The Green Glossary
Welcome to The Green Glossary, your go-to resource for understanding key terms and concepts related to sustainability, climate action, and environmental innovation. Whether you're just starting your eco-friendly journey or looking to deepen your knowledge, this glossary will help clarify the language of sustainability.
A
Adaptation: Adjusting to the impacts of climate change, such as building flood defenses or planting drought-resistant crops.
Air Quality Index (AQI): A measure of air pollution levels in a specific area, often ranked from good to hazardous.
Anthropogenic: Originating from human activity, such as anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.
B
Biodiversity: The variety of life on Earth, including plants, animals, and microorganisms, and the ecosystems they inhabit.
Biodegradable: Materials that can decompose naturally through biological processes without harming the environment.
Biofuel: Fuels derived from organic materials, such as plants or algae, as an alternative to fossil fuels.
C
Carbon Footprint: The total greenhouse gas emissions caused directly and indirectly by an individual, organisation, or product.
Circular Economy: A system aimed at eliminating waste by reusing, recycling, and repairing materials to create a closed-loop system.
Climate Change: Long-term alterations in temperature, precipitation, and weather patterns, largely driven by human activities.
E
Ecosystem Services: The benefits provided by ecosystems, such as clean water, air purification, and pollination of crops.
Emissions Trading: A market-based system where companies can buy and sell allowances for greenhouse gas emissions.
Energy Efficiency: Using less energy to perform the same task or produce the same output, reducing energy waste.
G
Greenwashing: Misleading claims by companies about the environmental benefits of their products or practices to appear more sustainable than they are.
Gross Zero: Reducing greenhouse gas emissions to the absolute minimum and balancing any remaining emissions through offsetting.
M
Microplastics: Tiny plastic particles, often less than 5mm in size, that result from the breakdown of larger plastics and are harmful to ecosystems.
Mitigation: Efforts to reduce or prevent the emission of greenhouse gases to slow climate change.
P
Pollution: The presence of harmful substances in the environment, such as chemicals, plastics, or excessive CO2, which damage ecosystems and health.
Precession: The gradual shift in the orientation of Earth's rotational axis, a natural phenomenon that occurs over thousands of years.
R
Re-wilding: Restoring ecosystems to their natural state by reintroducing native species and reducing human intervention.
Renewable Energy: Energy sourced from natural processes that are continuously replenished, such as wind, solar, and hydropower.
S
Sustainability: Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): A set of 17 global goals established by the United Nations to address social, economic, and environmental challenges.
T
Transition Towns: Grassroots community projects aimed at increasing self-sufficiency and reducing the environmental impact of towns and cities.
Tipping Point: A critical threshold in the climate system that, when exceeded, leads to significant and often irreversible changes.
W
Waste Hierarchy: A framework prioritising waste management practices from most to least preferred: reduce, reuse, recycle.
Wildlife Corridor: A natural area connecting wildlife habitats, allowing species to move safely and maintain biodiversity.
Why It Matters
Understanding these terms is a crucial step toward informed action. Whether you're making personal changes, supporting sustainable businesses, or advocating for policy, knowledge empowers progress.
If there are terms you'd like to see added, let us know! Together, we can grow this resource for everyone committed to a greener future.