Paris Targets
Carbon Bombs
Refers to extraction projects (coal mines and oil and gas fields) which generate emissions exceeding a billion tons (1 gigaton) of CO2 during their lifetime. The Leave it in the Ground Initiative (LINGO) has identified 425 carbon bombs, many of which have to be defused to align the with the .
Carbon Budget
A carbon budget refers to the amount of carbon that can be emitted before global temperature rise exceeds a certain limit. The concept was first proposed in the 1980s and has gained traction since 2009 with the establishment of the 2 °C target as a basis for climate policy. Though carbon budgets are hard to […]
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Emissions
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a greenhouse gas found naturally in Earth’s atmosphere. It is also a byproduct of industrial processes and burning . The release of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere is the primary driver of . The rise in average global temperature is directly proportional to concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, measured […]
Conference of the Parties (COP)
COP refers to the Conference of the Parties to the , which is normally held annually. Negotiations at COPs do not “solve” the , but they aim to adopt an outcome text unanimously agreed by all parties, which they usually achieve. Since negotiations involve desperate countries impacted by as well as countries exporting fossil fuels, […]
Demand-Side Mitigation
Strategies aimed at mitigating the impacts of through avoiding , shifting to new behaviors, and improving the efficiency of technologies. Examples include constructing more energy-efficient buildings, promoting public transportation or cycling instead of cars, reducing food waste, and transitioning to a . Demand-side mitigation alone is insufficient for achieving the 1.5 °C and 2 °C […]
Net-Zero
Balancing the total amount of of a certain entity with an equal amount removed. This is ideally done by minimizing greenhouse gas emissions and taking measures to absorb the remaining emissions from the atmosphere. Such measures may include tree planting and other schemes. While the concept has made it into the , with the formulation […]
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