Carbon Jargon - Terminology Guide from the POPAI Sustainability Council

As news reports repeatedly remind us, there is an urgent need to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) to limit global temperature rises. In December 2015 at COP21, the Paris Agreement set the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C, compared to pre-industrial levels. At COP27 Parties agreed that limiting global warming to 1.5°C requires rapid, deep, and sustained reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions, reducing them by 43 percent by 2030 relative to the 2019 level.

In this document we try to explain some of the terms commonly used. It is worth remembering that some of these terms still don’t have globally acknowledged definitions and the meaning of some can change depending on the context, for example whether one is looking at a global, country, or corporate level. We have looked from a business perspective as well as trying to capture those terms used across the wider media and in academic circles. We have included what we consider to be the most reliable and respected definitions available, but in some cases alternative definitions also exist. 

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