Climate Change Glossary

Hounslow resident Farook is one of the many residents who is committed to a cleaner and greener Hounslow

Climate, made simple

Biodiversity - the name used to describe the variety of all living things within an environment

Carbon emissions – greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere, often through burning fossil fuels such as coal or gas.

Carbon footprint – a measure for how much greenhouse gas is emitted into the air as a result of our individual activity, such as what we buy and use, what we eat and how we travel.

Carbon Neutral – an activity which offsets the same amount of carbon or greenhouse gases that they emit

Circular Economy – using items for as long as possible, through processes such as reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling. In a circular economy materials never become waste.

Climate emergency – a situation in which urgent action is required to reduce or halt global temperatures from rising within a limit that the Earth can recover from.

Council-direct emissions – emissions that the Council directly produces, such as heating owned buildings, or indirectly can influence, such as the energy it buys or its supply chain.

Decarbonisation – the measures an organisation takes to reduce its carbon footprint and the amount of greenhouse gases it releases into the atmosphere directly e.g. heating or transport or indirectly e.g. the energy it buys or its supply chain

Fossil Fuels - non-renewable energy sources, such as coal, oil and natural gas, that are found naturally in the earth's crust

Green economy – an economy which is low carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive

Greenhouse gases – gases in the atmosphere such as carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor and ozone, that absorbs solar heat reflected by the surface of the Earth, warming the atmosphere.

Green Infrastructure – a network of natural spaces and corridors which can include parks, open spaces, woodlands as well as ponds, rivers and marine environments (also known as blue infrastructure).

Green job or skills – a job that directly contributes, or indirectly supports, the achievement of net zero emission targets and other environmental goals

Green sector – the job sector that directly contributes, or indirectly supports, the achievement of net zero emission targets and other environmental goals

Low carbon – where significantly less carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere

Net Zero – reducing all greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible, alongside offsetting essential emissions that remain.

Net zero lifestyles – a way of living that aims to reduce our individual carbon footprint to zero. This could include lifestyle changes when it comes to transport, diet, heating your home, waste and air travel.

NO2 - nitrogen dioxide is a poisonous, invisible gas and is one of a family of related gases called nitrogen oxides, or NOx

Particulate matter - tiny particles, or pieces, of solids or liquids that are found in the air such as dust, dirt, smoke or water droplets

PM10 and PM2.5 - particulate matter 10 and particulate matter 2.5 refer to the size of the particles in micrometres (one-thousandth of a millimetre)

Renewable energy – energy from natural sources that is not limited and can’t run out, such as water, sunlight or wind. This contrasts with fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas, that take millions of years to form, so can run out.

Retrofit - an improvement made to an existing building to improve its energy efficiency such as double glazing or solar panels, making it easier to heat and retain heat for longer.