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| A |
AAU: Assigned Amounts Units
|
Tradable units, equal to one
metric ton of CO2 – equivalent, calculated based
on an Annex B country’s Assigned Amount.
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| A |
Adaptability |
The degree to which adjustments
are possible in practices, processes or
structures of systems to projected or actual
changes of climate. Adaptation can be
spontaneous or planned and can be carried out in
response to or in anticipation of changes
(UNEP/WMO) |
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| A |
Adaptation |
Adaptation refers to the
adjustments, whether passive, reactive or
anticipatory, that are proposed as a means of
ameliorating the anticipated adverse
consequences associated with climate change
(thus reducing vulnerability). Adaptation to the
(expected) negative impacts of climate change
generally takes place in two ways: anticipatory
(before impacts take place) and reactive (as a
response to initial impacts). In natural systems
adaptation is reactive by definition. In human
systems, adaptation can be both anticipatory and
reactive and can be implemented by public and
private actors (IPCC 2001). |
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| A |
Adaptive Capacity |
The ability of people and
systems to adjust to climate change, for
example, by individual or collective coping
strategies for the reduction and mitigation or
risks or by changes in practices, processes or
structures of systems. It cannot be easily
measured but is related to general levels of
sustainable development (ADB 2003). |
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| A |
Forestation |
The direct human-induced
conversion of land that has not been forested
for a period of at least 50 years, to forested
land, through planting, seeding and/or the
human-induced promotion of natural seed sources.
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| A |
Annex B Countries |
Those developed countries and
economies in transition, listed in Annex B to
the Kyoto Protocol, which have agreed to achieve
emission reduction targets by the Commitment
Period, 2008-2012. The targets will become
legally binding upon ratification of the Kyoto
Protocol. |
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| A |
Annex I Countries |
Those developed countries and
economies in transition listed in Annex I of the
UNFCCC, which have agreed to non-binding
commitments to reduce their GHG emissions to
1990 levels by the year 2000. |
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| A |
Assigned Amount |
The amount of GHG emissions
that Annex B countries may emit during the
Commitment Period, 2008-2012. The ‘Assigned
Amount’ of each Annex B country is calculated as
the percentage of the Annex B party’s aggregate
CO2 - equivalent GHG emissions multiplied by 5,
i.e. for the five years between 2008-12.
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| B |
Baseline |
The scenario that reasonably
represents the anthropogenic emissions by
sources of greenhouse gases that would occur in
the absence of the proposed project activity.
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| C |
Carbon Cycle |
The term used to describe the
exchange of carbon (in its various forms - such
as carbon dioxide) between the atmosphere,
ocean, terrestrial biosphere and geological
deposits. |
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| C |
Clean Development Mechanism –
CDM |
The mechanism established under
Article 12 of the Kyoto Protocol. |
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| C |
CDM Executive Board |
An independent governance body
established under Article 12 of the Kyoto
Protocol to oversee the implementation and
administration of the CDM. |
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| C |
CER: Certified Emission
Reduction CER |
Units issued for emission
reductions generated by CDM project activities.
One unit is equal to one metric ton of CO2 –
equivalent. |
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| C |
Commitment Period |
The period between 2008-2012,
during which Annex B countries must achieve
their respective emission reduction targets, and
not exceed their Assigned Amounts. |
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| C |
COP: Conference of the Parties
COP |
The COP is comprised of
countries that have ratified or acceded to the
UNFCCC. The COP is the supreme governing body of
the UNFCCC. |
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| C |
COP/MOP |
The COP/MOP is comprised of
Parties to the UNFCCC who are also Parties to
the Kyoto Protocol. |
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| E |
EB: Executive board EB |
The CDM Executive Board
supervises the CDM, under the authority and
guidance of the COP/MOP, and is fully
accountable to the COP/MOP |
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| G |
GCCC: Government Committee on
Climate Change |
The purpose of the Government
Committee on Climate Change (GCCC) is to advise
the Sub-directorate for Climate Change and Ozone
Layer Protection on matters relating to national
responsibilities with respect to climate change,
and in particular, in relation to the UN
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
and the Kyoto Protocol. |
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| G |
Global Warming Potential |
GWP is an index defined as the
cumulative radioactive forcing between the present
and some chosen time horizon caused by a unit
mass of gas emitted now, expressed relative to a
reference gas such as CO2, as is used here. GWP
is an attempt to provide a simple measure of the
relative radioactive effects of different
greenhouse gases |
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| G |
Greenhouse Effect |
Energy coming from the sun
passes through the atmosphere and warms the
earth – but the emitted infra-red radiation
coming from the earth’s surface is partly
absorbed by gases in the atmosphere and some of
it is re-emitted downwards – further warming the
surface of the earth and the lower levels of the
atmosphere. This effect has been called the
‘greenhouse effect’ because of a similar effect
caused by glass in a greenhouse: it lets
sunlight into the greenhouse but in turn traps a
portion of infra-red radiation (heat) inside the
greenhouse. |
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| G |
GHG: Greenhouse gases |
Gases that trap heat when
released into the atmosphere, including carbon
dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide
(N20), hydro fluorocarbons (HFCs),
per fluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulphur hexafluoride
(SF6). |
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| I |
IPCC |
Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change – this was established by the
World Meteorological Society and UNEP to assess
scientific, technical and socio-economic
information relevant for the understanding of
climate change, its potential impacts and
options for adaptation and mitigation.
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| J |
JI: Joint Implementation
Mechanism |
The mechanism established under
Article 6 of the Kyoto Protocol. Projects
carried out among Annex 1 parties. |
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| K |
Kyoto Protocol |
A Protocol to the UNFCCC signed
at the third session of the COP, establishing
binding Annex I GHG emission reduction targets
of 5.2% below 1990 levels by 2008-2012. For the
Kyoto Protocol to enter into force, 55 parties
representing 55% of industrial nations’ GHG
emissions must ratify it. |
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| L |
LULUCF |
Land-use, land-use change and
forestation |
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| M |
Marrakech Accords |
At its seventh session held in
Marrakech, the Conference of the Parties (COP)
of the Kyoto Protocol adopted modalities and
procedures for a clean development mechanism
which are commonly referred to as the Marrakech
Accords (see annex to decision 17/CP.7, doc.
FCCC/CP/2001/13/Add.2) |
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| M |
Montreal Protocol |
The Montreal Protocol on
Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer was
agreed on 16 September 1987 in Montreal. It came
into force on 1st January 1989 – by which time
29 countries and the EEC representing
approximately 82% of the world consumption, had
ratified it. Since then, several other countries
have joined. |
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| N |
NCCC: National Committee for
Climate Change |
The NCC provides advice to and
consults with the Minister of Environmental
Affairs and Tourism, through the Director
General of DEAT&T, on matters relating to
national responsibilities with respect to
climate change – and particular in relation to
the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol.
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| N |
National Communication |
A document that all parties to
the UNFCCC are obliged to submit to the COP of
the UNFCCC. Under articles 4.1 and 12.1 of the
UNFCCC it must contain information on:
“emissions by sources and removals by sinks of
all greenhouse gases not controlled by the
Montreal Protocol (greenhouse gas inventories);
national or, where appropriate, regional
programmes containing measures to mitigate, and
to facilitate adequate adaptation to climate
change (general description of steps taken or
envisaged by the Party to implement the
Convention); and any other information that the
Party considers relevant to the achievement of
the objective of the Convention.” |
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| O |
ODS |
Ozone Depleting Substances
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| O |
ODA: Official Development
Assistance (ODA) |
Official bilateral government
assistance annually disbursed by developed
countries to developing countries. |
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| P |
PCF: Prototype Carbon Fund
|
World Bank’s Prototype Carbon
Fund. |
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| R |
Radioactive Forcing |
Radioactive forcing is the change
in the balance between radiation coming into the
atmosphere and radiation going out. A positive
radioactive forcing tends on average to warm the
surface of the earth; negative forcing tends on
average to cool the surface |
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| R |
Reforestation |
The direct human-induced
conversion of non-forested land to forested land
through planting, seeding and/or the
human-induced promotion of natural seed sources,
on land that was forested but that has been
converted to non-forested land. In terms of the
CDM, for the first commitment period,
reforestation activities will be limited to
reforestation occurring on those lands that did
not contain forest on 31 December 1989.
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| S |
Sequestration |
Removal of carbon from the
atmosphere by carbon ‘sinks’, such as forests.
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| U |
UNFCCC |
United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change signed at the
‘Earth Summit’ in Rio de Janeiro in May 1992.
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| V |
Vienna Convention |
The Convention for the
Protection of the Ozone Layer was agreed in
Vienna in 1985. This is framework convention
within which countries agree to take
“appropriate measures…to protect human health
and the environment against adverse effects
resulting or likely to result from human
activities which modify or are likely to modify
the ozone layer”. The main thrust of the
Convention was to encourage research,
cooperation between countries and exchange of
information. |
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| V |
Vulnerability |
Vulnerability can be defined as
the “degree to which a system is susceptible to,
or unable to cope with, adverse effects of
climate change, including climate variability
and extremes. |
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| V |
V&A |
Vulnerability and Adaptation
(see separate definitions above)
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