Climate Change & Energy
Adaptation – Actions taken in preparation for anticipated effects of climate change (e.g. flood defences).
Anthropogenic – Resulting from human activities. The word is sometimes used to distinguish from natural variations in the climate.
Carbon Dioxide – A naturally occurring gas, and also a by-product of burning fossil fuels. It is the principal anthropogenic Greenhouse Gas and is used as a shorthand to refer to Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, measured in terms of Carbon equivalence (CO2e). See also Footprinting.
Climate Change – The results of an increase in GHGs, which affects the Earth’s climate. E.g. Global Warming, increased frequency of extreme weather, etc.
Energy Efficiency – This means using less energy to achieve the same ends. This does not generally include issues of energy generation, such as Renewables, although there are clearly strong links. The exception to this is specific cases such as CHP, with a strong focus on efficiency. ANSWER focuses on energy-efficiency, but will link to Renewables where appropriate.
Environmental Management System (EMS) – a structured and documented system for monitoring an organisation’s environmental performance.
Footprinting – an estimate of the contribution to climate change from a defined set of activities and measured in units of Carbon dioxide
Fuel Poverty – A state where a household cannot afford to maintain a reasonable level of warmth, often contributed to by poor energy efficiency or insulation. Generally taken as 10% of income going on fuel use.
Global Warming – The principle effect of Climate Change, whereby the increase in GHGs leads to the average planetary temperature increasing. The EU, and others, have adopted a target of keeping warming below 2°C over pre-industrial levels. Sometimes referred to as Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW) to distinguish from natural shifts in climate.
Greenhouse Gases (GHG) – Any gas that contributes to the Greenhouse Effect, whereby the atmosphere traps energy from the sun, raising the Earth’s temperature.
Microgeneration – Small-scale production of low-carbon energy for local use. Very similar to distributed energy generation.
Mitigation - Actions taken to reduce Carbon emissions in order to minimize their effects on climate change (e.g. energy efficiency)
Offset – Investing in Carbon reduction measures to “balance out” one’s own unavoidable emissions. This can be done by businesses or individuals. It has been controversial in some quarters, and should not be seen as an alternative to direct mitigation.
Renewable energy – energy that does not transform or deplete its resource during the process of its generation (e.g. wind, solar, hydro, etc.). This is distinct from low-carbon energy, which also includes non-renewable forms such as Nuclear and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), and Combined Heat & Power (CHP) which can use either renewable or non-renewable sources.
With thanks to HCA’s Climate Change Jargon buster - http://climatechange.hcaacademy.co.uk/home/jargon-buster - which gives a fuller list of common terms around Climate Change and energy use.