Comprehensive Carbon Glossary

Additionality (Environmental):
A concept ensuring that emissions reductions would not have happened without revenue from carbon credit sales. It guarantees the environmental integrity of carbon markets by proving that the activity is additional to business-as-usual.

Afforestation:
Planting new forests on land that has never hosted trees before, essentially creating new forests where none previously existed.

Anthropogenic:
Referring to impacts or emissions that result from human activities, such as human-caused carbon emissions.

Avoidance Projects:
Projects designed to prevent carbon emissions that would have otherwise occurred. Examples include forest conservation, renewable energy projects, and fuel-switching initiatives.

Blue Carbon:
Carbon solutions derived from water-based ecosystems, such as mangroves, tidal marshes, and seagrasses, which absorb significant amounts of CO2.

Carbon Credits (on the Voluntary Carbon Market):
Verified credits representing 1 metric ton of CO2e reduction or absorption, issued from certified environmental projects.

Carbon Footprint:
The total amount of greenhouse gases emitted due to an organization’s activities, representing its overall environmental impact in terms of carbon emissions.

Carbon Neutrality:
A balance between human-caused emissions and absorption, achieved by reducing emissions and increasing carbon capture capacity globally.

Carbon Offsetting:
The practice of compensating for residual emissions by investing in projects that reduce or absorb CO2, ensuring the net emissions are reduced to zero.

Carbon Sinks:
Natural environments, such as forests or oceans, that absorb more carbon dioxide than they release, helping to mitigate climate change.

Certification of Carbon Credits:
The process of verifying emission reductions through independent assessment, ensuring the carbon credits issued are real, measurable, permanent, and additional.

Climate Change:
A change in global climate patterns largely attributed to human activities that alter atmospheric composition, resulting in global warming.

Climate Contribution:
Investing in emission reduction projects that support the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), offering benefits beyond just carbon reduction, like social and environmental impacts.

Co-benefits:
The additional positive impacts of carbon reduction projects, such as improvements in biodiversity, health, and social welfare, aligned with the SDGs.

CO2e (Carbon Dioxide Equivalent):
A metric used to measure the global warming potential of various greenhouse gases, expressed as CO2 to standardize their impact.

Decarbonization:
The process of reducing carbon emissions, often aimed at achieving net-zero emissions, particularly in sectors like energy, transport, and industry.

Double-counting:
When two parties claim credit for the same emissions reduction or carbon removal, which compromises the integrity of carbon markets.

Energy Mix:
The combination of different energy sources (e.g., fossil fuels, renewables) used by a country or organization, impacting its overall emissions.

Fossil Fuels:
Energy sources like coal, oil, and natural gas, which emit large quantities of CO2 and other greenhouse gases when burned.

GHG Protocol:
A global framework for measuring and managing greenhouse gas emissions, widely used by organizations to track and reduce their emissions.

Greenhouse Gas:
Gases that trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere, leading to global warming. Main greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide.

Greenwashing:
Misleading practices where companies falsely present themselves as environmentally friendly to gain consumer trust without implementing substantial environmental actions.

IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change):
The UN body that assesses scientific knowledge on climate change and provides guidance to governments on climate action.

Kyoto Protocol:
An international agreement aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, setting binding targets for developed countries.

Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA):
A methodology that evaluates the environmental impact of a product throughout its entire life cycle, from raw material extraction to disposal.

Low Carbon Label:
A certification label for French carbon reduction projects, particularly in the forestry and agriculture sectors, promoting low-carbon initiatives.

Nature-based Solutions:
Solutions that work with nature to address environmental and societal challenges, contributing to climate change mitigation and biodiversity preservation.

Net-zero:
The state where the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by an organization is balanced by the amount removed or offset, aiming for a global carbon neutrality goal.

Paris Agreement:
An international treaty focused on limiting global warming to below 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, aiming to avoid the most severe impacts of climate change.

REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation):
A global initiative to reduce carbon emissions through forest conservation and sustainable land management practices.

Reforestation:
Replanting trees in areas where forests have been depleted, contributing to carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation.

Regulatory Carbon Market:
A market where regulated entities trade emissions permits to meet government-imposed emissions limits, usually based on a cap-and-trade system.

Removal Projects:
Projects focused on capturing carbon that has already been emitted, such as reforestation, soil restoration, and carbon capture technologies.

SBTi (Science-Based Targets Initiative):
A framework for organizations to set emission reduction targets based on climate science, ensuring their actions contribute to limiting global temperature rise.

Scope 1:
Direct emissions from sources owned or controlled by the organization, such as company vehicles or facilities.

Scope 2:
Indirect emissions from the generation of purchased electricity consumed by an organization.

Scope 3:
Other indirect emissions, including those from the supply chain, employee travel, and waste disposal.

SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals):
A set of 17 global goals established by the UN to address various environmental, social, and economic challenges, including climate action.

Spot/Forward Agreement:
A carbon credit agreement where credits are bought either immediately (spot) or for future delivery (forward) at a fixed price.

Voluntary Carbon Market:
A market where organizations and individuals voluntarily purchase carbon credits to offset their emissions, supporting emission-reduction projects with global and local benefits.