These terms are from the National Carbon Offset Standard (Australian Department of Climate Change, 2008), except where otherwise indicated.
Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, or enhancement of greenhouse gas removal from the atmosphere by sinks.
An emissions unit issued under the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS), also referred to as a 'carbon pollution permit'.
Annex I countries
Countries listed in Annex I to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), including all developed (OECD) countries and the countries in transition in central and Eastern Europe (including Russia and Ukraine). In the context of the Kyoto Protocol, 'Annex I country' is used to refer to a party included in Annex I to the UNFCCC with a commitment inscribed in Annex B to the Kyoto Protocol.
Business as Usual - used in the context of predicting future data on the basis of existing practices.
A unit that is recognised by an entity as having administrative responsibility for one or more facilities of the corporation.
A standard measure that takes account of the different global warming potentials of greenhouse gases and expresses the cumulative effect in a common unit.
A measure of the carbon dioxide equivalent emissions attributable to an activity, commonly used at an individual, household, organisation or product level.
Commonly refers to a situation where the net emissions associated with a product or an organisation's activities are equal to zero through the acquisition and retirement of carbon offsets that meet additionality criteria.
Represents a reduction in greenhouse gases, or enhancement of greenhouse gas removal from the atmosphere by sinks, relative to a business-as-usual baseline. Carbon offsets are tradeable and often used to negate (or offset) all or part of another entity's emissions.
A natural or manmade reservoir that accumulates and stores carbon dioxide for an indefinite period.
A Kyoto unit corresponding to one metric tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, and issued for verified emission reductions or removals achieved by projects approved under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). CDM projects undertaking afforestation and reforestation activities issue temporary and long term units known as tCERs and lCERs, which must be replaced after a specified period.
See: Carbon dioxide equivalence (CO2e).
See: Carbon dioxide equivalence: (CO2-e).
(GWP) A system of multipliers devised to enable warming effects of different gases to be compared. For example, over the next 100 years, a gram of methane in the atmosphere is currently estimated as having 21 times the warming effect as a gram of carbon dioxide; methane's 100-year global warming potential is thus 21.
The atmospheric gases responsible for causing global warming and climate change. The major GHGs are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N20), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6).
Thousand Million Tons of CO2e. See: Carbon dioxide equivalent.
"... the responsible acquisition, installation, use and disposal of information and communications technologies and services so as to utilise resources more effectively, improve efficiency and increase productivity, and reduce the environmental impact of operations. It also includes the effective use of information and communications technology to promote more sustainable practices in industry and the community. is the study and practice of using computers and telecommunications in a way which maximises positive environmental benefit and minimise the negative impact."
From: Australian Government ICT Sustainability Plan 2010 - 2015 (DEWHA 2010)
An international treaty created under the UNFCCC in 1997. It entered into force in 2005. Among other things, the Kyoto Protocol sets binding targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by developed countries and countries in transition. It includes individual emission reduction targets for Annex I countries to be met within the first commitment period of 2008-12.
The compilation and evaluation of the inputs, outputs and the potential environmental impacts of a product system throughout its life cycle.
Metric tons of CO2e (see: carbon dioxide equivalent).
The national reporting framework for information related to the greenhouse gas emissions, and energy production and use of corporations operating in Australia. The framework is established under Commonwealth legislation, which makes registration and reporting mandatory for corporations whose greenhouse gas emissions or energy production or use meet certain thresholds.
See: Carbon offset.
The release of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere as a direct result of activities at a Facility.
The release of greenhouse gas as a result of electricity generation, heating, cooling or steam that is consumed by a Facility.
The release of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere that is generated in the wider economy as a consequence of a facility's activities but that are physically produced by another Facility.
The removal of atmospheric carbon dioxide, either through biological processes (for example, photosynthesis in plants and trees), or geological processes (for example, storage of carbon dioxide in underground reservoirs).
A terawatt hour (TWh) is a unit of energy equal to 1012 Watt hours.
See: terawatt hour
An international treaty, adopted in 1992, aimed at achieving the stabilisation of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.