All cards Flashcards
(156 cards)
1
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Aarhaus Convention
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Entering into effect in 2001 among EU countries, and drafted by the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), this agreement guarantees the rights of individuals – independently and collectively – to live in “an environment adequate to his or her health and wellbeing.” This includes the “rights of access to information, public participation in decision-making, and access to justice in environmental matters.”
2
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ABCD Planning Method
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The Natural Step (TNS) provides a strategic planning tool for sustainable development, based on the work of Karl-Henrik Robert. This tool developed to help plan in complex systems entails four steps: Awareness and visioning, Baseline mapping, Creating solutions, Decide on Priorities.
3
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Adaptation
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This is a tool used to address negative social or environmental impacts, by developing new, more effective ways of functioning after a change has occurred.
4
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Adaptive management or Adaptive Resource Management (ARM)
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A systematic process of continuous improvement where policies and practices are improved and adapted based on learning from previous outcomes.
5
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Additionality
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In the carbon offset market, this test answers the question: Are the GHG reductions a direct result of the project being sold? If, all else being equal, the project reduces GHG levels, then the project passes this test.
6
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Agenda 21
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A non-binding action plan for sustainable development adopted at the Earth Summit, it provided a wide-ranging blueprint to drive sustainable development around the world.
7
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Ambient air quality
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Measured at ground level, away from direct sources of pollution, this refers to the level of pollution found in outdoor air. Poor air quality is associated with heart disease, lung cancer, respiratory diseases and stroke.
8
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Annex 1 Parties
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The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change defines these entities as industrialized nations (previously OECD members) and economies in transition (EIT). These countries are taking on emissions reduction obligations.
9
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Anthropocene
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The proposed epoch in Earth’s history that begins around the time of Industrial Revolution when human activities began to have a significant impact on the Earth’s geology and ecosystems.
10
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Anthropogenic
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The effect of human activity on climate change.
11
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Arab Spring
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Sparked by a Tunisian street vendor who set himself on fire in December. of2010, this refers to a period of uprising across the Arab world. Years of economic inequality, high unemployment, and political disenfranchisement came to a heard when millions of Arab people protested and rioted, demanding political, social, and economic justice.
12
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B Corp Certification
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A certification scheme for a for-profit company whose mission aligns with creating a better society and has met the sustainability standards developed by B Lab. Their rigorous standards address social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Note that, some certified companies have legally organized themselves as “benefit corporations”./
13
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Backcasting
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Unlike forecasting based on data about what has already happened, this planning approach beings with the end in mind. Central to The Natural Step framework, planners first envision the desired future state, then build a strategy that will lead to the desired outcome.
14
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Balanced Scorecard
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A strategic framework used to align business practices with TBL goals, improve stakeholder communications, and monitor performance.
15
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Balancing loops
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These are also known as negative feedback loops, and have a stabilizing effect, creating resistance, eventually limiting growth or collapse.
16
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Base year
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In corporate GHG accounting, this is a specific year (or an average over multiple years) against which an organization’s impacts are tracked over time.
17
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Baseline
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This term refers to emissions levels represented by the status-quo-ante in GHG Project Accounting. To evaluate project additionality (including GHG emissions reductions, removals, or storage), a project accountant develops various scenarios against this point in time.
18
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Benefit Corporation
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A legal entity tat may (or may not) be a Certified B Corporation. Directors of this corporate type are required by law to consider the impact of their actions on all stakeholders, rather than their stockholders alone. In most cases, they must publicly disclose their social and environmental performance, assessed against a third-party standard.
19
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Bhopal chemical leak
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Occurring in December of 1984, this disaster took place at the Union Carbide (now Dow Chemical) pesticide plant in central India. A half-million people were exposed to methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas.
20
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Biodiversity
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This term refers to the full range of life forms on earth – their species, genetic, and ecological diversity.
21
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Biodynamic agriculture
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A holistic, ethical, and ecological approach to farming that strives to regenerate the soil and ecosystem.
22
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Biofuel
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A liquid fuel, derived from plant matter (biomass), which is used for transportation. There are three formulations. Ethanol is an alcohol, fermented from high carbohydrate biomass. Biodiesel is made from a mixture of alcohol and vegetable oil – sometimes recycled cooking oil. Biogas is a gaseous fuel, produced from either anaerobic digestion or gasification. Sources of biogas recovery include landfills, livestock operations, and waste treatment plans.
23
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Biomimicry
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An approach to product design and innovation that emulates nature’s patterns and strategies to find sustainable solutions to human challenges.
24
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Bioremediation
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Introducing microbes and other biological organisms to rehabilitate environmentally contaminated sites.
25
Bottom of the Pyramid
A term used to describe four billion people who live in poverty and have been mostly un-served or underserved by the private sector. Contrary to conventional wisdom, these people are resilient entrepreneurs and value-conscious consumers who can partner with business to eradicate poverty.
26
BREEAM
A TBL procurement, design, construction and operations assessment that evaluates a building construction project against performance benchmarks. Assessments are performed by independent auditors.
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Brundtland Commission
Publisher of "Our Common Future" in 1987, the UN's World Commission on Environment and Development got its moniker from its Chairwoman, Gro Harlem Brundtland, ex-Prime Minister of Norway.
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Business Model
The business structure of an organization, its purpose and method of making money.
29
CAFE standards (Corporate Average Fuel Economy)
Standards that set the average fuel economy for new vehicles that a manufacturer's fleet must achieve, originally established by the US Congress for cars and light trucks, in the 1970s, in response to the Arab oil embargo. In 2007, updated legislation raised the standards for cars, light trucks and SUVs. Current standards must be met at maximum feasible levels through 2030.
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Cap and trade system
An emissions trading scheme, whereby lower emitters sell permits to excessive emitters so they can stay within their regulatory emissions cap.
31
Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS)
A set of technologies used to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it, long-term, deep underground. Designed to reduce the climate impact of gas- and coal-fired power plants.
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Carbon credits
Instruments used to trade carbon emissions among parties in either the voluntary or compliance markets.
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Carbon cycle
Carbon is the building block of life on Earth. When nature is in balance, carbon flows cyclically between each of the "spheres" -- the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere.
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Carbon dioxide (CO2)
Formed through cellular respiration, the decomposition of biomass, and combustion, excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is a major contributor to the greenhouse effect. This is one of the greenhouse gases that nations are required to track under the Kyoto Protocol. According to the IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) it has a global warming potential of 1.
35
Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e)
The universal unit of measurement expressing the global warming potential (GWP) of greenhouse gases. It is used to compare the radiative force of a GHG to CO2.
36
Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR)
Also known as Carbon Engineering, this technology is used to counteract the greenhouse effect and ocean acidification by removing CO2 from the atmosphere. Multiple technologies have been proposed, such as afforestation, biochar, carbon capture, and sequestration.
37
Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP)
Drives the disclosure of measurement information to improve the way companies manage their environmental risk over the long-term. They work with nearly 1,000 institutional investors to report Climate, Water, and Deforestation impacts, as well as, the performance of Supply Chains. In addition, their public sector program works with cities, states and regions to improve environmental performance.
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Carbon footprint
The total GHG emissions from fossil fuel use.
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Carbon offsets
A mechanism employed by businesses to meet their carbon reduction goals. Purchasing carbon credits equivalent to emissions generated by operations allows businesses to offset their impacts and meet their reduction goals.
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Carbon sequestration
Through the process of photosynthesis, trees, grasses, and other plants take up atmospheric carbon dioxide and store the carbon in their trunks, branches, foliage, roots, and soil. Over millennia, the biomass fossilizes and converts to coal and other fossil fuels.
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Carrying capacity
The maximum population that can survive indefinitely on the available resources and services.
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Caux Round Table (CRT) - Principles for Business
These provide "a worldwide vision for ethical and responsible corporate behavior and serve as a foundation for action for business leaders worldwide."
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Caux Round Table (CRT) - Principles for Government
These are based on the idea that "the expectation that better government supporting the entrepreneurial endeavors of socially responsible businesses around the world will generate greater investment of private capital to create more wealth for poor people."
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Ceres Principles
A global coalition of investors and environmental and social advocacy groups supporting investment, policy, and business leadership in order to promote sustainability.
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Certified Emission Reduction (CER) units
Qualified emissions reductions under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).
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Chemicals of Concern
Everything containing matter is made up of chemicals -- in liquid, gas, or solid form; natural and manmade; pure or mixed. The majority of chemicals pose no risk to humans or the environment, but those that could potentially cause harm are considered hazardous. Depending on the harmful properties of these they are regulated in order to protect human and environmental health.
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Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)
A family of chemicals that are nontoxic and nonflammable that are used by industry in such applications as aerosols, solvents, and refrigerants. One example, Freon (CHC-12) was used for decades in refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners. Because they react with the upper atmosphere, they have a high ozone-depleting potential (ODP) and are therefore banned under the Montreal Protocol.
48
Circular economy
An approach to business and sustainable development that replaces our "take, make, waste" economy with one that continuously reuses outputs, adding only those inputs derived from exclusively renewable sources.
49
Clean Air Act (CAA)
Passed in 1972, this act protects human and environmental health from the effects of air pollution. Over the years, it has been used to cut ozone, sulfur, and nitrogen dioxide in order to address acid rain, and remove lead from gasoline. In 2007, the US Supreme Court upheld the EPA's ability to regulate GHG emissions under this legislation. This action made it possible for the US to drive clean energy efforts despite political opposition.
50
Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)
A mechanism established by the Kyoto Protocol designed to encourage project-based emission reduction activities in developing countries. Purchasing the CERs produced by these projects allows Annex 1 countries to meet their reduction commitments.
51
Climate change
While weather refers to atmospheric conditions over short periods of time, climate is the long-term behavior of the atmosphere -- an accumulation of weather over time. Although daily weather may appear relatively constant, incontrovertible scientific data shows that Earth's climate is changing. The result is an increase in severe weather events, drought, changes in ocean chemistry, and rising tides.
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Climate-neutral
Another term for net-zero
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Cogeneration
Also known as combined heat and power (CHP), this is the process of capturing and using waste heat, a byproduct of burning fuel for electricity.
54
Communication on Progress (COP)
At a minimum, signatories to the UNGC must produce one of these each year. The document reinforces corporate commitment to the UNGC and describes the measurable results of actions taken over the prior year.
55
Community Capital
This type of capital includes all the "natural, human, social, and built capital from which a community receives benefits and on which the community relies for continued existence."
56
Comprehensive Assessment System for Built Environment Efficiency (CASBEE)
This is a Japanese rating system for evaluating the environmental performance of the built environment. The program provides tools for assessing the environmental performance of housing, commercial buildings, neighborhood, and cities.
57
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA)
Passed in the wake of the Three Mile Island nuclear accident, this act, provides a US Federal "Superfund" for hazardous-waste cleanup. It also empowers the US EPA to seek out responsible parties and assure their cooperation in the cleanup.
58
Conference of the Parties (COPs)
The supreme decision-making body comprised of the parties that have ratified the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
59
Conflict Minerals
Refers to the trade in non-military goods, the income from which is used to fund wars and helps to perpetuate human rights abuses. Used in the context of central Africa, tin, tungsten, and tantalum (the 3Ts) plus gold comprise these goods.
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Consumptive use
Refers to water that is removed from the environment through either evapotranspiration or consumption.
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Coral bleaching
This phenomenon results when resident algae die, due to changes in environmental conditions (e.g. temperature, light, nutrients), causing them to be expelled from their hosts.
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Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
This term refers to the business practice of focusing on activities affecting the triple bottom line interests of all stakeholders.
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Cradle to cradle
Refers to an assessment of impacts beginning with materials extraction through to the point where the materials become inputs for new products. This type of assessment is fundamental to a circular economy.
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Cradle to Cradle Certified
A product certification that provides third-party assurance that a product has been designed and produced so its component parts may be used as inputs to new products.
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Cradle to Gate
An LCA assessment of impacts from materials extraction to the factory door.
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Cradle to Grave
An LCA assessment of impacts from materials extraction through manufacture and usage, to the landfill.
67
Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work
Countries adopting this declaration are committed to providing workers freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining, the elimination of forced labor, the abolition of child labor, and the elimination of discrimination in employment and occupation.
68
Deepwater Horizon
Also known as the Gulf Oil Spill, this 2010 disaster was the largest oil spill in history. This event effectively erased the efforts of BP (previously British Petroleum) to brand their company as an environmentally conscious company going "Beyond Petroleum".
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Dematerialization
This term describes the practice of reducing material flows -- using less of the same substances to produce an equivalent product. Along with substitution, this practice provides a key mechanism for driving sustainable development.
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Desalination
This technology uses a process called reverse osmosis (RO) to remove salt and other inorganic impurities from seawater, producing potable water for human consumption and crop irrigation.
71
Design for the Environment (DfE)
Originally a program of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), this is an approach to creating more sustainable products and services that incorporates human health and environmental impact into design decisions.
72
Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI)
Maintained in collaboration with RobescoSAM, this scorecard follows a "best-in-class"approach to corporate sustainability rating for investors.
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Downcycle
Since materials degrade when used (we know this from entropy, the 2nd law of thermodynamics), when recycled they can only be used as inputs for lower quality products. This term describes this phenomenon,.
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Dynamic complexity
This term describes what happens in a system that is both complex and changing. Taking action in one part of this type of system yields unpredictable, erratic results, that makes solving sustainability challenges like climate change particularly difficult.
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Dynamic equilibrium
Equilibrium occurs when a system is in balance such that changes to that system are imperceptible. Static equilibrium describes a system that is unchanging and motionless, but this type of equilibrium exists when a system is in a state of change yet the opposing forces at work are equivalent.
76
Earth Charter
Based on the existing conditions, this is an ethical framework that provides guidance for the transition to more sustainable living and development. The 16 guiding principles address four primary concepts: Respect and care for the community of life; Ecological integrity; Social and economy justice; Democracy, nonviolence, and peace.
77
Ecodesign Directive
This EU Directive provides rules for improving the energy efficiency and environmental performance of energy-using products (EuP) and energy-related products (ErP).
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Ecolabel
A "sign or logo that is intended to indicate an environmentally preferable product, service or company, based on defined standards or criteria." Depending on the certification standards, their reliability will vary.
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Ecological Economics
The transdisciplinary field of ecology and economics that endeavors to understand how humans interact with the ecosystem around them. Informed by the past practitioners work to include the value of natural capital from ecosystem services to drive future decisions.
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Ecological footprint
The measure of biologically productive land and water required to produce all the resources consumed and to absorb the waste generated. The carbon footprint is one part of this measurement.
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Ecological integrity
This term refers to an ecosystem when all the native components -- the abiotic elements, biodiversity and ecosystem processes -- are intact.
82
Ecosphere
Comprised of four major systems explored by environmental studies and earth science. The Geosphere is the Earth's core, mantle and crust. The Atmosphere is the air around the Earth, which includes the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and ionosphere. The Hydrosphere -- is all the water contained on Earth, whether in solid, liquid or gaseous form (e.g. ice, oceans, clouds, etc.). The Biosphere - life on Earth, including plants, animals, insects etc.
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Ecosystem
This consists of the biological community along with the physical and chemical factors that make up its nonliving environment.
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Ecosystem services
Any positive benefit provided by an ecosystem. Four major categories of these were identified by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA): Provisioning (e.g. food, water); Regulating (e.g. pollination, carbon sequestration); Cultural (e.g. recreation, inspiration); Supporting (e.g. photosynthesis, carbon cycle).
85
Electronics Products Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT)
A US-based product rating system for energy efficient information technology (IT) with environmental criteria addressing the full product life cycle -- design, production, usage, and recycling. The rating is more rigorous than the ENERGY STAR qualifying criteria.
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Embodied or Embedded energy
The energy consumed throughout a product's life cycle -- outside the usage phase -- including materials extraction, manufacturing, transportation, and end-of-life management.
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Emission Reduction Unit (ERU)
Under the Joint Implementation (JI) mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol, these carbon credits may be transferred from the account of the host country (the place where the emissions reduction project is located) to that of the investor country. These compliance credits help Annex 1 countries meet their emissions reduction targets.
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Emissions factor
This is a value that helps to quantify the amount of a pollutant released into the atmosphere as the result of a given activity.
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Employee ownership
This describes the ownership of a company by a broad cross-section of employees - from rank-and-file to management - offered through a formal plan by the company.
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Endangered Species Act (ESA)
Passed by congress in 1973, this act made the US one of the first countries to afford legal protections. toa full range of living things, including birds, insects, fish, reptiles, mammals, crustaceans, flowers, grasses, and trees.
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Endocrine disrupter
Certain chemicals, such as lead and mercury, have been shown to have adverse effects on hormone production and function. Many of these are still found in prolific products such as cookware, plastic containers, canned food, and others.
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Energy Efficiency
This term is defined as getting more output for the energy expended. It can be calculated as the ratio of useful "energy" (the capacity to do work) to total energy expended while performing "work" (defined as the transfer of energy).
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Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPACT 1992)
This Act of 1992, enacted. by the US Congress, was aimed at reducing petroleum dependence and improving air quality. The legislation covers all aspects of energy supply and demand and boosted investment in alternative fuels, vehicle technology, among other things.
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ENERGY STAR
Established under the Clean Air Act in 1992, this program helps businesses and individuals become more energy efficient, protect the environment, and save money. The European version of this program is a related scheme that applies to office equipment.
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Energy-related product (ErP)
This legislation sets performance standards for those products that have an indirect impact on energy consumption (e.g. windows and faucets).
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Energy-use proudct (EuP)
This legislation sets energy efficiency thresholds for products that use energy (e.g. televisions, lighting, computers, etc.)
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Environmental justice
Environmental justice addresses the interaction between environmental quality and social justice. It is governed by the principle that everyone has the right to equal protection from damage, risk, and discrimination due to pollution.
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Environmental Management Systems (EMS)
This provides a framework for reaching sustainability goals through consistent control of operations, which includes a process for continuous improvement. In addition to offering certification under ISO 14001, ISO 14004 provides guidance for creating this. Many types of these follow the Plan > Do > Check > Act (PDCA) framework.
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Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs)
This document provides consumers with quantifiable LCA data on the environmental impact associated with a given product. Following the ISO 14025 product category rules (PCR), it is used to compare the relative impact of similar products.
100
Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)
Enterprises pursuing sustainability are often described as pursuing improvements in these three key areas. Some SRI reporting frameworks, such as those set forth by PRI (an investor initiative in partnership with UNEP Finance Initiative and UN Global Compact), use this model.
101
Envision - Sustainable Infrastructure standard
A sustainable infrastructure rating system comprised of 60 TBL criteria in five categories: Quality of Life, Leadership, Resource Allocation, Natural World, and Climate and Risk.
102
Equator Principles (EPs)
These principles, created in 2003 by the IFC (World Bank), provide the financial services industry with a risk management framework for assessing and managing social and environmental risk.
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Eutrophication
This is defined as the presence of excessive nutrients in bodies of water and the effect over-enrichment has on aquatic life. This phenomenon causes depleted oxygen (hypoxia) and algal blooms.
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E-waste
This refers to discarded electronic devices -- any device with a circuit board -- that find their way into the landfill. The presence of both previous metals and hazardous materials makes recycling these devices at once lucrative and dangerous. Responsible recovery preserves resources while protecting human and ecosystem health.
105
Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies (EDGE)
This is a building standard developed by the World Bank's International Financial Corporation (IFC). Using the accompanying free software, developers in emerging markets can determine the most cost-effective options for building resource-efficient structures. Those buildings that demonstrate 20% efficiency improvements can become certified.
106
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)
These directives place significant end-of-life responsibility on manufacturers, in managing the post-consumer treatment and disposal of their products. Requirements may be financial and/or physical in nature.
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Externalities
This is a term Economists use to refer to the large indirect costs that affect people but are not captured in prices. Without capturing these costs in market prices, people cannot make informed decisions. Carbon emissions provide an excellent example of how this negatively impacts society.
108
Factor 10
This term states that within one generation, a 10-fold decrease in resource consumption, coupled with a 10-fold increase in efficiency would be required to achieve dematerialization.
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Factor 4
This term states that, using existing methodologies, society can enjoy life twice as much on half the resources - effectively quadrupling resource efficiency.
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Factor 5
A revision of earlier estimates, this term states that society has the potential of improving resource efficiency by 80% -- a five-fold productivity improvement-using existing methodologies.
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Fair trade certification
This certification supports sustainable development among small producers and agricultural workers in the poorest countries. This type of mark, of Fairtrade International (FLO), is used throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Fairtrade USA is the equivalent mark used in North America.
112
Feebate
An approach to taxation whereby those practicing undesireable behavior are levied a fee, which gets rebated to those practicing the desireable behavior. This approach is thought to be an effective way of spurring innovation.
113
Feedback loops
As one part of a system changes, other parts of the system react and respond, regulating system behavior as a whole. This term is the mechanism by which the system regulates and manipulates this change. This closed chain of causal connections forms when changes in a stock affect the flows in and out of that stock. These exhibit two kinds of behavior: positive (reinforcing) and negative (balancing).
114
Feed-in Tarriff (FIT)
Modeled after Germany's approach to driving the deployment of renewable energy, this type of tarriff drives investment away from nonrenewable fuels. It provides fixed income payments to renewable energy developers -- individuals and businesses alike -- for the energy they produce.
115
Financial Capital
The International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) defines this as "the pool of funds that is available to an organization for use in the production of goods or the provision of services". It includes things such as stocks, bonds, and currency.
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The First Law of Thermodynamics
This is also known as the Law of Conservation of Energy, and states that all energy and mass in an eccosystem is conserved in some way -- that the essence of a thing may change but nothing is either created or destroyed.
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Flows
The interconnections between elements of a system that change over time -- the relationships that hold the system together.
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Food security
According to the UN Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO), "this exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food which meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life."
119
Forest principles
A key agreement arrived at by participants to the 1992 Earth Summit included these 15 non-legally-binding principles.
120
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
This org promotes environmentally sound, socially beneficial, and economically prosperous management of the world's forests. Third-party verifiers assess forest management practices and chain of custody operations, tracing wood products through the supply chain from the live-tree to end use. This eco-label can be found on furniture, lumber and building products, pulp and paper products, along with non-wood products derived from forests, such as cork and bamboo.
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Fossil fuel
These are formed through the process of naerobic decomposition of buried plant matter, which gradually transforms into minerals -- including petroleum, natural gas, and coal. Because they consist mainly of hydrogen and carbon, they are also referred to as hydrocarbons. When excavated and burned to produce energy, the sequestered carbon gets released back into the atmostphere. Because the production process takes millions of years, these fuels are considered nonrenewable.
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Frameworks
A mental model comprised of several interconnected core concepts that help us to udnerstand a system. These concepts stand alone, while supporting each other, together forming a philosophical foundation for planning.
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Fugitive emissions
Emissions releases, either intentional or unintentional, that result from leaks in equipment such as those coming from joints, seals, packing, gaskets, as well as emissions from coal piles, waste water treatment, pits, cooling towers, gas processing facilities, etc.
124
Future-fit Business Benchmark
A business that meets this standard "is one that in no way underminds the possibility that humans and other life will flourish on Earth forever". To organize around this goal, such businesses focus on developing practices required for tomorrow rather than meeting short-term goals or emulating the current best practices of peers. This standard defines 21 future-fit gols that address social and environmental challenges while improving business performance.
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Genetically modified organism (GMO)
Any organism (plant, animal, microorganism, etc.) with an altered genetic code. The genetic engineering process produces transfenic species with the combined traits of donor organisms.
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Genuine progress indicator (GPI)
This indicator measures the economic welfare generated by economic activity by including the depreciation of community capital as an economic cost. Going beyond consumption (represented by GDP), thi sindicator accounts for income distribution, environmental costs, crime, pollution, volunteering, household work, among other activities.
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Geoengineering
This term is defined by Oxford University's Geoengineering Program as "the deliverate large-scale intervention in the Earth's natural systems to counteract climate change." Approaches include Solar Radiation Management (SRM) and Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR).
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Geothermal energy
This energy comes from heat generated within the Earth's crust, where decaying radioactive material contains over 50,000 times more energy than world fossil fuel stores. Both deep well power plants and ground-source heat pumps harness this heat to generate electricity or create more efficient heating and cooling systems for buildings.
129
Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
This is a standards body that puts forth criteria for sustainability reporting, in partnership with global organizations focused on quality, environment, and economics. Their sustainability reporting framework is used by a majority of the world's largest corporations.
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Global Warming Potential (GWP)
Each greenhouse gas captures infrared radiation and reflects it back out into the atmosphere at a different rate, thus having a different potential to warm the Earth. This term normalizes this potential relative to carbon dioxide (CO2) -- the least impactful of all GHGs. This makes it possible to comapre their relative impacts on climate change.
131
Grameen bank (microcredit)
This bank project takes its name from the Bengali word for "village bank". Created in Bangladesh in the mid 1970s, it marked the beginning of modern-day microfinancing. This type of microcredit lends funds for self-employment projects that generate engouh income for the borrower to care for themselves and their families.
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Green bonds
A tax-exempt debt instrument used by qualified organizations or municipalities to finance the development of brownfield sites. Often abandoned or underutilized, by definition these sites contain low levels of industrial pollution.
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Green building
This term refers to a movement to create healthier indoor environments in strucures built with environmental health in mind. Worldwide, over 100 councils working to drive progress toward a net-zero built environment.
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Green power
A generic term for renewable energy along with specific clean energy technologies that emit fewer GHG emissions than other energy supplying the grid.
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Green Seal
Developed using transparent science-based environmental protocols this eco label provides assurance that the rated products meets rigorous sustainability criteria. This certification has more than 55 standards across 12 product and service categories, such as: household products, construction materials & equipment, and paints &coatings.
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Green Star (Australia)
Run by the Green Building Council Australia, this is a green building assessment and product certification program. Projects can earn certification in four categories: Communities, Design & As Built, Interiors, and Performance.
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Greenhouse effect
This phenomenon results when heat becomes trapped in the Earth's lower atmosphere and is prevented from escaping into space.
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Greenhouse gas (GHG)
When present in the atmostphere, these gases absorb and emit radiation within the thermal infrared range, contributing to the greenhouse effect. Certain of these, reported under the Kyoto Protocol, that result from human activities include: CO2, CH4, N2O, HFCs, SF6, NF3, PFCs, and HFCs. The IPCC Assessment Reports periodically update the gases that parties to the Kyoto Protocol must report on.
139
GHG Protocol
Developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and World Business Council on Sustainable Development (WBCSD), this protocol provides a global standard for measuring, managing, and reporting on greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to their Corporate Standard, they provide industry specific guidance on Scope 3, Supply Chain, Product Life Cycle, and reduction Project accounting.
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Greenhouse gas inventory
An org's (or city's) accounting of the quantity of greenhouse gases emitted and removed from the atmostphere, including all sources and sinks for which they are responsible.
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Greenwashing
The marketing practic of making unsubstantiated sustainability claims.
142
Gross domestic product (GDP)
An index of a country's economic output -- the economic value of all goods and services derived by tallying either all income received or all money spent. It is used to determine a nation's level of prosperity. Calculated by summing recorded market transactions, many consider it an inaccurate indicator of progress because it ignores social costs, environmental impacts, and income inequality.
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Gross national happiness (GNH)
Bhutan uses this metric as an indicator of national prosperity. Its calculation involves an assessment of people's "wellbeing in things like community, culture, governance, knowledge and wisdom, health, spirituality and psychological welfare, a blaanced use dof time, and harmy with the environment."
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Gross national product (GNP)
Derived by tallying all the income generated by companies and individuals residing within a country's boundaries, this is an indicator used to assess the economic position of a given country. The calculations are net of foreign investment.
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Habitat
The environment where an organism or group of organisms, including flora and fauna, normally live. That environment includes both living and nonliving things.
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Habitat III
Convened in 2016, under the auspices of the UN, this was the third conference focusing on the consequences of rapid urbanization. The goal of these conferences is to promote a new model of urban development that can integrate all facets of sustainable development -- promoting equity, welfare and shared prosperity.
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Hannover Principles
These principles underpin many green buildings standards. Developed by William McDonough in 1992, they governed his design of The World's Fair, EXPO 2000, held in Hannover, Germany.
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Heavy metals
Toxic metals such as arsenic, lead, and mercury have harmful effects on human health when found in large quantities.
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Hierarchy of needs
Because the Brundtland commission did not elaborate on how society might meet their needs, many have used this theory of human motivation to understand this aspect of sustainability. According to this theory, the main categories of need in order of importance are: Physiological Safety; Love & belonging; Esteem; and Self-actualization.
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Human capital
The International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) describes this as "people's competencies, capabilities and experience, and their motivations to innovation."
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Human rights
In their related declaration of 1948, the UN defined these as the rights of all members of the human family. They include the right to inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of freedom, justice, and peace.
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Hydroflourocarbon (HFC)
One of the GHGs nations are required to track under the Kyoto Protocol. According to the IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) it has a globl warming potential that ranges from 4 to 12,400 over a 100 year time horizoon.
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Hydropower
A form of renewable energy that harnesses the flow of water to generate electricity.
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Inclusive business
A term that refers to sustainable business solutions that expand access to goods, services, and livelihood opportunities for low-income communities in commercially viable ways. Going beyond philanthropy, this type of business melds development and business goals to deliver higher socio-economic value to communities.
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Indicator
This provides data about a topic or situation, which strategists and managers use to understand the world, inform decisions, and plan for actions.
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Indigenous people
This group of individuals is defined as having a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory -- culturally and historically distinct from the majority populations with political dominance.
