cop-15

Carbon sink

The term used for natural mechanisms that absorb CO₂ naturally. Until now the oceans have absorbed about half the extra CO₂ that humans have sent into the atmosphere, but this proportion is now declining slightly. Vegetation is also a carbon sink.

CFC gases

A group of gases – part of the group called HFC gases – that have been used a lot industrially, for example in refrigerators or in firefighting appliances. CFC gases are greenhouse gases and their use is extremely limited today. CFC gases affect the climate but also contribute to depleting the ozone layer, which protects the earth against ultraviolet radiation from the sun. The CFC gases that are already present in the atmosphere are broken down very slowly, and therefore they still contribute to the depletion of the ozone layer and increase the greenhouse effect.

CO2

CO₂ is a gas, also known as carbon dioxide, which is formed by the burning of organic materials such as coal, oil, gas and wood. Humans and animals inhale oxygen and exhale CO₂. Plants absorb CO₂ and release oxygen. CO₂ and water vapour (H₂O) are the most important natural greenhouse gases.

CO2 equivalents

Different types of gases contribute to the greenhouse effect to a greater or lesser degree. In order to have a comparable target, these contributions to the greenhouse effect are converted to the amount of CO₂ that would be required to create the same effect. These are called CO₂ equivalents.

COP (Conference of the Parties)

The annual meeting of representatives of the countries that have ratified the UN’s climate convention (see UNFCCC). The COP is the topmost agency for decisions under the climate convention.

Read more about the COP´s here (only in English)

E

Emission Reduction Unit (ERU)

A sort of international ”climate currency” used for payment within the flexible mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol.

Extreme weather

Extreme weather can include such things as unusually violent storms; heatwaves or droughts that are longer or hotter than normal, and exceptionally violent levels of precipitation. As global warming continues, more occurrences of extreme weather are expected, and this has already been seen in several areas.

F

Fossil fuels

Energy sources formed in the earth’s crust from the remains (fossils) of plants and animals that lived on earth many millions of years ago. Coal, oil and natural gas are fossil fuels. Uranium – for nuclear power – is sometimes counted as a fossil fuel, even though it is not formed from dead plants and animals, but is a naturally occurring element.

G

Global warming

An increase in the average global temperature. The rate of warming has increased since the 1950s, which is mainly due to increased greenhouse gas emissions. The warming is greatest over the land and near the poles.

Greenhouse effect

The greenhouse effect is the name given to a process occurring naturally that insulates the earth against the loss of heat into space. The greenhouse effect is necessary for life to exist on earth and is not a problem in itself. It is the increased greenhouse effect, which is the result of increased greenhouse gas emissions, that creates problems in the form of increased global warming. The greenhouse effect is not the same as the hole in the ozone layer, although CFC gases contribute to both phenomena.

I

IPCC

The UN’s climate panel, which was set up to understand and evaluate the extent and effects of climate change, and to assess the possibilities of adjusting to or neutralising expected changes in climate. Read more

K

The Kyoto Protocol

Appendix to the UN’s climate convention, which among other things imposes concrete reductions in greenhouse gas emissions on a number of industrialised countries. Read more (only in English)

M

Methane

Also called natural gas. The simplest of the so-called hydrocarbons, which comprise combustible gases, oils and a whole range of other substances. Methane is a very powerful greenhouse gas – about 20 times more powerful than CO₂ in a 100-year perspective.

N

Nitrous oxide

A gas with the chemical formula N₂O. Nitrous oxide is still used as an anaesthetic in several areas, but it is also a greenhouse gas. By far the greatest share of human emissions of nitrous oxide come from agriculture (inorganic fertiliser and manure) and from the burning of petrol and oil in combustion engines.

R

Renewable energy

Energy production based on sources of energy that do not run out, for example wind, water and solar power. The production of renewable energy does not in itself discharge greenhouse gases, but the production and the installation of plant, or other circumstances – for example the formation of methane in water reservoirs – can place a strain on the climate. This strain is however far smaller than when fossil fuels are used.

Rising sea level

A warmer climate causes the sea level to rise. Half of this effect has until now been caused by the fact that water expands when it gets warmer.