Climate Change vocab Flashcards
(16 cards)
What is Weather?
Refers to the atmospheric conditions at a particular time and location. (Temperature, humidity, precipitation, cloudiness, wind, visibility)
What is Climate?
The average of weather patterns in a specific area over a long period of time (typically 30 years or more), representing the overall state of the climate system.
What are Greenhouse Gases?
Gases that trap heat from the sun within the planet’s atmosphere, leading to an increase in temperature.
What is Global Warming?
An increase in the Earth’s average surface temperature due to the rise in concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
What is Climate Change?
Refers to the long-term changes in the Earth’s climate that are warming the atmosphere, ocean, and land.
What is Mitigation?
Any action taken by governments, businesses, or individuals to reduce or prevent climate change by limiting greenhouse gas emissions or enhancing natural carbon sinks.
What is Adaptation?
Actions that help reduce vulnerability to the current or expected impacts of climate change (e.g. weather extremes, sea level rise, food and water insecurity, biodiversity loss).
What is Resilience?
The capacity of a community or environment to anticipate and manage climate impacts, minimise their damage, and recover and transform after shocks.
What is Climate Justice?
Putting equity and human rights at the core of decision-making and action on climate change.
What is Net Zero?
Carbon dioxide emissions from human activity are balanced by efforts to remove emissions, stopping the further concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
What is Renewable Energy?
Energy derived from natural sources that are constantly being replenished (e.g. wind, sunlight, flowing water, geothermal heat).
What is UNFCCC?
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change - An environmental treaty adopted in 1992 to combat dangerous human interference with the climate system.
Parent treaty of the Paris Agreement and Kyoto Protocol.
What is COP?
Conference of Parties - The annual UN conference dedicated to climate change, organised under the UNFCCC since 1995.
The 21st COP was where the Paris Agreement was signed.
What is the Paris Agreement?
A legally binding international treaty aiming to limit global warming to well below 2°C (preferably 1.5°C) compared to pre-industrial levels.
What are NDCs?
Nationally Determined Contributions - Climate pledges and action plans that each country is required to develop in line with the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C.
What is the IPCC?
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - An independent body established by the WMO and UNEP to assess scientific literature and findings on climate change and provide evidence-based recommendations to policymakers and the public.
