If the text you see is in blue, there is an external link providing more information, context and visuals about the concept.
Adaptation refers to adjustments in ecological, social or economic systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli and their effects. It refers to changes in processes, practices and structures to moderate potential damages or to benefit from opportunities associated with climate change. In simple terms, countries and communities need to develop adaptation solutions and implement actions to respond to current and future climate change impacts.
Anthropocene
Current geological age in which human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment.
One of the main postulates of populism; the negative perception of elites as evil and corrupt; critique of the establishment, established parties, bureaucrats at different levels, the mainstream media or big capital. See link (esp. table1) for more information.
An umbrella term to describe collectively the variety and variability of nature. It encompasses three basic levels of organisation in living systems: the genetic, species, and ecosystem levels.
Brown Growth
Brown growth describes economic development that relies heavily on fossil fuels and does not consider the negative side effects that economic production and consumption have on the environment.
Sharing of emission reduction between the Member States, first introduced under the Kyoto Protocol, transformed into Effort sharing in the 2020 Package.
Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism
The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) will levy a tax – reflecting the domestic carbon price – on specific imported products based on the amount of carbon emissions associated with their production. Its purpose is to accelerate the decarbonisation of European industries while preventing carbon leakage, which occurs when businesses shift their production to countries with weaker climate regulations to avoid higher carbon costs.
The process of capturing waste carbon dioxide, transporting it to a storage site and depositing it where it will not enter the atmosphere.
Carbon leakage refers to the situation that may occur if, for reasons of costs related to climate policies, businesses were to transfer production to other countries with laxer emission constraints
A carbon sink is anything that absorbs more carbon from the atmosphere than it releases – for example, plants, the ocean and soil.
A circular economy model aims to close the gap between the production and the natural ecosystems’ cycles, as opposed to the linear economy, where raw natural resources are taken, transformed into products and then disposed of creating waste. It includes sustainable product design, reducing waste, recycling and empowering consumers to share, repair and recover.
Climate assemblies bring together a diverse group of everyday people selected by democratic lottery to learn, deliberate and make recommendations on aspects of the climate crisis.
Climate Law
EU Regulation that enshrines the objectives of the European Green Deal in legislation: climate neutrality by 2050 and 55% emission reduction by 2030.
Climate Leadership
The pursuit of ambitious climate policy objectives (relative to other actors) in line with the IPCC-defined goals; can be structural (based on material power resources), cognitive (based on weight of knowledge and ideas), entrepreneurial (based on negotiating and diplomatic skills) and exemplary (based on domestic policy action).
Reaching a balance between greenhouse gas emissions and their removal, also known as net-zero emissions.
The integration of climate policy objectives into other sectoral policies. These can be either policy areas with inherent co-benefits for climate action such as renewable energy policy, or mainstreaming climate policy in different policy areas and levels of governance with no inherent co-benefits, requiring incentives or conditionalities such as regulatory support as policies. See the link in the text title for more information. (esp. image p.21)
The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is a set of laws adopted by the EU to provide a unified policy on agriculture in EU countries. Its aim is to: provide affordable, safe and high-quality food for EU citizens, ensure a fair standard of living for farmers, and preserve natural resources and respect the environment.
Conference of the Parties (COP)
Supreme body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change who normally meets once per year.
Decarbonisation
Conversion to an economic system that sustainably reduces and compensates for the emissions of carbon dioxide.
Continued economic growth with continually declining material throughput.
Need to reduce global consumption and production in favour of a socially just and economically sustainable society.
Deliberative Democracy
Deliberative democracy is a form of democracy that places people at the centre of decision-making and provides them with a more direct route to participate in decisions that affect them, their communities and broader society.
Deliberative mini-publics (DMPs) are participatory processes in which a randomly selected and heterogeneous group of citizens are invited to work together for a period to develop recommendations, ideas or solutions on a specific issue.
Democratic Myopia
The idea that democratic systems are biased toward the short-term, also known as shortsightedness.
The move of 'technical' tasks to independent and international bodies (such as central banks and regulatory agencies), weakening liberal democracies' input legitimacy; vulnerable to criticism of being an elitist form of decision-making that benefits privileged interests; see also technocracy.
Diplomatic Leadership
It indicates climate diplomacy actions that aim to coerce, convince and cajole other parties into action.
Environmental problems are politically, economically and technologically solvable within the context of existing institutions and power structures, and continued economic growth. A technology-based and innovation-oriented approach to environmental policy. An environmental problem proves politically less difficult to resolve if a marketable solution exists.
Ecosystem Services are the direct and indirect contributions ecosystems (known as natural capital) provide for human wellbeing and quality of life.
A wide range of collective energy actions that involve citizens' participation in the energy system.
It refers to actions to limit energy consumption by, e.g. better building design, the modification of production processes, better selection of transport policies.
Lack of equal access to modern energy services, resulting from a combination of low income and poor energy efficiency.
Strategy built around five dimensions: security, solidarity and trust; a fully integrated internal energy market; energy efficiency; decarbonising the economy; research, innovation and competitiveness.
EU Emission Trading System, based on cap-and-trade, flagship EU instrument to reduce GHG emissions, market-based.
Agreement between the European Parliament and the EU member states to set into law the objective of climate neutrality by 2050.
EU Scepticism or Euroscepticism
Criticism toward the EU and European integration from opposing certain EU institutions and policies towards rejecting EU membership; often related to populism, post-factualism and depoliticisation.
EU growth strategy to make its economy sustainable; climate neutrality by 2050.
European Scientific Advisory Board
The European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change is an independent body providing the European Union (EU) with scientific knowledge, expertise and advice relating to climate change.
Exemplary Leadership
It indicates 'leadership by example' and derives from domestic policy action
Coal, natural gas and petroleum products (such as oil) formed from the decayed bodies of animals and plants that dies millions of years ago.
The act of giving integrated consideration to the pursuit of highest priorities across policy fields through domestic and external action in a long-term perspective, by the highest political level.
Fostering economic growth and development while ensuring that natural assets continue to provide the resources and environmental services on which our well-being relies.
Economic growth and development complementary to environmental and climate action. See ecological modernisation.
A low-carbon, resource-efficient and socially inclusive economy. In a green economy, growth in employment and income are driven by public and private investment into such economic activities, infrastructure and assets that allow reduced carbon emissions and pollution, enhanced energy and resource efficiency, and prevention of the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Strong: natural capital cannot be substituted by other forms of capital; weak: capital substitution is conceivable and potentially desirable if it contributes to improved overall welfare.
Input Legitimacy
Legitimacy that derives from an institution or policy's adherence to democratic procedural values, e.g. inclusiveness, transparency and accountability.
A transition that alleviates the social and economic costs arising from getting to a climate-neutral economy.
First international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, linked to the UNFCCC. The Kyoto Protocol, among other things, sets binding targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by industrialised countries.
Leadiatorship
Leadership role characterised by more moderate policy objectives and greater emphasis on coalition and bridge-building.
Self-reinforcing dynamics that make policy (sub)systems rigid or resistant to change; often studied in the context of carbon lock-in that refers to the situation in which fossil fuel-intensive systems perpetuate, delay or prevent the transition to low-carbon alternatives; can also be used in the context of climate adaptation.
A society that emits greenhouse gases only in an amount that can be absorbed by nature; emphasis on change in behaviour and technology.
land use, land use change and forestry, introduced in EU legislation under the 2030 Framework.
In the context of climate change, a human intervention to reduce the sources, or enhance the sinks of greenhouse gases.
National Advisory bodies are being adopted by most EU member states, and their aim is to broaden the scope of stakeholder consultation and, especially in the case of independent scientific councils, inject evidence-based input into policy formulation.
National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs)
Requirement under the Governance Regulation of the 2030 Framework, Member States set out the policies they will implement to reach their obligations of the 2030 Framework for a 10-year period, with updates every five years.
Solutions that are inspired and supported by nature, which are cost-effective, simultaneously provide environmental, social and economic benefits and help build resilience.
Negative Emissions
Activities that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, to be achieved through technological solutions or nature-based solutions.
Reaching a balance between greenhouse gas emissions and their removal, also known as climate neutrality.
Energy released by nuclear fission or nuclear fusion.
Output Legitimacy
Legitimacy that derives from the overall effectiveness of an institution or policy, i.e., from its problem-solving capacity.
The successor to the Kyoto Protocol; parties to the UNFCCC set their own emission reduction targets in nationally determined contributions (NDCs) that are evaluated every five years; its objectives are to limit global warming to 1.5-2°C by the end of the century.
One of the main postulates of populism; claim of populists to be the true champion of the people, a glorified and homogeneous group with a general will. (esp. table1 on the external link)
Polycentric governance systems are those in which political authority is dispersed amongst a range of bodies that operate in overlapping jurisdictions which are not in a hierarchical relationship to one another.
The political dynamics of multiple crises faced by the EU, both at European level and within the member states (such as financial crisis, human migration, climate, pandemic and more).
A set of ideas based on anti-elitism and people-centrism. Typically attached to a host ideology (e.g. right-wing or left-wing) to give meaning to the concepts 'elite' and 'people', that shapes underlying ideas and policy positions.
Politically motivated dissemination of 'information' which denies or ignores well-established facts and available evidence; linked to growing politicisation of expertise that undermines trust in expert-based policymaking; fake news; contributes to spread of conspiracy theories, myths and emotion-based disinformation.
The precautionary principle is an attempt to give the notion of precaution—understood as a form of addressing risk—legal status. Its core elements are the need for environmental protection; the presence of threat or risk of serious damage; and the fact that a lack of scientific certainty should not be used to avoid taking action to prevent that damage.
Energy sources that do not rely on fuels of which there are only limited stocks. Examples of renewable energy sources include hydroelectric power; biomass energy; solar energy and wind energy.
Shortsightedness
The idea that democratic systems are biased toward the short-term, also known as shortsightedness.
The preference of humankind for things to stay the way they are to reduce uncertainty and possible negative outcomes in our daily lives.
The general aim of the principle of subsidiarity is to guarantee a degree of independence for a lower authority in relation to a higher body or for a local authority in relation to central government. It therefore involves the sharing of powers between several levels of authority, a principle which forms the institutional basis for federal states.
Sufficiency
Reducing consumption and production, by using less, buying less, buying that which lasts a long time & can be repaired, borrowed or shared. Lowering the pressure on nature and the pressure of demand for growth.
Use of resources within the earth's capacity to renew, with long-term ecosystem and societal impact of actions.
Decision-making system whereby the decision-makers are appointed on the basis of their expertise and scientific knowledge rather than democratically elected; see also depoliticisation.
No imposition of or discrimination in favour of the use of a particular type of technology.
Turbulence (political)
Interactions of events or demands that are highly variable, inconsistent, unexpected or unpredictable; can develop into a crisis when urgent responses are required, and the existing socio- economic systems are threatened.
The United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) entered into force on 21 March 1994. Today, it has near-universal membership. The 198 countries that have ratified the Convention are called Parties to the Convention. Preventing “dangerous” human interference with the climate system is the ultimate aim of the UNFCCC.
2020 Climate and Energy Package
The comprehensive legislative package that sets out the EU's objectives for 2020, 20% greenhouse gas reductions, 20% share of renewable energy, and 20% improvement in energy efficiency; formulated in preparation for the COP in Copenhagen 2009.
Successor to the 2020 Package; includes EU emission reduction objectives for 2030, 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, 32% share of renewable energy, 32.5% improvement in energy efficiency; introduction of LULUCF Regulation and Governance Regulation; linked to Paris Agreement.