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Displaying 101 - 150 of 207 Terms

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1. Grazing Land Management

   The system of practices on land used for livestock production aimed at manipulating the amount and type of vegetation and livestock produced.

2. Green Investment Scheme (GIS)

   The Green Investment Scheme (GIS) is a newly developed mechanism in the framework of International Emission Trade (IET). It is designed to achieve greater flexibility in reaching the targets of the Kyoto Protocol while preserving environmental integrity of IET.

3. Greenhouse gases (GHGs)

   Greenhouse gases are gases in an atmosphere that absorb and emit 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. 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.

4. Group of 77 and China (G77/China)

   G77/China is the developing country-group in the climate negotiations, consisting of more than 130 developing countries.

5. HFC-23 (Trifluoromethane)

   About 98% of HFC-23 emissions are created as a byproduct in the production of HCFC-22 and generally are vented to the atmosphere. HCFC-22 is used mostly as the refrigerant for stationary refrigeration and air conditioning.

6. Host Country

   A host country is the country where a JI or CDM project is physically located. A project has to be approved by the host country to receive CERs or ERUs.

7. Hot Air

   Also called paper credits, the term refers to carbon credits for emission reductions that occurred without any deliberate action. The prime example being the carbon credits arising under Kyoto in Russia and the Ukraine where the collapse of Soviet-era industry in the 1990s has seen emissions fall well below 1990 levels, the base year for reduction calculations, without the implementation of any climate-related measures.

8. Hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs

   One of the six greenhouse gases, controlled in the Kyoto Protocol. Are produced commercially and are largely used in refrigeration and insulating foam.

9. Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC)

   An Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle, or IGCC, is a technology that turns coal into gas - synthesis gas (syngas). It then removes impurities from the coal gas before it is combusted. This results in lower emissions of sulfur dioxide, particulates and mercury. It also results in improved efficiency compared to conventional pulverized coal.

10. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

    An international scientific panel charged with informing the UNFCCC with the latest scientific evidence on climate change. With representatives from 130 nations it is the world's pre-eminent scientific advisory body on global warming.

11. Internal Abatement

    In emissions trading terminology, the act of reducing one's own emissions for compliance purposes, e.g. through technology upgrades and fuel switching, as opposed to buying allowances/offsets or scaling down production.

12. International Emissions Trading (IET)

    International Emissions Trading (Article 17 of the Kyoto Protocol) specifies that Annex I countries be allowed to trade assigned amount units (AAUs) with each other.

13. International Transaction Log (ITL)

    The means by which carbon allowances and credits generated under the mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol - AAUs, CERs and ERUs - are traded between countries. An online IT platform that connects UN and national greenhouse emissions registries, facilitating the emerging global carbon market.

14. Inventory

    Country report, under the Kyoto Protocol, on anthropogenic GHG emissions and removals delivered on a regular basis according to the IPCC guidelines.

15. Issuance

    Issuance refers to the instruction by the CDM Executive Board to the CDM registry administrator to issue a specified quantity of CERs for a project activity into the pending account of the Executive Board in the CDM registry.

16. JI Reserve

    A set-aside established in the National Allocation Plan for the period 2008 to 2012 of each Member State hosting or intending to host activities under the project based mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol that could cause double-counting. The reserve refers to planned project activities and associated reductions or limitations of emissions that take place in installations under EU ETS and for which ERUs or CERs should be issued by the Member State. Also known as set-aside.

17. Joint Implementation (JI)

    JI is a Kyoto Protocol mechanism which allows developed countries, particularly those in transition to a market economy, to host carbon-reducing projects funded by another developed country. The arrangement sees the credits generated, called ERUs, go to the investor country while the emission allowances (AAUs) of the host country are reduced by the same anount.

18. Joint Implementation Supervisory Committee (JISC)

    The JISC supervises the verification of ERUs generated by JI projects following the verification procedure under the JISC.

19. Kyoto gases

    The six greenhouse gases (GHG) included in the Kyoto Protocol: Carbon dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4), Nitrous oxide (N2O), Hydrofluorcarbons (HFCs), Perfluorcarbons (PFCs) and Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6).

20. Kyoto Mechanisms

    The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), Joint implementation (JI) and International Emissions Trading (IET).

21. Kyoto Protocol

    The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The major feature of the Kyoto Protocol is that it sets binding targets for 37 industrialized countries and the European community for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions .These amount to an average of five per cent against 1990 levels over the five-year period 2008-2012.

22. Lagoon

    Anaerobic lagoons are used to dispose of animal waste, particularly that of cows and pigs and capture the biogas produced by anaerobic bacteria present in the waste matter. The biogas produced is 50 to 75% methane, with carbon dioxide making up most of the rest. The biogas is usually used to produce electricity, but can also be used for water or space heating.

23. Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF)

    The LULUCF is defined by the UN Climate Change Secretariat as "A greenhouse gas inventory sector that covers emissions and removals of greenhouse gases resulting from direct human-induced land use, land-use change and forestry activities." LULUCF has impacts on the global carbon cycle and as such these activities can add or remove carbon dioxide (or, more generally, carbon) from the atmosphere, contributing to climate change.

24. Letter of 'No Objection' (LoNo)

    The Letter may be requested on the basis of a Project Identification Note (PIN) in order to gain assurance from the host country to issue the Letter of Endorsement (LoE).

25. Letter of Approval (LoA)

    The letter provides formal approval of the project as a JI or CDM project by the Parties involved.

26. Letter of Endorsement (LoE)

    The letter means confirmation to the project sponsor of the preparedness of the host country to endorse the further development of the project in question.

27. Linking Directive (LD)

    LD formally is not a directive on its own but rather an amendment to the EU Emissions Trading Directive 2003/87/EC that permits companies to use carbon credits from CDM/JI projects for compliance with their targets under the EU ETS. It provides provisions relating to project approval processes and authorisation to participate in the flexible mechanisms, and contains additional provisions relating to the establishment of the national emissions inventory.

28. Long-term Certified Emission Reductions (lCERs)

    Long-term CER" or "lCER" is a CER issued for an afforestation or reforestation project activity under the CDM which, subject to the provisions in section K below, expires at the end of the crediting period of the afforestation or reforestation project activity under the CDM for which it was issued.

29. Marginal Abatement Cost (MAC)

    MAC reflects the cost of one additional unit or ton of pollution that is abated, or not emitted. The MAC of each additional unit is always increasing, with a steep jump as the firm gets closer to the elimination of last remnants of pollution.

30. Market Advisory Committee

    Entity set up by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to recommend designs for a greenhouse gas cap-and-trade scheme in the state.

31. Marrakesh Accords

    The Marrakech Accords is a set of agreements reached at the Conference of the Parties 7 (COP7) meeting in 2001 on the rules of meeting the targets set out in the Kyoto Protocol.

32. Meeting of Parties (MOP)

    The meeting of the Parties refers to the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol. The Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UNFCCC serves as the meeting of the Parties. This structure is intended to reduce costs and streamline management of the UNFCCC/Kyoto Protocol processes.

33. Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)

    A memorandum of understanding (MOU or MoU) is a document describing a bilateral or multilateral agreement between parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action. It most often is used in cases where parties either do not imply a legal commitment or in situations where the parties cannot create a legally enforceable agreement.

34. Methodologies Panel (Meth Panel)

    The Methodologies Panel (Meth Panel) advises the Executive Board on a range of issues relating to baseline and monitoring methodologies.

35. Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord (MGA)

    The Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Accord is a regional agreement by six governors of states in the US midwest who are members of the Midwestern Governors Association (MGA) and the Premier of one Canadian province to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to combat climate change. Signatories to the Accord are the US states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Kansas, and the Canadian Province of Manitoba. Observers of the Accord are Indiana, Ohio ,and South Dakota.

36. MIRI Market Initiated Ratings Initiative

    Programme conducted by the CRA of unsolicited ratings, covering a range of projects. Based upon public information, its output is a Diagnostic Report which classifies the projects' risks.

37. Monitoring

    Monitoring refers to the collection and archiving of all relevant data necessary for determining the baseline, measuring anthropogenic emissions by sources of greenhouse gases (GHG) within the project boundary of a project activity and leakage, as applicable.

38. Monitoring Plan

    A monitoring plan provides information on the collection and analysis of all data relevant to the calculation of emission reductions from a project. The full requirements for the monitoring plan are set out in 3/CMP.1, Annex, paragraph 53. The monitoring plan must be included in the Project Design Document (PDD).

39. National Allocation Plan (NAP)

    Plan from a Member State for how to distribute EU allowances across installations taking part in the EU ETS in that given country.

40. National Communication

    A report submitted in accordance with the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol by which a Party informs other Parties of activities implemented to address climate change.

41. Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs)

    Policies to reduce or stabilize greenhouse gas emissions pursued by developing countries that are in line with their economic capabilities and historical responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions.

42. New Entrant Reserve

    The New Entrant Reserve (NER) is a set aside of carbon dioxide allowances, reserved for new installations and extensions to existing permitted installations.

43. New South Wales Greenhouse Gas Abatement Scheme (NSW GGAS)

    The NSW Greenhouse Gas Reduction Scheme (GGAS) commenced on 1 January 2003. It is one of the first mandatory greenhouse gas emissions trading schemes in the world. GGAS aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production and use of electricity. It achieves this by using project-based activities to offset the production of greenhouse gas emissions.

44. Non-Annex I countries

    Non-Annex I Countries do not have binding emission reduction targets for the first period (2008-2012) of the Kyoto Protocol. Under the Kyoto Protocol, Non-Annex I countries are currently not allowed to participate in the international emission trading market, however, under Kyoto mechanisms they can benefit from the participation in CDM projects (either bilaterally, with a participating Annex I country, or unilaterally with participation of only Non-Annex I countries).

45. Non-traded Sector (NTS) of the EU ETS

    Those sectors of the EU economy that emit greenhouse gases but are not covered by the EU ETS. EU Member States have separate policies to reduce emissions from these sectors.

46. Offset credits or offsets

    Emission reduction credits from project-based activities that can be used to meet compliance or corporate objectives as a supplement or alternative to reducing one's own emissions. In a cap-and-trade scheme, offsets may be used instead of allowances, sometimes up to a limit (see credit limit). CERs and ERUs are types of offset credits

47. Operational Entity

    An independent entity, accredited by the CDM Executive Board, which validates CDM project activities, verifies and certified emission reductions generated by such projects.

48. Over the Counter (OTC) market

    Trades arranged by brokers, as opposed to trades on exchanges or bilateral (direct) trades.

49. Pavley Bill

    Also known as California Law AB 1943, it was the first law in the US to address the greenhouse gases emitted in auto exhaust. The law mandates a 30 percent reduction in motor vehicle emissions by 2016, starting with model year 2009. AB 1943 has been challenged legally by a number of industries, including the Association of Automobile Manufacturers; the issue is still tied up in the courts.

50. Perfluorocarbons or PFCs

    PFCs, compounds containing carbon and fluorine only are included in the fluorine containing gases ("F-Gases") of the Kyoto Protocol basket. PFC compounds are highly volatile, linear, branched chain or cyclic perfluorinated carbons.

Displaying 101 - 150 of 207 Terms

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