Tree planting is a climate mitigation and carbon removal strategy aiming to increase forestation by planting trees in deforested lands or where forests do not exist. 

The UNFCCC is an international treaty to control and stop dangerous human intervention in the climate system. It was formed in 1992, and there are now 198 parties.

The United Nations Global Compact initiative encourages companies to follow environmentally and socially sustainable practices and report implementation. 

Upstream emissions are a company's indirect emissions that occur upstream from the value chain. These are Scope 3 emissions. 

Also called Scope 3 emissions, value chain emissions are a company's upstream and downstream emissions produced by its value chain. 

VER are carbon offsets traded in voluntary carbon markets, which are not mandated or regulated by the government. 

A waste stream is the complete flow or lifecycle of waste, from source to disposal. 

Zero waste refers to waste prevention through various approaches, such as recycling, reusing, and repurposing.  

In the context of carbon removal projects, permanence refers to carbon that will remain sequestered, thereby staying out of the air for good. 

Recycling is the process of converting waste into new products.

Renewable energy is derived from natural sources that can be replenished, such as sunlight or wind.

The SASB, founded in 2011, is an organisation that provides standards for companies and industries to report their environmental impact. 

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The SBTi is an initiative by multiple climate and social organisations to provide and promote a framework for setting achievable targets for different industries. 

Science-based targets are backed by scientific research that demonstrates how those targets can limit global warming. 

Per the GHG Protocol, Scope 1 emissions are direct emissions emitted by a company through its business activities.

Per the GHG Protocol, Scope 2 emissions are emissions resulting from the purchase of energy by a company. 

Per the GHG Protocol, Scope 3 emissions are indirect emissions produced by a company’s value chain. These include emissions from activities that the company does not control or own.

The UK's SECR legislation requires large enterprises, including all publicly traded companies, to report energy consumption and resultant emissions. 

The SFAP is a European Union (EU) policy to promote sustainable investments across member states. 

The SFDR mandates environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosure by asset managers and other participants in the financial markets in the European Union (EU).

SME Climate Commitment, facilitated by SME Climate Hub, refers to the commitment made by small and medium enterprises to cut their emissions by half by 2030 and achieve net zero status by 2050. 

In carbon accounting, the spend-based method of calculating greenhouse gas emissions considers the value of a purchased good or service. As opposed to activity-based data, spend-based data only includes financial information. 

The supply chain of a company is responsible for supply chain emissions. These come under Scope 3 emissions.

Sustainability reporting involves reporting data on environmental and social performance and disclosing policies and initiatives a company has taken to reduce its emissions. 

The SDGs are goals set by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 2015 for achieving sustainability and economic and social prosperity. There are 17 SDGs with 169 targets, covering critical global issues such as poverty, inequality, and climate change. 

The Financial Stability Board created the TCFD to set guidelines for climate-related financial reporting. 

Greenwashing is providing and marketing false or inaccurate information about a company, activity, or product’s sustainability. It can be deliberate or unintentional. 

Impact investing refers to investments that aim to create a positive social or environmental impact in addition to financial profits.

Indirect emissions are the emissions a company produces by purchasing energy and their value chain. Per the GHG protocol, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions are indirect. 

IPCC is a United Nations (UN) body tasked with researching climate change caused by human activities. 

The Kyoto Protocol was an agreement among many developed nations to fight climate change. Signed in 1997, it was replaced by the Paris Agreement in 2015.

In the context of climate change and emissions, a leakage in a carbon removal project indicates that it will have negative consequences elsewhere. 

LCA is a method for assessing the environmental impact of a product or service through different stages of its life. 

Materiality assessment involves identifying and defining the social and environmental areas of impact that are most valuable for a company and its investors and stakeholders.

The MiFID II is a European Union (EU) act that provides a framework for securities markets, investment intermediaries, and trading venues.

Net zero describes a balance where the net greenhouse gases emitted are zero, typically achieved by balancing greenhouse gas emissions with equivalent removal from the atmosphere. 

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Net-zero journey is achieving net zero status, typically through decarbonisation and climate investments. 

NFRD is a European Union (EU) legislation that requires large enterprises to disclose their environmental impact and issues such as human rights violations, corruption, or other social issues. 

The Paris Agreement is an international treaty to limit global temperatures well below 2 °C above the pre-industrial levels or ideally by 1.5 °C. It was signed by almost all the countries in the world in 2015. 

Carbon targets are referred to as Paris-aligned if they limit global warming according to the target set by the Paris Agreement (temperature rise well below 2 °C). 

The PCAF is a global partnership of financial institutions to measure and report greenhouse gas emissions of financial activities like loans and investments.

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EED is a European Union (EU) directive that requires member states to become energy-efficient. The initial target of 9% was revised in 2014 and increased to 30% energy efficiency by 2030. 

Emission trading, also called cap and trade, is a market-based approach to incentivize curbing greenhouse gas emissions by setting a quota of allowable emissions. Companies can trade emission quotas or carbon credits if they have a surplus.

In the context of climate change, emissions are substances (greenhouse gases) emitted into the atmosphere from materials, processes, and human activities. 

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Energy optimisation is making energy use more efficient while maintaining the best performance. 

Energy efficiency is the use of less energy for products or services.

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Enhanced weathering is a carbon capture technology that involves depositing rock particles into the ocean. It aims to accelerate neutral weathering and increase ocean alkalinity. 

An EMS is designed to enable organisations to reduce their carbon footprint. It can be developed in compliance with the ISO 14001 standard.

The EPBD is a European Union (EU) directive to promote energy efficiency in buildings in the EU. 

ESG reporting refers to companies reporting environmental, social, and governance impacts. 

The European Union (EU) Green Deal is an initiative by the European Commission for the EU to become climate neutral by 2050. 

The EU Taxonomy is a classification system for companies, investors, and policymakers determining which activities and investments are environmentally sustainable.

Financed emissions are greenhouse gas emissions linked with financial activities such as investing and lending.

Fossil fuels are found in the Earth’s crust, formed by decomposing plant and animal matter. Oil, natural gas, and coal are examples of fossil fuels. These fuels can be converted into energy. 

Fugitive emissions refer to unintentional and undesirable gas and vapour leaks, for example, gas leaks in faulty equipment. 

The GHG Protocol provides a framework for carbon accounting. Its reporting standard is widely used by governments and businesses worldwide.

Global warming refers to heating the planet’s surface due to human activities. It occurs due to greenhouse gas emissions that heat the environment and cause climate change.

GWP measures how much energy the emissions of one tonne of a gas will absorb over a given timeframe, with one tonne of carbon dioxide as the reference. GWP helps measure the global warming impact of different greenhouse gases. 

A green bond is an investment instrument specifically used to raise money for environmental projects. The bonds are usually secured with assets with the same credit rating as the issuer.

A green economy produces little to no greenhouse gas emissions, is resource efficient, and focuses on sustainable and socially inclusive development and growth.

The greenhouse effect is the entrapment of greenhouse gases, for example, carbon dioxide, around the Earth’s surface that cause atmospheric temperatures to rise. It is a natural process that can be accelerated due to human activities.

A GHG is a gas that traps heat in the Earth’s atmosphere as it absorbs radiant energy. They are responsible for the greenhouse effect, which, in turn, is causing global warming. Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxides are examples of GHG. 

GRI is an independent international organisation that facilitates companies, governments, and non-profit organisations to understand their environmental impact. It provides industry-specific guidelines and standards for reporting emissions. 

A carbon tax is a tax on carbon emissions produced by companies. It is a scheme to reduce carbon emissions by making emissions taxable and incentivising efforts to reduce carbon footprint. 

A carbon token is a digital representation of a carbon credit on the blockchain. 

Clean energy is obtained from sources that do not emit harmful environmental pollutants, for example, hydropower. 

Clean technology is technology (product(s) or process(es)) that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote sustainability.

Climate adaptation refers to policies and measures to adapt to the potential impacts of climate change.

Climate change refers to long-term variations in weather patterns and temperatures, which can be natural and human-induced.

The climate crisis refers to the situation characterised by the threat of highly dangerous, irreversible changes to the global climate.

Climate investment refers to activities such as offsetting and removal that help remove carbon dioxide from the environment. 

Climate mitigation refers to practices that aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that warm the planet and cause climate change.

Climate positive means that an activity goes beyond achieving net zero carbon emissions to actually create an environmental benefit by removing additional carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

CO2 mineralisation involves the conversion of atmospheric carbon dioxide into solid mineral form (carbonate). It can happen naturally or artificially. 

COP is an annual United Nations (UN) conference on climate change. It brings together leaders worldwide to discuss the progress of reducing emissions and strategies to reach climate targets. 

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CSR are policies in organisations that aim to impact the world positively. 

Corporate sustainability is a business strategy that involves producing goods or services following environmentally sustainable practices. 

The CSRD is the new standard for reporting greenhouse gas emissions that impact European Union (EU) companies. CSRD will apply to over 49,000 companies in the block. 

The Danish ‘Klimalov’ or Danish Climate Act commits Denmark’s obligation to reduce carbon emissions by 70% by 2030 (compared to 1990 levels). 

Decarbonisation is the process of reducing carbon emissions an entity or process produces. 

DAC is the process of removing carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere. It is typically combined with carbon mineralisation to remove carbon dioxide in the air. 

Direct emissions are emissions generated by the operations of the company. In terms of the GHG Protocol, Scope 1 emissions are direct emissions. 

Double-counting refers to a carbon investment sold multiple times. For instance, two companies pay for the same carbon removal project to offset their emissions. 

Downstream emissions are generated by using or disposing of a company’s goods or services. These are different from the emissions emitted during the production of goods or provision of services. 

An emission factor is a representative value used to calculate the quantity of greenhouse gases an activity generates. 

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In carbon emission cap and trade policies, companies are allocated emission rights to use or sell to another company. 

An EV is powered by an electric motor that draws energy from a battery. As opposed to vehicles with combustion engines, EVs are eco-friendly. 

Electronic waste or e-waste is waste from electronic products and their components.

Biodiversity refers to the variety of life (animals, plants, and microorganisms) found on Earth.

The air quality index indicates air quality, expressing how clean or polluted the air is. The AQI runs on a scale from zero to 500, with an AQI of 50 or below being safe, while readings above 100 are deemed unhealthy.

The base year is the year that is used to set the net zero emissions goals. The annual reduction targets are set based on the emissions produced during the base year. For instance, 1990 is the base year for the Kyoto Protocol.

Biochar is produced by heating agricultural waste (biomass) to remove carbon dioxide. It is turned into a substance that looks like charcoal and is used as fertiliser for the soil.

Bio-oil, in the context of climate change, refers to burning agricultural waste without oxygen and injecting the resultant oil into the ground. It is a carbon removal method that is permanent.

Additionality is a term linked with the voluntary carbon market. It defines emission reductions or carbon removal that would not have occurred without a carbon offset market.

Activity data measures activity, for example, buying fossil fuels that produce greenhouse gas emissions. It is defined for a specific period, represented in units appropriate for the activity (e.g., tonnes of waste sent to landfills or kilowatt hours of energy consumed).