| Glossary |
AAbatement: The reduction in the quantity of intensity of greenhouse gas emissions Acetogens: Are rumen microbes that convert carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen gas (H2) to acetate, an energy source for the cow, while methanogens form methane, a waste product, from the same basic compounds. Research is underway in New Zealand to investigate the possibility of replacing methanogenic microbes with acetogenic microbes. Acidification: An increase in the concentration of Hydrogen in a solution or a lowering of a solution's pH. Ocean acidification is therefore the reduction of the pH of the world's oceans. Additionality: Under a greenhouse gas program, reductions are considered to be additional if they represent reductions that would not have occurred without the credit-producing project. That is a physical reduction or avoidance of emissions over what would have occurred under business as usual scenario. Afforestation: The process of establishing and growing forests on bare or cultivated land which has not been forested in recent history. Anthropogenic: Caused or produced by humans BBagasse: fibrous residue from the milling of sugarcane, frequently used a fuel for sugar mills. Baseline Scenario: In the context of greenhouse gas emissions the Baseline Scenario is the forecast emissions of a company, business unit or project, using a business as usual scenario, often referred to as the 'baseline scenario' i.e. expected emissions if the firm did not implement emission reduction activities. This forecast incorporates the economic, financial, technological, regulatory and political circumstances within which a firm operates Binding Targets: Binding targets are agreed or mandated emission limits on an entity that are to be met at a specific point of time or period Bio-diesel: Diesel equivalent, processed fuel derived from biological sources (such as vegetable oils), which can be used in unmodified diesel-engines Bio-ethanol: Ethanol (C2H5OH), also known as ethyl alcohol, alcohol, or grain spirit derived from biological sources. A clear, colorless, flammable oxygenated hydrocarbon with a boiling point of 78.5 degrees Celsius in the anhydrous state. In transportation, ethanol is used as a vehicle fuel by itself (E100), blended with gasoline (E85), or as a gasoline octane enhancer and oxygenate (10 percent concentration). Biofuels: Liquefied products derived from biomass such as ethanol, methanol & bio-diesel Biomass Energy: Biomass energy generated from organic waste matter e.g. sawmill wood waste, bagasse, crop waste. Biomass Generation: Biomass generation is a biomass fuel gasification plant that produces electricity. Business As Usual Scenario (BAU): Estimate of a company's future and current emissions under normal operating circumstances. Depending on the scope of the business as usual scenario this may incorporate some emission reduction regulatory controls including carbon taxes etc. CCap and Trade:A system involving trading of emission allowances, where the total allowance is strictly limited or 'capped'. A regulatory authority established the cap which is usually considerably lower (50% to 85%) than the historic level of emissions. Allowances are created to account for the total allowed emissions (an allowance is a unit of measurement referred to as AAU). Trading occurs when an entity has excess allowances, either through actions taken or improvements made, and sells them to an entity requiring allowances because of growth in emissions or an inability to make cost-effective reductions. Cap and Trade programmes are closed systems, but can be modified to allow the creations of new permits by non-capped sources in the manner of credit-based systems. Carbon Dioxide Equivalent (CO2eq): The universal unit of measurement used to indicate the global warming potential (GWP) of each of the 6 greenhouse gases. It is used to evaluate the impacts of releasing (or avoiding the release of) different greenhouse gases. Carbon Dioxide or CO2: A naturally occurring gas that is a by-product of burning fossil fuels and biomass, land use changes and other industrial processes. Carbon dioxide is the reference gas against which other greenhouse gases are measured. Principal gas used by plants in photosynthesis. Carbon Sequestration: It refers to projects that capture and store carbon in a manner that prevents it from being released into the atmosphere for a specified period of time, the storage area is commonly referred to as a carbon sink. Carbon Sequestration projects include:
Carbon Sink: A reservoir that can absorb or “sequester” carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Forests are the most common form of sink, as well as soils, peat, permafrost, ocean water and carbonate deposits in the deep ocean. Carbon Taxes: A surcharge or levy on the carbon content of oil, coal, and/or gas to discourage the use of fossil fuels, with the aim of reducing carbon dioxide emissions Climate Change: 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 over comparable time periods (Source: UNFCCC) . DDeforestation"The process of removing forested areas. Examples include cutting or burning to provide land for agricultural purposes, residential or industrial building sites, roads etc., or harvesting the trees for building materials or fuel. EEmission Allowance: Emission allowances are the total emissions allowed to be released by an emission source (often a net emitting firm) within a given period of time. Emission Allowance are created by a regulating entity and distributed to emitters by grant, auction, or a combination of the two. Emission Cap (or Cap): A regulatory device that sets a ceiling on emissions that can be released into the atmosphere within a designated timeframe. Within the Kyoto Protocol Annex B countries agreed to caps on emissions within the 2008-2012 timeframe in reference to 1990 emissions levels. Caps are effectively the same as 'Allowances' however caps more often refer to national emission limitations and allowances to individual emitters. Emissions: Pollutant gases emitted from industrial processes and the engine exhausts of transport vehicles that can have an undesired effect (such as contributing to the greenhouse effect). Emissions Trading: Emissions trading is a regulatory program that allows firms the flexibility to select cost-effective solutions to achieve established environmental goals. With emissions trading, firms can meet established emissions goals by: (a) reducing emissions from a discrete emissions unit; (b) reducing emissions from another place within the facility; or (c) securing emission reductions from another facility. An emission trading encourages compliance and financial managers to pursue cost-effective emission reduction strategies and incentivizes emitting entrepreneurs to develop the means by which emissions can inexpensively be reduced. FFossil Fuels: Carbon-based fuels that include coal, petroleum, natural gas and oil. GGlobal Warming: The continuous gradual rise of the earth's surface temperature thought to be caused by the greenhouse effect and responsible for changes in global climate patterns (see also Climate Change). Global Warming Potential (GWP): The GWP is an index that compares the relative potential of the 6 greenhouse gases to contribute to global warming i.e. the additional heat/energy which is retained in the Earth’s ecosystem through the release of this gas into the atmosphere. The additional heat/energy impact of all other greenhouse gases are compared with the impacts of carbon dioxide (CO2) and referred to in terms of a CO2 equivalent (CO2eq) i.e. Carbon dioxide has been designated a GWP of 1, Methane has a GWP of 23. Greenhouse Gas Effect: In the greenhouse gas program, a concept that refers to the effect that releasing greenhouse gas emission has on the relative warming of the earth’s atmosphere. The release of too much greenhouse gas over a period of time results in a gradual warming of the atmosphere. Greenhouse Gas Reduction: A greenhouse gas reduction is a reduction in emissions that is recognized to contribute to climate change – e.g. carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexofluoride. Greenhouse gas reductions are often measured in tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent. For example, 1 ton of methane has the same global warming potential as 20.9 tons of carbon dioxide. Greenhouse Gases (GHGs): The greenhouse gases in most contexts are the six gases regulated under the Kyoto Protocol, determined to be the main contributors to the Greenhouse Effect. The three principle gases are:- IIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) formed the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1988. The IPCC represents the collective work of over 2,000 scientists, principally in the atmospheric sciences, but also comprising social, economic and other environmental components potentially impacted by climate change. Between its three Working Groups, the IPCC assesses the scientific and socio-economic aspects of human-induced climate change, as well as options for greenhouse gas reduction and other forms of climate change mitigation. Its Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories is responsible for overseeing the National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Programme (NGGIP). KKyoto Protocol: The Kyoto Protocol originated at the 3rd COP to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change held in Kyoto, Japan in December 1997. It specifies the level of emission reductions, the deadlines and methodologies that signatory countries (i.e. countries who have signed the Kyoto Protocol) are to achieve. The Kyoto Protocol specifies the deadlines and specific levels of greenhouse gas reductions that signatory countries are to achieve. Overall, developed countries are to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 5.2% between 2008 and 2012 as measured against 1990 emission levels. LLand Conservation: Land conservation prevents the release of carbon into the atmosphere, which occurs when lands come into production, by preventing production (eg. agriculture) from occurring. MMethane (CH4): Greenhouse gas with a Global Warming Potential of 23. The primary sources of methane are landfills, coal mines, paddy fields, natural gas systems and livestock (e.g. cows and sheep). An odourless, colourless, flammable gas. Methane Recovery: Is the capture and re-use of methane emissions either through cost-effective management methods or through power generations. Methane Recovery projects include:
Metagenomics: Is where molecular biology and genetics are combined, then used to try and identify genetic material from environmental samples. Methanogens: Are rumen microbes that convert carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen gas (H2) to methane, a waste product, which is expelled when breathing. Microflora: Another name for microorganisms that include bacteria, fungi and amoebas. Monitoring: Monitoring relates to the regular measurement, assessment and recording of emissions and emission reductions by an emitting firm or an emission reduction project. For example, emitting firms may monitor the actual level of emissions reduction achieved as a result of internal abatement programs. NNitrous Oxide (N2O): Greenhouse gas with a Global Warming Potential of 296. Results mainly from the burning fossil fuels and the manufacture of fertiliser. RRenewable Energy: Energy derived from non-fossil fuel resources (ie. Wind, solar, hydro, biofuels) Renewable Energy Technology: A technology that exclusively relies on an energy source that is naturally regenerated over a short time and derived directly from the sun, indirectly from the sun, or from moving water or other natural movements and mechanisms of the environment. Renewable energy technologies include those that rely on energy derived directly from the sun, on wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, wave, or tidal energy, or on biomass or biomass-based waste products, including landfill gas. A renewable energy technology does not rely on energy resources derived from fossil fuels, or waste products from inorganic sources. Rumen: The first division of the stomach of a ruminant animal, in which most food collects immediately after being swallowed and from which it is later returned to the mouth as cud for thorough chewing. Ruminant: Mammals such as cattle, sheep, goats, deer, and giraffes, characteristically having a stomach divided into four compartments and chewing a cud consisting of regurgitated, partially digested food. SSequestration: see Carbon Sequestration Sinks: see Carbon Sinks Soil Conservation & Land Management: Traditional farming practices incorporate the tillage of land in preparation for planting. Soil has organic carbon stored below its surface, and tilling the soil exposes the carbon to microbial breakdown that releases CO2 into the atmosphere. Instituting a no till/low till land management program can result in a net sequestration of soil carbon. Additional GHG reductions occur due to decreased fertiliser and on-the-farm energy use.
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