Understanding Carbon Trading requires one to know the A-Z terms and definitions of the jargon surrounding it:
Adaptation – Initiatives and measures to reduce the vulnerability of natural and human systems against actual or expected climate change effects.
Additionality – A project is ‘additional’ if it, and the activities supported by it, could not have happened were it not for the availability of carbon finance.
Afforestation – The direct human-induced conversion of land that has not been forested for a period of at least 50 years to forested land.
Agroforestry – Growing trees and crops on the same piece of land
Baseline – The starting reference point from which the carbon benefits of project activities can be measured or calculated.
CO2 – A naturally occurring gas and by-product of burning fossil fuels or biomass, or land-use changes and industrial processes. It is the principal anthropogenic greenhouse gas that affects the Earth’s radiative balance.
Carbon pool – A system that can store and/or accumulate carbon e.g. above-ground biomass, litter, dead wood and soil organic carbon.
Carbon sequestration – Direct removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through land-use change, afforestation, reforestation and/or increases in soil carbon (biological sequestration only).
Climate change – A change of climate which is attributable directly or indirectly to human activity.
Deforestation – The direct human-induced conversion of forested land to another land-use or the long-term reduction of the tree canopy cover below the minimum 10% threshold.
Double-counting – Measuring or selling a unit of carbon reduction more than once
Ecosystem – A community of plants and animals (including humans) interacting with each other and their environment
Forest – A land area of more than 0.5 ha, with a tree canopy cover of more than 10%, which is not primarily under agricultural or other specific non-forest land-use. In the case of young forests or regions where tree growth is climatically suppressed, the trees should be capable of reaching a height of 2m in situ (Kyoto Protocol).
Forest Restoration – The process of assisting the recovery of a forest that has been degraded or damaged
FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) – An independent certifier of sustainably managed forests.
GHGs – Six gases are defined in the Kyoto Protocol as contributing to climate change: carbon dioxide, hydrofluorocarbons, methane, nitrous oxide, perfluorocarbons and sulphur-hexafluoride. These contribute to the greenhouse effect
ISO (International Standards Organisation) – Standards for the quantification and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions and removal
Leakage – The unintended change (normally thought of as being negative although positive leakage can occur) of carbon stocks outside the boundaries of a project resulting directly from the project activity. The change may be an increase in emissions or a decrease in sequestration, resulting in a lower carbon benefit being created by the project
Mitigation – Implementing activities or policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and/or enhance carbon sinks
Reforestation – Direct human-induced conversion of non-forested land to forested land, on land that was previously forested but converted to non-forested land.
Producer – Small-scale farmers, forest dwellers and land-users in developing countries with recognised land tenure or user rights who are part of or have formed organisations and groups such as cooperatives, associations, community-based organisations or other organisational forms.
Reforestation – The establishment of forest on land that has been deforested
Sustainable Land-Use – The planned use of land, consistent with meeting livelihood requirements, protecting soils, watercourses and biodiversity.
VERs Voluntary Emissions Reductions – reductions made where there is no legal requirement to do so, i.e. out with Kyoto or any other regulatory scheme.
Woodland – An open, park-like vegetation type with scattered trees at least 5m tall.
Send the missing terms to sharad@go-green.ae