An international treaty adopted in 1997 that set binding obligations on industrialized countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

L

  • Land Use Change: Alterations in the way land is used, such as deforestation or urbanization, which can affect carbon storage and climate patterns.

M

  • Mitigation: Actions aimed at reducing or preventing the emission of greenhouse gases to limit the extent of global warming.

N

  • Net Zero: Achieving a balance between the amount of greenhouse gases emitted and the amount removed from the atmosphere.
  • Natural Disasters: Severe environmental events, like hurricanes and floods, that can be worsened by climate change.

O

  • Ocean Acidification: The process by which oceans absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, causing them to become more acidic and impacting marine life.

P

  • Paris Agreement: A global pact adopted in 2015 to limit global warming to below 2°C, with efforts to limit it to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
  • Permafrost: Ground that remains frozen year-round in polar regions, which can release methane as it melts due to warming temperatures.

Q

  • Quasi-biennial Oscillation (QBO): A pattern of alternating winds high in the atmosphere that can influence climate variability.

R

  • Renewable Energy: Energy from sources that are naturally replenished, such as wind, solar, and hydropower, which don’t emit greenhouse gases.
  • Resilience: The ability of a system, community, or ecosystem to recover from the impacts of climate change.

S

  • Sea Level Rise: The increase in the level of the world’s oceans due to the melting of ice and expansion of water as it warms.
  • Sustainability: Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, often tied to addressing climate change.

T

  • Tipping Point: A critical threshold at which a small change in climate conditions can lead to significant and potentially irreversible effects on the environment.

U

  • UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change): An international environmental treaty established to address climate change.
  • Urbanization: The growth of cities, which can lead to increased greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to the heat island effect.

V

  • Vulnerability: The degree to which a system, community, or individual is susceptible to the adverse impacts of climate change.

W

  • Warming Stripes: A data visualization showing the progression of global temperature rise over time in colored stripes.
  • Weather Patterns: The atmospheric conditions that influence daily weather; these patterns are increasingly influenced by climate change.

X

  • eXtreme Weather: Intensified weather events, like stronger hurricanes and more frequent heatwaves, driven by climate change.

Y

  • Yield Loss: The reduction in agricultural output caused by climate-related factors like droughts, floods, and changing temperature patterns.

Z

  • Zero Emissions: A state where no greenhouse gases are emitted into the atmosphere, a goal for combatting climate change.