Air Quality - the degree to which the air in a particular place is pollution-free
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) - a heat-trapping (greenhouse) gas, which is released through human activities such as deforestation and burning fossil fuels, as well as natural processes such as respiration and volcanic eruptions
Carbon Dioxide Equivalents (CO2e) - metric measure used to compare the emissions from various greenhouse gases on the basis of their global-warming potential (GWP), by converting amounts of other gases to the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide with the same global warming potential.
Carbon Footprint - the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere as a result of the activities of a particular individual, organization, or community.
Carbon Neutral - making or resulting in no net release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, especially as a result of carbon offsetting.
Carbon Offsetting - a reduction or removal of emissions of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases made in order to compensate for emissions made elsewhere.
Carbon Sequestration - a natural or artificial process by which carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere and held in solid or liquid form.
Climate Change Adaptation - taking action to prepare for and adjust to both the current effects of climate change the predicted impacts in the future.
Climate Change - long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. These shifts may be natural, but since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels (like coal, oil and gas), which produces heat-trapping gases.
Climate Change Mitigation - avoiding and reducing emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere to prevent the planet from warming to more extreme temperatures.
Greenhouse Gases- a gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect by absorbing infrared radiation. Carbon dioxide and chlorofluorocarbons are examples of greenhouse gases.
Low Emission Vehicles - a motor vehicle that emits relatively low levels of motor vehicle emissions.
Net Zero - completely negating the amount of greenhouse gases produced by human activity, to be achieved by reducing emissions and implementing methods of absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
No Emission or Zero Emission Vehicles - A zero-emission vehicle, or ZEV, is a vehicle that does not emit exhaust gas or other pollutants from the onboard source of power.
Renewable Energy - energy from a source that is not depleted when used, such as wind or solar power.