GLOSSARY ON CLIMATE CHANGE

GLOSSARY


Baseline: The baseline estimates of population, gross domestic product (GDP), energy use and, hence, resultant GHG emissions without climate policies, determine how big a reduction is required, and what the impacts of climate change without policy will be.

Black carbon: It is formed through the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, biofuels and biomass, and is emitted in both anthropogenic and naturally occurring soot.

Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e): The emissions of a gas, by weight, multiplied by its "global warming potential".

Carbon sinks: Processes that remove more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than they release. Both the terrestrial biosphere and oceans can act as carbon sinks.

Carbon sequestration: The uptake and storage of carbon. Trees and plants, for example, absorb carbon dioxide, release the oxygen and store the carbon. Fossil fuels were at one time biomass and continue to store the carbon until burned.

Carbon intensity: The relative amount of carbon emitted per unit of some other variable, often per unit of energy or quantity of fuel consumed.

Commitment period: The period under the Kyoto Protocol during which Annex I parties' GHG emissions, averaged over the period, p must be within their emission targets. The p first commitment period runs from 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2012. E a

Conference of Parties (CoP): The supreme e decision-making body comprising the parties r that have ratified the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and G meets on an annual basis.

a G Emissions coefficient/factor: A unique v value for scaling emissions to activity data in o terms of a standard rate of emissions per unit of activity (example, grams of carbon H dioxide emitted per barrel of fossil fuel consumed).

b i Energy intensity: Ratio between the t consumption of energy to a given quantity of output; usually refers to the amount of e primary or final energy consumed per unit of GDP.

Externalities: By-products of activities that affect the well-being of people or damage the environment, where those impacts are not reflected in market prices.
Greenhouse gas (GHG): Any gas that absorbs infrared radiation in the atmosphere.
GHGs include, but are not limited to, water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone.

Heiligendamm Process: An initiative that will institutionalize high-level dialogue between the G8 countries and the five most important emerging economies, known as the O5 (Outreach 5), comprising China, Mexico, India, Brazil and South Africa; and the establishment of a common G-5 + G-8 platform at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Ice core: Used to measure temperature rise, a core sample is a block of accumulated snow and ice over many years that has re-crystallized and has trapped air bubbles from previous time periods Land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF): Land uses and land use changes can act either as sinks or as emission sources.

It is estimated that approximately one-fifth of global emissions result from LULUCF activities. The Kyoto Protocol allows parties to receive emissions credit for certain LULUCF activities that reduce net emissions Mauna Loa record: The record of measurement of atmospheric CO2 concentrations taken at the Mauna Loa Observatory, Mauna Loa, Hawaii, since March 1958. This record shows the continuing increase in average annual atmospheric CO2 concentrations.

Methane: A hydrocarbon that is a GHG with a global warming potential estimated at 21.
Methane is produced through anaerobic (without oxygen) decomposition of waste in landfills, animal digestion, decomposition of animal wastes, production and distribution of natural gas and petroleum, coal production, and incomplete fossil fuel combustion.

Non-annex I parties: Countries that have ratified or acceded to UNFCCC but are not listed in Annex I and are not required to have emission reduction commitments.
Thermohaline circulation: The global density-driven circulation of the oceans.

G-77 + China: The biggest group within and outside the UN framework, the G-77 argues the case for developing and poorest nations. China agrees with the stand of the G-77, but is not officially part of it. The group, founded in 1964, is the most diverse and includes several subgroups with conflicting agenda. The group, as a whole, demands that rich nations commit to ambitious mid-term emission cut targets, developing nations not agree to emission cut commitments and be compensated by the West financially and technologically for mitigation actions. European Union (EU): Once the strongest supporter of the Kyoto Protocol, the EU is now a tacit follower of the "kill Kyoto" idea of the US. Led by the UK, Germany and France, the EU has most of the highest per capita emitters in the world.

Though they have taken commitments to reduce under the protocol, most of the countries are failing to do so. The EU has placed figures on how much it would finance developing countries, which are nowhere near what has been demanded.
Economies in transition: A subgroup within the EU, which includes eastern European countries arising from the breakdown of the USSR. Collapsing economies ensured that their emissions fell dramatically as well. The bloc is protesting against the rich EU countries for imposing restrictions on its economies, which are already struggling.

INT Within Group of 77 (G-77): Emerging economies: China, India, South Africa and Brazil are stuck between the developed and the developing countries criteria. Though they are "developing nations" under the UN framework, their emissions are growing the fastest and they are under escalating pressure from the global north to put a ceiling on their emissions by 2025, at most. These countries also lead the G-77 group in negotiations and have demanded that the West cut its emissions by 25-40% by 2020.

Vulnerable 14 (V-14): It is the weakest group in the negotiations in terms of capacity to cope with climate change with countries such as Maldives, Bangladesh, Barbados, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nepal, Philippines, Rwanda, and Tuvalu. Not an official group, V-14 includes countries that will be the first to suffer from rising sea levels. Thus, its top priority is to secure funds to deal with adverse climate change.

African bloc: The group recently made its presence felt at the negotiations by walking out till its issues were addressed. The group comprises the most vulnerable countries that have low capacity to adapt and to ask for very ambitious cuts from the rich nations by 2020. The group also needs adaptation funds starting in the very near future. Countries such as the UK, France and China have huge investments in many African countries. African countries have also been asking for more participation in the Clean Development Mechanism, which till now has been dominated by China and India.

Least Developed Countries (LDCs): Another group overlapping the G-77, LDCs include countries with the lowest indicators on the socio-economic scale, such as Bangladesh, Nepal, Somalia, Sudan and Haiti. Though like the Alliance of

Small Island States (Aosis), LDCs also demand immediate and heavy reductions in emissions, LDCs and Aosis fight for their share of the adaptation funds. Alliance of Small Island States (Aosis): Established in 1990, Aosis includes low-lying coastal and small island countries such as Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles and the Bahamas. The group represents 28% of developing countries and demands the strictest emission cuts from the rich countries as well as from India and China. Most of these countries run the risk of being erased from the map with rising sea level.

Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec): The sub-group of the oil producing countries sometimes plays spoiler within the G-77. With mammoth interests in the continuance of fossil fuel-based economies, the group argues for compensation arising from revenue losses from climate mitigation. The group has conflicting interests with most other G-77 countries but sticks to it nevertheless. Japan, US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand (Jusscanz): The group includes Japan, US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, which mostly are highly carbon-intensive and powerful in negotiations. Led by the US, the group is staunchly against emission cut commitments and any target for 2020. As suggested by the US, the rest now agree that the Kyoto Protocol should be ditched and a new legal instrument be forged. A new deal, which should include India and China, should not have any penalties and should be based on voluntary individual country pledges. The US, the world's largest emitter, did not sign the protocol, and there is little hope that it ever will.. Outside the UN framework: Group of Eight (G-8): The group of the world's biggest economies has promised that it will cut 80% of its emissions by 2050.

Major Economies Forum: A group of 17 countries, including India, has declared that it will strive to limit global temperature increase to 2 degrees Celsius. GLOSSARY Annex 1 parties: 40 countries under the UN framework, which have agreed to reduce
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.