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A process of evaluating the likely environmental impacts of a proposed project or development, taking into account interrelated socio-economic, cultural, and human-health impacts. Example: EIA for a new highway construction project.

Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, contributing to the greenhouse effect. Examples include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O).

Steps taken to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk and hazards of climate change to human life, property, and ecosystems. Example: Investment in renewable energy projects to reduce CO2 emissions.

Policy mechanisms designed to accelerate investment in renewable energy technologies by offering long-term contracts to renewable energy producers at a guaranteed price. Example: Solar panel owners selling power back to the grid at a fixed rate above market price.

The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem at genetic, species, and ecosystem levels. Example: The Amazon Rainforest, which is rich in biodiversity.

A technique to assess the environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product's life, from raw material extraction through materials processing, manufacture, distribution, use, repair and maintenance, and disposal or recycling. Example: Analysing the impact of a plastic bottle from its creation to its disposal.

Adjusting practices, processes, or structures to moderate or offset potential damages or to take advantage of opportunities associated with changes in the climate. Example: Building sea walls in response to rising sea levels.

A long-term change in the average weather patterns that have come to define Earth's local, regional, and global climates. Example: The increasing frequency of extreme weather events like hurricanes and droughts.

The act of preserving, guarding, or protecting; wise use. Example: Establishing protected areas to conserve habitats and species.

The goal to reduce the amount of energy required to provide products and services. Improvements can come from technological, behavioral, and/or economic changes. Example: Upgrading to LED lighting to reduce electricity usage.

Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Example: Installing solar panels to generate renewable energy.

An environmental policy tool that sets a limit or 'cap' on emissions and allows companies to trade permits to emit pollutants. Example: The European Union Emission Trading Scheme.

Energy from sources that are naturally replenishing but flow-limited; renewable resources are virtually inexhaustible in duration but limited in the amount of energy that is available per unit of time. Example: Wind farms generating electricity.

A measure of how much land and water area a human population requires to produce the resources it consumes and to absorb its waste, given prevailing technology. Example: The Global Footprint Network calculations.

Having a balance between emitting carbon and absorbing carbon from the atmosphere in carbon sinks. Example: A company planting trees to offset its carbon dioxide emissions from manufacturing.

An agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) dealing with greenhouse-gas-emissions mitigation, adaptation, and finance, starting in the year 2020. Example: Almost all countries have joined the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius.

The accumulation of substances, such as pesticides or other chemicals, in an organism. This occurs when an organism absorbs a substance at a rate faster than that at which the substance is lost. Example: Mercury accumulating in fish tissue.

A non-profit group that operates independently of any government, usually through individual volunteer efforts and funding. Example: Greenpeace, which engages in global environmental activism.

Effects or processes that are derived from human activities, as opposed to effects or processes that occur in the natural environment without human influences. Example: Anthropogenic climate change due to emissions from burning fossil fuels.

The long-term storage of carbon dioxide or other forms of carbon to mitigate or defer global warming. It can be based on increasing the absorption of carbon by trees or soils, or storing it in underground reservoirs. Example: Planting new forests on abandoned agricultural lands.

An international treaty that commits state parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, based on the premise that global warming exists and human-made CO2 emissions have caused it. Example: The first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol was from 2008 to 2012.

Species of animals or plants that are seriously at risk of extinction. Example: The Javan Rhino is an endangered species with only one known population in the wild.

A tax levied on the carbon content of fuels to incentivize reductions in the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Example: British Columbia's revenue-neutral carbon tax.

An economy that aims at reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities, and that aims for sustainable development without degrading the environment. Example: Transitioning to organic agriculture practices.

The establishment of a forest or stand of trees in an area where there was no previous tree cover. Example: Planting new forests in areas that have historically been grassland.

An industrial system that is restorative or regenerative by intention and design. It replaces the 'end-of-life' concept with restoration, shifts towards the use of renewable energy, and eliminates waste through the superior design of materials, products, systems, and business models. Example: Recycling products into new raw materials.

The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Example: Opposing a toxic waster facility in a low-income community.

The total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly support human activities, usually expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). Example: Calculating emissions from a car's fuel consumption.

A strategy to cope with possible risks where scientific understanding is yet incomplete, such as the risk of harm from new technologies, chemicals, or practices. Example: Banning the use of a pesticide until it is proven to be safe.

The capacity of ecosystems to recover from disturbances or withstand ongoing pressures. Example: Coral reefs' resilience to bleaching events.

A pest control strategy that uses an array of complementary methods: mechanical devices, physical devices, genetic, biological, cultural management, and chemical management. Example: Introducing natural predators to control an invasive pest population.

The many and varied benefits to humans provided by the natural environment and from healthy ecosystems. Example: Bees pollinating crops, which is a vital service for food production.

Natural resources such as coal, oil, and natural gas, that are available in limited supplies. This is due to the long time it takes for them to be replenished. Example: Mining for uranium, which is used in nuclear power generation.

The gradual thinning of the Earth's ozone layer in the upper atmosphere caused by the release of chemical compounds containing gaseous chlorine or bromine from industry and other human activities. Example: The use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in refrigeration systems.

A process whereby a large, continuous area of habitat is both reduced in area and divided into two or more fragments. Example: Building a new road through a forest, which can divide animal populations.

Non-native species that spread beyond their original introduction location and cause damage to the environment, the economy, or human health. Example: The introduction of the zebra mussel to the Great Lakes.