Archives: Glossary Terms

Release of a GHG into the atmosphere. (ISO 14064-1:2018 , Greenhouse gases–Specification with guidance at the organization level for quantification and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions and removals, 3.1.5.)

A greenhouse gas project is a managed initiative to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases from specified activities for the purpose of creating recognized emission reductions.

To prove that the project will result in real, permanent, verifiable reductions in greenhouse gases, proof must be provided in the form of a project design document and activity reports validated and verified by an approved third party. (Adapted from Wikipedia article on ‘Carbon Project’.) Carbon projects may be developed for use as compliance instruments in the cap-and-trade programs operating in California, Quebec, and Europe, or for trading in the voluntary market.

List of GHG sources and GHG sinks, and their quantified GHG emissions and GHG removals. (ISO 14064:2018, Greenhouse gases “Specification with guidance at the organization level for quantification and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions and removals”, 3.2.6.)

Greenhouse gases are gases in an atmosphere that absorb electromagnetic radiation and emit electromagnetic radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The main greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone. In our solar system, the atmospheres of Venus, Mars and Titan also contain gases that cause greenhouse effects. Greenhouse gases greatly affect the temperature of the Earth; without them, Earth’s surface would be on average about 33°C (59°F) colder than at present. Source: Wikipedia article on ‘greenhouse gas’.

Agency of the US federal government whose mission it is ‘to provide the safest, most efficient aerospace system in the world.’ The agency strives ‘to reach the next level of safety, efficiency, environmental responsibility and global leadership. We are accountable to the American public and our stakeholders.’

Statement, symbol or graphic that indicates an environmental aspect of a product, component or packaging. Note: An environmental claim may be made on product or packaging labels, through product literature, technical bulletins, advertising, publicity, telemarketing, as well as through digital or electronic media such as the Internet. (ISO 14021:2016, Environmental labels and declarations‚ “Self-declared environmental claims” (Type II environmental labeling), 3.1.4.)

Under US Securities and Exchange Commission regulations, publicly traded companies are required to disclose information about material financial impacts attributed to climate change. Other companies, whether publicly traded or not, that have contractual obligations to implement standards published by ASTM International may also be required to disclose information about climate change impacts. SEC regulations were developed in response to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

The Climate Registry is a nonprofit collaboration between North American states, provinces, territories, and Native Sovereign Nations to record and track the greenhouse gas emissions of businesses, municipalities and other organisations. The Climate Registry’s Board of Directors is made up of 42 states in the USA, 11 provinces/territories in Canada, six states in Mexico, and four Native Sovereign Nations. The data is to be independently verified to ensure accuracy, however participation by organizations is voluntary. Data submitted to the Climate Registry is inputted into the Climate Registry Information System (CRIS), which was developed on EPA’s CRAVe-EATS platform. Source: Wikipedia article on The Climate Registry.

A change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods. (Definition of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, quoted in Joint science academies statement ‘Global response to climate change’.

A carbon offset is a financial instrument aimed at a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon offsets are measured in metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent and may represent six primary categories of greenhouse gases. One carbon offset represents the reduction of one metric ton of carbon dioxide or its equivalent in other greenhouse gases. Source: Wikipedia article on Carbon neutrality.